Joing the trucker community

An advance apology for the long introductory post.

I'd never given much thought to being a trucker. With twenty-one years of service to the military followed by a stint as a Real Estate Broker and property manager in my rear view mirror, it became time to look at options. Working in sales was less than pleasurable and evicting folks from homes, although a job, was something I just didn't care for either.

My wife and I first discussed shooter gigs, which many of my friends are doing. There were other contracting jobs to consider, but they all took me to places where I simply didn't fit into the local landscape. So, just by chance, I happened upon driving and looked into it.

There is nothing romantic about the job what-so-ever, and I like that aspect. Family and friends have done it, some still do, so I asked them. What a mixed bag of reviews, very much like on here.

It reminds me a lot of the military, it is what you make of it with the long hours and no so great pay as you begin. What I gather to be the best and most consistent advice was to learn everything and make it through the first year by rolling with the punches while being safe, and to manage the expenses while out on the road.

OK, go it. Be safe, learn, take it one day at a time, and manage my money are the keys to the first year.

Now, you have my work background and what little insight I've gathered.

A little about the family. Three of our children are grown and three are still in the home, but are 4th grade or higher, so I've built good relationships with them. My wife is an RN, actually a DON; we can afford for me to stay home with my small retirement check added to her decent salary. However, we wish to one day retire to the mountains of NC, and that ain't cheap. Retirement for us doesn't mean we stop working. It means we start doing that which we love to do.

For her, that's cooking and running a B&B. She is an amazing cook. For me, it's writing fiction novels and hunting deer or turkey as the seasons come about. Believe it or not, my hobby of writing is a primary reason for choosing trucking as my next career.

So, why trucking?

I hear and read all the complaining about downtime. That's inspiring! Once that seventy hour clock strikes and we must sit where we are is a perfect opportunity to sit with a laptop and write. Delayed for a day, awe shucks? Heck no, time to write is being gifted from the Gods of Misfortune. No interruptions or distractions, just creative solitude keeping me company in the sleeper as the eclectic group of characters I meet over the road come to life on the blank page.

I do suppose I should thank some of you in advance for the oft cantankerous personality traits soon to be gifted to characters of fiction. The language and lifestyle should also add to the flavor of dialogue and scenery. The good and bad days will come and go, only to bend the arc of the story being told.

Yeah, trucking is going to suck sometimes, and maybe more often than it really ought to.

I often joked with fellow soldiers while carrying more than a person should in a freezing downpour, over scorching high desert plateaus or fighting through the bug and snake infested jungle of a scat-hole third world nation. They would say, "Hey, Sergeant, this sucks."

With a simple grin I'd reply, "Yeah, I wish it'd suck some more."

That became a running joke. Everyone got a chuckle out of it and we sucked up the hard times. Individually we suffered, but knew everyone else had to eat the same cold scat sandwich.

Yeah, I've never given trucking much thought. Please make room at the table, from what I gather, there's plenty of scat sandwich for all.

Happy eating, y'all. See you on the road this fall.

 

Ah, the coziness of a woodstove's warmth, the sounds of a crackling fire accompanied by the gentle howl of flames seeking to escape up the chimney on cold winter day in the north country; a good day indeed. I was originally a Minnesota boy, so I fully get the picture. I miss that. Retiring to the NC Mountains will return some of those days to our winters, but we won't have to dig ourselves out very often.