How do you keep going on?

That's why when you're 52 as I am, you fingerprint entire loads.
And some of them do kick my ### lol.
Like when I get back in the cab I have 2 Tylenol in my mouth before I turn the key on lol.
Did about 7/8's of a trailer today, most at one stop.
This product isn't even the one that's the savage ### kicking lol.
I tell everyone I'll be alright once I can lift my arms up above my shoulders lmfao.

My truck is parked 2 miles from the house as well, I walk that to and from sometimes, and always when I'm gonna be gone for more than a day.

And when it's your time, it's your time, I've seen and been through way, way too much to believe otherwise.

 

I don't believe everything that I read in about half of what I can see I stayed in myself and I do my job

 

When you think life is unfair, and you can't drive another mile, when dispatch puts you on hold, when you're fuel card won't turn on, when you feel like you will never get loaded and it can't get any worse.......think of this picture and the obstacles he/she has overcome. Then puke and get back to truckin.

 

Wait wait wait. There’s a thread somewhere on here(I forgot the name) that says you are supposed to stay at that bottom feeder company for life. No job hopping. They said they would skip over your application if you put down you left a job for better pay. Yea right. Get out of the dump you work at and find another place. You can make more than that out of school at some of these places if you look around.

 

Only advise I can give is this,...

If your miserable now,.. it will only get worse. You have to change something. Trucking is long hours, extended periods away from home, sucking it up to people you know are idiots or just plain ignorant a holes, fighting to keep your record clean when everything is set up to go against you.

Figure out if trucking is actually for you. If its the company you are working for,.. you need to understand that there are different types of companies that operate differently within the same segment of trucking. The first 1 - 2 yrs are whats called "Paying your dues". This is where you discover what you like and dislike about trucking. Moving to another mega company that hires rookies will probably not make things easier for you. You need to keep a spotless record and get to that 2 - 3 year point. Thats when your options start to open up for you. 3 - 5 yrs and your golden.

If you are bored just slamming doors and want something different,.. try open deck. Get in with a company that will give you room to grow and/or give you the experience to offer a stepping stone to move on to something better. For example,.. something like ATS,.. get some over size experience. Then move on into their RGN division pulling some weight. Give that a couple years to get some experience under your belt. Once confident,.. start looking into companies that do specialized hauling and pay for the kind of experience you have to offer.

Maybe try tankers, chemicals etc.

Me personally,.. I enjoy what I do. Not necessarily how I have to do it. But I have reached a point where I understand more of the inner workings and how to make money in this business with out breaking my back to do it. But this is just me. I had goals early on and worked my hind off to get to this point. I'm still not home every night. But I can enjoy taking extended periods. My end goal is to just be home and dispatch my drivers. Currently just taking baby steps until I feel comfortable enough to know for a fact I will be successful at it. Dont want to invest more than I can afford to lose sort of thing.

If you discover that its trucking that you dont like,.. the lifestyle,.. the endless miles,.. the ended monotony and daily grind,.. then no amount of change is really going to help that. Your going to find another career.

I'd rather make less money and be happy at what I am doing,.. than to make a great salary yet be miserable every day doing it. That will get old and wear on you real quick.

Dont feel bad if this isnt for you. Try to put as much money away as you can. Live within your means or as minimalistically as you can. Then when you figure it out,.. just quit and move on. Back to school,.. maybe a skilled trade,.. there are lots of other ways to make a living besides trucking.

Hurst

 

Here's my advice I give to all new truckers: do anything but pull a dry box/reefer. Specialize in something. Flatbed, oversize loads, tanker, LTL, heck even dump trailers. From what I understand (I have never pulled a box) your customers and company's are going to be much better work environments once you get away from dry vans.

Start looking at what you might want to do. Look at different company's online. Keep an eye out for passing trucks, write down the name, and look up the company when you stop for the night. This forum is a great resource. I can't tell you how many times I have googled "*company name* truckersreport". I work at a great company now and I still do it just to know for the future.

