I used to love pulling into my destination – snow and salt covering my entire truck and trailer, ice on the wipers, and tires sliding around in the parking lot. I’d back that thing in with only inches to spare while reminiscing over the memories of the past days’ travels. Fighting through the cities, climbing over mountains, the heat of the desert, and the endless cornfields of the plains – the snow, the heat, the wind, the traffic – the meals in the truckstops, the nights with the engine rumbling, fueling in the freezing cold (don’t lick the fuel tanks in the winter – they’re aluminum – your tongue will stick to them!) – all so that I could bring people the things they needed to live the lifestyle we have all come to take for granted in this wonderful country.
I didn’t need the thanks – and normally didn’t get any – and I understood why. Because most people have never gone through what truck drivers go through – and many wouldn’t want to. And that was part of what I loved about it – not many people were cut out for the truck driving lifestyle, but I was. It was challenging, rewarding, exciting, and filled with adventures – you never knew what was going to happen from one moment to the next. At times it was difficult, demanding, frustrating, exhausting, and unfair. And pretty much every night when your head hits the pillow, the alarm clock seems to go off immediately! Yap, it’s already time to drag myself out of bed again – God it didn’t feel like I had slept for even five minutes! But that’s life on the road for ya.
If you’re the adventurous type – if you’re tough, you’re brave, you’re independent, you’d love to travel, you love making your own decisions, and you’re the type that will do whatever it takes to get the job done safely – or you think you can learn to be these things – then trucking may be perfect for you! If you hate that life isn’t fair, if you want to always know what’s going to happen next, if you expect to be treated like a king, or you crave attention and appreciation – then I’d say leave trucking to those of us who were cut out to do it. There are a lot of things that trucking is, a lot of things it is not, and a lot of things it should or should not be – but regardless of how any of us feels about it, trucking is what it is. You either accept that because you love the richness that truck driving will bring to your life, or you get out soon after you get in and wind up one of those complainers you see all over the trucking forums of other trucking sites – crying that life isn’t fair.
Truck driving is what it is, people. You’re not going to change it. Believe me you won’t. But no matter who you are, and no matter what you’ve been through in your life, it will change you. I know it changed me for the better – because I learned from it and I grew rich from it – not financially, but rich in wisdom, memories, and character. Our goal here at TruckingTruth is to let you know the truth about what life is like in the trucking industry – and I hope I’ve helped you see a little bit more of what it’s all about. If you would be so kind, leave me a comment below for my efforts so I know if this has helped in some way.
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Wow Brett. That was an excellent post! And how come every time you mention the harships truckers face, it makes me even more excited to enter this career? Weird.
Thanks for the honest and insightful post!!
Yes, that was well said. You have to experiance trucking to fully understand what you just said. We who are in it, know it. Trucking will make you speak up or you will get walked on–meaning if you are quiet and shy or prefer that life, you will learn to adjust to cope with the demands of the road.
You may find out this is not for you or this part of trucking. Could be you should not be doing flatbeds when you are more suitable for tanker/reefer/van for an example. But no one knows what they can do until they try it out. Go for it and give it your best.
Good Morning Brett!
I am a 28 year old Wisconsin boy looking to change careers. I have explored a number of options but Trucking seems to be more for me than anything I have looked into. I’m not gonna lie I am a rookie and I don’t know much about trucking. I have been looking for honest insight on the trucking business all over the net. It seems people just want to tell me it is a bad idea and then make fun of me for suggesting CDL education. That’s fine I am the outsider looking in and they are experienced. So I respect their opinions. I am the type of person that believes respect is always earned with anything. I just wanted to say that in just reading a couple of your blogs and a couple of Mike’s so far I have found a really good source of information to guide me into a CDL school. From your Feb. 22nd blog…”No matter who you are, and no matter what you’ve been through in your life, it will change you”. That is good advice! Thank you!
Hey Sam!
Yeah, truckin will definitely change you for sure! The web is full of negativity about trucking. Full of it. We certainly don’t sugar-coat things here at TruckingTruth – we tell it like it is. But there are a number of people here on the site that spent a lot of awesome years runnin the highways of this country and really loved it! I thought they were some of the best years of my life – and I’ve had a great life! It isn’t an easy lifestyle by any means, but if you think it suits you and you follow the advice you find here on our site you’ll likely find yourself in a great career that rewards you in many ways. Read through our site thoroughly and talk with us in our trucking forum and we’ll give you all the straight-up advice we can give you and help you out every step of the way! Best of luck to ya!
Hi Brett,
This is a terrific website! I am considering getting into trucking again and all I was reading until now was negative. I haven’t driven a truck in twenty years now. I am considering getting back into trucking because of burnout with my current job. I always liked driving a truck but didn’t like being away from home so much. You are probably thinking-why then would you want to get back into trucking! First, I desperately need a job change, and I understand that many companies come up with ways to get more home time. I look at this as being the best of both worlds because I really did enjoy driving. Can a driver really be home often and still drive? I appreciate your response because this is a potential big decision for me and my wife.
Thanks,
Troy
High Troy.
Yes, you can definitely find more hometime these days than you could 15 or 20 years ago. There’s a very good chance you’ll have to work a year or so over-the-road before you’ll get on with a local or regional job, but they are more plentiful than they used to be because a lot of manufacturers and distributors have regionalized their operations to improve their efficiency and provide better service to their customers. So instead of one or two huge distribution centers, many companies have opted for 5 or 6 smaller distribution centers spread out across the country. This trend has made it easier to keep drivers within a smaller radius of their homes, and still keep them busy, so that they can get home more often.
But let me warn you ahead of time – you will be treated by everyone as a brand new rookie that has never seen a truck before. Only recent over-the-road experience counts to trucking companies these days – which generally means that if you’ve gone more than 2 years without any class A experience, you will have to do the schooling all over again. This is frustrating for a lot of drivers, but like everything it comes down to how bad you want it. If you want to get back into driving, the opportunity is there. It may not be as smooth and simple as some might hope, but it’s definitely doable – and in my opinion, it’s well worth doing.
Hope this helps!
For Better or Worse I found this site. I have been out of work for 3 months and they came and shut my water off a few days a go. To be honest I didn’t think that I wanted to go on any more, But then I found this site.
I just want to say thank you sir. You have rekindled a dream that has been in the back of my mind forever. This article in particular has hit it home that while i cant say being a Trucker would be the best fit for me, It seems like it was a job made for me.
Thank you
Eric W Hass