Comments By Jason G.

Not having started my career in trucking yet, I don't know that I can add too much here, but I can relate to that feeling of people assuming things and saying things to discourage you from pursuing something you want to do. When I had joined the Marines at 18, a lot of my friends were surprised and would say things like " you're too nice to be a Marine." They'd say that because they have this stereotype that Marines are all mean and rough. And I wasn't like that before the Marines, and maybe wasn't as rough after, but I said to them, " maybe the Marines could use a nice guy." So I did the Marines. Went on three deployments. Had to get shot at and fire back at times. People thought I was too nice of a guy for Marines but I did the job just as well I believe.

So I say all that because people. Ight think you can't be a trucker because you used to do hair or you're too...Fill in the blank. But you know what you can handle and what you're willing to go through for this adventure. And I think you're going to do it just fine if you know you have it in you.

I've been thinking about this issue a lot because I have three kids and a wife and logically i know when I get home I may want to unwind and veg out on TV, but as a family man I know my mindset will have to be different than that. I've told my wife that once we get into it, my goal on home time will be to be accessible and giving to their needs when I am home. If they want to go to the aquarium we have a membership to or go out for dinner one night, I'm all about it because I know I'm gonna be missing doing that all the other weeks I'm not there. There will probably be things I will have to do when I am home that I won't want to do. Like making sure my wife's car is in good shape. She doesn't normally do the oil changes and such, so I do dread the times where I might have to do the honey do list instead of relaxing and just playing with my kids, but I'm thinking of ways we can make it easier so that she doesn't have to bear the burden of all the home stuff and then I don't have to bear a lot when I'm home for a few days. Like right now I rent so I dont have to do yard work. But I guess if we eventually own that is something I'd have to do on home time or she would have to do. But maybe there's some neighborhood kid who wants to make some money and you can pay them to do this for your spouse and then not having to pay higher price of a landscaper. Same with car stuff, I think my father in law would be willing to help with if she ever has to take the car in for repairs and he know more about that stuff. And he's retired, so told my wife is be willing to pay him for his time if he ever had to help her out taking the car in while she stays at home with kids. She can't take the kids to a mechanic and wait on repairs with three young kids tearing the waiting area up.

So maybe it's just a nice picture in my head that our hometime can be entirely devoted to just family time and enjoying being with each other, but I think it's doable.

My wife was curious with how it would work when our one daughter needs to get eye surgery, like will I be able to get hometime when I want it for those dates. So I assume for a surgery, and it's one where she doesn't have to be in the hospital long, that I'm sure my company would help me get hometime to where I'm not missing out on being there for that. Thats what I told my wife. And then she is also curious about when we want to start looking to buy a house someday, how do we do all that when have to work around my schedule of just a few days each month. But I think that's one of those things we'll figure out.

Overall I think home time can be mostly fun and all family time, but ill try not to get my hopes up too high in the event that my hometime end up being a mixture of chores and family time.

I have a question to add to this because I'm about to start training the end of this month and have been thinking about winter driving. So I'm just curious about what happens when you decide not to drive because of weather conditions. I know people woukd rather you be safe and not get in an accident because that's worse than having a late delivery. But as a new driver, what if weather conditions seem unsafe to you but for someone else they might think it's doable, will this affect your standing with a dispatcher as far as them seeing you as dependable or not? Or will it only affect your pocket because you can't drive because of the weather? Because it seems like it's whatever the driver feels comfortable with, like Jay choosing to drive instead of be late. But if he chose to wait it out even though it was something doable, is it something they would look into and think that he could have done it but because he waited it out, they might not jump to give him good load in the future?

I am not aware of your entire situation, but agree that it's best to just be chill about it all and leave. It's sad because family shouldn't be like that. My one concern if it were me would be leaving for trucking knowing my girlfriend doesn't have a license and may have issues being independent that way when you go. My wife's family was like that where her and her sisters didn't get their drivers licenses until much later than most teenagers. I wonder if you have time to help her get that situation situated before you go so that if you have a car and she has her license she'll be all set when you get into trucking. For my own situation we have been a one car family and it's been hard for my wife to be independent with me having regular day job. So now that I'm getting ready for trucking, we have a lot of peace about me being gone knowing she'll be able to use the car and have that independence of getting to and from work or the store, etc.

These are all great answers. Thanks everyone.

Well if it's bad I at least feel better about having benefits soon. In the last month my income has been 200 a week, to 96 this week because of Christmas and so anything at 600 or more is fine with me. With Jim Palmer I'll get 600 minimum while getting my training miles. So once I get to solo and making the regular CPM they give to new drivers, I hope I don't have it where I make less than the 600 a week I'm getting in training. Does that happen sometimes? Like if there are issues of having to sit because of weather or other factors?

