Did People In Your Circle Support You When You Started?

I have been in business with my brothers for many years. I have friends too that Ive known many years, some not so long. Most are supportive when I tell them what Im doing, if asked. Some not so much. I can certainly see the resistance to it from one of my brothers, and from other folks I interact with. Each time I hear something along the lines of "Oh, yeah, I guess you're just going to run off and be a truck driver..." or "Well, I would think you would aspire to more than just driving a truck, I mean not that its a bad living but..." I usually don't reply or If I do, I say "Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing, Got a problem with it?"

I can certainly understand my brothers stress with it, our business requires at least two people to run, if not more. And once you acquire a contract, you can just stop after one house, you have to do all the houses, one right after another, no stopping, no breaks, no excuses. Its not an easy endeavor, requiring 12 to 18 hours a day of back breaking labor in addition to a litany of regulations, paperwork, insurance, costs and managing usually incompetent people who charge lots of money to provide inferior service while grossly overestimating their worth. Nonetheless, that chapter in my life is nearly over. Some of the gripes in that are just the price of owning a business of any sort, some are the nature of construction.

For the most part, each slightly negative comment I receive, each backhanded compliment delivered just seems to solidify my decision to make this my career. Sometimes it gets a little old, but for the most part, head held high, one foot in front of the other. Hasnt been easy to get everything in place, but that just makes it all the more worth while.

The people that matter most will understand. Even the loved ones who hate to see you less than they do now, will respect (eventually) your perseverance in moving forward.

Keep moving!

When talking with friends and family, don't say "I'm going to drive a truck". Instead, say "I am becoming (or going to be) a professional driver". Say that every time and eventually it will sink in that you are going to be a professional person and not just a driver.

Laura

I actually received a lot more support than I thought I would. My background is decidedly white-collar also, so to pretty much all of my friends and family, I’m not exactly the first person you’d expect to make this career change. The only skepticism I heard at first came mostly from family, not because they didn’t think I would enjoy it, but because they had concerns about my ability to handle certain physical aspects of the job (a not unfounded concern, since I’m a certifiable klutz and have been my entire life).

The overwhelming response, however, has been awe-struck admiration bordering on jealousy lol. 😂 Most of my friends are managers, lawyers, doctors, own their own businesses etc, so they work every second they’re awake and then have their families and mortgages to go home to. They romanticize what I’m doing as if I’m “living the dream” of complete freedom, unbound by the constraints of bourgeois society or something. At this point I kind of have to tell them to calm down a little bit, because at the end of the day it’s just a job. They act like I’m Christopher McCandless from Into the Wild or something

Lack of knowledge and the stigma of Trucking causes many people to assume it’s an undesirable career. You will find out who your true friends are and family that consider your best interest first, and place ahead of their lack of understanding.

It’s your life Brother... go live it.

Davy, it is a common response for people close to you to resist such a choice as driving a truck. There are many truckers who are gifted in different ways. Some are talented musicians. Some have had stellar careers in professional fields. I have met former lawyers. I even met a former dentist. Brett's own mother was flabbergasted when she realized he aspired to be a truck driver. He's super smart, and she thought he would make a name for himself as a scientist or something that required his powerful intellect.

Unfortunately we truckers have developed a reputation for being uncouth, lazy, and ignorant. As you get out here you will discover there are some who have rightly earned that reputation. You will also be amazed at the diversity of people you will find driving trucks. It is fascinating at times. I have met some real losers out here, but I have also formed some real friendships with some of the drivers I have encountered. I have also made quite a few friends in management positions at the company I am with. One of the things that has surprised me is the friends I have made at customers and vendors I deal with.

We have all got to make our own way through life. Our career choice should not be thrust upon us by family pressures or current trends. We are a tight knit group here at Trucking Truth. We respect the men and women who move the country's goods. We know what it takes. We understand the sacrifices they go through. This is a special job that requires special people. You can hold your head high as you develop your trucking career into something that is rewarding.

Trucking is not easy. Only those who have never been exposed to it would think such a thought. It is challenging and requires a lot of commitment. There have been many who attempted it. The vast majority of those have fallen by the wayside. That is a testimony of the challenges that lie ahead for you. Learn to conquer them and you will have joined the ranks of a proud group of professionals who know what it means to "git er done!"

My employer and I are like family so it's going to be, very hard for me to say goodbye when the time comes...

My friends tell me to go for it! They think it's cool.

My best friend however thinks that I have lost my mind.

I am just tired of working 100 hours a week living paycheck to paycheck.

Trucking is an opportunity for me to better my life because, nobody else is paying my bills...

Hope this helps!

My friends tell me to go for it! They think it's cool.

My best friend however thinks that I have lost my mind.

Hope this helps!

Those closest to me think both these things at the same time. That I'm nuts, but also they understand why I'd want to do it and admire my willingness to go for it.

I, like G-Town, had a long career in IT before trucking. I went to college after serving in the Marines and stayed at that same college doing IT for 23 years full-time, and 6 years more while getting my BS and MBA. I bought my military time and retired at 55. My son, 17 and way smarter than I am, expressed his desire to be accepted into a top-tier college. I went back to work, but not in IT. I thought about it but couldn't convince myself to go back.

People thought I was crazy. I should take the easy way and just go back to IT. Some thought I should just stay retired and leave my son with the possibility of being in deep debt to go to a really good school. No. I won't do that. I chose to help him and that's what I'm doing. He will make a fine engineer or doctor someday, he will major in engineering or pre-medicine and minor in math. It's crunch time for his decision.

My wife is on my side. She's been my rock for over 20 years. Friends don't think I made the right choice, but it was my choice.

I have recieved tremendous support and admiration from the people who matter. My wife most all.

What surprised me the most from my colleagues was the number of people who had seriously considered running from their corporate office job like from a house fire. One colleague's reaction was "can I join you?"

I still get snided comments and have even had second, third and fourth thoughts. But, as I learn the job better and don't let the frustrations get to me, I'm much happier.

It's your life choose wisely.