Wife of soon to be OTR trucker

There are good and bad experiences at every carrier. The key to success is to work hard, follow the protocols set up by the carrier your husband chooses to go with, keep a SAFE driving record, and gain experience.

It will be very difficult on both of you, especially just starting out in this industry. He will be gone for what could be several weeks at a time and then will only be home for a couple of days. Loads will take him all over the country and sometimes he WILL NOT be there for special occassions such as holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. It is (regrettably) part of the job. We have all paid our dues to become a truck driver and your husband will have to do the same.

Any break downs and/or repairs at home will have to be handled by you (the stay at home spouse). Try not to burden your spouse with every little mishap at home. He needs to be focused on the job. Remember he is working to support you all and will need not only moral support from you but encouragement as well.

If he does decide to go with Werner just make sure he understands it is a 1 year committment (minimum). After 1 year of service he may be able to transfer to a better position or job that offers better home time and benefits.

To get to those coveted "local" jobs will require (ball park) 3 years of "safe driving" in all terrain and all seasons as well as clean MVR.

Good luck to you both!

 

This post is pretty much spot on. I could not have said it better myself. One thing I would like to add is there are too many people who go to the schools and expect to earn top pay and get the best jobs because that's what the add on TV or the recruiter/job placer says will happen. You do need to earn it and work your way up. There will be sacrafices, but if you have an idea what to expect going in it should be ok.
Werner, in my opinion, would not be bad. It's a good start. If he follows their policies he should do OK. Everything is down in trucking right now. If he gets in now and gets his experience when things turn better he will be in a good position.

 

My husband is in school right now. I did a lot of research, and I wouldn't let him go with Werner, even though the school pushed him to do so. I found Gordon to be one of the best in the Western U.S. I was told they are hard to get into, and that they don't usually hire newbies. I applied him there anyway, and he was excepted. He has an excellent driving record, and no criminal history, so I'm sure this helped. My advice would be to find companys close to where you live, and check out the DAC reports on this site. I would go with the one with the least negative feed back. I have an eleven year old at home, and it's going to be tough without him around all the time, but we've been together 23 years, and he's taught me to take care of myself, so I'm not worried. Anyway, good luck to you both!

 

It will all be fabulous!! You're husband will love his job and he'll get to see so much of the country!! Make sure he sends you post cards and jots down places he'd like to return to for your family vacations. You'll just love the change in your lives!

 

You have a wonderful positive attitude. I'd like to see more of that on here. Thanks!

 

I suspect he is being sarcastic.

OTR trucking is like no other job out there. Always waking up in a different place (away from the people you love). Racing to make your appointments and sitting, waiting for your next assignment. It may be 5 minutes or several days before another load is lined up (in the current economy anyway).

His paychecks may be nothing (if he takes advances to eat while away) to several hundred dollars per week.

He will fight all types of weather and travel across all types of terrain at various times of the day and night. His schedule will be different from day to day and load to load. He will have to be flexible.

He will catch flak from other motorists, customers, fellow drivers, and even his own dispatcher.

Any scenery he gets to see will be from the cab of the truck and will normally be in seedy warehouse districts when making his pick ups or deliveries.

His eating options will be based on what he can catch on the fly, truck stops, or fast food joints that have truck parking.

He will be lonely and frustrated on a regular basis.

You will be upset because he isn't around and everything has fallen on your shoulders. When he doesn't get a decent paycheck you may get into arguments about who to pay and what to pay.

This will be tough on both of you. If he has the work ethic to stick with it maybe in a few years he can get a regular route and be home more often.

This is a "realistic view" from a trucker with over 2 million miles under my belt.

Your lives are about to change drastically. Hold on tight because it is a BUMPY ride.

 

We'd all like to see more of it on here . Unfortunately the current state of things results in far more negative , honest posts .

 

I'm not going to lie to you. Trucking is a gamble. Every day is a roll of the dice. Will I be in a accident today. Will I get a load today. Will I get the miles I need to pay my bills. Will my truck break down today. Will i have a job tomorrow. And many more. There are ways to put the odes in your favor. But even then it is a gamble. Thats why this job is not for every one and why it is so hard on a marriage. As a new driver he will have problems that a vet like me no longer has. I have 17yrs of safe driving and 100% on-time delivers behind me. I don't have to put up with BS that he will have to. He will be a rookie and like rookies in the NFL he has to prove that he belongs here. The companies know this. They know that rookies are a dime a dozen. He will have to work hard and do the job right. Set him self above the average rookie to show them that he is worth having around. After a few years of good hard work he will have the rep and exp to write his own ticket and work anywhere in the country he wants. Thats the good thing about this job once you have some good safe experience. You will always have a job.