Seeking tips for "enjoying" life on the road (as much as possible) lol

Try and keep a good attitude , listen to your trainer/partner...remember you are the student/trainee...just don't let them take advantage...after the 1st year.....Don't just limit your self to the OTR co's......The advice I can give you is to apply , apply apply , at lots of places...disregard those 1 to 3 years OTR experience needed signs.....Try those local to you LTL places...you may have work the docks a bit and be a yard jockey/switcher for a while , but you'll be gaining experience and be home every night , try the food-service distributors close by, also the softdrink/beer distributors.....the only limits on you are the ones that "you" put on you.....after all the worst they can you tell is no...or they can say welcome aboard...Good luck.

 

I was going to "go local" after a year, and that was seven years go. I guess I actually ENJOY otr. It's not the nightmare some would have you believe. I still get a little excited when I hear the Qualcomm beep and I look to see where I am headed next. There is still a sense of adventure in it for me. There are down sides like occasional sleep deprivation and breakdowns. You will have a few bad days, but they won't last. If you persevere you will be rewarded with good days. Great days. I am currently driving from North Carolina to California. 2600 miles. This is the kind of trip I live for. Just remember that #### happens but it doesn't last. Take a few mini vacations around the country. Next month I am going to spend 3 days in NYC. It should be fun.

 

Well I thought I'd be miserable OTR, but I really didn't mind it.


Now I actually love the big road, other than the fact that my 'things do do' list keeps piling up. Home maintenance, that kind of stuff. Trying to schedule to be home for family events, etc.


Money-wise, all I heard was to expect low pay. So I went tanker and made pretty decent money. The money is by far the last thing I would complain about. I've been able to pay my mortgage and all other bills plus add thousands of dollars to my savings and retirement.


I'm just saying this because so many people on here will say "don't worry about the money your first year, just focus on learning". But IMO, if there's a choice between learning AND making money ,, or learning and NOT making money, I'll take the former.


As for dispatchers,, Yes, you could get a bad one. But I think in most cases, if you show that you're reliable and aren't a screw up, you'll be treated pretty good. Also, if you're running pretty good and get a few plates of crap every now and then, just do it and don't complain. A short run for a pickup and relay drop may mean your helping another driver get home, and at some point, someone else may be doing that for you.


My first few months were kind of rough , slow time of year, etc. I did call and try to get myself moving a few times. I wasn't exactly happy at first, but I figured I'd give it a chance -- build a reputation for being on time, not screwing up and not being a whiner. I'm certainly glad I did. When things picked up, I did very well.


Year one is in the bag, and now I'm interviewing and have a nice choice of gigs to pick from. I could do local or OTR, but I'm shooting for something in between. when i started, i couldnt wait til i had the exp for a local gig, but its just too much #### work I have a promising gig where I'll be running OTR, but coming home between loads .. home a few nights during the week, off every weekend, and off on holidays.


Good luck, and remember that in most cases, building a good reputation with your dispatch and load planners is something you can control simply by being reliable and not screwing up and not being a whiner

edit: srry, this was meant in reply to op, not tony!

 

No 2 truckers are the same (thankfully) and you will find whats best for you. You will adapt and find most everything that will keep you happy on the road. However it will take time to get there. It will not happen over night. Learn the job and figure how you can find enjoyment as you do it. Watch and learn from others, not that every thing you see will work for you. Never preach to anyone what you think is the best. No harm in saying how you do it. It's a new life on the road, you will find your own way. Good Luck.

 

Lots of things to see and do all over North America that costs very little $ so instead of CRYING about a layover see about doing some stuff , or try and get loads to areas of Interest or for sports events.

 

My kind of driver. You showed up to the fight with a fight plan. Scored a win. Any of you other wannabes paying attention?

 

i dont drink anymore, but i can tell you where to park and get drunk at a bar along almost any route!
i dont really miss those days

 

Start peeing in jugs. Become so unashamed of yourself that you can walk across the truck stop into the treeline with a jug full of piss in each hand, like no big deal drivers, just emptying out a few days work. Enjoy that you aren't conforming to the system of using a toilet, wasting water on flushing - you are doing what generations of truckers before you have done, and you aren't ashamed. Only sissies and girlymen get out of their trucks to take a piss in a urinal, or toilet, do you sit down to pee? Piss in a jug like a real trucker. Only job in the world where you can walk across a parking lot with a big yellow bottle like it's normal.