I want to drive truck!!!

Get busy for a week and look what happens

I am still confused on this situation.... the poster works 40 hours a week and cannot imagine taking on another job because she doesn't have the time...... however, trucking will end up being the equivalent to 2 or even 3 times these hours......

I am still trying to make sense of this thread...... and I know I posted some of my own opinions early on...... but I do have a question for Amanda....

I am just a wannabe/newbie/student so I am only speaking from personal life experience and many, many, many hours of research into trucking... so take this for what it is......

Most newbies coming onto these forum sites post pretty much the same opening post........ "I have always wanted to drive a truck," "My father/brother/uncle drove and I went with them and I loved it," "I know this is a bad time for trucking and not a great career move but I really WANT to drive a truck!"............ it goes on and on as they say......

One of the things that new people bring to a profession is usually their blind enthusiasm...... they rarely know what they are getting into...... but they are so **** excited to be there it really doesn't matter....

Amanda.......
Do you WANT to drive a truck?
Is this a life long dream for you?



There are jobs...... there are careers....... and there are lifestyles......

Trucking is one of those careers that is a real job and comes with it's own lifestyle.....

This is not a job you leave at the doorstep until the next morning at 8:00 a.m. ........... it will consume your life.........

Now, I am not saying that is a bad thing.......... it is what it is.........

But if you just want a job........ oh my gosh....... there are so many other options!!!!

 

Been driving for thirty years and let me tell you my story.
First I want to commend you on trying to find a job to make more money or to get ahead in the world. Too many Americans setting around waiting for family, friends or the government to take care of them. You not only have to make sure that family is taken care of but one of these days, and it will be sooner then you think, you will be looking at retirement. Do you make enough to put back for retirement? Set up a long term goal for you and your family.
Now on with my story.Had a new born and a 6 year old son when I started driving OTR. Working two jobs and still not getting ahead. Yes, I missed a lot of ball games and birthdays but my family had food on the table and a roof over their heads. My kids went without a lot in their young life's but now I look back and it help to make them stronger as a person. When you become a parent you give up being a individual and become mom or dad. The familys health and well-being comes first before you. There is no "I" anymore it is about family. Count how many times in a day you say "I" and you will see how self-centered you are.
But back to the story. Lets fast forward to the future passing up all of the bad times and looking back at the good times we had as a family. My son now has been in the Navy for 16 years and just made officer last year. I'm so proud of him but now he sees the pain that I had as a truck driver when he has to leave his family for months at a time. The pain of missed birthdays and holidays. Trying to explain to his wife over the phone how to fix a leaking faucet. But he has expressed to me that a father will do what he has to do to support his family and that tells me that his mother, which deserves most of the credit for their morality and proper upbringing, and myself done a great job. Both of my kids are decent hardworking adults and have more then their share of common sense. My daughter is a stay at home mom and enjoys every day taking care of her little girl.
Sounld you become a truck driver? That is only a decision that you can make. Will it affect you kids as they grow up? Yes it will. But you will not know this answer until they become adults. Will they be perfect adults if you stay at home? Probably not. Will they be drug addicts or worthless to society as adults? Who knows.
Kids learn how to become adults in two different ways at home, how to act like their parents or learn from their parents mistakes. So no matter which road in life you take your kids will learn from your decisions.
Hope your kids turns out to make you proud like mine did.

 

I was a for the most part, a stay-at-home mom when my children were young. Trust me, we made some major sacrafices so I could be there but I can tell you that my children have no idea that we had to struggle.........

I was the PTA secretary.
I was an AWANA leader.
I was the carpool organizer.
I had a calendar of "playdates" that would make any professional's Palm look relaxing....
My kids went to Gymboree, then gymnastics, karate, art classes, music lessons............... .......... ........... .........
We had season passes to Magic Mountain, Disneyland and Knotts because we went so often.
We had "buckets" ready in the garage to take off to the beach, the mountains, the river, the lake......
Our lives were our kids....

(By the way, my husband made between $28-$32K per year during those years ,'85-'95, AND we live in California.......)

