Question:
I have been reading the posts on this site for sometime now. It seems like the majority of the OTR drivers hate their job. Is this a fact or are people just blowing off steam? I currently driver local hazmat loads in Boston, make $22.50 an hour (50hrs week) plus benefits. I was thinking of going OTR but now I am reconsidering...any suggestions?? [/img]
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Check out MY reply here.....
http://roundtable.truck.net/viewtopic.php?t=36481&start=0- Pete
The only source of knowledge is experience.
- Albert Einstein
Cj aka Fairedust

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sure
-J

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I used to pull a lowboy hauling equipment from one jobsite to another and run a dump truck locally. I liked it, but the pay wasn't there.
Besides, I like OTR.

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I've never done OTR per say, just regional, 400 mile radius, load out, unload and load back. I'm happy. Start Mon am and done late Fri or early Sat. Also get home 2-3 times during the week. Less road expense, and good money and benefits.

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Have your head examined before you give up a decent job.
The Dream of the Vagabond lifestyle grows old quick.
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I'm HAPPY!!!
If it's money you're seeking, I say You Should STAY at your Current Job.
You will NOT average AnyWhere Near That amount as an OTR company drvr.

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~~~~If you're happy and you know it clap your hands....~~~~
If you're happy and you know it, then your POSTS will surely show it....
O.K., it's someone else's turn to take the next stanza.

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I am a happy ex-driver.

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Yes there are some happy drivers...
But for the most part, most OTR drivers would give it up in a minute to have a good paying local job as you describe yourself having...
The long term goal of a lot of drivers is to get experience and find what you have eventually...

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You're a darn fool if you leave that for over-the-road!!!!!!!!
You know what you will do though?
You'll come here and ask: and we will give them to you, and you will read them, and they will go through one eye and out the other.
It happens all the time on here.
If you have the "over-the-road" bug, nothing we say will change your mind.
100% of the posters on this site will tell you not to leave that $1125.00 Gross per week home every day job...but will you listen?!?It's apparent this place is never going to change....then again; why should it? It gets the clientel it deserves.
Bette Midler

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If I had to live or work in Boston I wouldn't be happy.

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Thanks for asking that question. I ve been thinking about going OTR for a couple of years and recently began a serious look at it. I found the same thing you did but after careful consideration Ive decided to "go for it". Mostly because I litterally have nothing to lose. My kids are raised, and my wife ran off with the mailman. (So to speak) I could be wrong but I think any job that keeps you away from family for long periods is a tough slog and can impact your attitude in general. Truckers are not the only ones who work hard and spend long periods away. As A carpenter by trade I spend weeks (sometime months) away when my kids were growing up and It sucked big time. All for 15.00/HR average... I worked as a project manager and spent weeks and months away from my growing family and that also sucked big time. I did that for 80K/YR. It wasn't until I had 4 teenager in the house that being away from home had its advantages. Even then It was better to be home than away.
The moral of the story is that wether you make money or not almost nothing is worth being away from your family unles you prefer it that way. I see OTR driving as a great career for a single guy (or gal) Every job has its parts that are less than enjoyable It becomes even less enjoyable on those "bad days" when you compound you dis-satisfaction with family separation. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"... "And BS makes the grass grow longer".... t.g.


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I am an extremly happy driver. I have been driving now for 10 years and would never do anything else. I curently drive the Alcan highway but will be moving to CA this fall. I will drive OTR until the day I die (or they take my CDL away from me ). Trucking fits me and my personality to a tee and I would never think of doing anything else.
Yes there are drivers that hate the job. Yes there are drivers that love the job. And yes there are drivers that just blow off steam every chance they get about their job. What others think and say listen to the good and the bad. But don't base your decision on only what has been said. What do you want to do? What do you think is best for you? How happy are you really with your job now? How will OTR make you happier?
The decision is yours to make and nobody can do it for you. If you are unsure then leave yourself an out. Can you try it for a while and decided its not for you can you go back to your old job? To many drivers I talk to that are unhappy are still driving because they are stuck. They put everything they had into going OTR now they don't like. They don't want to start all over training for something new and so they continue to drive, continue to be unhappy, and continue to gripe. So if you can leave yourself an out and you should do just fine. Wish all the luck in your decission. you're in the wrong lane!

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OK, who's the joker that keeps turning my lights off and on...