Start applying to company's now that interest you. Get the ball rolling a be ready to jump ship.

Now some advice for your current situation.

Don't read the Saftey messages. Your not going to learn anything from some ####### telling you to GOAL seven time a week.

Has Saftey called you about doing 65 down hill in a 70? If not don't worry about it. I used to stress myself out about made up situations too. It's not worth it.

If you have your customers phone numbers call them if you need to. Don't try to reschedule appointments but if you need directions or want to confirm receiving hours that's fine. Just don't tell your dispatcher that.

If your only able to get 2000 miles in 70 hours I would say your logging way to much on duty time. You need to be more "efficient" with your time. That log book doesn't know you don't get a door in the first 5 minutes you get to the customer. No need to log on duty the 3 hours it took to unload your dry van. Show check in time and then sleeper.

Good luck. No matter what these other guys say trucking doesn't suck. Maybe they do and they can only get sucky jobs?

 

JUST WOW

 

I have done other work besides trucking both sucky and non sucky. Work is a relative term. The best jobs pass time working on the railroad passing the time away. Because they are so enjoyable. One of the things that make them enjoyable is that you literally have no worries or stress doing that work. It's playtime in a way. Not too many people in life get to say things like that.

I just finished reading a article filled with panting fleet owners who cannot wait for computer trucks to completely and absolutely replace robots. You think speed control is bad now wait until you discover platooning and lane control in a year or two. Those ten trucks grinding upgrade at 30 mph on cabbage because one of them is a 400 cummins will be a great disappointment. God help us all when there is all lanes of platooning trucks governed at 61 on a 85 mph texas freeway. It taint 85 anymore.

These fleet owners proclaim to the world that they will make deliveries faster running 24/7 without HOS limits or people teams and the payroll, benefits, expenses for same humans in those trucks. There will be a day coming that millions of truckers good and bad sit on the porch.

If the job is too miserable, too hard or just plain fed up (If you fed a Falcon too much, it simply is considered fed up and wont fly to hunt on command, it will just sit there in place and fail to do anything.... move on to something else. This is a job, not jail or some other indentured servitude. (Oh wait... some of new drivers did sign big money contracts to pay either way....)

I think I about reach the end, whatever you do in this life; you only have one life to live. Once it's gone I hope you have no regrets as many do.

 

Well it's not for everyone that's for sure.

I mean, I know there's something wrong with me, but I like truck stops. I like trucks. I like the smell of the fuel island, and the little grill at the fuel desk.
Sometimes I like a dirt road.
I F hate where my truck is parked, cause it's dirt, and it gets dirty before I even have the key off.

I tell everyone if you like camping, you'll love trucking.

There is ALWAYS something that needs done, period, ALWAYS. So you need to be the type that likes doing things, and keeping busy. Sometimes that's not a good thing, cause everyone needs some F off time to stay sane.

I describe myself as a macaroni & cheese guy.

If you are the type that needs linen napkins, doesn't like to get dirty, or wet, or cold ( not for too long though lol ), if you don't like being outside, thinking on the fly, and having to be focused for extended periods, it's probably not the best choice. Now I don't mean this in a derogatory way, some people need more of an office environment. Co-workers near them, etc.. Most drivers spend a few minutes gland handing whomever is in the office, and they are good for a few months.

 

I filled our car today with gasoline. 10 yards away was a bucket truck, say 35 foot dump with a heap of gravel. Estimated by eye a conservative 30 ton of rock in there. Tandem tires somewhat flat from the weight. Daycab short nose pete on the point.

It had a big stack no muffler and I caught a head ful of idling fuel fumes.

It was like going from early morning sleepy time to a charged up let's GO RIGHT NOW time...

Desiel always does that to me, I tell my doc in the hospital, save the paddles just toss a bucket of fuel onto me... He he...