Riders.. Please Help!

Topic 371 | Page 1

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Kaela J.'s Comment
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Hello everyone! My husband and I are wanting to get on the road, but we have a minor road block. We have a 4 year old daughter. Does anyone know of any companies that would allow us to bring her with us? I have done a ton of research but haven't come up with anything. If there aren't, I'm afraid we will be unable to fulfill our dream. Please help! Kaela (Sweetness)

Brett Aquila's Comment
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Hi Kaela.

Unfortunately I don't think you're going to find anyone to let you bring someone that young on the road. I'm not saying it's impossible. Anyone can change their policies at any time. But I've never heard of a company that allows someone so young in the truck.

And having lived on the road for 15 years myself I can tell you that it would be a hidden blessing if you didn't get that opportunity because quite frankly that is no kind of life for a kid. In fact, it's hardly any kind of life for an adult most of the time. But for a young child it would be an absolutely awful way to live.

98% of your life on the road is spent in the truck or parked in a parking lot somewhere. It's quite rare you get the chance to visit any kind of parks or take nature excursions or anything of the sort. And I can promise you that your child would have absolutely no other children around to play with at all - ever. It would be a nightmare for her.

If you'd like a taste of what life on the road would be like, here's what you can do. This weekend take a small television and a laptop computer and put them in a closet. Then the three of you get in that closet and stay there for 22 hours a day. You can come out about twice every 24 hours to go to the bathroom. Other than that, just sit there.

Now the one thing that scenario leaves out is the fact that you'll be bouncing and swaying every second of the day and night as the truck rolls over uneven pavement and bounces through potholes. That you can't simulate, but you can imagine it doesn't add to the fun.

And please understand - I'm not being sarcastic or a smart ass or anything of the sort. I'm being perfectly serious. Living on the road like that is like living in a large closet with a small mattress, and that's all you get. It would be a nightmare, especially for your daughter.

I tell anyone with children the same thing - I'd like to see you try to find a career more suitable to raising a family, which quite frankly is about any other career on Earth except trucking. Maybe consider going to a trade school - anything from a medical assistant to an electrician to a mechanic or medical billing...there are a lot of options that are perfectly suitable to raising a family.

Someday the kids will be grown and on their own and I can assure you that trucking will still be there for you if you guys are interested. But I cringe at the thought of trying to raise a small child on the road. That would be a really tough way to go.

TWIC:

Transportation Worker Identification Credential

Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.

Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

guyjax(Guy Hodges)'s Comment
member avatar

Its really not the company policy that forbids young children. Its the insurance companies. Most rider programs set he age limit at 10 or 12 years of age and above. Some private insurance may take it as low as 6 to 8 years of age but that is about it.

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