Please help!!

pt919, I really hope you are not thinking that you can support your family by yourself once you go OTR.
You will need most of your money just to survive on the road. There will be very little to send home, especially the first year or two.

 

Well I wish you the best of luck. If you're willing to work hard, you can make a good living in trucking. It has been good to me and my two kids.

 

Swift is saying that your are illegible for rehire but they would have to think about it first. Having said that, they are desperate for workers and you could very easily catch on. If not apply elsewhere.

Now the homesick thing is a bit different. You will get homesick but that goes away over time. What you are getting ready to do is a lot like being in prison. The first six months are the hardest. It picks up after that. Communication is the key. Get a good cell phone and a data plan so you can skype and talk to the kids. But keep it to a schedule. Call twice a week and email once a day. Do not worry about home time, make money. When you are home spend time doing something. You will be tired but you have to make the most of it. Spoil the wife and kids. It gets better quickly.

 

If OTR seems even at all something that could leave you wanting to be home, it is never too late to think about the local driving in your area. I'm local, home every night with the wife and kids. Sure I may not make as much, but how can you price time spent with loved ones.

 

Have your wife leave for a week while you take care of the kids and work full-time...then decide if you want to go back OTR.

 

Hi pt919, take it from me, and others, get a local job, YOU NEED TO BE HOME WITH YOUR FAMILY!!! I was a local driver, but still gone A LOT, and I missed so much. Kids baseball games, plays, bike riding, things you just can't relive. Don't make the same mistake I made, it cooked my marriage too. There are plenty of local jobs, and it is a driver's market out there. It's not like you killed someone. Best of luck.

 

Why not join the military if you want an instant fix. Free medical, free room and board for the family and hopefully we'll be free from wartime so it's not like you'd be on the front lines. The military is a great learning experience that will last you a lifetime.

Go to USA.gov and look at some of the jobs on there. Type in truck driver and you'll see some great jobs and many of them preference is given to someone willing to join the National Guard. Some of them jobs are working for the National Park service as a driver. How much work can you do there?

Then if you find you don't like the military the you can transition into civilian driving after your 3 years are up.

 

OTR truck driving is not for you. Your easily going to be home sick.