How to be a well rounded driver

That guy is the most famous Internet trucker.

 

I like the way he uses that belly for a table to hold his smart phone. That would be handy as hell for doing paperwork and to hold a box of chicken while eating on the fly.

 

Wife and an infant? Go into LTL as soon as possible. Specifically OD,Estes,Saia,Fedex. Best of luck to you.

 

Where are you located? Go local dude. I have a one year old daughter and a wife and I can't even imagine being OTR in that situation. Heck, I work almost 14 hours a day as a local driver and I never see them during the week!

 

Do what you have to in order to get rolling. Driving a truck isn't the best way to pay the bills. But it does pay the bills.

That said, be looking constantly for something local. You won't want to be away for long. Would hate to see any father miss his child's first crawl, steps, word, day of preschool, etc. Those are milestones to be proud of.

 

If you can't find a local job then your best bet is regional flatbed with a place like Maverick or TMC. At least then you will be home most weekends and with flatbed you are less likely to become, well, well-rounded. Best wishes!

 

OTR gets you home once a month for four or five days.Don't you wanna be home more to watch your baby grow and help wife with the baby?How about finding a dedicated route that gets you home every weekend and maybe a couple nights a week.Regional the same thing.

 

I'm not going to read all your responses so hopefully I don't beat a dead horse with my opinion. The greatest thing in my opinion today is the advances in electronics. I think the trucking industry is second only to the military with marriage errrrrrrr problems. I may be wrong on the stats, but i'm sure i'm close. I would recommend that you get a laptop with wifi capabilities. Every major truck stop in the country has wifi access. You can video chat with not only your wife but your little one also. I personally do this myself and try to do it at least every night to tell my son good night and talk with him a while, as well as talk to my wife about the household and how she's doing. YOu'd be amazed at how much better it is when there is a face to a conversation rather then just a voice. If your phone has wifi hotspot ability that would be all the better as long as you have unlimited internet wifi on it.
On a personal note, I highly recommend that you make your spouse a part of your trucking career. Let them know what's going on without being for lack of better words whiney about it. That will let them know what is going on, the good and the bad and all that other mushy stuff.
Trucking can provide a good life for you and your family. Just be strong about it and you'll do fine. When your behind the wheel you have to put home and the family in the back of your mind. I know that sounds cold but you have to concentrate on the task at hand while your working. Can't be daydreaming or worrying about the house while driving that big truck being distracted. Not to mention you'll be able to go to sleep a lot easier if you've seen and heard the family before you count the number of veins in your eyelids!
Hope this helps you and good luck on your new adventure in the trucking industry.

 

P.S
Paltalk is a good free video chat option that my wife and I use. I think you can have up to 10 people in the video chat and it's free. You can buy a subscription for unlimited webcam viewing, but it's not necessary if you just want to chat with wife and a couple other people.