Would you agree that Trucking, despite being a tough job, is actually very underrated and rewarding

its all a lifestyle.
otr is one type of lifestyle
local CDL driving is another type of lifestyle
either one requires that you have to accept different conditions. if OTR you must accept long periods of time away from family and home. local requires that you might have to put up with a non-hourly pay structure and you might OR might not receive overtime. you just have to make sure that most days you are paid enough for the amount of hours you work. as a generalization, trucking is not like the rest of the workforce. we are a different breed of worker.

 

OTR means living in and driving a truck, Parking that truck in a truckstop and walking into the truckstop to shower and eat and use the restroom.
Going to sleep in a truck in a truckstop way way away from home.
Waking up in a truck in a truckstop and walking inside to use the restroom and get something to eat and walking back out to a truck.
If an OTR driver grabs a reset on the road away from home he does it all on a truck, in and out of the truck, operating the truck to keep warm or cool, truck truck truck.
Truck truck truck 24 hours a day, in the truck and out the truck. Constantly on the logbook, sleeper to off duty and back to sleeper.
Time to go back in the truckstop to use the restroom, log book, idle the truck.
Daycab guy goes to work, gets done and goes back home.
OTR is a lifestyle while the daycab driver is a just a job.

 

Trucking is a business, be you a company driver or owner op, it is still business. Make the customer happy and carry on. For most of you, you will never see the happy customer side on a regular basis until you find that niche market. It is what it is, nothing more, nothing less. Tear up the equipment, be a jerk on the docks, have at it, as you are just peeing in the wind. Again, it is what it is.

 

All I was saying is that trucking itself is unique from other jobs. Many people come into this expecting unicorns and rainbows and it just isn't so. Then they go back to their crummy factory or even worse service work.

 

I think trucking is not for you ... I think your true desire is to some figure out a way to spend your life sitting on your butt.

You rationalize that trucking will be rewarding by talking about everything you can do when not trucking. And most of your other posts concern themselves with how much time you have to not truck, when you have to truck.

You should probably focus on buying lottery tickets.

 

Except for riding with my trainer, trucking has been unicorns and rainbows. I have gone to every state that I have wanted to see and every grade that I’ve wanted to drive. I’ve ended up on scenic routes that I wasn’t supposed to be on. And that’s in under two years. Have I complained? Sometimes. But never anything remotely close to the comments here about how people should stick to their day jobs. #### that. Who wants to work for a living? Only an idiot.

My worst day of being a trucker is still better than my best day doing anything I’m actually qualified to do. I have no clue why people wouldn’t recommend millennials become Truckers honestly.

We eat out every single day and we complain about everything. The guys with 30 years experience in trucking are on par with the average 20-35 year old in that regard. Always complaining and expecting the world to bend to their whim because of their 20-35 years of experience.

This job isn’t difficult. We point a large car and park at the end of the day. And those of us who want a very small amount of exercise will wrap a present and tie a bow around it for the customer.

Big ####ing deal. It’s a vacation from real work and responsibility, not a dick, don’t take it so hard.

 

I'm not saying I don't like what I do.....worst day In the milk truck is far better then the best day in the plant. All I was saying is the vast majority that leave aka driver shortage came into trucking with unrealistic expectations.

I make 15-16k more then I did as a plant worker, I spend the day outside, have AC in the truck on really hot days, don't have management constantly up my butt, get to drive an 18 wheeled vehicle, I can stop at the store and get something to eat, no one bothers me about vaping, I could go on about what I like about my job. I'm not leaving anytime soon.

I'm just saying people go into cdl driving in general with no understanding how anything works. It's a good job but nothing is absolutely flawless

 

Someday I gotta get me a real job.
This is too much like goofing off.

 

I'm happy I have almost enough money to pay for the new roof my house desperately needs. No loan no home equity line, as long as I make enough to pay all my bills and still put money away what more can I ask for

 

An intelligent life form to ride with you.