Having A Rough Time...

Hey guys, I have had such a horrible last few weeks....dealing with multiple deaths of close friends coupled with losing my job and then hearing about Roehl falling through.....I now have an opportunity to drive for Roehl and Central Refrigerated but I have also been offered a job making $22K a year to start and coming home to my wife and daughter every night...I would be making half of what I would if I went into trucking...Have you guys had to deal with this? I want to do trucking so bad and kind of always have. Something about those big trucks just amazes me as well as the amazing people that are in that field! I cannot decide if I should take a low paying job and sleep in my own bed every night and be off at 3:30 every day or sign up and jump into the game and get going with trucking. My wife does not work, unfortunately, and is a full time student..my daughter is 19 months old and is incredibly attached. It is a lot harder for me to jump into the field with a little one...it was just me and my wife when I was in the Army and honestly, it was just easier on us. Trucking and everything about trucking seems awesome to me, the good and bad, and it is so appealing...How did you guys handle it when faced with this decision? What would you do in my situation? My wife does not want me to go into trucking but she supports it. I am real scatterbrained because I was not expecting to even get a job offer after being out of work for over a month...I just figured I was going to get into trucking and I was getting my home life straight before I leave...now that its all straightened out I suddenly have a job offer...I need guidance or advice or opinions...I don't get offended. So be honest...I have asked my wife's opinion and she didn't help at all...I have not got anything other than "do what makes you happy"....honestly what makes me happy is paying the bills and bringing home enough money so that my wife does not have to worry about working while she is being a mom and going to nursing school...

In all honesty, deep down you know what you have to do, and no one can decide that for you. Asking someone's opinion won't solve anything for you personally. I've always told myself

i love you because need you is different from i need you because i love you.

hope that makes sense

Good luck

-Hatter

I'm kind of in the same boat. My wife wants to get back in school and there isn't too many jobs that I can start out making decent money besides trucking. So my plan is to go OTR and after a year or so find a local driving job making good money. Might take two years until my wife finishes school, then I can slow down once she starts working. And in the meantime we can hopefully be debt-free, have some money for a down payment on a house, and I can see the country in the meantime. Truck driving is something I've always wanted to do anyways, might as well do it now while it makes sense...I'm just scared I'm going to like it too much I'll never want to do local lol :-)

Oh and Roehl as the Hometime Plus schedule, I think it's called. Where you can be out 14 days, home 7, or 7/7, 7/3 etc. You won't make as much money, but you won't have to sacrifice all of your home time. Schneider also does it too. Or you could do regional or flatbed, some of those guys seem to be home every weekend.

@ Mad Hatter: That does make sense!

@ Josh E. : Yeah she only has one year of nursing school left and then we are moving back to Wisconsin. I want to do flatbed but I really just want the most miles. I like Central because you see more of the country, or so it seems. I was looking at those home time programs and while they are great I am worried I wont bring in enough to support my family. According to both companies my home time would be around 11-14 days out and 2-4 days at home..However, that is not anything but simple hearsay at this point..

$22k a year. Wow. Maybe I am missing something? You are married plus have a little one right? And you said you want to be able to pay the bills plus have some left over? That's $1833 a month. That's $458 a week. That is not going to make it very far. I could not do it.

Hotshot...I see both sides of your windshield...And unfortunately, it all comes down to money. If you take the low pay job, you will be scrambling to pay everything, and won't be able to put anything back for those "Murphy's Law" things that always come up. But being away from home with a little one is a torture this mother couldn't handle. But money wise, you will be able to send more money back to the family. Its a hard one....but its also a decision that only you can make.....

@ Guy: Exactly my issue...my last job I made 750-1000 a week after taxes. Unfortunately,I was naive and I signed some stupid legal agreement that says I will not work for another competitor for at least 2 years...

@ Starcar: Exactly, No offense to my wife, but I have been a FT dad, FT worker at atleast two jobs, and FT college student for nearly two years and it is rough...my wife has not had to work in almost 3 years and I am pretty much the one that has tried taking the stress off of her so she can finish school. Unfortunately, doing this has taken a toll on me and now I am stuck in a tough spot...I almost feel like a bad parent for saying I want to do trucking...

This is one of those times to have a sit down with everyone and reevaluate the current situation. Some plans may need to be put off for a year or so. Only you could decide that much. And whose plans need to be put on hold? Yours or your wives.? Tough one.

Here is a super serious question that may or may not help. If your wife finishes school can she find a job in her choose profession once she is done and right away? If yes and it's worth the wait you might be able to take that job and struggle for a year but then there is Newtons Law. I hate you are in this position cause its a tough one.

TThere are a few times in life that things maybe have to be put on hold for just a little while.

Hey hotshot I have some insight for you. I'm in a very similar situation as you as well. I just quit a 24k a month job to get back into trucking and am now doing my 40k mile training with prime. My wife last her 78k a month job of 20 years so with her encouasement am out on the road. I don't like having to be away from my wife and two young ones for weeks at a time, but the opportunity to support my faMily is available with trucking. My wife is taking an online course to finish her degree and is starting her own graphic design business as well.

Our plan is to have me on the road for no less than a year in the time it's going to take her to finish school and have her business up and running. When she had an income rolling in again, I'll go get a local job in Florida where we live. Bottom line is you'll need to have the attitude that what you want to do isn't forever. I too love driving these big beasts around the country which makes being away much more tolerable.

It is very possible to support your family with trucking. You have to stay committed to staying out a few weeks at a time and only being home for a few days in between. Just realize going in that it's going to be tough. But it IS possible.

Hope this helps and good luck with your endeavors.