Any of y'all truckers? We have to do some high school deal where we have to look and see what are future occupations are and the computer thing and it said I would be a great over the road trucker. This is true since I love drivin' and fixin' trucks and I usually where the same clothes and bathe once a week; well, okay every three days. But anywho, I'm wonderin' what y'all think? If any of ya are truckers yourselves.

 

There are quite a few OTR guys around here... if you don't get may responses right away, you can always search on Truckers or other similar searches, and try PM'ing the fellas who talked about being truckers. I know parks911 is a trucker and sure is a friendly guy, might give him a holler. And there are lots of others here, too.

 

I'm sure you dont' mean this to be a negitive post but you may not get the responses your looking for with your post worded the way you have it; no offence, just offering a little advise; aka, just because they are OTR drivers has nothing to do with them being (as implied above) dirty, greasy, guys that do nothin but drive and work on there truck. Most truck stops have showers and most drivers that I know are fairly well groomed clean individuals that would probably take it as a putdown to be sterotyped they way you've put your question.

 

This is what I was thinking as I read the post too. When I was OTR I showered every day most of the time, and at least every other day when I was busy. That's more often than a lot of people who go home every day. Something else to consider is how dirty can someone get while sitting in a climate controlled cab all day? I drive local now, so I use my own shower every night.

Good luck with your career.

 

I was thinking the same thing also. My dad drives over the road for Tyson and he is one of the cleanest people I know. Most truck stops have showers and these drivers have to sleep sometime, so they park at a truck stop, which probably has a shower. My dad will not go to bed before he has taken a shower. And, like the previous poster, how dirty can you actually get sitting in an air conditioned cab all day long? If you only take a shower once or twice a week, that sounds like a personal problem and if you want a career to go with it you should consider being a hobo.

 

a career being a hobo? must have a great pay rate.

i think he meant it as kind of a joke to losen up the tension here. but a OTR driver is one of my few career choices that i have considered. I would like to be a owner operator but would hate to buy a truck then find out i cant stand it. i used to go with my dad who did regional runs and i loved it. i learned how to read a road map and the different street sings and how to navigate properly.

 

yep, my dad was a trucker doing all sorts of OTR trips, he wasnt typically dirty and all that. if you only take a shower every 3 days, thats a personal problem, not one I want to know. knowing something aobut diesel engines is a plus though. you might consider being a diesel mechanic though.

 

I'll ignore with the hygene comment. I think it's been well covered. As for driving trucks. I did it for about 6 years. You WILL be paying your dues the first year. Once you've proven you can move a truck without damaging it or the load, you'll be able to make better money. I enjoyed driving most of the time that I did it. It is however, a long and tedious job where driving gets tiresome after a while. You will probably find that you are always tired, since you never keep any kind of a regular schedule. You won't be going to the various cities postcard tourist destinations. Instead, you'll be going to their crummiest neighbourhoods quite often, where the locals will have no second thoughts as to robbing you. No, you are not allowed to protect yourself with anything more than a tire iron or dog if you find a company that will let you have one in the truck. I've had my fair share of sleepless nights where I was afraid to close my eyes.

The best jobs are typically dedicated runs. You will need to build experience to get these, as these are typically awarded to drivers who have the most experience, or in the case of union shops, the most seniority. You'll also make your best money running dedicated. I had a dedicated run towards the end of my driving career. Another company underbid us, and we lost the contract. Within a month, I hung up the mike and turned in the keys as I decided I couldn't stand going back to irregular route.

If you drive, learn to live simply. I bought one of those plug in coolers, and kept food in it. I also bought a one burner portable stove for cooking. You can eat alot cheaper making your own meals, than eating two to three meals a day in the truckstops.

