Question:
I got a tough decision to make.I fill like my whole future depends on making the right choice between staying in textiles or going to work as a truck driver.I have worked in textiles since i was 16 years old.I'm a maintenance technician and make $12.71 an hour.I've been with the same company for 15 years.They shut down the plant that i worked in for 14 of those years back in late 2001.I was thrown out to the wolves so to say.I enrolled in the W.I.A. program at the unemployment office,they sent me to school to finish getting my high school diploma,which i did.Upon completing my high school education i decided i wanted to get in a profession that i could find a more secure future in.So i went on to a truck driving school and got my CDLs,I really had my heart set on driving a truck but my finances were looking very dim,it just so happened that about the same time i finished my trucking school the company that had thrown me to the wolves 10 months earlier decided they wanted me to come to work at another textile plant they owned,well my finances being what they where i decided i would put off getting a trucking job long enough to get back on my feet.I'm starting to see some day light as for as my financs go but i don't know when the ax may fall again,anyone that knows about textiles can tell you the future dose'nt look to good in that type of work.I know i can't wait to long to get started as a trucker because most companies will not hire me if its been more than a few months since i got out of school.I have several good job offers at this time to drive a truck but i know the money is not to good the first year out there,I fill like i can get by with the pay seeing how i lived off unemployment for almost a year,but this is a whole new ball game to play and i'm having a h*ll of a time making a decision with whether to stay in a field thats on a downword spiral or move on to something completely new to me I'm 48 years old and all my kids are grown,i been married to a very sweet lady almost 22 years.My wife said she would support what ever decision i make.Its about to drive me crazy trying to figure which is the best way to go with my future.Maybe some of you guys can give me some ideals on which decision yall would make.Thanks Ken
[This message was edited by krp29360 on October 31, 2002 at 11:35.]

Answer:
But sometimes a person has no choice.
Its good that your wife is behind you,kids grown and you are used to limited income from unemployment.
It will be tough at first being gone.
It will be hard while you are with a trainer because training pay just covers road expenses.(meals)
After you solo awhile you could have wife come with you to ease the separation stresses.
I got into trucking at 41 to find another occupation that suited me.
It caused a little uproar in our family, but they all accepted it in a fashion.
If you get on with a decent company you will have benefits and steady work. After you get some experience you might find something that keeps you closer to home, if thats something you decide.
If this is for purely financual reasons it will be very hard as the hours put in and time away is something you are not used too. You have to enjoy traveling(driving) the real presence of danger(weather, traffic, mountains etc.) and the challenges to be able to truck somewhat happily.
This aint no picnic. A person must keep a positive attitude because the harse realities of being a driver can make you a cynical angry person. Alot of what you go through is just wrong but that is the way it will be for quite a while in this industry.
Driving IS the easy part,don't fool yourself. You might be able to handle the office personal and shippers and receivers better than I did. Thats why I became a O/O flatbedder. to get away from having to deal with these type of folks. A real shortcoming on my part. Its why I choose trucking in the first place. That, and I'm a loner type I'm told.
Take a long hard look at yourself, your strengths and weakness. Discuss them with your wife and decide if you two are able to handle all the negitives of trucking.
Check out the many posts from other Newbies and Wannabes. The responses to them tell you alot. Some are anti-trucking but even those will give insight into what trucking is,
Best of Luck,TC

Answer:
I agree with Skiffman.
I'll just emphasize the fact that what you're REALLY talking about is changing your relationship with your wife. Being gone most of the month -- month after month and year after year -- completely changes everything. It works fine for some folks, not so fine for those who haven't really thought it through. It's probably the #1 reason guys give-up trucking their first year: Moving away from home (that's what it really is) works against the very reason you're married to begin with.
The question really is: Do you WANT to move out of your house and live in a truck four weeks a month?
If the answer is: Yes, if I can make more money and have a more secure future.... Think about it somemore.
Make more money and have a more secure future...for what? A part time (barely even that) marriage?
Well....at least you're old enough you may figure this out better than some younger guys. Good luck to you. Driving IS the easy part. The rest is mostly WAITING, which gets real stressful when you'd rather be home.

Answer:
Skiffman and Shuffler both have very valid points!
But, I'll add what I've told people for years --- Find what you want to do; Do it the best you can; and, Do it where you want to!
"When you think you're at the end of your rope --- reach down and tie another knot!"

Answer:
I know it ain't going to be easy getting used to being away from home.Me and my wife have pretty much worked together the last 14 years,but we know there have to be some sacrifices if we are going to survive in this world.My wife is going to school to become a nurse and trying to work to.The textile industry dealt me and her a bad hand of cards,but we are grown ups and know we have to gather up the forces to change the way we have lived the last 15 to 20 years so we can have a life worth living.I just want to say thanks to you guys for giving me some insight to what i'm getting into.Thanks Again,Ken !!!Keep On Trucking Good Buddies!
Ken

Answer:
Read the posts and ask us anything. Some answers may be biased one way or the other, but either way, it will certainly be better than jumping in blind!
Answer:
Although I agree with the other posters,there is another aspect to making a decision.
No matter where or when you start driving you will still be a Newbie at that wage,with a trainer.
You have a job now at a wage that realisticly surpasses what you would earn as a Newbie.
I would think about keeping the present job until
you're in a better financial position or you actually lose it. I know your dream of driving
enters the picture but remember that it's a tough
job and for most gets old real fast for most people.Good luck on your decision.
Mike
Answer:
Originally posted by RABELAM:
...but remember that it's a tough
job and for most gets old real fast for most people.Good luck on your decision.
Mike
And it makes most people old fast! In 7 years of trucking, I feel like I have aged 15-20 years. Or is that my term of incarceration? Maybe the same thing.