Question:
First, I am a newbee myself just starting the transition process into trucking. My father was a trucker for 35 years and I got the inkling for the business from that experience. Now that I am an unemployed 45 year old Systems Architect (for one year now) I thought it is time to do what I want to do instead of what life led me to do or what others thought I should do .
There are many horor stories out there and I really wondered why.
http://www.paulcilwa.com/Trucking
http://home.mia.net/~detailer/Search/Diary.htm
http://www.newbiedriver.com/Trainee%5FTales/John/index.html
What threads I have found in common (Please comment on your thoughts):
They were utterly shocked at the low wages for a newbee driver and the amount of work is involved in trucking. Especially OTR driving. Of these three journals, only the Dennis (a Swift driver) paid his dues and used the experince to get a local job that suited his situation much better.
Not only were they shocked by the low wages, but super-shocked about expenses on the road and reimbursement policies. All three share some financial hardship of some degree (they were unemployed and took drving as a last desperate measure rather than completing a journey toward a dream of drving truck) When paychecks did not come or expenses were not paid on time -- boom the job and company were no longer tolerable. I think one lesson here is that although OTR trucking has a huge demand and supply is not keeping up with demand there is a reason for it. You really have to know what you are getting yourself into and your desire to drive a truck OTR has to be almost a passion willing to overcome the obstacles in the way. OTR Truck driving killed my father but that is how he wanted to die.
I can see reading these horror stories a newbee might look for the tperfect OTR company but just like a mate they all have their pluses and minuses.
There is an interesting trend in the Schnider drivers story (Paul). It is a theme of sorts. One thing I was interested in was the attitute. Many in this forum talk about how people look down on truckers. Paul was a programer and instructed programing before 9/11. He reminds us of this quite a few times. I notice he looks down on others thast do not have his intellgence. For example, "You did not learn about constellations in school?!? You must have been studying primal screaming" I found that comment very telling. A second thing I noted was that there is a reason for everything and Paul is not one of them. When he gets a ticket for riding the center no trucking lane and there is an elaborate set of circumstances that make Paul a victim. So I get the impression that when Paul has an accident that is not his fault his circumstances lead him to quit of be fired. A third thing I noticed in his journal was an overall conspiracy against him. Whether it was that the "CIA knew about 9/11 and shorted stock the day before" or that a huge conspiracy between the Goverment and the trucking industry to pay for $5K for new drivers and thus companies look for reasons to fire people after one year. (Paul made it exactly one year).On the other hand I have seen it quoted here that OTR trucking is made for 1:10. That is the same philosphy as say an elite army unit. Recruit as many as you can and weed out those that can not adapt to the lifestyle. Maybe the trucking company he worked for really is the bottom of the barrel but when taking all the jornal into context I get a different view of things.
Dennis had multiple personal issues that put undue pressure on him. His wife required special care, he was near bankruptcy when he started his OTR trucking journey and that cascaded throughout his journal. I was very happy he paid his dues and got a local job.
John was simply dissapointed at the differnce of what was promised and what was real. The not being paid for being abused at shippers and receivers was way too much for him.
I think all the OTR companies are in the same boat -- trying to haul frieght as cheaply and as profitably as possible. The one equation that can be effected is driver wages and driver efficiencies which leads to employee hate and discontent. I think some companies strike a balance -- the trick is finding a balance including the balance in your life.
Crackaces

Answer:
I'm sure you could find a reason in everyones story to convince yourself it won't be like that for you.
sinse you aren't poor and starving all you have to loose is your time and money,go play truck driver if you want.
I'm sure the working and living conditions will thrill you and when you get your paycheck you will be even more thrilled.
after the adventure of it wears off one day you will think you must be an idiot for working so much for so little and risking your life and getting kicked around for what it pays.
can't beat hand unloading 1800 of something in 100 degree weather
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Let me reply . I spent 10 years as a medic in Army elite unit. I went to various places in the world and saw home a lot less than 1 day every 7. People shot at me and nobody appreicated the work. I worked sometimes 24 hours a day only getting a quick nap every other day. Than other days it was sheer boredom interspaced with terror. I was paid much less than minimum wage. Yet it was meaningful for me.
Yet I have no regrets. I left after 10 because Marriage and that life did not co-exist. Now I see trucking in the same light. Just so you know my expectations.
I think the real key for anybody is:
1.Is it Fullfilling? Do you want to get up in the morning do what you do?
2. Is it meaningful? Is this what you want in your dash 1959 - XXXX?
3. Is it right? Does dong what you do fit in your principles?
4. Is it feasible?
If you apply the learnings for all the positives and negatives and the low pay and getting ripped off for miles and you still want to do it .. then we should be supporting people in their goals.
BTW) I think it the current conditions are a pendulium that is goign to get much worse before it gets better. Probably not in my lifetime. But my dad in the 1960's and 1970's worked just as hard aspeople complain today. It was just for about 40% MORE IN WAGES.
Crackaces

