I've Noticed That The Biggest "con" People Have For Trucking Is That You Are Away From Home For Weeks

I've been browsing through a lot of trucking-related sites, and most of the people seem to hate trucking because they are gone for weeks at a time and are never home.

I was kind of laughing to myself, thinking about how that is what should be drawing people to this lifestyle. I'm relatively young and single and as bizarre as it is, I don't really have any interest in settling down and starting a family. It's wonderful that other people do because that is what produces the future generations, but it isn't for me.

So being gone all the time and never being home would be a big perk in my mind. I love going new places and seeing new things and to be frank, home is boring. Going to the same restaurants, the same movie theaters, and the same shopping areas gets old.

I have a couple of friends who I talk to once in a blue moon, but that's it. I wouldn't be leaving behind a vibrant social life, so that aspect of "home" isn't something I would miss either.

I guess you have to be kind of an odd 🦆to really dig the trucking lifestyle.

That is one of the biggest reasons people quit trucking. However, if one can stick it out for just one year, that opens doors to local jobs.

I'm sure for many people that when the reality of being away from home sets in it becomes really tough. It is something that you can talk about, but when you really have to be gone, it hits you like a ton of bricks. Not everybody, though. Ask Brett.

Another Con that catches a lot of people is that you have to be a self-starter. You don't have anyone to wake you up in the morning, and other than your dispatch appointments, you have no one telling you what you have to do and when. This can be tough especially on younger people just starting out in life.

If you get caught up in that, and your dispatcher starts getting on your case, you get PO'ed, quit, and start posting ugly reviews about how bad your company is. But, if you learn how to play the game, this can be the best lifestyle in the world.

Thanks, Errol. So I take it that being self-motivated, content with one's own company, and having a thick skin are really the keys to success. I can handle that.

As far as getting PO'ed at a dispatcher , I've dealt with a number of people in my professional life who have problems with their managers. 90%+ of the time, they are the problem because they aren't doing their job properly or they are slacking. I see it all the time. That is more of a "work" thing than a "trucking" thing. Some people just can't admit that they are lazy bums with bad attitudes.

Here's a link to a great article that shows the importance of Getting Along With Your Support Staff as a truck driver.

Here's another link to an article that tells about The Loneliness Of The Road, and how a person's reaction to it may set the course of their future career as a trucker.

Thanks, Old School.

BTW, what are you lifting up in your picture?

It’s a tarp from his flatbed and being that it’s snowing, wind and wet it’s going to weigh about two hundred pounds. Fun fun

It’s a tarp from his flatbed and being that it’s snowing, wind and wet it’s going to weigh about two hundred pounds. Fun fun

200 pounds?! He must have the strength of He-Man. What a tough dude!