Am I the ONLY one that actually wants to go OTR?

I am 60. Now do drop & hook for a small but well-positioned carrier. I dislike vans and avoided them for years. That said, new equipment, beautifully maintained, is worth seeking. The headaches of breakdowns (and the risks) are to be avoided once past the first hurdles of driver experience.

I’ve listed on the CB sub-forum several times a list of a basic CB radio setup. This is a tool not well understood by most. There’s not a time in 22-years that it has t saved me time, aggravation and money on a weekly basis.

This recommendation and those that follow carry into your home life. Personal travel. Fitness to work.

“Basic” in a radio system doesn’t quite mean “cheap”. It means minimal acceptable performance. PM me if a search doesn’t bring that up (Uniden 980 as search term with screen name).

Securing an accident scene is another. Proper gear for a breakdown. FROGG TOGG rainsuit, Footwear. FENIX brand headlamp and flashlight. Gloves. Etc. Stuff you may not use otherwise but now REALLY need. (That rainsuit can be worn all day).

WIGGYS for a proper sleeping bag. And a mil-spec two-day pack if you have to walk out. (Assume no truck power in winter. How to eat, drink and sleep).

In a recent thread on LAUNDRY I listed my long approach to clothing. No blue jeans or walking around in your underwear. Trousers with big seat/long rise and true suspenders. Shirt pocket wallet. Etc.

I organize the truck using Gladstone type small tool bags, and EVERYTHING then fits into new mil-spec surplus Flight Engineer bags. More than a dozen. (I’m OTR and travel 3-4 weeks). I can move in or out of a truck in one trip across to the next vehicle.

ZERO TOLERANCE for a pocket knife.

DRIVEWEAR lenses for sunglasses. You’ll also need quality safety glasses. Some types fit over eyewear.

PURPLE brand Ultimate seat cushion and lumbar cushion. Can’t wear them out. Vibration is the enemy. Stalling energy loss as long as possible is the game. I also wear anti-vibration gloves (power tool type).

If safety shoes needed, KEEN brand composite toe. I also daily wear their NEWPORT shoe.

Etc.

The right gear makes life easier. Don’t buy twice. Military & LEO have some of same problems and good solutions. Army-Navy store or US QUARTERMASTER. GALLS.

Largest format MC Atlas. Trip planning is the game. Days ahead.

Due to a recent thread: the Interstate roadway design is predicated on a single rule AND ALL OTHER RULES DEPEND FROM IT:

The travel lane has ROW. The left lane is only for passing, and has no ROW.

Traffic flow is about the right lane. There is no hammer lane. There is no obligation to make way for faster traffic, etc. Courtesy is not obligation. Ignore any safety department tells you to give ROW. DONT.

Someone slowly passing you needs your help. Cancel cruise and drift down below 60-mph. Get them around you ASAP. (This is how I beat the hammer lane jerks over the head: ask them their examples of slowing that day to get someone around. Oh, and they NEVER tailgate, right? Which is under 300 feet. Have to see both mirrors on next truck at minimum).

NEVER allow a crowd to form around you. Or to join one. 4-seconds and 350-ft is a minimum (I start my passes this far out).

What the morons fail to understand is that their desire to travel fast is CANCELLED by traffic volume. They’ll be out there passing others as long as they can. They care not about themselves nor anyone else. They add to the problems, they do NOT solve them.

I can point to the years that new problems arose on the Interstates. I watched them being built. Once it was only American men at the wheel. Used to cooperation.

Lesser skilled types have joined since then making things more dangerous. Only tech and vehicle regulations have kept death/accident injury rates from rising more than they have. Skill has greatly diminished.

It’s an honest job in a less than honest industry. Communication, Preparedness and Skill Acquisition are all never-ending. Your background suits you to this.

And you’ll start to age three years for every calendar one.

.

 

Very true post ...On so many levels..

 

Same reason I became a truck driver. I didn't need the money and had skills to do many jobs but got tired of staring at the same wall for 10 years not knowing what the country looked like. When I became a truck driver I was surprised how 90% of truckers only do the job since they cannot do anything else that pays well so that is why they complain. I have my own new custom show truck paid off and use it as an excuse to travel to cities I like and get paid for it.

 

80k a year is bad. You may think its great until you make over $350k a year.

 

I'm sure he's talking about NET income. after Uncle same and business expenses....

 

I doubt it. People always say their gross income. He's a company driver no way he is netting 80k. Probably nets 45k.

 

Thing is- 350k per year is good money- But a one truck guy hauling "Freight" will not get those numbers assuming 46-48 weeks per year of hard edged work.

Spot market or contract-dont matter.

$350k per year is Cattle money-Grain Money and possibly 100 mile out contract Dump money.(Not sure)

 

350 grand a year. Lol
This quote alone will send another
500 wanna be’s,Who think there gonna get
Rich,buying a truck to the poor house.

 

I want to go back OTR again, i've seen a post for OTR hazmat that claims 78-96k a year, I miss the life style. i miss spending all day, wearing what I want, listening to audio books or music and smoking cigars. I miss the changing scenery. I fear I may be romanticizing it, but I make a point to remember the BS of shippers and receivers and the major city traffic in order to scare my self into staying where i'm at
because I should be happy where i'm at.

i'm hauling crude in new mexico, the money is great, I never see the boss, I work nights so i never deal with safety people, and I can get away with murder here.
but the routine has become so solid, that I can set a clock to my afternoon bowel movement.
i'm soooooooooo tired of being beaten to death by driving dirt roads, of being covered in mud and oil, of breathing H2S on a daily basis, of doing the same exact thing 4-6 times every night.
for 3 months the paperwork was literally the same because they opened up a new well that was a high producer, and almost every day I and 3 others were on it. the only thing that changed on the paperwork was the mileage.
the routine of waking up the same time every day to repeat the same process over and over. like i'm some very well paid prisoner stamping license plates, and my very nice 40ft toyhauler is my prison cell. lol

But trying to walk away from a very easy great paying job with a boss I never see just because i'm bored with the job is becoming the toughest decision I have ever had to make in my life.

actually wanting to go from a safe and comfortable place to all the random BS that OTR offers defines the words "crazy" and "stupid"
I should be happy. this is the definition of crazy and stupid. going from a non-driving job to driving isnt near as crazy because you dont know what you're getting yourself into.
I did OTR, I know what i'm asking for. I'm in a safe stagnant pond and i'm looking to cast myself back into the raging river I fought to escape, just because i'm bored. lmao
but at the same time, I'm terrified i'll be shooting myself in the butt.
you never know how good you have it until you loose it.