Is There A Such Thing As Time Off On The Road?

I am new to the truck driving industry. I just joined a company that is going to train me. I don't even know how to use a manual transmission yet. I do know that I want to travel constantly, I want to see all of this country and beyond, I am highly self motivated, I don't want a supervisor looking over my shoulder, and I would like to be able to stop and take in what I am seeing once in awhile.

My question is, do truckers ever get any time to stop and take in some of the sights they are seeing on the road? I know you can't drive 24/7, are there any days, or even hours that a driver can stop and take in the sights when not sleeping? I am sure I will miss home in the beginning, but I am not opposed to only being there only about 4 days out of the month. I want to be able to enjoy my time on the road as well as get the job done.

It depends on how how you're running. You won't have a chance to do anything else but drive, sleep and eat on a 3400 mile week but on a 2,200 mile week you'll have hours to spare everyday.

Generally though, it really depends on your trip planning. You can almost always make time if you do it right.

Take a look at my thread below. I brought a bicycle on the road with me and explored many places with it.

Daniel B.'s Bike Rides

The pictures on your thread are so cool Daniel!. That is exactly what I am talking about. Biking can take you around a country trail, or a big city. where do you store your bike? My guess would be in the trailer. I will be working for Stevens Transport, so I don't think they would like a bike in their refrigerated trailer. Maybe I could find a way to mount it to the back of the tractor.

It depends on how how you're running. You won't have a chance to do anything else but drive, sleep and eat on a 3400 mile week but on a 2,200 mile week you'll have hours to spare everyday.

Generally though, it really depends on your trip planning. You can almost always make time if you do it right.

Take a look at my thread below. I brought a bicycle on the road with me and explored many places with it.

Daniel B.'s Bike Rides

So, from what I gather from Daniel is that some weeks are longer than others. There may be some weeks where I may have a little time to take a look around. That is encouraging.

In the beginning you really won't have time for a bike. When you start getting comfortable and manage your hours like a pro then you'll start finding the time. But in the beginning you'll be swamped. You're simply not very efficient in those first few months.

And if you look at the entire thread you'll know where I store my bike and how I do it. Don't just look at the first page!

There will certainly be time for fun on the road. Like Daniel mentioned it will vary. Some weeks you'll be begging for every hour of sleep you can get. Other times you'll have extra time on your hands.

If you're running OTR the weekends will normally afford you an extra day. It's pretty common to pickup a load on Friday that only takes a day or two of driving to deliver on Monday. When that happened I would run super hard on Friday and Saturday morning and get 75%-90% of the driving out of the way for the weekend and look for something to do on Saturday night or Sunday. I would spend time in Vegas or New Orleans, go to football games (high school, NCAA, or NFL), go to race tracks (anything from local dirt tracks to NASCAR or NHRA), and all sorts of stuff.

Driving truck is an incredibly busy lifestyle but there will certainly be time for fun.

Okay, so I only looked at the first page. I found the post you were referring to. Thank you for the pictures, and I appreciate the advice.

In the beginning you really won't have time for a bike. When you start getting comfortable and manage your hours like a pro then you'll start finding the time. But in the beginning you'll be swamped. You're simply not very efficient in those first few months.

And if you look at the entire thread you'll know where I store my bike and how I do it. Don't just look at the first page!