Profile For Old School

at the end of day,my question for you guys is this, is being a trucker worth it? Is it worth the time away from home? Is it worth the pay you take home and the lifestyles you live on your free time?? Do you feel comfortable financially?

That's a great question. Trucking has issues, and I don't know too many truckers who have gone through these inflationary times while receiving pay increases. I'm sure there are some, but it has not been my experience. During these times of inflation, the trucking industry has suffered from "over capacity." Simply put, the trucking business has suffered some very great losses over the past few years. Many companies are struggling just to break even, while a great many other companies have fallen by the wayside, declaring bankruptcy, and closing their doors.

I already mentioned that I serve on a dedicated account. One problem with that is that the company has to re-negotiate the contract each year. You can imagine what that is like during these times. The customer wants a better deal and my employer wants more money. Of course they both do this dance of give and take because one of them wants to keep the good service while the other wants to keep up the cash flow. Driver wages are stuck - neither side wants to give a penny more. So, we've kept the same wage for years now.

There's always the issue of how you choose to live while on the road. It is expensive to eat out all the time. Even fast food has gotten to where you can easily spend 15 to 20 dollars per meal if you aren't careful. This is a lifestyle more than it is a job. You have got to learn how to spend your time and money in a way that works for you financially. I know drivers who are broke all the time. They live off of cash advances and then cuss their employer when they see how low their paychecks are. Duhhh... you already spent the money last week. That's why your paycheck keeps shrinking so much. You have to be your own master out here and make sure you are being responsible with your expenses.

There is another thing that trips up a lot of new drivers. That is just understanding how this career works. I'm grateful for Heavy C and Bobcat Bob chiming in here. They offer a much different perspective because their jobs are different from most of us. It is easy for an OTR driver to increase or decrease their pay by the way they operate their truck. I work with about fifteen other drivers. We all make the same wage - it is determined by our contract with our dedicated customer. At the end of the year, I will come out with my pay being more like the Linehaul drivers at an LTL company. Many of the other drivers will be looking at 50 to 60 thousand per year. That disparity lies in the knowledge and skills to get more done than the average driver. That is the key to success out here. You've got to want to be the best, and you've got to be able to execute a plan that assures that.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Today I finished a multi-stop flatbed load a full day earlier than my company expected me too. They had my stops scheduled out so that I would arrive at my final (consignee) Wednesday morning at 0800. I looked everything over before I left with the load and sent my operations manager a message letting them know I would be empty Tuesday morning at 0800. They sent this back, "Okay, but that seems extremely aggressive. We aren't going to change your dispatch - just keep us updated."

Now, they already know that I will almost always do what I say. This time they didn't think it possible. I did it, and they were surprised, but the whole point is this... We get paid for how much we accomplish. I personally contacted my customers and moved my appointment times ahead so that I could get done quicker. I also drove almost all night during one point just to make it all happen like I wanted. This kind of efficiency allows me to move more loads than the average driver - resulting in much better results by the end of the year. All that planning, and aggressive approach to the job, earns me more income.

That's why the question you pose is difficult to answer. You will eventually answer it for yourself. For me, this job is definitely worth it. I make good money, and live frugally enough that I can invest literally half of my trucking income. Whether this career is worth pursuing or not will never be determined by which trucking company you work for. How you operate and conduct yourself out here will always be paramount. It pays to be diligent.

"Dedicated" is another term that causes confusion. I am a dedicated driver. I'm dedicated to servicing a particular customer. That customer is a manufacturer of aluminum extrusions. I generally deliver anywhere east of the Rockies with an occasional (maybe twice a year) run out West.

I still operate like an OTR driver. I may be in Minnesota one week and then Miami, FL the next. I never know. It just depends on where their product is going.

There are usually around fifteen of our drivers dedicated to this same plant. We go where our dispatcher needs us. That is the most typical way trucking companies operate.

Seniority will generally help if you want to pick and choose where you run. I'm in a fortunate situation that allows me to pick my loads. That isn't very common, and almost unheard of for the first two or three years of driving.

You've got great questions. We are always willing to help, so feel free to ask more.

Are your boys living with you? Do you just have them for weekends? Give us a little more info.

Trucking jobs are very demanding. They often have crazy schedules with many unexpected interruptions. Almost all trucking jobs involve long working hours. For the most part, this is not an ideal job for people raising children.

how do you guys manage a home/work balance with younger children?

In my opinion, there is no such thing as "home/work balance" in trucking. This job requires a serious commitment. That's why most truck drivers are up in years. They don't have as much reason to be home. I do not reccomend this career to young parents. I have 11 grandchildren who I would love to see more often. Unfortunately, retiring from trucking is the only way I'm going to make that happen.

what is a regional lane? And what's the difference between being a regional driver and an OTR one??

Okay, trucking terminologies are confusing. Of course when you say regional, you think that means a certain region, and it does. But... what is that region? A man with small children, like yourself, may think a regional position would allow them to be home nightly, or maybe several nights a week. That's not really the case.

Some companies offer what they call a Western Eleven region. That's 11 Western States. That's a sizeable region. I'm a regional driver who seldom goes West of the Rockies. That's an even larger region. Even though I'm regional, I'm only home once a month for a few days.

I'm not trying to discourage you, but we need more information to really be helpful to you. I just don't see this as a good career path for someone who has charge of young children. You'd need a local job at best, and those are pretty tough to find as a rookie. Local jobs can be just as demanding. They still involve long hours and crazy schedules.

Okay, let's try something...

Tell me why you felt the need to be "completely honest" with this "Western Van Division Director" by telling him you didn't like him.

I'm very open and honest, but I can't even imagine saying that to anyone unless there was already a great deal of friction going on between us.

This is one of those times where I miss Paul Harvey.

Jeff, the only advice I can give is this... If you honestly believe you got fired for having a bad attitude, you will absolutely have a difficult time finding another trucking job.

Your description of everything is screaming... "There is more to the story." If you can't see through your "complete honesty," and realize what was really happening, you'll probably not resolve this.

Paul Harvey always gave us "the rest of the story." If you could figure that part out, and share it with us, we might be able to help.

That's hilarious Turtle!

It was all sounding so fun until you got to that broken rib! As I was reading, I was already starting to think... "Well, something has to break on a weekend like that." Sure enough, you fulfilled my thoughts.

I broke a rib once. I don't reccomend it to anybody.

Ouch!

Bobcat, that looks rough. Boats provide so much pleasure when they are cooperative. Given half a chance, they will cause us some grief here and there. Sometimes they cause a lot of grief.

I agree with your statement... I'm just glad it wasn't worse.

I hope you can get it repaired for the price you mentioned. I wouldn't be surprised if it was more. Good luck with it!

at one point I knew all of the lyrics to all of the songs. (Sometimes there wasn’t a lot to do for kids living in rural Mississippi in the 60’s). I also got to see it performed by a traveling Broadway troupe a few years ago up in Lubbock at Texas Tech. As nerdy as it sounds - it was really good!

No judgements from here. I knew all the lyrics too. I raised three daughters who loved the old musical genre of movies. I've seen Oklahoma hundreds of times. Here's another cult-like musical they loved... Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. I had that thing memorized too.

My kids had an unusual non-traditional upbringing, but they've all turned out real well. Out of three daughters, I now have 9 grandchildren with 2 more on the way. The grandchildren are even more fun.

Uh oh!

My old timers might be hitting me...

I think that line is from a different song in the musical. It's from, Oh What A Beautiful Morning. I may not have even quoted it accurately. Oh well, you get the idea.

Hello ID Mtn Gal!

It's great hearing from you. I hope you're doing well.

That line is actually in the song, Oklahoma.