Why do you want to be a truck driver?

Not hard at all. Go to work in the morning, get a manifest and a trailer # to pickup, make my deliveries, when empty do some pickups go back to terminal and go home. Sometimes there's some extra runs or trailer switch outs to keep the clock going but that's it. Go home, hang out for a while, wake up and repeat. Unless we hit 12hrs in a day we're log exempt so no worrying about that most of the time. Easy job, little to no stress which is nice. Pension is from the driving job. I'm with NEMF out of the Richmond Terminal. Pension is company sponsored, doesn't cost us anything, plus theirs the 401k on top of that which works the usual way. Where in VA are you?

 

The reason I got into trucking...after I got out of the military I was working at Circuit City( doesn't exist anymore) in Electronic sales. Worse decision I made was accepting a management position, when I wasn't listening to rude customers complaining, I had to babysit employees that fought each other like cats and dogs. One of my managing duties was inventorying the deliveries and I got to talking to a lot of truck drivers and found out they were making more $ than me. Being alone in a truck seemed like a better option than walking into the hellhole I was working in.

I scrapped up the 2 grand for truck driving school and got a local job right out of trucking school.

In 17 years driving a truck I've never once slept in a truck,or truck stop.

I'm now a home every night tanker yanker, I get a percentage of the loads I haul and I've done the math and average $36 an hour.

I know people with college degrees that don't make that much.

 

After 15 years in broadcasting and being the subject to corporate downsizing for the 3rd time, I needed to make a change. I have numerous friends in the industry who convinced me that as long as I have that CDL and a clean abstract in my pocket, I'll never be out of work again as long as I live. Now, 9 years later, it turns out I actually like it, a LOT. I'm at my happiest when it's just me, the truck, and the horizon.

 

I was at Prime, but coudn't pass DOT (back problem), now I am looking to do Non CDL OTR... or taxi driver

 

how many years did it take to develop your back problems? did you haul heavy loads?

 

Well my last two jobs have involved answering phone calls. I did that for 20 years.last 15 with Att. at att hated the job but it paid to good and great benefits to walk away from. I was booted from there.
Since have been unemployed 6 years 4 years disabled. 2 frozen shoulders had for 3 years before i could get treatment. After 1 year of Physical therapy i have about 84% of arm motion back,

But the main answer when I was younger I said that I wanted to be in all 50 states.I have had enough of the Gotcha attitute in offices. Never want to answer another phone for a business..

 

Were you in an accident? I'm curious because I never heard of a joint freezing up, thought I was the only one but it's my ankle, figured it was from all my years of driving moving the accelerator then all of a sudden it just froze up, painful as all get-out too.
Would like more details, but you can send me a message if you don't want to go into detail here. Thanks

 

The mental / Physical challenge. Every day is different. The endless different equipment can be driven. All because of a stupid plastic card that is fairly easy to get and provides a living wage.

 

no accident ok this will be strange but I lived in Cleveland, I was losing my house sent everything to indiana so I slept in a cot. If at all possible wanted to stay in Cleveland. So since bed was gone had to sleep on cot. I had to use a strange motion to get up plant my arm and twist as i pushed up. after awhile right arm started hurting. like a dummy I switched to left it started hurting. never thought it was serious. before leaving Cleveland I lost half of motion, In Indiana I lost 90% of motion in left arm. Could only raise it to my belt..

I was seriously overweight at time still overweight but my understanding is that i will need to get a job before trucking companies shy away from long term unemployment. so even though 20 years prior I stayed employed, I need to work somewhere 6 months to a year. Look for a thread i did Fat Sick and nearly dead before arms

 

Thanks, I saw that documentary, excellent motivational piece. Really started me on juicing at home, just use a cheap blender , freeze them & use when needed.