Before You Choose Truck Driving as Your Profession ...READ THIS

It's funny that you were talking about the IT biz because that's what I am going to hang up my keys for. So was it really that bad? Seriously I'd like to know.
Thanks
NightWind

 

My Husband drove truck all his adult life. The stress of Dispatchers, time contstrants, log books and no hours all played a big role in reasons he wanted to quit so many times I can't count. But the working with no one leaning over his shoulder, traveling to places he had never been and setting his own driving hours out weighed these bad things.
Driving places a strain on a family, you sacrifice home time and family for the road (the job) but when you can have your family with you every summer and take your children places other kids only wish they could go it makes it worth while.
My Husband is Donald Woods, the driver murdered for his load in Pickering Ontario in June of this year. Would I have changed his career choice if I could? If I knew how our life was going to end up yes. Back in early June, NO, driving is what he loved to do. Getting a more local job was in the plans and with the experience it was starting to happen. He did try a 9 to 5 job for a while, and he was not happy with it. He loved being home, but hated having someone over his shoulder all day everyday.
At this time if someone came to me asking what I thought about them driving truck for a living, would I tell them NO. I don't think so. Driving is something not many people are good at, and not all companies and other drivers are bad. One bad Apple does not spoil the whole barrel.

 

I have been in IT for over 14 years and can tell you it does s*ck most of the time. They want you there during regular hours incase something goes wrong but don't do anything except plan on what you need to do off hours to upgrade/etc. Can get very very boring. Get called at all hours and expected to respond. Pager/Cell phone is just a ball and chain. When everything is working no one gives two cents about you but when something brakes look out, everyone wants you ##*. Pay can be very good but be ready for a LOT of stress.

 

I am sorry for your family's loss. It is an outrage. Truck hijacking is not something the public knows about very much, but is a real risk.

 

At first I was saddened reading your posts,but,after reading it,your negativities come to lite. I think I know why!. The dispatcher can be your best friend and asset,and the other way around. If you are a positive person and do what you can professionally,trucking is a great profession. There are no limits, you can keep a great driving and accident record,go to work driving for walmart,directly,drop n hook,be paid what you are worth,70,000 to 105,000 a year. Try doing that in an office. The truckstops I eat in and home cooking restaurants I eat in are cleaner than the many places my wife and I eat at. you have to know where to go. Dysarts in maine is a fine example of a place that fully caters to our profession,and the flying js are fine. If you have a big problem working with dispatchers and driver managers you will have the same problems trying to make it in another profession. Its all about you and what you want out of life,but in the end you need to give respect,or learn it quickly if you don't have it?, and earn respect whether its your boss,dispatcher,or office workers you work with. Self respect goes a long long way in trucking and everything else in life. I believe with all your negatives and hardly any positives,i would rather meet you in a warehouse or office and not on our highway system driving a truck for a living. Don't complain to others about it,do what you want,trucking and some jobs are not for everybody,but some,like me,are very,very proud of our profession and love it most of the time. It can't be like cherry pie all the time,nothing really is in true life. There is never an excuse for being dirty,get a shower,no excuse,your company doesn't want a stinky person representing them ever,del or picking up,if you don't believe me ask that rec or shipper to call up and tell your company you stink and didn't have time to get a shower,if you didn't you are not planning your priorities properly. KEEP ON KEEPING ON,ALWAYS TRUCKING,AlWAYS A TRUCKER<STILL A PROUD ONE!!!

 

Apparently you need to find another company. Most co's. now days realize that they have to meet their drivers' need to retain said driver or spend a thousand or more to hire a new one.

 

I kind of fell into this profession about 6 months ago. I started working with an oil well servicing company and they needed me to get my CDL so they trained me. I didn't like being away from my fiance and home for weeks at a time so recently I quit and got a job running short haul in the city I live, home every day (sometimes in the night, sometimes in the day). I love being around home more, but I quickly realized that trucking isn't easy at all, people usually think that you are just sitting in the truck all day driving, how hard can it be, right? The fact is I have to find the locations to deliver the trailers, back them up to loading docks (not easy for me with limited driving experiance) and unload the trailer, then I dolly it off, go to the warehouse and start all over again, 12 hours later I'm driving my van home, totally exhausted mentally and physically. I think alot of people don't understand the amount of work you have to do. Last night I spend an hour shovelling and stuff to get my truck unstuck from in front of the loading dock at the warehouse, not fun, but you can't just leave the truck there, you have deadlines to meet.

 

I've been here in this forum for about two weeks,and in that time I've seen a pretty good cross section of our American culture. A lot of times the ones with the bones to pick make the most noise,while others seem to be able to take their licks with a grain of salt,and put a positive spin on the shortcomings of the industry...........I was out in the driveway with a five your old once,and she kept finding all this treasure out there in the gravel and whatever I came up with to maintain the road.Oyster shells,pink rocks, multicolored pebbles...Just goes to show you can find treasure anywhere you look,and the trucking life,like any other profession,can give you a good return if You'll just treat others as you would like to be treated....It always pays.

 

exactly!!!

 

Great post LOL...even if I snipped most of it.

Then you, as I have, will learn quickly that the idiots run most of the trucking companies. Especially the big ones.

A company (who shall remain nameless) tried to tell me how good their systems were. And how much more advanced their equipment and software was than any in the industry.

All I could do was laugh my ### of at all the EXTRA work they were putting on the IT techs. Because the SOB's were too cheap, or too stupid to realize they were working with 10 year old technology...which is the same age as dinosaur #### in my opinion LOL