What about the 'Lifestyle' change?

Well, I guess you could start with the time away from home, you will have new things to worry about like delivery times, log book, trip planning, trying to budget money at the same time worrying about the things at home.
You can end up working for a company that treats you with minimal respect and or pushes you to do things illegal, keep in mind when court time comes they will be no where around.
You will encounter drivers on the road both big truck and 4-wheelers whom have no business being in posession of a drivers license, thus adding to your already stressed existance.
Then there are those 1 or 2 am searches for a parking spot at truck stops after you've driven 10 or 11 hours dead tired almost out of hours, only to find" suprise" there is no where to park, so on down the road you go, still searching.
You will definetly meet some good people while on the road, but make no mistake you will meet some of the rudest most vile ill-tempered creatures to roam this planet also, try not to let them get to you, I know its easier said than done sometimes, just focus on your job your family and being safe, and smile at the jerk in the mirror as you leave them to stew in their own miserable existance.
Ok, enough of the positive things,lol, There will also be many good days, and many benefits. Just try to take one day at a time, dont let one jerk trainer or one reciever who is having a bad day taint your view of the industry, believe me those memories pass quickly, the good experiences will last for years.

 

No real social life. Even if you have a wife and kids. Matter of fact, your kids will most likely grow up in about a week. Those seven days, will be spread out over a 10-15 year period...when you were gone.

Your sons first ball game. Your daughters first date. An emergency where you're needed NOW. And you're on the other side of the country.

If you're single and run OTR.... No life there either. What are the odds you be in the same city, with time to kill more than twice a year?

You learn to eat things that don't look right. Or go hungry till the next stop.

You quickly learn, that you no longer are allowed to have a life. It's trucking, what did you expect. Will be the words that echo every time you try to make a life.

Eating out with family and friends...takes on a completely new meaning. Never mind you've eaten Mickey D's for the past 9 days straight. The kids still want to celebrate dad being home, with a happy meal.

You'll never wear your personal vehicles (boat, car, motorcycle) out. It will look brand new, even after you kids get old enough to drive...and have kids.

You'll come to realize that a simple speeding ticket in your car. Can get you fired/banned from working. As can a DUI in your new Bass Boat.

Friends you've had for years. Will greet you somewhere down the line, and ask when you moved back into town.

Going out for a night on the town...takes every ounce of will power you can muster, if done within the first 36 hours of getting home. Your spouse will usually find a way to convince you that you should man up...and be a complete ###hole to everyone...for just that one night. And you will be

You'll never handle your money...again. Unless you do everything online.

The words road trip take on a completely new meaning. It translates into hours of pure hell...while everyone else laughs and carries on. And accuses you of being an old fuddy duddy.

Like having a beer at the end of a long day...those days are over.

While many people think they know what a complete ###hole is. You actually know what one is. You've met no less than 10 or 15....last week. And all of them had authority over you. Yet only 2 or 3 even work for the same company you do.

Major lifestyle change. Never being able to effectively plan #### in your life any more.

Holidays ??? Few if ANY companies will guarantee you home for ANY holiday.

 

OTR is a traveler's lifestyle. Most who travel for a living sleep in motels whereas many truckers sleep in the truck. Most who travel for a living eat in restaurants and use laundromats. Some OTR truckers prepare meals in the truck. It is like camping out. All modes of transportation operate around the clock. Others who travel for a living such as salesmen may have more normal working hours. Your own dog bites you when you get home, you've been on the road so doggone long.

 

Todd Spencer, executive vp of OOIDA, published an opinion piece years ago. Here are a few paragraphs from his longer article that was probably published in Transport Topics although I no longer have the date and page numbers. Spencer titled his editorial "Owner-Operator View" or "Truck Driver Wanted".

"What if, when you went to your office to work tomorrow, you saw a sign that said: "Effective immediately, every employee is required to remain in the office 24 hours a day, starting Sunday afternoon at 5. Each employee will remain in the office and will not go home until 5 p.m. Friday. There will be a $5 per night parking fee for your vehicle in our lot. Occasions may arise when employees will not be allowed to go home for the weekend. In these cases, we will attempt to make arrangements that the employee be home the following weekend, but we can't guarantee that, either.

"Each employee must bring all clothing and personal necessities that they require on Sunday. The company will provide storage space approximately 2 feet wide by 2 feet deep by 5 feet high for the employees to store personal items. The employees should be aware, however, that this space is subject to inspection by company or government personnel. Employees will be given a 72 by 48-inch mattress to sleep on. Employees must provide their own bedding. Their sleeping environment will be noisy, and there will likely be several interruptions of sleep during each evening."

"Furthermore, each employee will be required to maintain a record of how they spend each minute of their day. These records will be submitted daily to the company and audited by company personnel. The amount of time each employee is given to complete his work will be strictly regulated, and occasionally the employee will be given more work than he can complete in the allotted time. You must adjust your records to show that you completed the tasks in the time allotment."

"Any violation of the regulations will result in a reprimand or termination. Employees will be subject to random drug and alcohol testing, and of course, none of these substances will be allowed while the employee is in the office."

 

Had that included, Each employee will be required to bring their own office supplies, paid for with their own money. AND, each employee will only be paid their normal 40 hour per week salary as usual. But they will be expected to work 70 hours per week...no overtime.

Every employee will be required to work, regardless of they current health status. The only acceptable excuse....Call in dead. In the event that happens, the Safety Department will be in charge of verifying the death of the employee.

It would have been a complete lifestyle description of a truck driver LOL

 

don't get'em wrong. there ARE days you say to yourself "i can't BELIEVE i get paid to do this!!"
hold onto and SAVOR those moments!!!

 

Gentlemen, I need an explanation.

Based upon what I'm reading here, you'd prefer to work in an office environment day in and day out? Maybe no window to see the outdoors? Priorities that shift every half hour? Boss watching over your shoulder?

I'm not saying trucking is easy. It isn't. But I can't believe it is that awful, either. The majority of drivers that post on this forum are very intelligent people -- they have to be to deal with route planning, time management, DOT regulations, logging, and so forth. It's no piece of cake. And honestly? I'm enjoying the clarity of thought some of ya'll possess... and your ability to articulate it so well. It's far superior to many professionals I know.

Also, trucking requires both commitment and a strong work ethic. You can't go into trucking half-heartedly and expect to survive. You need to give it your all -- each and every day -- to be successful.

So given that you're both intelligent and hard working, why do you continue to remain in a job that you feel so negatively impacts your life?

 

Oh it has it good moments

Like when you try to put 3 months worth of partying, into 3 days. Man. it's tough picking yourself up off the floor/bed/ditch on the 4th morning, and going back to work.

Especially when you can't remember where the hell you got that pair of pink thongs you're wearing.