Becoming A Truck Driver Part 5:
Will I Enjoy Life On The Road?

If you’ve never been a truck driver and never really had the chance to talk extensively with someone who is, it’s nearly impossible to guess as to whether or not you would enjoy the lifestyle of being on the road. What are the hours like? What about driving through bad weather? Is the food any good at truck stops? Am I going to meet a lot of interesting people? What will I do for entertainment? There are a ton of questions and the answers are often hard to come by if you don’t know any truckers. Let’s talk about a few aspects of life on the road.

Lets start with the hours. What kind of hours will I be putting in? What about the DOT rules that limit a driver’s time behind the wheel? Well, I’m not going to go deep into the DOT right now. Thats for another day. But I will say that you will likely be getting paid by the mile. So the more you work, the more you make. So if you’re looking to make as much as you can while you’re out there, expect to be putting in very long days - a lot of em. The hours are erratic too. Sometimes you will deliver in the middle of the night, sometimes in the middle of the afternoon. Sometimes you will get loaded much later than you expected and you’ll have to drive most of the night through to deliver on time. And of course when it’s finally time to go home - you’re not stopping unless you’re so tired you cant remember who you are - but that’s rare when heading home. The energy and excitement of knowing you’re finally going home will keep you going day and night - believe me it will. So if you want to make good money and have your company be pleased with your performance, excpect a lot of very long days and erratic hours. This is no nine to five job. But I liked that aspect of driving. I liked that everyday was different and unpredictable. That kept it interesting and challenging for me.

As far a driving through bad weather goes you always have an out - your company will never say anything to you if you tell them it’s not safe to drive right now and you’re shutting it down. Safety is first for everyone in trucking. It must always be. As you become a better driver over the years you will find that you are shutting down for bad weather less often. After a number of years I found that I rarely ever stopped for bad weather. Computers make it easy to keep up with the weather and either drive around a storm or get your driving in before it arrives so that when it hits you’re safely parked and ready to eat and hit the sack. So as a new driver, dont be concerned at all about what you’ll be faced with on bad weather days - if you aren’t comfortable driving, dont drive. Simple as that. You have your life, the lives of motorists around you, and your career to think about. Dont jeapordize any of it trying to push through bad weather - especially heavy snow and ice. You cant expect to shut it down in the rain, unless its a hurricane, but the snow will depend on your experience and comfort level.

What about the food? Believe it or not, truck stop food is almost always excellent food. They know drivers love to eat and because of the CB radio word travels fast. A restaurant will get a reputation quickly and will do great if the food is great, terrible if it’s terrible. So generally you will be very happy with the food. And unlike restaurants you’ll usually eat at around home, the big chains have the best food. Sometimes you’ll find a small family-owned truckstop with good food, but often the small places aren’t as good.

Finally, entertainment. Parking is the biggest problem when it comes to having fun. Going to the movies, the mall, sporting events, and bars is all in the realm of possiblities if you can figure out a safe, legal place to park the rig nearby. Taking a cab from a nearby truckstop is generally the best way to do it. Often times you can find places to park within walking distance if you get on the CB and ask the local drivers that know the area well. They can often clue you in. If you’re staying out on the road over the weekend you will generally have a ton of free time to have some fun. So in general, life on the road is a lot of fun if you’re the adventurous type. The hours are long, the weather is tricky, and you’re away from home a lot but it’s always interesting, challenging, and full of possiblities. If you prefer the safe environment of steady hours and a simple job, you wont like trucking. If you’re hearty, full of adventure, and looking for a life thats fun and challenging - trucking may be just perfect for you. How do I know if trucking is for me? For somebody considering a career in the trucking industry, this is the million dollar question. I mean, how many people have ever experienced being a truck driver? Pretty much nobody. So how are you supposed to know if trucking is for you?

To say “try it and see” isn’t realistic. You need schooling. I’ve heard “ride with a driver for a week and see if you like it.” Oh, OK, let me reach into my pocket here and pull out that truck driver I have so I can cruise around with him for a while. Seriously, most of us do not know any truckers that will take us cruising around the country. So how do you find out if it’s for you?

The best way is to talk to someone who has done it for a long time. Like me. Almost 15 years and about 1.5 million miles. I absolutely love driving truck. Love it. In looking back, I believe there are two main reasons I’ve loved it so much - because if fits my personality, and because it fits my lifestyle.

I’m going to tell you one thing right away - if you want to be successful and make really good money driving truck, it is not an easy job. The hours are very long, it takes a lot of self-discipline, and you spend the vast majority of your time alone. None of those sound too appealing to most people, and I would dare say that trucking is not for most people.

I have always been an independent, hard-working, adventurous guy. I don’t like people looking over my shoulder, I don’t like routines, and I love a challenge. I wanted to really see this country, and really know what it was all about. And I don’t mean know it from television - I wanted to really know from experiencing it - meeting the people and seeing the places myself. And what a grand adventure truck driving is!

It’s not uncommon to be in five different states in a day! It’s not uncommon to speak with hundreds of new people in one day. I’ve left Los Angeles in the middle of the afternoon when it was 72 degrees out only to find myself way up in the mountains of Utah late that night and the temperature was 15 degrees below zero! I’ve seen most of the famous sites in our country and a million of em that nobody has ever heard of. I’ve experienced countless numbers of priceless moments like watching the sunset over the mountains of Wyoming as the elk graze on the high plain. Or the sun rising over the ocean on a humid, salty-aired morning heading south along the coast of Florida as the gulls circle overhead. Moments that were priceless to me because I knew how many people were never going to see so many of the things I’ve gotten to see, nor enjoy their lives day to day and moment to moment the way I’ve gotten to enjoy mine. But see, that’s just me.

When you are on the road, you’re pretty much on your own. I mean, sure you can call someone with a tow-truck when you break down. And sure you can stroll into a truckstop for a meal and a conversation when you’re wanting one. But when you’re lying down to catch a few hours of sleep at night and you’re alone somewhere in the middle of the Nevada desert, there isn’t anyone to encourage you that tomorrow will be a better day. There isn’t anyone to comfort you if you’re feeling a bit down. And three hours later when it’s time to get up and it’s still as dark as it was when you went to sleep, there isn’t really anyone around that cares. And I didn’t mind that a bit.

I’ve loved the adventure, I’ve loved not having a boss looking over my shoulder, and I’ve loved the tranquility of my home on the road. I’ve gotten to know this country from one end to the other, I’ve gotten to know myself inside and out, and I would say there are no greater blessings on Earth than to have accomplished those two things…..but ya see, that’s just me.

There are a ton of questions in the mind of anyone considering becoming a truck driver. Questions that won’t be on any tests at any schools - and won’t be discussed by the recruiters at any of the trucking companies. Questions that can only be answered by each individual for themselves. But the problem is that most people have no information to use for making their decision. There are tons of things that one must know about life on the road if he or she is going to make the right decision - things you may not even consider if you had never been out there. So how can you find out?

Keep reading through the articles on our site, keep reading my blogs, and if you're really seriously considering becoming a truck driver I highly suggest you read my book "Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Trucking" and get 15 years of experience to guide you through it.

Until next time - here's more resources for ya: