I have a question about hours

yeah, you go with that thought....let me know how it works out for you..

you ain't even got in a full year's experience yet, let me know how that job you got trying to even think you're gonna make over $50,00 a year works out for you too.

 

take any video as face value and/or a bunch of malarkey.

you CAN get home on a regular basis at "some companies", but then your weekly paycheck will reflect the time at home, rather than earning money.

you can go "sight-seeing" if and ONLY IF you have the time to spare, are gaining hours, or are just at the place at the right time.

but your time is limited at best. if you spend time "sight-seeing" and you're late getting to your destination, then expect the riot act read to you, ONCE....there will be NO second time.

unemployment comes next, then try getting a job where you will be "DAC'd" for constantly being late.

 

you may tire of OTR driving. you will be eating, when you should be sleeping, you will be sleeping when you should be driving. you may have to wait for a shower room to open up that has been cleaned, if they even actually clean it. you may or may not find a booth or seat at the counter when your time to eat comes up.

you may or may not be able to watch tv or a movie at the truck stop, that you want to watch, so you'll probably be watching, "Planes, trains, and automobiles" for the zillionth time.

you may have a load going to a place that you have well planned out the route. only to have to detour a zillion times due to road construction, accidents or other abnormalities.

you may or may not get your clothes washed at the truck stop, but if you leave them in the washer and walk away, they WILL or may be stolen.>!

you very well may have a few great days, but you will certainly have a lot of lousy days.

you WILL MISS your home, family, friends, your barbershop, dentist, etc,etc.

life on the road can and will be hard. it will draw you out. you will get sick and have no place to go for medical attention.

you may very well drive around and around a truck stop, after spending a zillion dollars on fuel, and NOT find a parking space.

you may drive right on in, and find a space near the front door.>!!!

you WILL SMELL the rancid odor of urine at EVERY truck stop or rest area you go to, as driver's are too dammed lazy to hold it in, and WALK into the place and USE a proper bathroom. wait till those HOT-MUGGY DAYS/NIGHTS when that rancid smell gets into your clothes..!!!

all in all, if i ever had to do it again, i'd quit and go back to turning wrenches...

i will not go back to OTR, no matter how hard times get for me, which they have, and i simply found work else where's till a driving job came up.

and I DO NOT MEAN i found work at ANY burger joint either.

 

Aw, Gizmo....you forgot one very important one.........you will probably be here reading everything when you should be getting to sleep.....LOL

 

or you may outfit your truck well with an inverter, tv/dvd, fridge, microwave and avoid alot of the pitfalls mentioned above......the food is certainly alot better and healthier ( and waaayyyyy cheaper ) if you clip those coupons and hit the grocery store before you hit the road......alot of guys waste too much money on the road by eating out and not spending the money up front to outfit the truck so it can be lived in properly

you may get on with a better than average and smaller carrier after doing your homework and legwork and NOT going with the majors and usual suspects and be home every weekend, drive a brand new truck, and make 43k+ your first year.......with a solid customer base that let's you park at their facilities 3days out of 5 and avoid having to park at the truckstops and rest areas day in and day out.....

sure, there will be days that suck......and being sick on the road truly is a miserable time....i just spent 2 weeks sick and it's not like you can pull over and take a sick day you have to suck it up and roll.......

yes, it's a hard life that only some of us are suited to......but it also isn't as bad as some would make it out to be if you get the right gig......the problem is they are few and far between, they DON'T recruit heavily and everywhere like the majors do......they don't have to.....you have to find them......

good luck to you.....you sound like you're going in with an open mind and your eyes open......and attitude ( or more importantly, lack of one ) will go a long way into how your days go.....if you don't have patience and aren't able to think on the fly and adjust to conditions, you won't last long.....but if you can, and don't sweat the small stuff and let it roll off of you and keep on rolling, you'll do just fine.....