Survey: Your Biggest Worries And Most Important Questions

Can't say I was worried about too much starting out. More so anxious and excited. But too answer the questions.

1. Only big worry was driving a manual for the first time. Had zero experience prior. Now I float gears on a 18 spd.

2. Biggest question was pay structure and trying to figure out who had the best. And then I saw companies like TMC paying a percentage and really tripped myself up.

Someone mentioned health earlier in a post..... Sorry i didnt quote you. Ill bang on this drum again. Unfortunately Ive gained some weight in my 6 months solo mainly due to bad eating and for drinking soda again like a moron. Ive mentioned in the past possibly adding another category to the forums for health and fitness. People can give tips on how to get and stay healthy. Maybe a truckers diet diary instead of the training ones.

I know you've gotta be a fitness buff Brett you climb friggin mountains despite the fact we've developed as a species and no longer need to do crazy things like that anymore.

No judgements on you bro , none of us is perfect. At least you are COGNITIVELY AWARE. I have known many people ; not just truckers , who were not and it costed them dearly.

I agree , we do need a health and fitness forum on this post. A place where we can share our ideas, thoughts , recipes, struggles. A place where we can ask for help and motivation.

The first step is admitting there is a problem, the next step is action and discipline with the right motivation.

You can do it, lets keep it positive.

I would say my first challenge/reccomendation for you is to cut your soda consumption in HALF or at least 1/4 then taper off to it being one soda a day or one a week as a treat for your reset or something like that

Hope it helps

Moe

Someone mentioned health earlier in a post..... Sorry i didnt quote you. Ill bang on this drum again. Unfortunately Ive gained some weight in my 6 months solo mainly due to bad eating and for drinking soda again like a moron. Ive mentioned in the past possibly adding another category to the forums for health and fitness. People can give tips on how to get and stay healthy. Maybe a truckers diet diary instead of the training ones.

I know you've gotta be a fitness buff Brett you climb friggin mountains despite the fact we've developed as a species and no longer need to do crazy things like that anymore.

I'm still months away from first recruiter contact, but expect to do so within 6-9 months.

Things I wonder about at this point include:

- the feasibility of including my 2 rescue dogs - we're a pack for 4 years now! - into this new lifestyle

- wondering if my research will turn up companies that could get me occasional home time on both coasts... Socal and NYC

- hours of service...... whew. I believe and trust that I can learn new things with motivation, effort and practice! but the implied permutations are a little daunting

- adding my voice to those in previous posts regarding wellness & fitness in their many forms..... have seen excellent threads and posts here but would be great to have a more evolved, go-to resource

- Truckers Forum here is a grand & golden mix of topics; this does work well for me. Much as Training Diaries are separate, tho, I'd like to be able to utilize further differentiated forum sections as time and interest dictate - i.e., fun, social, general interest (like Postcards from the Road or Highlight / Vent of the Week) - or Training / Practice (thank you, Kearsey!) - requests for help, etc.

- a forum to encourage and support use of CB and ham radios in trucking would rock, too

I would like to add more information and resources for health and fitness. I hesitate to break up the forum into more sections, though. I may use our forum tags to help people monitor conversations on different topics.

Having a health and fitness diary might be interesting. I could also build a simple app to let people share ideas and track their workouts or weight loss.

I know you've gotta be a fitness buff Brett you climb friggin mountains despite the fact we've developed as a species and no longer need to do crazy things like that anymore.

Indeed, life is so easy in today's world that we must make it difficult or it gets too boring.

1. Where I’d park my truck. Living in a neighborhood where I couldn’t, this was very important to me.

2. How quickly I could start earning top $. And being a solo driver. Ten years in the Navy left me with no desire to share a bunk.

3. Company stability/size. I wanted a company large enough to let me change function (if I wanted) and/or to relocate (if I wanted). I also wanted it to be a company strong enough to weather financial downturns.

4. Home time. I knew I wouldn’t be making $ if I was sitting at home, but regularly scheduled home time was helpful.

While a corporate relationship wasn’t a concern, I am grateful Schneider has that, since it was a big part of my background.

Thanks and I hope this helps.

Something I wondered about and have heard others mention on other posts is, "Am I too old to start a career in trucking" although only in my 50s when I started I have since seen people in their 60s just starting to drive for the first time but in many professions 50s and up is to late. Luckily trucking is literally the least discriminating job ever so age is no problem.

I also wondered, since I live in my truck and only take a few days off every 3-4 months how I would manage shopping (clothes, food, entertainment etc) but in time you learn how to manage these, including dropping your trailer at the truckstop and bobtailing on PC to the mall, walmart, bowling alley, movie theater and such or calling an uber to take you where you cannot park it. Even how to see a Dr. when an issue arises or you need a prescription or a refill.

I had many many questions. Some have been mentioned already. Here's are a few:

Will my family be able to deal with the unpredictable schedule and being away?

Can I still schedule vacation time at some point?

Can I make enough money to make a career switch viable? Will I have enough saved to get through the low income training period?

What's with all of these stories about people getting sent home from training? What happens if that's me?

Can I pass the physical capacity tests?

For me it was:

1: Money. How much is in my control and could I make enough to make it worth it.

2: Big cities and trying to navigate them in a truck.

3: Could I maintain my projects/hobbies while on the road.

As a hopeful driver one day, I would say foremost in my mind is health insurance. Who has it, what it covers, copay's, deductibles, etc. I realize all that will change depending on the person and their needs, but it seems that there is not much info about it on companies websites.