As you can imagine, his income was not really sufficient to support our family, including buying a home, cars, vacations.... not to mention the cost of private school, and the overall spoiling of my little angels

Wanna know how I/We did it? (oh well........ you get to know anyway)

I started driving around the "not so great" areas of town.
I wrote down the addresses of the houses that were clearly abandoned.
I went to the hall of records and looked up the owners.
I found the owners and went to see them.
Most of these houses were disasters and these owners had either inherited them or they had gotten so old they could no longer deal with them.
I made deals.......... you have no idea....... many were not even recorded at the courthouse.
I bought those houses for next to nothing.
I wrote my own terms (basically they didn't get any money until I had fixed the place and then either rented it or sold it)..... they were willing to do this because:
1) They weren't getting any money at that point anyway
2) The worst thing that they could be out would be me going in there and spending my own money to fix the place up (I certainly couldn't make the places worse!)

I learned to paint, wallpaper, plumb, wire, roof, landscape, carpet, tile.... you get the picture....
I did all this with my children in tow........... yes, it took a lot of planning to make sure they could enjoy their day and be safe while I was working but we were together........ kinda like picture of dad fixing the sink with the toddler handing him tools...
I only had to work on the houses 4-5 hours per day most of the time. (Sometimes if I didn't have the kids for some reason I would put in more time.)
I made sure my kids took their naps there (they can sleep through ANYTHING now!) and any TV time (had the whole Disney collection of course) was spent there as well.....
I also had my relatives pick them up during those hours when they wanted to spend time with their grandchildren/neices/nephews etc.... that way my time off with them was completely one-on-one..
After my husband got off work he would come by and do anything I wasn't strong enough (or dedicated enough) to do......
I could go into detail but I can promise you that my children had as much fun.... if not more.... playing at those houses than they would have staying at home in the same house day after day......

Between the sales of the houses, and the tax write-offs for rental properties, (rentals are the best tax loophole in existence!) I made more money from those houses than my husband did at his job.

I can hear it now....... don't have credit, don't have money..........
Excuses..... I didn't have money, I did manage to get a few credit cards, but our credit was destroyed by my husband during his single days before we even got married.........

There are ways to make money that are not traditional. Be creative. Take some chances.

By the way...... I was 18 when I got married.... 19 when I had my first child ........ and 20 when we bought our first house (which had a studio apartment in the garage to help pay the mortgage) ...... and when I was doing the houses the interest rates were an average of 12%......... we didn't get rich and we ultimately made some wrong choices...... but we were able to provide a very good childhood for our children......... in my book, that is ALL that counts.......

No one should ever consider sacrificing their children's childhood for the money an average truck driver makes.......

Okay....... someone else can have the soapbox....

Gotta go practice my pre-trip......

 

Data-Man

Nice Post!

Storyteller - nice! you did good. And your point is valid: that there are other options besides driving a truck. Heck, maybe Amanda will see that and say 'holy hammerhead, Batman!'

I actually hope she does. I like the idea. But maybe there's a reason she can't. Who knows.

BUT. I still maintain that driving a truck is not a bad choice. Especially if she can run local. Giving up a year or so now (or when the rugmonster is in school) is an investment in the future. In effect, you are killing two birds with one stone: Doing something you like (at least, we hope so), and keeping your family fed and off the street corner.

Then, after a year or so (or even less) you can land a local job, make respectable money, AND see the family on a nightly basis.

The point isn't to get rich, after all. The point is to provide for the family as best you can.

 

SOUNDS LIKE AMANDA FINALLY STARTED TO LISTEN TO WHAT PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO TELL HER.--GOOD LUCK AMANDA! --- I Know , I KNOW,--sarcazium is a very sharp tool. but,you must admit , the responses did get TO BE a little more realistic as to THE OTR life. AND INCOME ---I know you luve me.-----HANDYMAN.

 

I dont know about that last part there Handyman???

 

I think you made the right choice Amanda. Best wishes to you and your family. Trucking will still be here in the future although it may be more regionalized than ever (which may work better for you in the end).