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First of all: Not to speak ill of the dead; but your father sounds almost as crazy as you.
I pray to the heavans above that I don't die on the road---rather be at the house surronded by those I care about. What a strange thing to say
Secondly: Bless you for your service to me and my country---I appreciate that. (and I mean it).
Thirdly: Trucking life and marriage ain't got that good of a track record either.
And lastly: People are different, I'll give you that. But I've been at this for 12 years now, and I ain't found a balance yet. Not for lack of looking.
I may never find a balance---but I got two years until my youngest graduates High School, and I can do any thing I want---I won't have to rely on trucking.
White Dog; thinking he can balance a burger pretty well on the end of a spatula. 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 you didn't drive all night and aren't delivering to some place like a grocery warehouse,you might not mind it too much.

Not really,life wouild go on if you did or didn't get the load of consumer crap to where it needed to be.

since you will be driving a truck,you better have no principles

yes,it has been done before
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I refuse to be amazed anylonger. Newbies reading a little and then passing out advice before they ever set one foot in a truck as a driver.

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Stuffs .. Just to make sure we are straight .. I am not handing out any advice. I am simply posting some thought s on my process for making a decision to get into trucking knowing that it does not pay very well and it is hard work. Second, I am generating discussion that some of the old salts are contributing helping a newbee like myself make that decision. If ideas are not expressed then no feedback will happen and no knowledge transferred. Third, That money is not the only factor for making the decision and one should accecpt that there is no money to be made.
At least I am not exclaiming that I am going to be an Owner/Operator and make loads of money ...
Crackaces

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Makes more sense than the "experienced" members around here. Especially those who purport to know what's in someone else's mind, yet who can't even spell simple words correctly.
No, I'd say Crackaces has a pretty good read on things. No doubt the cat's out of the bag; he's learning most truck drivers aren't intellectually stimulating.
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If I remember correctly (no, I'm not going to re-read your posts ), you're a relative newbie who has worked for one company and are on a dedicated account in the northeast. In my opinion, your limited experience hardly makes you qualified to judge who is, or isn't making sense, about how the industry works.

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Actually, Paul's comment about primal scream was intended to be a joke about an education system and not a crack about someone else's smarts. He's obviously a bright guy and it shows. Sometimes this comes off as a superiority complex but the folks on pumpkindriver.com seemed to think he's a good guy.
A lot of his comments were probably about the relative lack of rational thought in much of trucking and trucking for a training company in particular. Getting idiotic messages when it should be obvious that you're trying to get the rest that the company says you should have, lousy directions even when lots of their vehicles stop at the same place, and other idiocies that 'dweller bashers' and 'happy dwellers' alike comment on frequently.
Dennis struck me as crazy since his miles were pretty much what Swift says on the recruiting brochure. It's nice to see that he got something positive out of the whole deal and--I presume--didn't lose his house. One problem Dennis and Paul both had was thinking that the miles were possible because the math was possible. I don't know anything about the third person.
I'd think that truckstop prices would be a shock to any sane person.

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Jeeze mnmadman; did you really have to copy and paste Crackaces entire post?
We all know what post you are commenting on. 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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I planned on going 'point by point' and ended up putting my thoughts on comparing truckers to Special Forces inside his post. I had been up for around 20 hours when I typed my post so I wasn't at the top of my game.
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Roger that 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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I found this Journal of a neebee on the net. Although he quit after 7 months I believe it is a well written of the minuses and pluses of being a truck driver.
http://www.eskimo.com/~douglas/trucking/trucking.html
I beleive it has the same failure mode.
1. Started out trucking already broke and thus was frustrated to the max by the lack of pay. (These are common themes in the other postings I linked)
2. Went into trucking because of the "High Demand" low "Supply" of workers. Was frustrated by outsourcing of IT jobs to India.
3. Was hugely frustrated by the hurry up and wait. Also, was frustrated by move freight first -- eat later attitude of the industry.
What was an extermely telling to me wa the story about deliverying feed bags to a store. The time is close to 4:30 in the afternoon when everybody will go home. Customer says "Hey 7am tommorrow is OK." Now Douglas has a choice. Eat and lose hours or try and deliver the goods and maybe get another load. He argues wiht his dispatcher who tells him to get there .. now!
As it is the customer was there and he did unload to get another load. Dispatcher is now pissed because she had to argue with Doug. (I think that is a bad thing)
So as a newbee I am thinking that the first thought needs to be get load to customer. In fact, I think the solution is to call the customer and ask "hey I am running a little late maybe 15 minutes past 4:30 but I would like to service you today, would somebody be there?" would be the best decision.
For the trolls in this group .. read the story first and then comment.
Crackaces

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Yeah, just ignore their offerings. The message is not important. It's more about the username.

You hear that ignorant theory more on T/ N than any other message board. Seems to bother these brainiacs more than the glaring problems of the job.______
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I'd rather die on my feet like a man than live on my azz hiding in a truck.........Sir James Brown