Comments By Brad C.

I've gotta say I agree with holding the drivers accountable for not doing their research. At the same time though I think companies need to be held accountable for their entire supply chain, especially because they have made the effort to spend large amounts of money in overseas inspections of manufacturing facilities so they can say they are not affiliated with "inhumane" practices. In my mind all parties are at fault as follows,

Drivers- failure to read, understand, and/or seek legal advise about the lease program.

Trucking companies- failure to ensure the contract being presented is understood by the prospective leasee. For example, when leasing an apartment from a reputable company they go through the lease with you to make sure you understand what you are signing. It is their way of covering their a** so they can with no question protect their interests.

Retailers- if you are going to spend money to ensure fair practices outside of the USA you should be safeguarding your supply chain in the USA as well even though you have reason to believe the regulations and enforcing authorities will be providing that safeguard from taxes collected.

Again the media strikes, depicting a group of Americans, which is often referred to as a minority, in a position of being exploited. I'm not trying to say it isn't happening, but I feel like there is missing information. Like I have found out in the past there is an individual responsibility to do your own fact checking so you can see the bits left out of the published article or broadcast(TV or radio.) Take my opinion for what it is worth though, and it's just that... my opinion.

Keep your wife involved every step of the way and make it a "we" thing. Good luck.

This is the only way I feel I will be able to stand a snowballs chance in you know where of keeping a somewhat strong relationship with the family as a whole. If she hadn't entertained the thought at one point I wouldn't even be here asking for advice. I appreciate what has already been given and will be looking forward to hearing more... in the mean time y'all stay safe and have a good day.

Sorry guys I forgot to give a little background info for myself... I have a couple of years in the towing industry (light duty). Of that time I have had a select few days off work and of my working days I'm on call 24/7/365. I'm not trying to dodge the fact if I were to go OTR that it would put a huge strain on the family. But, (there's always a but) the wife and I have been giving the OTR gig a thought as something to do after the kids are grown and out of the house. Things have been getting a little interesting at my current job and I have started giving it a little more thought recently as such. The youngest is going to be 18 in a little less than a year and should graduate pretty near the same time. To make the situation even more complicated the wife has actually suggested both that this could be a great career for me but at the same time has her reservations about me going into this. I really was hoping to keep from making this choice for at least a couple of years so that we could be sure that the youngest would be stable on her own.

Hi everyone, I have been lurking in the background reading pretty much everything on the site And I am interested in getting into the trucking industry. For the record I absolutely love the information here. Now that I am armed with what I believe to be enough information I would like to begin involving the wife and kid in the process of making the final leap of faith. I know and understand that this industry is hard on relationships and family life, and as a result want to minimize that effect. Any tips from fellow family guys/gals?