35 years old, thinking of becoming a trucker.

Snoopycda · Jun 24, 2016

Wow.
There is danger in any profession, after over thirty years as a professional driver, I can say it is a lot safer today than it was thirty years ago.
You could have a Texas Two Step on any given day, forced dispatch, no HOS rules and a "Don't fix it until it breaks" attitude towards maintenance that is still hanging around a bit.
You could get into five different trucks from the same manufacturer / year and they would all be different. Engines, Transmissions, location of switches on the dash.
Screaming Jimmies got their name honestly. I never got to drive a "Buzzin Dozen" though, I may have enjoyed that, once.
Big horsepower was the 4 1/4 Cat, (425HP) or the Cummins Big Cam series. (400? HP)
Maxis were new so a lot of equipment didn't have them, this is why the schools want you to hook up air lines to the trailer before you touch it with the truck. The list go's on.

jess4040 · Jul 22, 2017

Ckxtreme said: ↑

Some things I forgot to touch on about the daily life of driving....

1. You are responsible for everything. Everything. Weight. Truck. Trailer. Load and securement. Everything. Get an inspection at a scale or roadside and that little air leak on the line that goes to your chair and that oil sweat from your million mile motor... now listed as a "requires attention" and is on your abstract. That may not be a big deal, but it shows that everything ends up on your record and they're looking for it. I get that it's to keep only safe vehicles on the road, but wait until you're in a predicament with your employer who doesn't want to spend the money to fix it.

2. Almost everyone you encounter on a daily basis is against you. The general motoring public, various DOT, police and border control, a lot of shippers and receivers, and unfortunately for some your own company.

The general public hates you on the road. You are a slow moving obstacle keeping them from reaching their Starbucks 36 seconds quicker. They don't want to let you merge in, they want to race around you just so they can hammer the brakes and make the next left turn, and when you're back in up off the street (especially when you're new at it) they'll race in behind you as you're reversing, rip in front past you as you're correcting. Lots of interesting people.

DOT and enforcement agencies always look at you with an eye of suspicion, and are out to collect fines. Cross a border and get your truck interior inspected, they rip it all apart and leave you to put it all back together later.

Shippers and receivers view you as a necessary evil. And unfortunately a lot of them have simply had bad experiences with other drivers. You'll see this when you get somewhere and they have a no washroom policy Plus some are known for giving horrible directions to get you in, and a lot don't care about your time in the least. You'll sit there all bloody day.

Your own company. You're a number, and nobody wants you to give suggestions or try to improve anything or you sit at home. Your dispatcher will give you unrealistic loads with unrealistic time frames. Or let you rot in a truck stop. Question him, you sit at home. Some companies are known for budget stretching maintainence "programs". Basically they try to save a buck and not fix things until you're right in their face about it. Sure, you can be the guy that refuses to drive it until fixed, and see how far that gets you with places.

Oh... and pissing in a jug at 236am because it's -20 out and you really don't feel like going outside is fun...

There are some good days. When the weather is good and you're not worried about about your truck, or the load, or rushing to get where you're going, you can turn up the radio and cruise down the road. You will make money, and it will be a job that you can always fall back on if you need to, but you're not getting wealthy. And if you really cost highway pay per hour, a job at A&W can look like it pays better. It is neat to see a lot of different places. In 2 years I've seen just about every province and about 35 states.

But in the end there is a lot of crap you have to deal with and and a lot of sacrifice to do it. Personal time, family occasions, health and well being.

Just be aware of what you're getting into. I should have done more research before jumping into it.

And in all my experiences thus far, I have not had a blowout or complaint against me with any customer, shipper, receiver. Have been inspected but have so far always passed. No accidents and no road violations.
Click to expand...

Wow, that's crazy, sounds like there's not much good out there. That's why I'm afraid to go OTR, I want to stay local and small time jobs, gravel truck and such. I love hearing from you guys, I really appreciate all the input and advice, but you guys scare the crap out of me. I really want a job in this industry, I'm going for my Class 1, but not certain yet what I'm really getting into or what job is best. I'm female and could probably use my charm to make my life easier, but in turn I'm rare in the industry.

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