Laid off from IT looking into CDL

In a way though it's been good for me because I am not very social. But I get attached to the guys I drive with. I teach them how to work in my division after they have completed their 6-week driving course with a more experienced guy. And I call them after a few weeks after they move on me from me and see how they are doing. After about 4 weeks was when I felt the most "shell shocked" so I call them and give them some encouragement and it feels good. It keeps me from sliding too far off the cliff, I guess. Before you know it I am talking to myself while sitting on the john with cereal in my hair and cursing at my poop.

nothing wrong with that, but you know.

 

There are some guys that just don't like being alone but they are good drivers in my rookie opinion. For whatever reason they just like having someone close by they can vent all their problems off to and annoy them by singing along to great music and ruining it. Like Hotel California. When that song comes on my Pandora, my partner loves to explode out of the sleeper and sing along and ruin it. This guy has taught me some stuff about driving and helped me with my backing. He's very extraverted and will probably always team drive as long as he's trucking.

 

I don't know what a guy would call me, I am pretty social when I am around people, but it doesn't matter if I am around them or not. I love driving on roads where I see very few other rigs, I can drive my 15 with no music. lol average stopping probably every 4 hours to get rid of some rented coffee and refill my cup.
We have what we call a truckstop about 250 miles north, I will sometimes stop for a sandwich to go, but more often than not just slide on by. There is a place open on the yukon now, and since I actually was headed north in the daytime a trip or two back, I stopped and had a bad breakfast. I thought sausage and eggs would be a good bet, but lost that one. lol

 

I did teaming for 19 months it’s stressful when your other co driver doesn’t want to run and there attitude sucks I enjoyed it for awhile but I’m solo and can run as hard as I want and have the truck to myself and you make about the same solo or team my first year I made 29 K 2nd year I hit 38K

 

Never eat sausage, ever. Eggs are fine.

No sexual innuendo intended there at all. It's just the truth. Sausage spoils and makes you sick.

 

Im making 80K. Only reason I'm teaming. I can't wait to have my own truck, though. I hear you.

 

Yes that's one problem teaming when you have a guy that doesn't match your work ethic. I had a guy, he worked very hard loading the trailer, but he would NOT drive at night, period. And if it rained too hard, he'd shut down and wake me up to start driving.

Another guy he drove fine but in the trailer he struggled. He kept dropping and breaking open boxes. So it took longer to get stops done because he worked so fast to get them done, it ended up taking longer.

It takes a lot of patience. Another guy never pre-tripped and would start driving on my clock because "he had a job to do" and couldn't be hassled with the little unimportant things like logs. LOL

Overall though so far in my early career it's been fine. I've learned a lot from the people I have driven with and I hope I taught them a few things too.

 

I have always run my own rigs, never drove otr in a company truck, the only team driving I have done is helping a relative or friend get started. I did run with a son in law for a year, to make sure it was what he wanted to do before I bought a truck for him to drive.
I got along with all of them, and even my wife, but I lived inthe truck usually for two weeks to a month or even more at times, and just preferred it to myself.
When my wife went with me, I ran hard, but would usually get a motel room once a week, to unwind and watch a little tv, do laundry and such.

 

That's the life I want. Just teaming with family and maybe a female if I'm lucky enough she's willing to drive at least occasionally because females have something I need. But mostly just alone.

Easy life is the best life. No hard math about it.

My brother's daughter (niece?) went to school and told her teacher I drive trucks, my breath stinks, and I pee on bottles. Then she proceeded to tell her teacher she did not pee in pools and she can lie detector her because I told her I was going to that after we got back. LOL

I know now why my brothers all of the suddenly cleaned up their foul language. Kids repeat things and they get in trouble.

 

Don’t get me wrong most guys I got along with but i should of made 50+ my first year for how hard I ran I would do team if my girl wanted to drive truck but she doesn’t like driving a lot i took her out multiple times but she didn’t care for it she got to see the mountain west and all of the west coast