Does anyone on this board....

I think driving professionally is one of those careers that:
1. You really love and the lifestyle that comes with it,
2 You really hate and leave it faster than a bean burrito leaves you, or
3. You tolerate it because you can't do anything much else, and love to grip to anyone who will listen.

I love it. I was OTR for 10 years after I retired from the military. Left it for 2 years to pursue my own business in aviation and now, am happily coming back to it.

Of all the other jobs out there you could do or be trained to do, and I looked, where else can you regularly meet so many good people (and sometimes bad), make a decent living (most of the time), be independent if you're an independent type of personality and finally, (and yes, it's corny) do something that's important and in fact, critical to the welfare of every person in this country.

Yes, we're beat up by everybody. The public, 4-wheelers, dispatchers, company guys (did I mention my wife) and States, until something like Katrina hits, or a tornado in Oklahoma. It's those times you can be most proud to be an American Trucker.

Like you've read in the posts before mine, most of us out here love what we do. But of course, most of us are crazy as Loons and tend to fart alot.
Did I say that outloud???

 

Isn't that what that wire loop hanging from the ceiling is for?

 

Snorelord, you're going to find that this industry has its great points, good points, frustrating points and really crappy points, just like any other industry.

Some days its rough and others are memorable. You'll see things that only other Drivers see. Experience things that only another Driver would understand. Like I said earlier, its a job you really love or you really don't. Again, just like any other.

For the most part, its a tough job. Way more hours than most others and some aggravation others don't have. But, if you put in your time, stay safe and mostly play by the rules, you can make $35,000 to $50,000 a year. You wont find that capability in fast food or in an office.

In my experience, the best part of the job are the people. I've found that most of the time, a truck driver will be one of the first to 'step up to the plate' when there's trouble or a problem. I've found most are fiercely independent, but will work as a team when something needs done. They're patriots to a fault (if thats possible), yes...they're opinionated and most always, just 'good old boys and girls' you'd enjoy sittin down with over a beer or two.

Well, that's my two cents anyway.

 

After shock , your list is wrong.It should have gone like this.
1.Raw
2.Rare
3.Medium rare
4.Well done
5.Burnt
6.Burnt out

I fall in category six.

 

No sir!
My list IS correct.
The list you included is for McDonald's.
Truckin' gets into the blood and won't burn out.

I have yet to meet a Big truck truck driver who, after years OTR, can just walk away from driving with NO withdrawals.
Big truck truckin' has been described as something one loves to hate and hates to love. I don't think the lure of the open road EVER goes away. That's why many former Big truck truckers buy motorhomes when they retire and re-trace their tire tracks with more time to stop and smell the flowers along the way that they only got to glance at before.

Now-a-daze, with all the workers being displaced as their jobs of many years downsizes or moves out of the country, we have another "new breed" coming into the industry out of desperation rather than a real desire -- and they're shocked. But they have no choice because it's the highest paying gig they can find, so they whine a lot.

Rapidly, the industry is changing from Knights of the Highways to glorified 4-wheeler attitudes that are, at best, just steering wheel holders without a clue what a REAL trucker is --- or was.

Compared to yesteryear, Big trucks drive themselves. Yet they want automated shifting, cruise control, weekends off and a pat on the back for doing the right thing(s). Things that have always been considered part of the job (lifestyle).
Complain about living in a Big truck, then go camping on their time off. The Big truck truckin' industry has made big changes in the past 10 to 15 years to try to please them, and look where the industry is today --- are they happier now?
Nope!
They're still tryin' to make it a 9 to 5 job, which it will NEVER be. And many still prefer it that way. The truckin' lifestyle doesn't fit everyone, and those who can't adjust just keep tryin' to get the industry to change to suit THEM, instead of getting OUT of the industry they despise so much.
Big truck truckin' IS what it IS.
Good
Bad
and sometimes
Ugly.

But, if it weren't for the bad daze, how would we measure the good daze?

Do Big truck truck drivers complain?
HaiL yes they do -- just like most everyone else. It's called "venting" and it's actually good for them to do that verbally rather than keep it bottled up inside 'till they explode and self-destruct.
I also hear married folks complaining about the married lifestyle, but they usually stick it out. Then again, looking at the divorce rates, that might not be entirely true in this throw-away society we've created.

 

I have just joined the big truck driving OTR, and it fits my personality, and my life style so well that it will be hard for me to ever do anything else. So many go into trucking thinking they have no boss, no rules, and then find out we are so regulated as to make your head spin, yet it is fun as long as one plays within the rules. Besides, I am so tired of the publics attitude towards food workers, that I could no longer stand the long hours, and the disrespect that servers and cooks and managers get today.

Like every job and lifestyle, there are great days, and horrible days, it is what one makes of it that counts.

 

Oh quite true.
and I'm going to put some timelines on your list. times will over lap in the first 10 years. Because everyone is there own person and they season at there own rate.
7. NewBees 0-1 year
6. TrainEss 3 to 18 months
5. RookEss 1 year to 5 years
4. Experienced 5 to 10 years
3. Seasoned 7 to 12 years
2. Well Seasoned 10 to 20 years
1. & TOP -->Trucker over 20 years

 

I purposely didn't include a time-frame in my list because I've known RookEss and Experienced drivers who showed more professionalism than some of the drivers who have been on the road for a longer period.

I factor in mind-set, ability, aptitude and attitude to determine status.