Is Trucking Right For Me?? With a Twist..

Since your cousin is too young to drive perhaps she could take care of your dog until you can get into your own truck. It isn't fun being sick on the road. Larger companies will have vacation times after you have been with them for a while. Most will require a year in order to qualify for vacation. Some may have sick pay or holiday pay. The paid holidays differ with companies. Christmas and Thanksgiving are the two major holidays. Often you may be driving on most of the other holidays. If you talk with your dispatcher they will usually try to get you home when needed, but it is NEVER guaranteed. Most will not deadhead you to get home. They will try to find a load to get you near the house. I don't recall your age, but most carriers will require that you are 25 years of age. Some will hire at 23. It is rare to find an otr carrier that will hire at 21. Insurance is the primary reason.

 

I'm over 30.

 

At least your age won't be a problem when it comes to finding a carrier.

 

Since you stated that you could put most of your paychecks into savings, you could save enough in a couple of years to pay cash for a decent truck. If you decide to buy a truck it would be much better to start out without any debt than have payments. If you decide to stay a company driver then you would have a very good down payment on a house. I met a couple a number of years ago who drove as a team. They were building a house and paying as they went along. They planned on quitting once they had everything paid for and the house built. One thing about it, you could always team with your cousin later once she gets a little older, providing you still want to at that point.

 

Thanks!! Next question. How lonely is it out there on the road? I really enjoy my alone time (yes, I'm pretty much convinced I'm doing this solo plus the pup), but..how long before it gets old?

 

Being female - tall, short, fat or "petite", makes no difference. Lots of us women out here, of all different sizes.

 

If you're locked in a jail cell, where else would your best friend be?

I run a day cab & have a 90 pound dog riding shotgun. You might be tripping over it from time to time, but as long as you've got a decent size sleeper on the truck you should be alright. Of course BOTH team members will have to want the dog in the truck with you and be willing to make the necessary adjustments to make it work. It would actually be easier to have a dog while teaming, because while one person fuels the truck, the other can be out with the dog...and if you get to a shipper or receiver that does not allow critters on the property, one can wait outside the gate with the dog while the other makes the pickup or delivery. While running solo, you've either got to have a well behaved dog that knows to head over to that grassy area over there and take care of business while you are fueling the truck and come back to the truck when you start hanging up the fuel nozzles, or else you'll have to spend the extra time at each stop walking the dog....and if you get somewhere that won't allow the pet through the gate, you're stuck trying to figure out what to do with the dog so that you can get in.

 

Yeah, I dont get these jail cell comparisons, and im sure jail inmates would highly disagree with someone claiming driving a truck is like being in a jail cell, or sitting in your closet all day. Ridiculous. The only way you can even try to compare is to live out of your truck 24/7, with all the windows covered, for years.

Im not OTR, but i drive a parcel truck and i have as long of a day as you guys do or close enough. I do feel, in a way, restrained by the strict time commitments and making around 100+ stops per day and having to struggle making sure i make stops under 5 mins each. Its just like with money, the more you make, the more you spend. The more stops you make, the more issues you have to deal with that waste your time, and thus making your job harder.

Id rather do a job like that than to be stuck behind a desk or cubical all day. Now that type a job has alot better of an argument regarding feeling like youre in jail, than to be on your own driving a truck and seeing everything in this country. Not every where we deliver to is nice, some places are trashy or even close enough to be called a ghetto. But there are alot of nice places to see, and people to meet.

In jail, you get an 8x9 cell, a bed, sink, toilet. And a view of gray walls and cells across from you. Possibly even "bubba" in that adjacent cell, licking his lips at you.

No one is putting a gun to your head and forcing you to be a truck driver. Trucking is not hell, its not like living in a jail. Its your attitude and your glass half empty outlook on life.

Ok, that was my rant for the day. Not nessisarrily because of this thread, ive just read those types of comments enough that i wanted to rant.

No one can answer that except yourself. However, let me help guide you to that answer. How lonely you become depends on how you are. Whats the longest amount of time that you've been alone? How did you feel during that time? Depending on where you work, you'll be out 2-3 weeks or even 4-6 that ive ever read for a company driver.

How are you around strangers? Shy? or outgoing and able to strike up a conversation with anybody? For the most part you will be alone the majority of the time your gone and the only people you interact with are shipper/receivers and other truckers at gas stations/truck stops/restaurants etc.. and any where else you can drive a truck or walk during your down times. Would that be enough to not be lonely?

Sometimes when on my vacation time, if im single, i very easily can stay home all week (9 days) and not interact with any person, except the cashier at the grocery store. No phone calls, nothing. I do not feel alone or get stir crazy.

If you cant sleep in your bed and not feeling lonely, if you cant drive all day without feeling stir crazy because you need a social fix, if you cant be gone for a few weeks with out feeling alone or depressed because the only human in person interaction you're getting are from strangers and not from people who know you and care about you. If you cant sit on the couch or in front of the computer ALL day and only having a few breaks.,., Then, this would end up being a short term job.

 

You can usually find someone to strick up a conversation with at any truck stop. I don't find many who talk on the CB much any more. But, that is another option.

 

Hi there. Yes, I know. Just saying..smaller = easier target.