So what did you do before getting into trucking?

tommymonza,, Like SheepDog said... one helluva story.

I have a lot of respect for ya. Not easy to keep 'treading water' when the seas keep turning so rough, over the years.
But to lose an only son is the ultimate heartbreaker and a monumental test for any soul on this earth. Never give up or lose hope, brother!

I believe I have about 10 years on ya, and can relate easily to what you've been thru, and the trials & pain along the way.
My story is also a 20+ years long duration test of enduring many monumental hurdles, and not easy to talk about.
So just wanna say "I understand where you're coming from".

BTW, a longshot, but did your GF go by name Tessa?

 

Food industry
tile installer
auto parts
auto body
Auto detail
auto sales
auto whole sales
retail auto sales
miltary night vision r/r (I was a civilan contracted to rng)
now I'm trucking in the Bakken hauling frac sand.
Hauled crude oil and did Otr pushing tires off my trailer for a tire mfg.
drove propane truck
dump truck
car hauler
container work
company driver and now a oo
plus a college degree In general studies (associates)

Been working since I was 14. I'm pushing 40 next year. So I have done a boat load of jobs. Never could stand Doing the same thing every day. It's like ground hog day. But trucking has paid the best by far and I like to drive the roads. So I'm happy for the most part , when I'm making money

 

Just getting into the industry.
Im 24 I've had a multitude of different jobs/careers.
Started off at 18 working as a cnc machinist
went into welding
back to cnc machining
then on to building custom headers for race cars
went on to doing boat repair and propeller rebuilding
then back into welding building USCG DOT and FAA approved fuel tanks
back to cnc machining
then on to manual machining for a small shop holding government contracts
then worked in a rock yard running equipment for a bit
worked in a performance shop building turbo setups for off road use
then back to production welding
then I did something really stupid and started working on cars
now I am here.

 

Not yet into trucking. CDL school starts on Sat (yay)

What have I been doing up until now so far?
Warehouse work and loading dock work. Various businesses for the past 17 years. First an ACME store, then a Weis store, then a frozen food distribution center, then a Walmart store, currently an Amazon.com warehouse.

I am sick of it, my body is sick of it.

 

In this order:

sacked groceries, washed cars, made pizzas, made sub sandwiches, worked in a warehouse, managed said warehouse, after five years of the same warehouse walls closing in seeing truckers come and go, I got my ticket and went. Company driver, owner operator..... TTR road train member!

 

At 13 I got my 1st job as a deckhand on a fishing boat. At 14 I went to work at MacDonalds. At 15 i worked as a cashier at a gas station and had a second job at a restaurant busing tables. At 17 I went into the USAF. At 21 I worked doing ohone sales and promoting rick concerts. Later that year I worked as a collection agent and car reposessor and went on to manage that company. At 27 I was a VP for marketing and operations in a collection agency. At 28 I realized I hated collections and went into training medical finance people.

At 29 I realized that I was a lousy entrepreneur and worked as a newspaper reporter. -Even won some awards.

At 31 I had a maor relocation to be near my daughter and started out as a computer tech/software technician.
At 32 I passed my certs and became a systems engineer.
at 36 I got laid off from the dotcom bubble and was poor and unemployed.
at 37 I got remarried, went back to school for a year, did a lot of tech contracting, then stayed at home as a dad and househusband.
at 45 I started out a defensive firearms training company. (part-time)
At 50 My wife traded me in on a younger model, took everything and I was looking for WTF I was gong to do.

ONE job where age doesn't seem to be an issue, where I could do everything required and make decent money (if for long hours) was OTR driving.

And there you go. Most people have interesting lives. I've had a very interesting life. Traveled the world,had a good time,raised a healthy, happy, wonderful daughter, learned how to solve a network issue, hammer a nail, catch a fish, cook a meal, manage large numbers of people, write coherently, kill people with a variety of objects and tools, manage a household, raise a child, teach people to do difficult things and how to listen. Not a bad deal. Now I'm going to be a truck driver. A whole new area to learn new things, master new skills and make new friends. Not, all-in-all, a bad story.

 

lol

Yes, I am only 35. I spent the past 17 years pushing myself to exhaustion to get work done as fast as possible. I'm not just some lazy whiner who can't handle hard work. If you worked at my warehouse, I'd gladly invite you to help me unload a truck with 3000 cases by hand to see if you could keep up.

But, pushing so hard does come at a cost. I have already had 2 hernia surgeries, carpel tunnel surgeries in both hands, my lower back often hurts when standing (I take 600mg ibuprofen twice a day when working). Nurmerous BMX crashes and free-running type stuff in my teens have resulted in my feet and knees being bad. Being on my feet all day (10+ hour shifts) often causes pain in my arches and knees, which has only gotten worse as the years passed.


Give it another 10 years? lol. I can't imagine how I will feel in another 10 years.
I'm already starting to find grey hairs and after working for 10+ hours I can barely stand.

 

well in order,, fast food worker, convinces store mgr., trailer jockey, beer delivery, convoy trucker (Iraq) current O/O