should i leave my job for lower paying company?

If you have kids that still live at home...go local. Or if you have a woman you love at home...go local.

 

The most important words you've said are 'BURNING OUT'.
That is not simple job dissatisfaction or general unhappiness.
Teachers get a 1yr sabbatical to deal with their burn-out. The rest of us are lucky to get 2 wks. vacation.

Get your financial ducks in a row, include your family in the decision-making process, and prepare to transition.

As you have learned, money isn't everything and money can't buy happiness.
All the best to you and let us know how you're doing.

 

If you are going to quit, no harm in talking to management beforehand and see what can be done. Maybe they can give you some extended leave to recharge. That would depend on you having some savings to get by on, but it would be cheaper than 20k. If you are a good driver that is an asset to the company and the management is good then you should be able to come to some kind of compromise to keep you there.

Don't go in and say "I'm going to quit unless you do this!" but talk to your manager, explain to him "I've been doing this for x amount of years, and really like working for the company. I feel like I am an asset, but am beginning to feel burned out and was wondering if there was anything we might be able to do?"

Also: If you are going to leave, there are probably other options than a company you know has bad reviews.

 

Keep in mind that local work sometimes isn't all it's cracked up to be either. You can end up getting less sleep and still not seeing your family anymore than being OTR because of the crazy hours you could be putting in. These days it seems that many local companies expect drivers to use every bit of their 14 hours everyday. Imagine spending 14 hours working, then commuting to and from, getting home, eating, showering, and then off to bed. So how many hours are you really able to spend home with the family? This is my situation right now, I'm running for a local bulk tanker company that also runs some vans and containers. Just yesterday I ran two bulk loads and a van load in my 13.5 hour day. The boss expects us to run if we have hours and since we're on paper, we have all the hours we need because not having enough hours is not an excuse to not run here, I still try to stay reasonably legal and it makes them mad, but in the end it's my CDL not theirs. They pay by the load, either a flat rate for bulk loads or mileage or flat rate for van loads so more than a few times the driver ends up getting paid much less than most of us here feel is a decent wage for the hours put in. I'm looking to get away from here because of this and other reasons (shoddy equipment and low pay mainly).

I worked for Cryogenic Transportation for about 4 weeks and even though they were on e-logs, they still expected 14+ hour days out of us, the TM would go into the qual-com system and change our start time to get us back under 14 hours, I didn't stay there very long.

Keep in mind also that while running local, depending where you live, weather could really have an effect on your day. Times that an OTR driver would say screw it, the roads are too crappy, I'm shutting down for a few hours to let the roads clear up a bit usually isn't an option running local, you have to run because you have to get back. Some companies actually have the sense to pull their trucks off the roads in blizzard conditions like we had here earlier this week, 50+ vehicle crash on the OH turnpike just east of where I live, but, MOST will not. I was out there, not on the pike, but in the same general area where that wreck occurred and it really, really sucked. I had to talk the company I picked up at into loading me because they decided to close down and were going home due to the weather, I pleaded with them to not send me back out there with an empty trailer

I have an interview set up for next week with a different local tanker liquid out fit that hauls haz mat, a couple vans, and roll off boxes, that pays by the hour, $20.50 to start, Teamsters benefits and retirement (and union dues) and a 50-60 hour work week, (heard that before) but getting paid for every hour I put in plus overtime will make things a little better.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from going local, I'm just letting you know to go into it with your eyes wide open and don't expect it to be the nirvana many think it is. I've known quite a few friends that got their CDLs, did their "time" OTR then got a local gig and ended not liking it because local work is really just a job, a usually pretty hectic one at that, not a lifestyle.

 

LOL had to help HAND UNLOAD 450 pieces of 1X6 10' resaw lumber to edge of flatbed other day was still better than floor loaded pallet stacking! Doesn't happen often was a residential REMODEL with no forklift avail EVERY JOB has it's moments!

NOT ALL! Stop slaving for 'big companies' entirely embrace the O/O mentality and resist "Corp run Gov't" every chance one gets! The best way to cut 'expenses' is BE HOME everyday you'd be amazed how little one can learn to get by/live on it's called Voting With One's Feet & Money let this industry GO TO 'ELL!

YEA RIGHT! Why can't YOU look "for a higher paying job"? We already know who spends the most!

 

Deduct your personal road expenses doing OTR and that reflects more on the pay difference between local and OTR.

My personal experience, tried local and stayed tired and stressed all the time. Have to worry about getting back in time to get 10 hrs. off in time to start the next day.

Some people are content with local. Some of us only want OTR, not local or regional. If I had run local my whole career, would probably have been dead from a heart attack years ago.

Friend of mine went from OTR reefer to local hauling gasoline to Shell stations and loves it. Horrible working hours, but home every day, works 6 days a week and makes great money. I would hate that routine, but I'm not him.

 

I agree with China.. being OTR has expenses... I am on a dedicated and home every weekend.. but, boy does that help.. do my laundry at home.. make meals for the road.. I am actually amazed at how much money it saves me from when I was OTR...

burnout is a tough thing.. takes a toll on you.. ot good for your well being.. good luck to you..

 

She sounds like one of those wives, that is first in line to grab her husband's paycheck, while he is out on the road.

 

I do agree that OTR does have some expenses that local work does not, but if your is smart you can trim down the amount you spend to next to nothing. I used to use a coffee maker, lunch box oven, a "fridge", coleman unit I think, have the wife save the leftovers during the previous week and freeze them for me. I would also bring lunch meats, bread, mayo, salad dressing etc to make sandwiches, cereal, milk, cans of soup, etc. bought at home so I literally did not eat out of truck stops. Plus I had the added benefit of not being restricted to only truck stops for parking because I was self sufficient, able to eat anywhere I chose to stop or had to be. If I went back on the road, (won't happen without bringing the wife with me) I wouldn't do it without an invertor, microwave and a real fridge. The coleman unit worked ok, but I did replace a couple of fan motors in that thing.