I guess I have fallen into having the expectations that when people say you'll make a minimum of 900 a week or something like that, that it will in fact be like that. But have heard that it can fluctuate because of bad weeks. I just hope and believe that with hard work if I do have bad weeks that the good ones will outweigh the bad. In construction, you get like 30 hours one week, 20 the next, and like this week I got 8 hours. and then there's no good week that outweighs the bad because when I do get hours I'm still only making 12/hr. I had a conversation with my current boss about me going soon and told him I like what I see with trucking, but I also really love working with my hands and doing carpentry. I just don't have all the experience and therefore no leverage to ask him for something like 20/hr. He agreed and said if I wanted to stay on long term and some day become leader of a crew then he could pay me that. But see, I didn't start out early in construction, and don't have time to pursue that when I need something better to provide for family. So trucking definitely seems like the thing I can get into and in a relatively short period of time make better money than I have ever made from a regular blue collar job. It sucks when you like what you do but doesn't provide enough. I just hope from what I've researched and like about trucking I will actually like when I'm really in it in a few weeks.

I can say with quite certainty that I am the latter. People watch movies about our recent wars and assume everyone who has been shot at has PTSD. That just isn't true. I got quite used to the idea of IEDs and got used to rockets flying over my head. But quite opposite to what vendingdude said, I don't know that it will be a cakewalk driving on these roads. Getting shot at and flying through the desert in an armored vehicle was a cakewalk. That's an easy job in my mind. My civilian experience have been harder because I don't make good money currently. It makes me feel degraded because I thought it would be easier after Marines and then college. But it hasn't. I work hard but get no benefits. Not saying that for anyone to feel sorry for me. It's just the way the world is these days. People want fast food workers to get minimum wage of 15/hr while construction guys like me are doing grueling work and get 12/hr. When it comes to work I have a very level head. Can handle heights in construction, could handle the rigors of military life. Not crazed. I'm a very calm and mellow person. If anything I don't feel calm or mellow in my current t situation because I'm worried about not getting rent paid on time, getting my car repossessed if I miss a payment. I'm not really close to this happening because of family helping out and getting myself in some debt at times, but it's no way to live anymore. People say my wife and kids may resent me if I do trucking, but I say they'll resent me if I come home after only getting 20-30 hours a week in construction and only bringing in 250-300 a week. So when I hear people say trucking doesn't make enough money, maybe they mean it doesn't make what is deserved, but compared to where I am now, I'm happy with being middle class and making enough to keep my family secure.

No problem Marine. You looking into flatbedding? "Get in shape, Stay in shape" and the wife will be happy when you get home.

Happy with the paycheck or happy because I'll look hot? Is flatbedding very physically demanding? Haven't done any research on it.

So looking into trucking, everyone says it's tough. The thing is, everyone says that in very general terms but I'd like some perspective on what I'm getting into. And maybe this is a question for military veterans who are now truckers, because I am a former Marine, and that was tough, but wondering if trucking will be as tough or more than my experience as a Marine.

When it comes to being away from my family for long periods of time, my wife, who dated me through one deployment to Iraq and became my wife before I went to Afghanistan, says "it's not like you'll be in another country." So we both feel confident we will be able to stay strong in our marriage with me OTR.

And then as far as the actual work, my assumption is that if I can handle the Marines, where there weren't HOS and had to go days with very little sleep, weeks or months without showers, I feel confident that trucking won't be very bad on my body. I have also worked construction the last 5 years and so getting into trucking I feel like things will be different in terms of me not having to put so much wear and tear in my body. I will have to watch how I eat and work out so I don't get fat. Perhaps the one thing that will be the most stessful is being on busy roads. The nice thing about the Marines was that I drove a 14 ton LAV-25 but didn't have to drive in congested traffic. It was all open desert.

So is it a good assumption that I'll be alright? I am a really chill person considering the previous work I've done. I get along with everyone. Perhaps the biggest adjustment I will have to get used to is being on my own. In construction and in the Marines you work with a team and so I've always been comfortable being a follower and not so much a leader, although there were plenty of times I had to be a leader. But always preferred to be the guy taking orders, not giving them. So in trucking I guess you have a dispatcher being the one giving you the orders, but when it comes to the actual work, it's up to me to do it all without anyone really helping or having my back if I'm solo.

I know with what I just said you might think I'd be better as a team driver but I really don't like that idea because as much as I get along with people, that's on the surface most of the time, but you know how it is when you don't really care to have to be around someone but you out it off professionally because you don't want to cause any friction because it's always better to avoid drama. So I like the idea of not having to share a close space with someone else because it'll be more comfortable. Im cool with sharing a truck in the beginning while I do my training, but definitely see solo as the more appealing option in trucking.