Profile For Red Birds

My husband nearly had the same thing happen to him a while back. He hooked up, swore he felt/heard it lock, did the tug test, etc. etc. , raised landing gear, all was well. Started to pull out, then stopped when he saw one of the guys at the yard running toward him waving frantically for him to stop. Thank god he did -- he got out and saw that his trailer with 45,000 pounds of cargo resting on its CORNER on the very edge of the back of the tractor, literally inches from crashing to the ground. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw that! You better believe he's super careful about making sure his locking jaws are secure now!

A friend of mine and his wife worked for chneider and ran as a team for a couple of years. They made waaaaay more than you mentioned in your post and, with the exception of the occasional delay while being live loaded, their truck was always rolling. My fiancé and his best friend are team drivers with [Company Name Removed] and the company's been very good to them. We have absolutely no complaints with the money or the availability of loads. That hasn't been an issue for us at all.

Reading your post, it sounds to me like there's definitely a problem somewhere, but it's not on Schneider's end...

After high school, I got a job at a sign shop. Spent the next 9 years doing that. I really loved it and would've been happy to continue doing it, but I was about as high as I could get in the company just underneath the owner, managing all production and design, and I was only making $11.00/hour.

So I quit that and started college for mechanical engineering. I've been working part-time as a barista at a coffee shop just to keep me busy and sane between my studies. Three years later, however, I am so burned out and sick of school and the barista job, and I've been questioning if the life of an engineer (lots of traveling and huge, insane amounts of stress) is really what I want. I'm not sure if I really want to deal with the amount of responsibility and commitment that comes with the job.

So I'm considering getting my CDL and going on the road. My fiancé is a lease-op for Schneider and he makes good money and is really enjoying the lifestyle. We have no kids and nothing really anchoring us down, so we're discussing teaming up together. I can't think of many things more awesome than traveling the country with my best friend and getting paid to do it. :)

Side note: Just wanted to add that back when my fiancé was in CDL school, he studied the High Road Training Program here. He aced everything and was days ahead of others in his class. I cannot thank you guys enough for providing such an awesome tool to aspiring drivers. :)

I've actually heard great things about Carolina Cargo. Yes, their pay is very low -- but if you have no other options, low pay is better than no pay. They would be a good opportunity to get your foot in the door. Work with them for 6 months to a year, get some experience and keep a clean driving record, and then you may be able to get on with a better paying carrier.

Fiancé of a trucker here. It's hard. Every day is different. Some days it feels easy; I feel optimistic and upbeat and I can handle it just fine. Other days, however, are harder. We've been together for almost 7 years and he is absolutely my best friend. We have no kids so at least we don't have that factor working against us, but it's hard to go day after day after day without your partner and best friend by your side. Here are a few lessons that I've learned about loving a driver:

1.) Trust him. This is probably the single most important thing I can tell you. You've really got to have a rock-solid relationship built on mutual trust and reinforced with open, honest communication for this to work. Your husband is going to meet a lot of people, and many of them will be women. You need to be OK with this and not constantly be on his case about it or I can promise you it will destroy your marriage. His job is going to be stressful enough without having to deal with constantly being questioned by you about who he's hanging out with/talking to/etc. If you have trust issues, trucking may not be a good fit.

2.) Be patient and don't sweat the small stuff. It will be hard to get ahold of him. He will be working 70+ hours/week and his free time will be limited. If he doesn't answer your call or text you back, don't give him a hard time about it. There will be days when he's exhausted, irritable, and isn't feeling good, and he may not be able to help you deal with things going on at home or be the partner you need him to be. Be supportive and understanding during these times -- not demanding and pushy. Being a trucker's wife will definitely test the limits of your patience, but just remember that you're not the only one. He's struggling with it too.

3.) Learn to handle things yourself. Your hubby won't be able to help you when things break. My water heater broke down recently and I had to deal with having it replaced and installed myself. I've had to learn how to fix a sink and to do my own car maintenance too. It's actually kind of empowering. :)

Also, as a side note, video chatting may be a rare thing -- you have to use wi-fi to video chat, and that gets expensive really fast. Plus wi-fi service is often slow in truck stops. Phone calls and texting will be your primary means of communication, so make sure he has a decent phone. My fiancé and I text a lot of pictures back and forth to each other. If you have smartphones, SnapChat is fun too.

Here's a tip if you want to be the best wife ever: Buy him some nice bedding for his truck bunk. I'm not talking about Walmart's version of nice either. I'm talking *NICE*. I did this for my fiancé and he's told me that every night, when he gets in his bunk, he falls in love with me all over again lol. :) Think of how wonderful it feels to get into a soft, warm, comfortable bed after a stressful, exhausting, 14-hour work day.