Never driven management...

I worked in a few cubicles and a few office jobs before I got into trucking. Most were higher stress than trucking. For every miserable minute in the truck, there’s a glorious hour of listening to audiobooks, podcasts and Slayer that takes me to my happy place.

I didn’t get into trucking because of the stress of 100 inane emails from people who don’t do their own job, rude customers, ungrateful clients and a mean spirited boss man who hates his own life and is determined to make me hate mine too. I didn’t mind all that, and never had a problem walking out the door and leaving it there until tomorrow. I even bought a really nice car so I could smile ear-to-ear the whole drive home, even in traffic.

I got into trucking because the money wasn’t cutting it, and the pathway forward was looking increasingly like 25+ years to get ahead, since after 2007 none of the older generation were retiring. I considered going back to school, but young lawyers make less than truckers. Post graduate researchers in university earn a LOT less than truckers, and both have a whole lot more responsibility than chugging down the interstate and making sure to shower before showing up for delivery.

 

Thats the nice thing about my company, huge on promoting from within, im already looking down the road at a regional logistics spot. Figure if im not in a truck i may as well move up.

 

I’m hoping to make the same leap with my current company. Considering doing an online master’s degree this year in OHS, or HR to move into a recruiting or safety job. Trucking has been a lovely way to spend my 20s, but it’s time to think about the next 30 years now.

The alternative is doing some training to pull trains, we move 2x 53’ trailers locally, and I think those guys are home daily. Just not sure the schedule will allow for a family life, but I’ve considered it.

 

Just make sure you don’t have Divine Intervention cranked to 11 your first day back in an office.

 

if you shower, before a delivery, they will not know you're a trucker, and you may get respect..???

 

Where I work is chain and go. A lot of places we run, we wouldn’t ever get there without throwing Iron.

 

What if u get very cold easily and don’t feel very comfortable chaining up..Can you still work there?

 

Same. We’d be parked all winter if we didn’t chain. Had a guy leave our yard once on a Sunday, got to Lost Trail Pass, turned around and went back to the yard. Chain lift was on and he told the boss it was too treacherous to continue. Boss said that 6 of us had already gone over ahead of him and he best get going.

 

Why would you rather park and miss out on that money instead of taking 10 minutes to throw iron and continue on with your day?