Thinking about returning to trucking

I was going to tell you the same thing, when I quit, I am not coming back. 28 years out here and I would not recommend this profession to anyone. The monies these outfits are paying are way behind inflation, ELDs and the drivers. I swear the truck drivers are getting worse by the year. They scare me more than the four wheelers, and then they want to put stop watches on all of their dashboards... I'm on O/O, making good money, but about fed up with it all.

 

X1 said it best, time has a way of deleting the bad, and remembering the good. You know, if it wasn't for this site, I might have considered coming back, I had a lot of fun years ago, but seeing some of the topics, and driver's dash cams, makes me sick. Now, all is not lost, if you still like the actual driving the truck part. Last year, I worked at a cranberry marsh, loading semi trailers with a VERY tired yard horse ( and another that wasn't so bad) and just shuttled trailers around the yard or maybe deliver new trucks, ANYTHING to keep you away from the cocamamie rules they've imposed on "just truckin".

 

If I could find a small shop to work at that would pay me $15.00 an hour, keep simple hours and I would be home every day.... I would do that in a heart beat. If I could find a gig like semi-retired talked about, I would do that in a heart beat as well.... I tried to get out of trucking last year but, there is nothing paying close to what I can make in trucking. I would have to go back to college!!!! NOT going to happen! So, I do what I can to keep me sane and let God have the rest.... Wish you luck friend..

 

It's not the end of the world, and the trucking part hasn't changed that much, 4 wheelers still piss you off, and dispatchers still make unreasonable demands and I'm in a position, I can talk big, retired, but you are right, and it's why I stayed with it as long as I did. Once a trucker, always a trucker.

 

I'm in the process of planning the next stage of my life. Studying for my wastewater operator cert, and saving money to either pay cash for a house of buy a truck. Trying to have several options on the table so I can choose which one feels right.

I'm still in love with trucking, I just hate 90% of the other drivers out here. I mainly haul between Shreveport and midland and there have been alot of semitrick accidents along I20 that jave me questioning my luck being out here. I've already been rear ended 3 times by trucks, in my career. I don't want it too happen again

 

If it's any consolation, pal, it's only going to get worse.

 

No local straight truck gigs do that?

 

Have not found one yet, that pays descent and/or doesn't work you to death....

 

what kind of shop?

 

Any shop that makes things. I picked up a Train Engine once from a small, maybe 6 man, shops. They spent their days rebuilding Train Engines!!!! Holy crap that would be kool. So yeah, a shop like that, 12 or less men working together to build something, or rebuild something. Hell, I would drive a fork lift all day or whatever....