Profile For Travis

HA, CT! It sounds like nowadays they're mostly used in food and grocery warehouse/distribution so you're probably safe.

Thank you for the answer, Old School, I understand.

Congratulations, Jim! I think that entitles you to dancing bananas or something, but I'll leave that to the higher-ups.

we write checks but the trucking company pays the bill. Technically ours is a pay advance, then we send in the receipt and are reimbursed. as long as you send in the receipt that pay week, you never see the effecrs.

Thank you, Rainy. Do you mean you're writing a company check, or a personal one?

Good thoughts and advice, Rainy. As always, thank you.

Misty, I say just do it. What have you got to lose?

You’ve already jumped through hoops to get as far as you have, don’t stop now. I mean, first it was a go but then you had to wait to get the CPAP and medication things sorted out. Then you sold your Jeep, gave up your job (!) and spent 2 days on a bus travelling halfway across the country to get to training only to find out two days later NO-GO (oops) but ‘Hey! There’s a bus leaving at 2 AM, if you run you can probably still catch it.’ OK, then. Thanks.

And so here you are a week later and still trying to find a way in, right? You got back on the phone and somehow managed to find a company that said they will still take you, which tells me that you really want to do this thing. Or at least have a chance to try, which I think is about where most of us are at that are just starting out on the journey. As they all say, you really won’t understand what life as a trucker is really like until you experience it for yourself. So do it. For the year commitment, minimum. If you work hard, are smart about it, and just stick with it one week at a time regardless of how bad it may seem in the moment I think the miles and pay thing will work out for you.

Just PLEASE—do not be one of the people that comes back in six months to tell everyone that you switched carriers because C.R. England wasn’t giving you enough miles or being nice, blah blah blah, and now you’ve REALLY backed yourself into a corner! I think it’s pretty clear what all the pros here say about that one, right?

I’ve already read I think at least five or more of those kinds of posts this past week alone and it’s not even Friday yet. That’s at least one a day. And probably by the time this reply posts there will be yet another sad tale of woe and sorrow popping up. I can’t take any more.

Say strong and carry-on. You'll do what's best for you and yours. Everyone’s rooting for you. At least I am.

-T

Rainy, thank you for very much for taking the time to write this article and sharing your experience with us. It was very well written and I found all of your insights and examples really helpful and actually inspiring, as I'm just beginning my journey into truck driving as a new second/mid-life career. I'm pretty excited but also kind of scared to death about it all (and rightly so) so it's good to be able to just lurk in the background and soak-up all of the sage wisdom and advice that everyone here is so willing to share for the benefit of us newbies and potential wannabes.

Thanks again, T