Successfully leaving trucking permanently

Quit once for 8 months, traveled the US as a welder doing tank repair, made about the same money but got tired of the bs of working around other people, came back to the solitude of trucking and been here ever since. (16 years now)

 

It's a double edged sword for me. The older I get the more anti-social I get and not only do I love the solitude of driving a truck I just love driving a truck period. There is a company here in OKC that I would really like to try and get on with and I think I could even though I've been out of it for a while. It sounds like the perfect job and I have talked with a couple of their drivers but I'm getting to old and have too much invested with what I'm doing now to give it all up even though I despise going to work every night. It's not the job, I love what I do, but the people are unbelievable, it's a cesspool!

I just think with all the crap they are putting in trucks nowadays for "safety", HOS rules, and an 11 yr old son who I couldn't be away from for more than a day, there is just now way I could go back to trucking now. I had fun while I did it and it is nothing but great memories. I worked for some awesome people and for all but one company, had great equipment, so I'll just live with the memories and truck watch whenever I'm on the road.

 

That is the way I look at it. If I did go back to OTR, things wouldn't be the
same. Different companies, different trucks, different freight......keep
your good memories and move on. Don't forget, if you go back now you
will start at the bottom again. It takes time to get enough seniority in the
company to get decent equipment, decent freight.......takes 90 days to get
health insurance.

 

Actually the company I was referring to, Hobby Lobby, it's all the same equipment, unless your a team, the same freight because they haul they're own stuff and I think insurance started first day.....I think, and with personal days, sick days and vacation days it was 2 or 3 weeks vacation the first year. But they are still obliged to have all the safety crap on the truck, and ELD's, don't need it. Made out just fine without all of that before, don't need something telling me I'm off the road or somebody is beside me or applying my brakes for me, especially in bad weather. The guys I talked to and what I have read from other drivers they love it there, sounds like a dream job but I'm just not willing to take a chance at this point in my life, too much to lose.

 

After 14 yrs in the trucking imdustry..... i'm tired of it. The government killed it with their e-logs and b.s. Regulations. Then you got all the ####### people who cut you off and can't drive worth a crap. Dispatchers who can't do their job right and waste your time not to mention, give you short miles. All in all..... it's really about the money and the way these 3rd party companies are paying, it ain't worth driving no more!! I have been looking to jump into a new career that doesn't involve driving but at my age, i have no leads in what i wanna do next.

 

It's all in the company you work for..try a company that has a dedicated division or a small company like I'm with.. less than 50 trucks, awesome dispatchers, and all the miles you can run.

 

Thanks i'll try that.

 

Time to pull a slight thread necro.

In January 2016 I began pursuing my Associate of Applied Science degree in Information Technology. Shortly thereafter I was hired into a temporary position with the University of New Mexico - Health Sciences Center. I say "temporary" because my employment was contingent on maintaining at least a minimum of 12 credit hours (4 classes) per semester. I'm now in my third semester and have completed approximately 30 credit hours (took a summer course last summer for the extra credit hours) and currently have another 12 in progress.

However, as of March 17th, I have also been officially hired into the position of "Radiology Imaging Analyst 1" with the University of New Mexico Hospital. I have already spent a little over a year in an apprenticeship for that position, so I was able to get my starting pay bumped to an even $25 / hr (almost $50k / year) in a state where the median (middle) yearly household income is only $38k. Best of all, it's mainly just a title change since I've already been doing all of the same work....I won't even have to switch desks. I spent most of my time either doing class work or watching Netflix since the analysts aren't needed until something breaks.

Why am I posting all this in this thread?

In the coming weeks I will be surrendering my New Mexico CDL and "dropping down" to a Class D (normal passenger car) license since, with my new job and associated pay and amazing benefits, I have no intention nor desire to even set foot inside a rig again. 10 years doing construction, manual labor, turning wrenches as a mechanic, and then another 10 years behind the wheel is enough for me. I've been a blue collar guy for 20 of my 36 years on this earth and I feel it's time to join the white collar world.

So, in closing I'd just like to remind everyone that there is a way to permanently leave trucking if you have no desire to stay in it. You just need to plan ahead and figure out a way to make it happen.

 

I've been in and out of truckingas since 03. In that length of time I've done grain harvest, worked as a jailer then correctional officer, OTR with F.F.E., back to corrections, tech suppprt, OTR again, oilfield (frac and cement pressure pumping), local delivery with McLane, OTR (supposed to have been regional home weekly), and tomorrow I'm happily going back to the oil field.

 

January 1st I transferred to the maintenance division at the same company . I was a heavy haul driver now a heavy equipment mechanic . So far I am really enjoying it , going to a job site and fixing whatever they called us out there for and knowing it is up and running when I leave . I still have a lot to learn but picking up a little more every day . We are a demolition company with 300 plus pieces of equipment so there is always something to do .