Is it hard to schedule things as a trucker?

If I'm working 70-80 hours a week OTR, is it hard to find time to go to doctor's appointments and stuff? I have a yearly skin appointment I need to do.

 

Depending on the company you drive for it can be easy or hard to get home when you need to.

As always, communication is key.

 

Yes

 

It is not hard to schedule something. However, keeping the appointment is extremely difficult.

 

If you absolutely have to have to be home, tell your dispatcher that you need to be home 3 days before you actually have to absolutely be there.

 

Lots of delays in trucking. Shipper/receiver dalays or traffic accidents. While one incident may not affect the delivery of the load you currently have, it can have an effect on the next load you may be planned for, which in turn affects the next load, and the receiver might need to reschedule and the next window might not be for a day or two. after all is said and done you could arrive home a few days late... It isn't that the company didn't try and get you home... Reality has different ideas.

Like TripleSix mentioned, plan early.

 

It’s easier to find a doctor to work with your schedule. Talk to doctors office and you can probably work something out.

 

if you have a yearly appointment with that particular doctor, give your employer a yearly notice, then 6 months, then 3 months, then one month...then just drive on home, you gave them enough notice..!!

j/k


communicate with your employer (any employer even if you get a local job) about your appointments at least 2 months in advance, then again 3 weeks in advance at the very least.

any other doctor that you "might need" can be found on the road, and some truck stops may have a clinic nearby or on the truck stop property.

even your own employer may very well have a clinic nearby as well to thier terminal, after all, if you went for orientaion at the terminal, they most likely sent you for a drug screening nearby....


then there is this if you need help

UrgentCareTravel: The Medical Clinic Network at Pilot Flying J

 

Nope, I work Tuesday to Friday. I schedule everything for Monday’s or Friday afternoon. Even when I was OTR, I never had any issues. Schneider got me home when needed for my first six years on the road. The next carrier was a smaller OTR company that ran round trip freight in and out of DFW. I’ve never had issues making personal appointments and commitments.

 

My employer last year has an excellent reputation for getting drivers home on time. 3 out of 4 months I got home a day late. I had a cracked molar during that time and it took 2 dentist visits to get it fixed. Point is, no matter what company it is, they will keep you out longer to keep customers happy and make that money. Looking back I should have found a dentist near their terminal. I could have taken 2 hometimes there and got my tooth fixed.