Over The Road...

RUSSELBURG · Mar 20, 2016

Different world back then I guess the younger driver are cuddled so.much

RookieJ1987 · Mar 20, 2016

Voyager1968 said: ↑

I've said it before numerous times in this forum, but since this thread is here, I'll repeat it.

I am currently a local driver and have been for most of my trucking career. The only reason I'm local though is because my wife likes (wants) me home every night. That being said, I've done both, and for me personally, the stress level is much higher in a local gig. Trying to get done what they want in a 14 hour day, in the northeast, can be a real bite. I've gotten back to the plant with not much more than seconds to spare on either my 14 or 11 numerous times. Then you have the commute to and from the job, which, depending on how far you live from your reporting location can add an hour or two to your day.

When you get home, many nights you have just enough time to get a shower and eat dinner before you have to go to bed for the next day's festivities. Other than sleeping in your own bed and having your own bathroom down the hall, the quality of life from Monday through Friday often times isn't much better than a guy who's out on the road. In my case, I usually have to go to bed right when my wife gets home from work so we see each other long enough for me to give her a kiss and say goodnight.

Everyone's needs, wants, and likes are different, but if I weren't married, or if my wife was more open to me being away for the week, I'd go back to a regional, home weekend gig in a heartbeat!
Click to expand...

Thank You!! I agree 200%. Im currently on the same boat! Weekends forget it! I dont even wanna leave my house! Lol!

TheDudeAbides · Mar 21, 2016

Voyager1968 said: ↑

I've said it before numerous times in this forum, but since this thread is here, I'll repeat it.

I am currently a local driver and have been for most of my trucking career. The only reason I'm local though is because my wife likes (wants) me home every night. That being said, I've done both, and for me personally, the stress level is much higher in a local gig. Trying to get done what they want in a 14 hour day, in the northeast, can be a real bite. I've gotten back to the plant with not much more than seconds to spare on either my 14 or 11 numerous times. Then you have the commute to and from the job, which, depending on how far you live from your reporting location can add an hour or two to your day.

When you get home, many nights you have just enough time to get a shower and eat dinner before you have to go to bed for the next day's festivities. Other than sleeping in your own bed and having your own bathroom down the hall, the quality of life from Monday through Friday often times isn't much better than a guy who's out on the road. In my case, I usually have to go to bed right when my wife gets home from work so we see each other long enough for me to give her a kiss and say goodnight.

Everyone's needs, wants, and likes are different, but if I weren't married, or if my wife was more open to me being away for the week, I'd go back to a regional, home weekend gig in a heartbeat!
Click to expand...

Excellent way to describe how local can be. I've been driving 15 months and did a dedicated account for about 5 months of that. It was local, home every night,2 days off a week and it was more tiring than being over the road due to more stressful city driving and long days with multiple stops and super early start times. I'm back OTR now and thoroughly enjoying it but I have friends all over the country that I meet up with and very few obligations at my "home" which makes it easy to stay out.
I think it's different for every person and every situation. Best thing to do is get out there and experience it and see what works the best for you

westcoast · Mar 21, 2016

RUSSELBURG said: ↑

I have no friends anymore ,I missed numerous weddings, funerals , fishing, hunting,no retirement,no other life,been doing 38 years ,if I could go back to a younger self ,I would lock some sense into myself why give up a good life for life on the road ,with people drive like teenagers everywhere, your treated like 3rd class lump of shot by revievets,shippers and especially brokers. Where everyone thinks they own you for 14 hours a day .
Truck stops use to beg for your business fuel attenants,wash your windows check your oil,check your tired and give you a free meal with fill up.
Now they don't even want you around after you fuel these are not truck stops there travel centers for the 4 wheelers.
Most driver hang there heads down looking at the ground because they are ashame of what they become.
There are a lot of homeless drivers no bills ,no house,no cars, no family ,they live in there trucks 24x7x365.
Food on the roads is expensive, bad for you and served to you like pigs in a trough.
Truck drivers have been married several times ,why would a woman marry a man that's never home to cuddle with to scratch that itch why would a rational man give up sex to be on the road?
So as a company driver making around $40,000 a year your taxes are $10,000 your expense if you do not smoke is around $14 000 a year that's leaves $16,000 for 70 hour weeks ÷ 52 = $307.69 ÷ 70 =$4.39 a hour and we all know most make more but some make less and we all know that 70 hours is a mystical beast with most working more and elogs working less..
And less not forget that when states need money they use truck drivers as there atm machine. Just look at Rhode Island tolling trucks only
And led not forget shops charging $110 to $150 per hour to change parts that they do not know if they fix the problem or not.
Oh yes to see the country from sea to shiny sea from the super slab of asphalt concrete.to see the purple.mountain majesty, the see the amber waves of grain, to see the snowy mountain tops and the fertile valley below.
It's a good day to be a trucker no nagging wife no chores to do till dark, no kids with there hands out for money , n o body looking over your shoulder ( in cab cameras) .just you your truck your satellite radio, and cell phone, solitude what more could you ask for living in a box smaller that a jail cell working for less than min wage and very little humane contact . Grow up get a real job make more money, live a normal life .
Click to expand...

westcoast · Mar 21, 2016

RUSSELBURG said: ↑

I have no friends anymore ,I missed numerous weddings, funerals , fishing, hunting,no retirement,no other life,been doing 38 years ,if I could go back to a younger self ,I would lock some sense into myself why give up a good life for life on the road ,with people drive like teenagers everywhere, your treated like 3rd class lump of shot by revievets,shippers and especially brokers. Where everyone thinks they own you for 14 hours a day .
Truck stops use to beg for your business fuel attenants,wash your windows check your oil,check your tired and give you a free meal with fill up.
Now they don't even want you around after you fuel these are not truck stops there travel centers for the 4 wheelers.
Most driver hang there heads down looking at the ground because they are ashame of what they become.
There are a lot of homeless drivers no bills ,no house,no cars, no family ,they live in there trucks 24x7x365.
Food on the roads is expensive, bad for you and served to you like pigs in a trough.
Truck drivers have been married several times ,why would a woman marry a man that's never home to cuddle with to scratch that itch why would a rational man give up sex to be on the road?
So as a company driver making around $40,000 a year your taxes are $10,000 your expense if you do not smoke is around $14 000 a year that's leaves $16,000 for 70 hour weeks ÷ 52 = $307.69 ÷ 70 =$4.39 a hour and we all know most make more but some make less and we all know that 70 hours is a mystical beast with most working more and elogs working less..
And less not forget that when states need money they use truck drivers as there atm machine. Just look at Rhode Island tolling trucks only
And led not forget shops charging $110 to $150 per hour to change parts that they do not know if they fix the problem or not.
Oh yes to see the country from sea to shiny sea from the super slab of asphalt concrete.to see the purple.mountain majesty, the see the amber waves of grain, to see the snowy mountain tops and the fertile valley below.
It's a good day to be a trucker no nagging wife no chores to do till dark, no kids with there hands out for money , n o body looking over your shoulder ( in cab cameras) .just you your truck your satellite radio, and cell phone, solitude what more could you ask for living in a box smaller that a jail cell working for less than min wage and very little humane contact . Grow up get a real job make more money, live a normal life .
Click to expand...

westcoast · Mar 21, 2016

I thought it was a life style and my figure was wrong. I thought it was $3 hrs.

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