Have a few questions

Hi Moon_beam,
We are in TN. My husband wouldnt stay home with them full time, he is careered. The boys would be 5/7 or 6/8 depending on when I started. The kids are my biggest concern. I know I wouldnt know until I ultimately got into the field, and right now, they are excited about the idea of Mom being in a big truck, but I want them to be ok once the novelty wears off, you know? I was gone for about 6 months in the past for a summer job out of state and they were completely fine with not seeing me for that long. I was a little surprised, but the honest truth is they are Daddy's boys and have a great time hiking/canoeing/fishing with him. So I can take that into consideration. Do you know how old her kids are?

Another question I have is, are the physical requirements of lifting 75-100 lbs just for flatbed only? I had kind of already written off flatbed because I know I am not able to pull that much weight with tarping, etc. But if those are the physical requirements for all truck drivers, I may be in big trouble!

 

Hi mountainlaurel, (I dated a girl named Laurel in HS, I know, big deal) Personally, I don't recommend it. Many women do enjoy driving trucks, but most, I think, had some sort of trucking in the family, so they know what's involved. You'll miss birthdays, holidays, little league games, just be ready for that. I missed a lot, and I was a local driver, but my hours prevented me from seeing a lot of that and you can't get that back. Living in a truck is an awful life. Facilities are very limited and the ones that are around are filthy. Eating healthy is almost non-existent, unless you bring your own, which can be one. Not sure about cooking, that would be a hassle, exercise, again, limited, at best, as there are so many factors that delay you, you may not have time to exercise, or are so tired, you sleep it off. Trucks do handle a lot better loaded, except on ice, but running empty is downright treacherous.
I'm not saying not to go into it, just maybe not now. When the kids are older, go for it, but I guarantee you, when you are staring at your floormat on Christmas Day, in some God forsaken truck stop, because you couldn't get unloaded until after the holiday, it tests even the most hearty drivers. Good luck.