What advice would u give yourself when u first started trucking

I would have did OTR when I was old enough, and scratched that itch, before I got married.

Got my CDL when I was 18, and stayed with that job until I was married with a growing family. I left my first job at 28, and ran regional for a year and a half until I almost ended up in divorce court. By dumb luck, I'd been trying at the time to get a local job with the outfit I'm currently with. 13 years into this job and I'm wishing I'd have went OTR for a few years, but that's not going to ever happen now. Guess I'll get to the left coast when I retire and have a Winnebago.

Along the way, I might've learned a thing or two:

1. Never piss off your dispatcher! You can disagree, but do it professionally. Don't tell your dispatcher's husband you think she's a #####. It won't end well.

2. If hauling bulk cement, don't argue with the bulkloaders. They have the ability to ruin your day. And they usually wait until it's raining to do it. (Anyone who's ever hauled cement in a pneumatic tanker should know what I mean)

3. Eat healthy and take care of yourself. I was 165lbs soaking wet when I started the regional gig. Within a year I'd ballooned to 230lbs. Had a touch of sleep apnea, elevated blood pressure, and felt like garbage. Don't eat the crap from the roller grills and hot cases at the truck stop.

4. While it's good to enjoy what you do, don't make it your life. Have hobbies and interests outside of truck driving.

5. Take a weeklong vacation at least once a year. Put the phone down, and live life. Go rock climbing, sit on a beach, skydive. Whatever you want. But live life!

6. Find a good wife or husband. Someone who's your best friend. It makes life interesting.

7. Get a dog as soon as you're able. They understand when the wife won't.

8. If you have kids, don't be a part time parent. Invest in them, spend time with them, be friends with their friends ( sometimes it's very difficult). Once they're teenagers, you'll see the efforts pay off.

9. Enjoy the journey, and plan for the day when you can't do this anymore. Sock money away for some type of quality life in retirement. I know too many people who didn't do this, and now they sit at home waiting to die. That seems like a waste to me.

10. Above all, YOU control what your life is, or will be. Dont let others write your story.

 

But they are loaded with sodium and other substances that can cause other problems.

 

Stay away from them hoods.

Stay on the edge of technology. Embrace the coming changes. Accept it’s just a job.

 

If you’re hungry and have a choice you are probably better off eating a roller dog or two without the bun than getting whatever fast food options they have. Chicken strips are ok most of the time, just stay away from the sides and the soda pop. And use dipping sauce sparingly because those are loaded up with all kinds of stuff.

 

I struggle with this but after having kids and a wife to provide for, I haven’t driven a hood in a few years. Never seem to pay as much in my neck of the woods.

 

If i could go back in time I would have prob not gone into trucking to be honest Maybe I only get the cdl not used it much and started in the oil field. I have had multiple injuries some my fault others like when I got robbed in NYC and Chicigo I got hurt when I was fighting them. My background in MMA and who I am I don't lay down for anyone and if you want steal from me it would cost you it cost me a few injuries but it cost them much more. That said, that wasn't the first or last and the bottom line is when people think these places aren't bad and don't know what they are speaking about.

The oil industry pays so much mostly in overtime but more then that if you willing to stick company and have some smarts they will pay you and send you college free for you to advance like they did to my brother whos making 300k doesn't even have a cdl anymore unfortunate my injuries preventing working at the bottom in that high physical work.