I’m tellin ya – the economy is such a mess right now – and it seems to be getting worse. If it wasn’t for that – your husband would totally have his choice of any company in the nation with his experience. But right now a lot of companies are slowing down or freezing their hiring until they can see a little daylight.

There is absolutely no reason for him to be out on the road that long. I really, truly admire the dedication that both of you have shown. Being away from family is horrible.

Listen, there are a million companies out there that can get him home on the weekends. Tons of them. But I would recommend sticking it out where he’s at for at least a few months. It’s entirely possible that by late spring/early summer there may be enough of an improvement in the economy that more companies will be hiring. Also, before switching jobs he should be off of comp and back on the road again for a short time.

The larger dry van companies often have regional fleets that can get you home every weekend – or every other weekend at the most. I would have him start applying to those very soon – and see what they say. Companies like Swift, Schneider, USXpress, JB Hunt, Wal-Mart, and a host of other large, dry van companies have regional fleets with much better home time. With his experience, Wal-Mart might be a great choice if they’re hiring in your area.

Just tell your husband to look at those types of companies. There is no reason for him to be gone more than 2-3 weeks at a time. And for now, no matter how his company is treating him, he should just make sure he doesn’t rock the boat, doesn’t make anyone angry, and gets his shoulder healed up and gets back out there rollin again. Then the economy will turn around a bit and he can easily transition out of this company to a new one.

Oh, and lastly, make sure he gets a new job before quitting this one. It’s so much easier to find work when you already have a job than when you don’t.

I sure hope this helps! Best of luck to ya!

The company is feeling the stress of the economy, but by no means is in danger of going out of business. They recently fired several individuals for things a lot of them did several months ago. My husband was not one of them, but I wonder if that would have been different had he not run himself so hard and long. I hate the fact that he has sacraficed unretrievable time with me and the kids- even though I am well aware of the need to be out there for long periods of time.

Still, does his service and perfect safety record count?

Like you said, not much to these companies. He and I have disscussed him moving on to a company that would get him home at least one to two times a month and longer for the holidays, but who do we choose?

I can’t begin to tell you how many things this company has pulled, but I am sure you have a really good idea. He would like to go on to reefer again, he was sent out 4 weeks ago in the middle of a blizzard to tarp a 9ft. load of hay and the ladder provided to him slipped out from under him because of the ice on the ground. He broke his collar bone and has been treated pretty badly considering the size company it is.

They are doing workmans comp amd he went on light duty at the terminal, but they got some kind of mix up and didn’t pay him one week and now they are only giving him one day at home every two weeks. Making a change from a company he has been with for three years is a big deal, and I want to help him by getting as much feedback on good companies as I can. Thank you for your advice. Lia