Best Ways to Keep a Family Man Sane?

If you and your family know the reasons and that you are doing it to put your family in a better place. I don't think you will have problems. Yes you will get home sick. Yes you will want to quit when you been out a few weeks and your company cant seem to find you a load home. But hang in there, and talk to your wife as much as possible.

Also know this is a very stressful business. You have to deal with your companies issue's, customer issue's, 4 wheelers, big trucks, Hours of service, parking issue's, tight docks and parking spaces. If you can deal with those things without pulling your hair out, and your kids voice asking when you are coming home. Then you should be alright.

 

Boy what a rude awakening you are in for, if you think you are going to make enough to cover bills driving a truck OTR.. Best of luck to you any.way. Sounds like you are between a rock and a hard place.

 

I looked at it like a challenge. I can find the Best Truck, The Best paying Job. I have to. Might start with a lower paying driver position, But I will get there.

 

Ordinarily I don't engage someone who says that money can not be made out here. BUT, this guy asked a reasonable question and deserved reasonable answers to it. He sounds like he is trying to do the right thing, and just wants to try and prepare as best he can.

I am only going to make a simple statement of fact here, I don't intend to ruffle any feathers or upset anyone...but all the people who make comments about not being able to make any money OTR...What are you doing wrong?

My TAKE HOME is generally in the 750 to 950 range. Yes, thats each week. Yes, thats as a company driver. No, I do not have any "special" route, region, bonus, or anything else that makes my pay check any different from any other company driver. Stop telling rookies that money can not be made out here! Stop it! My first year out I made nearly 60k. I am on track to do so again this year. I absolutely understand that there is more money to be made in other jobs, but for me? I could have never imagined a time where I would make that kind of money and love my job. 60k may not seem like much to some people, but coming from someone who considered it a good year to make 25k...busting my fanny at jobs I LOATHED, under appreciated, overworked and way underpaid....its astounding. My job, my company and my life are a blessing, coming from what I had to put up with to barely survive before trucking....Just saying....

Stick with it my friend, ignore the naysayers, focus on your job and your family and it will be over before you know it. Put in your time, pay down your debt, hold your family together by the strength of your will and your determination and it will pay off.

Welcome to trucking....always remember "if the wheels ain't turnin, you ain't earnin"

 

When my husband started OTR a year a go we've learned several things along the way. We have a cat and no children.

I learned that I need at minimum a 20 minute phone call a day. Once he was done training and driving solo, we average about an hour of phone time a day either in one call or over several calls.

I will send him pics via text of interesting things I see or pictures of the cat doing something funny, or if I'm having a good hair day he gets a pic. In return he'll send me amazing pics of scenery, sun rises/ sets, etc. (We keep the pics PG-13, just in case.)

To involve my nephew (he was 5 at the time.) my husband would send a text everyday letting my sister in law know what town/state he was starting in and going to so that they could keep track on a map of the US with pins and strings. That way there was a visual of where Uncle Mr. John had been and it would show him getting closer to home when home time got near.

My mom will send a text every few days. Kind of like playing "where's Waldo"? lol If I'm with family and on the phone with John I'll put it on speaker and have more of a group conversation. That way he's kept in the loop of family happenings and I get to hear his reaction/ perspective on things.

We get a little creative about meal times. If it's meal time and we're eating at the same time, it counts as a "date". It doesn't matter if it's happening in two different states.

Create a little "ritual" with each person in your family (like recording you reading favorite bed time books before you leave) or ending the day with 5 minutes of phone time for each child, but especially with your wife. No matter what, always remember to tell her that you love her. It's also OK to admit that you miss her. Don't forget to tell each other that you appreciate what the other is doing.

John keeps two pictures with him in the truck. One is a picture of us taken a month before we got married. The other one is a picture of me and our cat. (I was having a good hair day. LOL)

Personally, I'm not a fan of Skype, but I think I tried using it too early. We tried Skyping after he was gone a few weeks, and I was miserable because seeing him made me miss him more.

Good luck, this is a change, but as long as you and your wife are on the same page, this will be a start to better things.

 

The "trick", is to keep your doors closed, foot down and MOUTH SHUT. Don't refuse a load, ever. I don't care if its only going 60 miles away, do it anyway. If your dispatcher knows he can count on you, you will be able to count on him. If you have helped him out of a jam, when you need him to help you out, he will remember it.

Something silly that I used to do was assign a "mileage" to everything I bought, reminded me that while I may want this particular gadget, it may not be worth the crap I might have to put up with to get it, or recoup what I spent on it. Ex: My gps 400 bucks...that was 1600 mile run to buy it.