 

Been there, doing it now. I run team with my wife. Yes we shower most everyday.Yes,we both have all of our teeth,have college degrees and own our own truck.With the "positive" attitude you have bestowed upon my industry,I don't believe I'd be spouting that retoric in the local truckstop.One of those good ol' boys might have something to say about your perception. Anyway, think it over. If you are married with children,there is no quicker way to become a divorced long distance father.If you have a sweety that would like to travel with you or perhaps even learn to drive then by all means go for it.It can be a fairly lucrative career if you are dedicated. Just keep in mind,it's not for everyone. The first thing you will have to do is forget a great deal of what you think you know about driving because odds are its wrong and you dont even realize it.Second thing is you will have to lose whatever temper you may have while driving or dealing with a customer. It'll get you nowhere and ROADRAGE IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! Third thing you will need to do is lose the pride you have in being self sufficient.Meaning, it is perfectly ok to ask someone for help or admit that you don't really know everything. Once you feel can do these things,let me know and I will point you in the right direction so you dont get chewed up and abused by a system that is hungry for drivers and will take advantage of you at every turn. I've done my homework and had alot of trial and error.(mistakes with 00000's on the end). Be more than happy to give you guidance if you really want it. Good luck with it.

 

Thumbs up to all of the otr drivers out there.You men and women have one hard *** job I dont care what anyone says thats not an easy lifestyle but someone has to do it.Good Job

 

I'm Calling The Aclu!!!

 

Used to drive a long time back. Got tired of all the BS wtih the DOT, brokers, produce houses, etc. Made a good living but didn't get rich. I always got comfortable when driving but when I got to my destination I changed into more of a business look. Nice shirt tucked in, boots, etc. Try to look and act like a professional. I actually got quite a few backhauls from some places because they liked the way I looked and presented myself. Might start driving again w/the wife as co-pilot so she can see the country. Got dirty and greasy a few times on the side of the road making repairs but always cleaned up as soon as possible. Remember, no matter what you do you only have one chance to make a first impression... make a good one.

 

Driving truck is hours and hours of boredom with moments of sheer terror.

If you are thinking of becomming an OTR driver, be aware that you are married to your job. Your wife (truck) will work you 24/7. No you can't actually work 24/7 (legally) but being 6 states away is still on the job, even if you are sleeping.

Be prepared for things like the 200 mph dispatch. As in in order to get the load from A to B on time you would have to drive 200 mph. Dispatchers don't seem to know how really far it is across this nation and will promise customers anything and then wonder why YOU didn't make it on "their" time schedule.

Be prepared for other unthinking drivers at all times, watch out for that 5th car at all times....you can see front, back, left side, right side and then the 5th car is the one you don't see...the one that creeps up on your right side when you are trying to get around that very sharp corner and he just can't seem to see 4 turn signal lights.

Be prepared to spend hours and hours waiting to get your load, hand load 50,000 lbs of freight, drive for hours and hours to your destination and then find out you have to hand unload with nothing but a dolly.....gee everyone is out on jobs for several hours, or heck we didn't know you were going to be here today and we have no one to help unload.

I've had 25 years over the road as a company driver and owner operator. It can be fun, it can be rewarding, it can scare the living crap out of you and wear you out to the point of collapse.

BUT, if you are a good hand, take care of your job and truck, earn a rep, you will NEVER be out of work. You do need to find that special woman that can take being alone for days on end. Is independant and not afraid of the dark. You will never be able to keep up the "honey do's" in the time you get to be home but hey.....it's job security

Just a few thoughts.

 

I'm very interested in this thread. I'm presently studying civil engineering in college, and I like it. But, sometimes I think that what I would really like to do more than anything is drive a truck OTR.

My biggest concern with choosing that occupation (other than trying to pay back these student loans...) would be how my back would hold up to it. So, truckers, how many of you have back problems that you attribute to your profession?

 

Answer, ALL of them. If you have been in this profession long enough to have driven in the 60', 70's & 80's, when all you had was cabovers with no power steering and spring suspension, then you probably have back troubles.

You could throw out your back just getting from the drivers seat to the sleeper the cabs were so tight.

Even in todays trucks you can only sit so many years before lower back compression will become a problem. That is one of the many reasons I only drive part time now. If I sit more that two hours my lower back and left leg start hurting. Then my left ankle will start to swell slightly. I am not overweight, I have a blood pressure of 115/70, and don't have diabetes or kidney problems, all of which truck drivers are prone to have. My back and fibromialgia have been truck driving undoing.

Driving was fun in the 70's, less so in the 80's, it has turned to crap in the 2000's. It's a shame. Now that the trucks are the nicest, the stress, traffic, time away from home, and government interference are all at their worst.

To beat all, wages have not kept up with the times. I had more spendable income in the 70's than what is being paid now.