Hey all, Lookin to head out on the road here in a few weeks. heading to school monday june 18th and lookin to hit the road shortly after.. I am just curious to those with families, how well your family deals with the fact you are gone alot and what your overall experience has been with truckin. Im not goin to reveal the company Ill be working for cuz I dont care to hear all of the horror stories, I want to make up my own mind about the company....just wanna know general experiences good/bad/ugly.. what ever you feel like sharin...
All I can tell you is ...... I have been to three county fairs and a goat roping and I aint never seen anything like the changes in your life you are fixin to see !!! I am lucky my wife has been a truckers wife since just after we got married and she runs the house like I run my truck !! That means she is the boss in her world and I am the boss in mine ..... I don't tell her how to run the house and she don't tell me how to run my truck . If your family needs you to tell them how and when to do everything you will have problems! If your family can do things without you you might not have it so rough ! If you have to tuck everyone in at night and get scared being alone you are screwed . Also you might want t listen to at least a few of them horror stories because if the company has a reputation of doing bad things to others I can promise that you are not as special as you think that it wont happen to you because you have the right attitude !!! We don't tell the bad stories to scare you off we tell you them so maybe you will be smart enough to learn from our mistakes . So all I can say is if there is smoke you might want to look and see if there is fire !! I wish you a long and profitable trip down the road you have chosen to follow . I for one love it as much today as I did 32 years ago when I started. It might not be as fun as it was or as respected as it was but it sure beats having to wake up and face a time clock every day !!
Appreciate your in put.. My family has been use to me bein gone, I was in the military for 8 years so that wont be a problem. If I listen to horror stories I want them to be factual and not just general complaints because someone got fired or couldnt make it drivin.. Same with any industry, I have worked in the food industry for 19 years and can tell some horror stories but I have read alot about the company Im goin to work for some good, some bad. Just as when I first joined the military, I wanna know honest opinions not those created outta spite.
I have only been OTR for a month, but my family is dealing with the transition pretty well. I was a stay at home mom for the past 4 years, and previous to that, I had a job that allowed me to be home all the time. My husband and I basically traded positions - he's now the stay at home mom, and I'm the bread winner. One thing that has been nice is Skype and Facetime. I can still talk and see my boys and husband. Also, I can take pictures of everything I see and text or Facebook it, so my family can kinda get a look into what I'm experiencing. I would say your family will be okay with you being gone, especially if they're used to you being gone already. You'll probably see more hometime with trucking than you did in the military, right? As for me, my father was an Alaskan fisherman and gone for like 9 months a year. I was very close to him, and him being gone did not make me love or admire him any less, if that counts for anything. Good luck with your new career!
It's not much different than when you where in the service. Keep in touch and just let them know you're ok. When you shut down make a call or send an e-mail. I've been local for many years but when I was OTR we didn't have cell phones. So when I was out of hours and after I ate I made the call to my wife. We made plans that it didn't matter what hour it was. But also let them know there may be times you can not communicate and not to worry. Maybe someone here can tell you the best cell phone to get for coverage. I know the plan we had was dead in parts of New Mexico and Texas but I do think they have that all sorted out by now and you shouldn't have any problem staying in touch. I don't know if you have a laptop or not but it would be a good idea to have one. You can keep all your notes for personal use and stay connected to the world. I wish that I had a computer to keep files on issues with the truck, where to stop, best food, just all kinds of notes you'll benefit from. Plus, if you have a question that is bugging you you can always call us!
Appreciate it gas hauler... Im planning on gettin a lap top once Ive made a little money......as for cell phone, I currently have att but am open to change if another carrier has better coverage.. Gotta android phone also so I can us it til I get my laptop....Thanks for the input...
