Money or Happiness.??

Well here is another fine mess i got myself into.....As some off you might know i landed,what seemed to be a mega money run.It seemed to be every O/O's dream..Well i am really having 2nd thoughts about this whole run,a month into it...I am thinking about giving it back.

The run was wonderful until the customer added another 2 legs to the run.I was only working 3-3.5 days a week and i was only a 300 mile radius of the house.This is why i took the run.I only wanted 3-4 days a week.This has ''changed'' on me and it turned into a 5-6 day a week operation with a 34 restart.The customer added more work to this contract.(lucky me)...

I told the L/S Agent that it is to much for me to handle.He said that if i could not do it that he would find someone who would or BROKER IT OUT.....This became my dilema..I comitted to it and i am on it as we speak.

The truth about the run is that its only 2000 miles but it is time consuming.I can only get home to shower and sleep for 6 hours,get up,eat,shower and then drive back to the truck again.So i decided to stay in the truck.It seemed easier to just stay in the truck at a truck stop.It is all of 14 hours a day..I find myself stressed out and very very tired alot,since i committed to this run.My friends and loved ones say i am becoming mean and miserable..I feel they are right.

The run itself is only 6,000 lbs or less and its a time sensative milk run.It pays me 6,200 gross to the truck.This is around 1,000 a day just to ''show up''..Sounds wonderful correct..??..In many ways it is..

The bad part is this..For starters the run goes to the North Country and it is a 2 lane road from hell(11) and (3) and (37)..A 300 mile stretch takes sometimes 8 hours..It is in the North Country of NY up to Montreal and the winters are hell up here.This will be more ''time'' to get the job done.I have talked with the locals and this could take me 10 hours in the cold winter up here..This will be more hours and stress added in my life..

Another bad part i deal with is the NY DOT.I have never seen so many DOT in all of my trucking.These guys are relentless and in this North Country,they are everywhere.Today i counted 115 NY State Troopers,countys,locals and DOT working very hard..This is an everyday thing up here..

My truck is pretty darn tight and compliant but i hear all the stories from the truckers up here that they will ''find'' anything.So now i feel like i am putting my CDL out on a chopping block for some young over zelous DOT cop...As some of you no i ran NY to Midwest before taking this on...I have never in all my life seen so many bears,local DOT,State Cops and Law Enforcement in my life,until coming up here..I feel very sorry for the Constant Harassement these trucker go through..As i write this i am watching 2 more Canadian trucks getting worked over by the State Cops..It is Sickening..

It is pretty sad to see many truckers going down because of this.Everyday since i started this run i see at least 3-10 truckers being pulled over and harrassed,DAILY..Today i seen 17 trucks in the Rest Area and then 12 more in the coop down the road..I see ''local'' cops making these ''make shift'' coops in a dirt parking lot..It was crazy to see this going on..

So here i am wondering if i need to just go back to what i was happy doing..NY to the Midwest.Yes i will NOT make this kinda money but i was HAPPIER running the upper half USA.IMO Midwest is the place to drive a truck..

I am not whinning or crying i am just caught between The all might buck and happiness....Today after a long soul search i realized I HATE RUNNING THIS NORTH NY COUNTRY,CANADA AND THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS..I realized i am only here because of the ALL MIGHTY MONEY..Yes the root of all evil..

The only idea i came up with is this...I called a good friend of mine at L/S and asked him if he could help me..He can do it for a week and i do it for a week.He agreed to this and he is going to get started ASAP in the future..Even if we split this run i am looking at 323,000/2 BCO's= 161.500 a year gross..This may help my dilema..

Thanks for listening to my confusion here in Whiteface Mountain...