Profile For Ed P.

Matt,

I hope you understood the spirit in which my reply was meant (I think you do). No offense to “book reading types”. I once read a book (lol, I have a masters too, I like to think they have very high hiring standards). And no implication of cushy job. A lot of times I think that of driving ( my weight gain might be an indication of that). Maybe I was venting about what frustrates me the most. Anyway, I just want you to be fully aware of the ups and downs in your decision process. There’s a lot of good info out there on the best starter companies (and worst). Best of luck in your decision process. I enjoy sharing my experiences and hope the best for you

There’s a few things to consider,

Do you have a pension plan with the municipality that you’re working with? Very few trucking companies will offer you that. A 401k yes, but pension, rare. (UPS, and some other Union gigs might, big maybe)

Are you on a Monday through Friday daytime schedule now? That would probably change right away. Your schedule would greatly depend on your customer's demands. Most ( I’d say a lot) of reefer deliveries are overnight and like I said scheduled by them. You might have to sleep during the day and work all night. Your body knows it’s not supposed to be up overnight. You’ll learn real quick about circadian rhythms.

How many hours a week do you currently work? 40? Most drivers are on a 60 to 70 hour clock? Your runs will be determined by your dispatcher and if you have time on your clock they can keep pushing you to meet customer demands. Of course, you don’t operate until it’s safe but your reputation and the type of loads that you get will depend on what trips you can turn. This in turn equates to what kind of compensation you can achieve.

Solitude, mind numbing, sensory deprivation solitude. Imagine driving in the dark for endless hours, nothing to look at but what your headlights show and other’s tailights and headlights. You’re by yourself locked in a compartment the size of a small closet for as I said Endless hours. Cell Phone usage, I would be fired if the driver facing camera even caught me touching my cell phone. I do manage to set up pod casts, utilize YouTube music, use radio apps, and have satellite radio. But I am constantly catching myself putting my job and the public at risk. Very strongly frowned upon (understandably so). More on solitude, personal interaction will be very limited when you’re outside of the truck too. You’ll meet jerk receivers that will get to you when it’s convenient to them. Late for your appointment because of weather or traffic, that’s even worse. Most of the people you bump into are being rushed and controlled by their schedules. If you’re used to interacting with the book reading types, you’re not going to encounter that fractionally on the road. However, trucking has a vast array of the public. You will meet all types out there. On the plus side there are all kinds of podcasts and audio books that I’m sure you could have endless hours of enjoyment. But, you’re just not prepared for the lack of stimuli that is offered by being married to your truck. OTR? you’re out for 3 to 4 weeks at a time and if you have any obligations back home you’re at the mercy once again, of your dispatcher.

You’ve got to weigh all of these factors against the idealistic perception of what you’re imagining. I do really enjoy my work, I don’t enjoy my low seniority schedule. I drive a tanker delivering cryogenics mostly locally. Every once in a while I end up spending the night in a hotel if I can’t make it back. The compensation for what I do is great. (Think 100k) I’m sure that I could sell you on trucking just the same but want you to have a realistic expectation.

There’s also a LOT more to trucking than OTR and reefer. It’s a huge industry and you’re only limited by yourself. Do as much research as you can, ask as many questions as you can feel free to reach out if you have any questions of me.