Do truckers live a misarable life?

It's a horrible life if you are newly married and/or have small kids. I can't recommend against it enough if you are in one of those groups. Being a sperm donor(making babies while you're OTR) and bank depositor( making sure checks go in bank)doesn't make you a husband and/or father.

It's horrible to think of all the firsts and ONLY times your kids will do something you miss and only hear about on phone. It's horrible to think your son is only child at his baseball games where dad is NEVER there. It's horrible to think you leave your wife all the burdens of raising a family by herself. That's not being a couple. I could go on but the trucking lifestyle sucks, life is too short to spend 20-30yrs only being home a few days a month. It's not fair to your wife and kids either. You CAN'T be a good parent or husband not being there, try-to justify it all you want, I'm sure many will, but anything you say is just crap to make you feel better about what you're doing. Life is too short to miss your kids growing up and not spending the best years of your life with your wife. Again, trucking is no harder nor requires more skill than flipping burgers, look around a truck stop if you disagree, people from 18-80, men and women doing this. Anyone can, even monkeys. It's the lifestyle you have to accept, you have to accept you will miss the best years if your kids lives, heck best years of your life, as you will only hear about it after the fact. That is sad. And I know some wives don't mind, or say it, but I would bet they'd prefer you were home living together raising a family. Most women don't dream of getting married and never seeing their hubby. So, before you decide to do this, you'd better consider it all, the job is nothing, anyone can do it, it's the lifestyle you have to accept. And if you think not watching your kids grow up is worth $1000/wk, you probably shouldn't have kids, it's definitely not fair to them. I only did this for a few years as I waited to retire, no way would I have put my family thru decades of this nonsense. JMHO, yours may vary.

 

First week out...everything is cool.
2nd week out.... still pretty good
3rd week out....getting a little monotonous.
4th week out....start talking to yourself going down the road.
5th week out..... continue talking to yourself, even arguing. You might even win a few arguments. The part of you that gets along with yourself the most................says .........................it's time for home.

 

by the middle of the 1st week, I was already INTO the 6th week..>!!...lol

 

I lived a miserable life before trucking, at though I love being a truck driver (it is better then minimum wage) I still live a miserable life. Happiness isn't always a financial or career thing. Honestly I don't believe I was meant to be apart of this world. Anyway life goes on.

 

Contrary to what walstib said, there are the occasional bright spots.

I got family clearance from a mom & pop company that preached family values and actually meant it. I've taken the wife to a Maine vineyard (they were a customer, I couldn't drink, but she could), spent a month running UPS holiday traffic linehaul, got to spend a week going up and down the DelMarVa peninsula, all with the wife & kid on board.

The best was when I had to cover a run to Orlando FL last minute. My exact words to my wife were, "PACK,,,NOW!!!"

I got PAID to drive to Disney! Even brought my own personal hotel room along for the ride.

 

Yeah I could totally see driving for an outfit that only runs DelMarVa.

You can just make a round trip from Virginia Beach to Philly in 11hours. I'd love to get on with a farm or a local business down there. Biggest thing I saw was Tyson, but I'd rather not drive for them.

 

I can't say I don't have a care in the world, but I am single and have no kids, so I plan on staying out for a month or more at a time. I really have to bug to get out and run.