Which way to go? (Probably not a good title for a wannabe trucker!)

Hello, dear, welcome. Chinatown went off on his usual bender for employment, and a great resource, but putting the cart in front of the horse, usually. I take a much more pessimistic attitude, and I don't mean to be rude, but a casino worker and a truck driver couldn't be farther apart. Trucking will be an about face, 180 degrees from what you now know. I won't sugar coat it, it's long hours, sometimes for nothing, away from family ( and dogs) for great lengths of time, and pets are okay, but any riders, unless an employee of the company, are generally not allowed for insurance reasons. Poor food, bad facilities like a shower, healthb issues on the road, bad weather, bad loads( or no load at all) hand unloading, truckstop miseries, and a momentry lapse in reason, can devastate you for life. A company paid school, like Roehl is the best bet, you have some credibility as opposed to some schmoe fresh out of school, and let me remind you, 25% of new drivers, quit within 90 days and almost half are done in a year. Make sure this is really what you want. Maybe ask for a chair at the casino would eliminate all this fuss. Good luck.

 

Ask me anything you would like to know. I have really liked working for Pride, both driving and working in road services. If I am unable to answer any questions, I can either find the answer or put you in touch with someone that can answer them.

 

Some people are just born to eventually encounter health issues down the road, whether it's in their genes or of their own doing, I do agree with getting out of Las Vegas, you should definitely consider it.

 

I don't mean to discourage you, it's just you aren't the 1st person to consider a trucking job coming from a non-trucking life, it's a rude awakening many aren't expecting. And I guarantee, it won't help any of your maladies, and most certainly will create new ones, and being far from home doesn't help matters. If you must get out out of Vegas, and I heard a lot of bad, be one of the 70,000 people a year that come to Colorado. ( although, I read, just as many leave). We have so many jobs here, you can take your pick. I turned down 3 local trucking/equipment operator jobs, in my little town alone. Colorado is a weird place. People are here because they want to be, and not stuck in a place they don't like. Trouble is, people come here from all over, usually with some money, and don't come here to work. Trucking companies are going to shmooze you with all the positives, and forego the bad, or they wouldn't get anybody to fill the seats. Remember, $5g's is a lot of money( to me) and you won't get that back. You came to the right place.

 

As a Trucker a lot of newer drivers never realize that its more stressful on the physical body than it looks even though truckers are sitting down. Working out and training is the key to a healthier life overall and is recommended to the majority of truckers especially OTR ones. Even a 30 minute workout every other day can make huge differences over a period of 3 months and most drivers especially new ones entering this industry need to make that a part of their daily regimen including eating better.

 

She's already living a healthy lifestyle and can continue to do that after becoming a trucker.
She has the discipline to control her Type 2 diabetes without medication.
As for sleep apnea, many truckers have that and they're not overweight; some are very slim.
Las Vegas is a great city to live in, so no reason to move somewhere else and have to fight dirty air and traffic congestion and ridiculous taxes.
As for a local job, many of us get nauseous just thinking about that. Some of us prefer the open road and seeing the country.
She won't be unloading trucks either as an OTR driver. Elogs put a stop to that. Trucking companies pay for unloading services at the customers warehouse.

 

So many negative people here, geez. Even if she only did it for a year, it is a great experience. Some people never truly see the United States. You can do it being a trucker in six months. Do your year to pay for the school then move on it’s not what you like. It is a very solitary existence, even with a pet. Some people love it though. You’ll never know until you actually do it.

 

Thank you everyone for your replies. This is EXACTLY why I came here. It's not my first rodeo, and I know that recruiters, etc are going to sugar coat and lie and whatever they need to do. I wanted to hear from actual truckers! So as for the "healthy" lifestyle. I have been diabetic for 15 years and have only been sick once. My A1c is lower than most non-diabetics. I rarely eat a carb. That was actually one of my first considerations when I started this, was would I be able to control what I eat. The answer is yes. I eat at diners regularly right now. I will miss cooking. But I can do that on my home time. I know that some people have fridges, crockpots,etc and that would be the perfect set up for me, but realize I may not be able to have that right out of the gate, especially for training. All of my maladies are genetic. I got dealt a crappy hand. Life goes on. There are ways to treat the things I have now, unlike in my grandparent's and parent's age. None of it stops me. I have hiked the John Muir trail, most of the Pacific Crest trail and been out in the back country by myself for months at a time. I like being by myself. I am quite self sufficient and can go long periods without speaking to anyone (of course, that is now while I have a job that requires me to speak to millions of people a year...)

As for leaving Las Vegas...well I have lived within a 200 mile radius of Vegas since I was 14. My son was born and raised here. But before that, I have been in 27 states, lived in about 12 of them. My parents were hippies and everything we owned fit in a VW bug, including 2 dogs and 2 bicycles. My dad was a logger and followed the work until he got out of that industry. We lived in tents most of the time. There are many parts of the country I love, but honestly Vegas fits my needs for my family right now. And if I do leave Vegas, it will most likely be for a relatively close small town. But none of that will happen until after my son is self sufficient. That would be a whole other blog post. Or my husband retires (he's a casino industry worker too).

I do have an idea of what life on the road is like. I was a waitress in truck stops from the time I was 14 until I was 21 and went into casinos. I have heard some stories. Traveling the country with my parents, a lot of time was spent in truck stops. We won't even talk about the time I was 17 and decided to hitchhike across the country a couple times...lots of time spent in trucks, for a non trucker. My son's dad was a driver and I used to go out on runs with him for weeks at a time. As much as any non-trucker, I have a good idea of what life was for these folks.

Y'all gave me some food for thought. Thanks!

 

When Chinatown started listing companies, this one caught my eye. You guys have the same insurance I have now with my casino. I also like that it's based only 8 hours from home. I'll definitely be picking your brain at some point. Thank you for the offer to help!