Are you sorry you are trucking?

That pretty well sums it up...

 

There are days when I'm glad I drive a truck. When I pass through the mountains or a field with a tobacco barn in Tennessee. When I see the rock formations out west and the rivers and lakes. I think to myself that there are people that see the same dammed thing every single day of their life. I could never be cooped up in some office or factory. So in that sense I'm glad that I drive.

When the boredom and the lonliness wear at me I listen to audio books. Though the rentals are getting quite old. XM is a help though I wish they had more though provoking and educational programing. I learned spanish in the truck. I'm the kind of person that craves information.

Being away from my family is hard. I always feel guilty. But good paying work is a rare thing in Brownsville TX. My wife has family. Her mother is getting on in her years so she has to be there. I would expect no less.

The companies make trucking hard and unpleasant. They make stupid promises to customers that the driver has to keep. They refuse to invest in things like APUs even when it's in thier own interest to do so. They don't get drivers home and treat them like crap. Am I sorry I drive.... NO, but I'm sorry I drive for companies.

Maybe one day I'll buy a truck... when things get a little better out there.

 

Well hmm,
Its not that Im sorry Im trucking...its that Im sorry Im not where I thought I was going to be. I have two degrees, one in radio / broadcasting, and another in teaching. Im not using either one. I worked at a volunteer radio station for 5 or so years and loved it. Then I worked as a teacher and teachers aid for 3 years total. Now Im not using either one of those. Kind of bums me out because I like teaching...I just get stressed out about it. I made more as a teacher too. I love working with the kiddos and stuff...but I just stressed so much that I had to take BP meds.
Now Im in a funk where I just don't know what I want to do. Id like to get back to teaching again...but not in the classroom setting. There aren't many opportunities for a regular Bachelors in Ed degree for teaching in a district, outside of the classroom without other experience. As an added perk...each year that I don't teach means that Im getting closer to my expiration date for my state license. MNs is up in June and I don't have credits to renew it there. The state that Im in now...Im good until 2011. And I have to have a bunch of additional credits to renew. Have next to nothing so far. Also kinda hard to get when Im not working in a district, lol.

SOOO...I've always wanted to drive truck and all. But...now Im in a funk here too. No real room for advancement, pay is frozen...etc. I like what I do and all....its just that I want to be given chances to advance or do other types of work. I was told that if I can find some loads to haul....I might be able to haul them on my days off IF the numbers came out right. Well....where do I even start? lol.

 

You can start by either being proud of of where you work or find something that better suits your needs and makes you happy. I make that statement from your previous responces to me in other posts.

Drive safe

 

I wasn't thinking long term when I applied with SNI. I wanted to get a job and thought that a local job driving truck would be the best fit at the moment. Nobody locally would hire a newbie and train them so I looked nationally with bigger companies and I felt that SNI could train me and was one of the best companies to train with. I felt that after my 18 months training 'loan' was paid off, I could come back and work locally.

ahh yes. deep....insightful.

Well....its not that you are wrong. OK well it is. You can view any company anyway you want. There is good and bad with each company out there. And let me clarify:

*Im not complaining about pay...Im just griping about the pay freezes. I wouldnt get one until the end of the year anyways due to my DOH. I make good money for what I do, no complaints there at all. Im just working on getting out of debt, so any raise Id get would be used to pay off debts even quicker. My wife and I are working to have paid off about 14 grand this year and should pay off over 80 grand of debt in less than two years.

Believe it or not, no, lol. I live up....far far away from civilization, haha. I have a route which has freight brought to me and then I continue on...ending up back home every day. SNI does deliver to some business which are along my route, but I don't know how likely it would be to get me to take one of SNI's regional loads...sort of like taking loads from another driver....potentially. Then I would need to get my paws on a trailer as well...so its sort of a logistical puzzle. I am thinking about calling SNI up to check on a load that I know goes to one of my customers via another carrier. I think we might be able to underbid that freight and take it...then I might be able to get a couple extra runs each month....IF I could figure out how to get the freight to me so I can take it to its destination.

Well Im sorry. Sorry that you are missing my point entirely.

If I can find a load that I can run with hours available....why the heck shouldn't I try to make contacts and beginning conversations with potential shippers? Im looking for more work because I hate having two days off (yeah....figure that out). I have hours available to make a run in the region between various large cities and still get back home. When I said work the numbers, I meant financially...if I could find a load that would make our account (and me) money...then I would get permission to take that load.

I don't NEED anymore time. I, like I said, get a nice paycheck as it is. I just am in a mad dash rush to get my debts paid down and off....and I wouldn't mind working on my days off either. Nothing wrong with making more money, especially if you want to.

My viewpoint on overtime is that I don't get it. I don't understand (maybe because of my 'simple ways') why a driver deserves time and a half for working over x hours? Are they working harder? no....the only thing they are doing is working more, and because they work a bit extra, they should make more than normal for that extra work? Simply put...if you work more than 40 hours...and you think that is 'full time' and you work more than that 40 hour limit...what is the reasoning behind earning more than the standard hourly rate? And what is the reasoning behind not hiring an additional worker to keep costs down? Compensate for being away from family? So....if that person doesnt have a family...they don't get the extra pay? I think not, lol. I just like to laugh at how there is 168 hours in a week...and because someone works slightly more than 1/4th of that, they suddenly 'deserve' extra money. How many successfull people out there, millionaires, entrepreneurs...etc became successfull working 40 hour work weeks? Not many, if any at all.
I know Im being somewhat sarcastic here. But my thoughts on this are...I don't see why I should get paid more than a regular rate if Im working more hours than normal....especially if Im not working any harder or doing anything different. I don't see how additional times warrants extra additional pay. Its like wiping before you poop...just doesn't make sense.

I also don't bash drivers...I simply point out where Im coming from and how I look at it.

 

Overtime is based on the precept of our 8 hour working day. It is generally supposed in the blue to grey collar routines that 8 hours is a pretty full day, doing manual work for the most part.
Additional hours take a more stringent toll on the body, and therefore get compensation. It also removes most of your wake-time relaxation, since you'll be wanting to spend 8 more hours in the bed, and have other duties to perform at home besides watching television.
I have found, however, that if you work 10 hours, you get used to 10 hours.
If you work 12 a day,...you can get sort of used to it, but it will soon drag you down and you will no longer be you; you will be Mr. Beeyatch.

Jobs that don't require constant pressure mentally or physically can be worked for much longer than their counterparts, and that includes driving, if that individual has the personal capacity for it. Now you're into an HOS argument.

 

I love driving. Wanted to be a truck driver since I was a kid. Been driving for 15yrs. No boss looking over your shoulder, unless you count big brother on the roof. Got a good gig now, gets me home every night and off every weekend.

Enjoyed OTR, but kind of limits having a life, but there were days when I couldn't consider doing anything else. Wouldn't trade it for anything. When I was home I was ready to leave again. Did a brief stint working in a warehouse and found myself standing at the door just looking out.

Driving gets in your blood.

 

I have never been sorry about the choices I have made. These are the journey's that we become who we are...

Get out of Trucking????
WE need a medic for the hand he fell and bump his head... get out of trucking....never....

 

i had a construction gig where we worked 4 10's mon-thu.man i loved spending half the week in the woods or on the water LOL

 

You worked shotguns pat? Sorry sorry just couldn't help myself my friend