Comments By Kevin B.

While admittedly I'm largely a lurker, I do enjoy reading the posts and have been very informed by the variety. That being said, I just learned from a coworker that where we're located in the Dallas/Ft Worth area they're planning a large highway closure for this weekend as part of an ongoing project to provide highways 360 and 30 with a proper interchange.

As quoted, "Work continues placing steel girders for future connector ramps within the interchange. The addition of the steel girders is changing the look of the interchange bringing the future direct connectors in view. Placing steel girders and concrete bridge beams requires road closures for motorist safety. Upcoming major highway closures are:

SH 360 Northbound and Southbound – Closed between Avenue J and Six Flags Drive Friday, Aug. 19, 8 p.m. through Monday, Aug. 22. 5 a.m. Southbound traffic will exit Avenue J/Lamar Boulevard and re-enter from the Six Flags Drive entrance ramp. Northbound traffic will exit Six Flags Drive and re-enter from the Brown Boulevard/Avenue K entrance ramp.

The City of Arlington has partnered with Waze to give drivers the best experience possible to get around town. Drivers can download Waze for free at www.waze.com/get for iOS and Android and see real-time traffic, find optimal routes, avoid road closures and more."

And the URL of a handy article from the City of Arlington, TX is - https://www.arlingtontx.gov/news/my_arlington_t_x/news_stories/i30_update_2022

So drivers passing through the Dallas/Ft Worth mid-cities this weekend should use caution and possibly an alternative route!

KB

Thanks everyone, I really needed to hear all your responses. I should really practice what I preach, because I pretty much think to myself that one should live their life as they care to so long as they aren't bringing harm to others, to themselves and being able to provide for themself. I don't think I'd want anyone else living in my house as a renter or a B&B. But yeah, after having given it a lot of thought I'd arrived at treating my house as an investment. Considering it's due to be paid off in 2045, when I'd be seventy-three I figured if trucking can be as profitable as you're led to believe (assuming you're willing to put in the work obviously), then why not work at paying it off as quickly as possible so you can enjoy it and not be making mortgage payments into your elder years? And for the query about how much I make that someone touched on... I work in hospitality for now, I had been making $33k annually as an Executive Auditor overnight which I enjoyed but left my financially wanting. After getting laid off I got a new job making $40k as a Front Office Manager at another hotel, which I don't enjoy and am already looking to make a change.

So since I've thought about getting into trucking, I've met many folks who actually do drive trucks - some company drivers and a very nice couple that were Owners/Operators - and they each had nothing but good things to say about trucking. They weren't plugging their companies, didn't give me any references so I felt that they were being honest. Contrast that however with a family member and also a close friend who are darn near adamant about me not getting into trucking, that it's not all I'm pinning my hopes and dreams on. So what do you or have you said to the naysayers? Cause I'm not naive, I don't expect trucking to be some kind of golden ticket, that all that's wrong with my life will be magically resolved, but I'm looking at it being better then where I am in life now. I'm looking at it as the funding for a good financial future, as I'm having direct experience with an elderly parent who didn't save anything and seeing how he's having to live. My naysaying family member calls to my attention a house, which I purchased years before I thought about getting into trucking, and how I'll be paying on a house that I won't be living in save a few days a month. That at least I say, I see the house as an investment. It's a cheap mortgage, less than a thousand a month and I'm already a third of the way into it on a thirty year mortgage. I could choose to see it as an opportunity to travel while making enough money to plow into the mortgage and get it paid off sooner, saving however much interest to boot.

But I'm curious if you've had to deal with family naysayers...

Well okay, what do you like or dislike about Roehl? What do you think of their equipment? Do they give their drivers good equipment to drive? How are they about getting you time off and/or getting you home? What about freight in the direction you care to go geographically? What are new drivers realistically making?

Okay, I know I can find information here at TT about Roehl and I already have. But I'm looking at them amongst others and wonder if there's anyone on the boards that works for Roehl and may have any inside scoop?

Okay, so I've just seen the thread that a fellow board member posted about your first load, a weird load you may remember and now I've got the gumption to post this... I've been lurking, been reading what I can, watching videos about trucking and I've read and watched a few about truck stops. Most truck stops are just some gas pumps, a store and a parking lot to park in and that's fine, no judgements. But some, such as Iowa-80 and others are attractions unto themselves. I can't seem to find it, but I remember reading a list I found of the best truck stops in the country, more than one of which featured night clubs with concerts.

So any weird truck stops you've spent the night at? Any you happen to remember for a particular reason, nothing terrible but something that made it noteworthy?

So I like Pinterest, I've got an album dedicated to both Conventional and Cab Over Engine trucks (admittedly a guilty pleasure). So Pinterest knows I like big semies and sends me pics in my feed. Saw this and this is the one place I wanted to share it...

I don't think Donna is nuts for considering going back to OTR because she finds regional boring. I'm looking at getting into trucking quite possibly as soon as I get my father squared away as he's elderly and needs an facility. I've spent since graduating high school in '91 steadily working, going from home to work, work to home and back to work. Quite frankly it's boring and while I'd consider a regional offer if it was made when I were to get in, going from A to B and back to A just in a truck sounds just as boring. I've got a friend who before retiring used to run regional from Dallas to Shreveport and back five days a week. Sounds boring as all heck, seeing the same stretch of road day after day after day. I'd go OTR if nothing else just for the change in scenery and who knows what's going on when you have to shut down for the day/night...

I can second that... I work in hospitality and we're having trouble hiring because folks have a record that precludes them from being considered. I mean I'm not saying you can't have a little fun if that's your thing, but know how to keep it under control and to a minimum. And for goodness sake, eventually just grow up. I'm a professional now and looking back at my youth just makes me want to shudder sometimes... Maybe if folks thought about their future a bit they'd not do some of the stupid things they do that prevents them from having a good future.

Okay, so I'm a hotel manager and this past Thursday I got a phone call from my boss, the GM, at 6.30am. Now when the GM calls you at 6.30am it's never good as you can imagine. He told me that the 7am girl had just called in and I needed to get to work ASAP to relieve the auditor. From then on it was a really !@#$ day. I hadn't been meant to go in until 9am so I had to hop out of bed, get ready and get to work quickly.

Now I'm not talking the sniffles or a lite cold, I'm not talking you've got an upset stomach and it's just a matter of stopping every so often to hit some restroom. I'm talking something that lays you out, in the case of the girl who called in it was "supposedly" food poisoning. But do you soldier on if you can? Do you call and say the shipment is going to be late cause your sick? Does the company send out someone to drive you and your truck on in? Does someone send another driver with their own tractor to take over your trailer and continue on while you sit at wherever until you feel better?

I mean you're by yourself unless you drive a team. So when you're doubled over you can't exactly drive. I'm a very healthy guy, just a few sore joints and such and rarely if ever sick. But I'm kind of curious as you can't exactly call into the office and whoever else is there just carries on without you.