Almost Gave Up On Being A Truck Driver....

A word of encouragement...

For those of you that may be wondering if becoming a Truck Driver was a huge mistake and that Trucking isn’t at all what you thought it would be. I thought that for a long time shortly after beginning my driving career for my “Starter” company. I was hoping feelings would improve as I gained more and more experience and with that gained more and more confidence about my choice to become a Trucker… but it never really got better…..after 6 months I was at the end of my rope, emotionally and mentally.

So, that’s when I almost gave up on a my career in TruckingI……Until I felt what it was like driving a truck for another company. And let me tell you….WOW…What a difference! I finally felt the true freedom of being a Truck Driver which had eluded me in my previous company.. I couldn’t really pinpoint the reason for my dislike for trucking. My Starter company was all I ever known, I had nothing else to compare it too. I just figured Trucking wasn’t for me. Just so disappointing because all my research and intuition told me I would like it…Where did it all go so horribly wrong..?

Well, I now like Trucking and I finally know the reason why I hated it. The issue was in fact many little things that by themselves were tolerable but when you add them all up it was huge.

Here are the changes in my new Trucking job that made all the difference in the world to me..

I no longer have Driver Cameras, inward and outward. Hated the driver facing cam.

I no longer have a Lane Departure Warning system buzzing if I even encroach the dividing line let alone cross it

I no longer have a Collision Avoidance System always beeping if I get remotely close to a vehicle or one moves in front of me.....Stop beeping you stupid thing, Can't you see I'm looking to pass this vehicle and not slam into it.

I no longer have my Speed Governed at a lame 63 mph….Its 71….That in itself is a huge difference to me. I would need to start a whole new topic to describe my euphoria on this one alone.

I no longer will be hauling high weight loads…I no longer need to drive in the “slow vehicle” lane going up hills except when there is moderate or high traffic, then I will move to that lane out of courtesy.

Also, Did I mention that I’m no longer out on the road 5-6 days at a time before being home. I’m home every day now and have weekends off. What a psychological boost this one was to me, personally.. I mean I knew going in to my first trucking company that It would be hard being away from home as much as I was but thought the many "Pros" would outweigh that "Con". I never really got adjusted to that....plus there were too few "Pros" to make up for it..

I can list several more things but at this point I’ll be writing a book rather than just a post. And, naturally, I can go into more pros and cons of the things I did mention but I’ll be deferring from the point of my Post. For example, Some of these safety devices may have their rightful place when you first start out driving but after a month or two they can really be a source of irritation to you.

If I’m coming across as gloating, It’s not my intention at all..I just want to let others know that Trucking can be a whole lot better if you stay the course, put your time in and look for companies or, perhaps, other jobs within your current company that might offer more of what you’re looking for to want to remain a Trucker. You put alot of time, effort and sacrifice to get your CDL. Don't give up hope like I almost did. Those big Starter companies isn’t a complete picture of what it’s like out there. The Micro-Management and the excessive use of too many Safety Devices that constantly beep or flash. It makes you into being just a "Steering Wheel Holder" Where's the Skill? It’s hard to relax and enjoy the trucking experience.

Like I said before my Starter company was all I knew. I hated trucking based on them. I thought it was a fairly accurate account of what its like driving truck. Boy! Was I wrong! Big mistake on my part. I almost quit trucking for good, based only on my experience with them. Do not make the same assumptions as I did, especially if you’re just starting out and feeling discouraged about your choice to be a Trucker Driver...

Hmmm. Wait til you get into your first accident. No proof it wasnt your fault. But glad your happy. Tell how its going in 6 months.

Ruminator, to be honest with you, I'm disappointed in you. Here's why...

There was a time not so long ago when you sang the praises of Roehl mostly because of how patient they were with you, which gave the impression that you really were not catching on very quickly to this whole trucking thing. The way you came across was that they were really giving you some special considerations since you just were not doing very well at it, and then on top of that if my memory serves me well you had already had one company send you home because they didn't think you were really worth the trouble of training. It seems to me that Roehl, your "starter" company as you so demeaningly now refer to them, really took some pains to help you get started, and now you can only complain that they have safety systems in their equipment, which you obviously needed, as you so eloquently showed us by the fact that they are always going off all the time. A proper following distance is the most critical thing that can keep any driver, and especially a new driver like yourself from killing himself or someone else, yet you apparently ignored that most critical of safety measures all the time. In your own words it was "always beeping if I get remotely close to a vehicle."

We are happy that you are happy with your new gig, but not so happy that you now don't have the checks and balances that you so obviously needed. I'll agree with you that the safety devices are not as effective as they should be, but at the same time I have learned that if you are driving in such a way that those things are not going off much at all, then you are usually driving very safely. I wish you well, but hope I don't find myself too close in your proximity on the road.

If you had just stuck with telling us that you didn't enjoy being Over The Road , which is probably about 90% of what you were really struggling with, I would have never jumped in here and made any negative comments on your post, but instead you went out of your way to be critical of a company which took great pains with you to help you make a start, and then you didn't even give them the courtesy of sticking with it for a year. Yeah, I'm more disappointed with you than anything else, but I do wish you well on your new job.

As always, my thoughts mirror Old School's.

After almost 25 years in this industry I've watched a ton of people feel that initial "euphoria" over changing jobs. New truck, new dispatcher , new company, new customers - it's all so new and exciting, right? Well here's a crazy thought for ya. If you talk to the recruiting departments at the "starter companies" as fools refer to the largest and most successful companies in the nation, they'll tell you that one of their top sources of new drivers is actually returning drivers that left because of the euphoria of starting at a new company. That's right - there's a steady stream of drivers at all of the major companies that return after thinking they've found the key to happiness somewhere else.

I mean, think about it:

I no longer have my Speed Governed at a lame 63 mph….Its 71….That in itself is a huge difference to me. I would need to start a whole new topic to describe my euphoria on this one alone.

How long do you think it will be before 71 becomes the new 63 and you're right where you were before? It makes no real difference 99% of the time if you're going 63 or 71. Because getting someone barely on time going 71 almost always could have been done in the 63 mph truck if you planned your time accordingly. But hey, you can pass more people, right? Well that's going to make things a lot more dangerous as you're having to weave in and out of traffic all the time instead of staying in the right lane and relaxing at a safe following distance. So the stress level and your mental stamina are going to be tested as you adjust to the new circumstances.

I no longer have Driver Cameras, inward and outward. Hated the driver facing cam.

That was just in your head. It never did you a bit of harm.

I no longer have a Lane Departure Warning system buzzing if I even encroach the dividing line let alone cross it

Again, just in your head - never hurt you a bit.

I no longer have a Collision Avoidance System always beeping if I get remotely close to a vehicle or one moves in front of me.....Stop beeping you stupid thing, Can't you see I'm looking to pass this vehicle and not slam into it.

Getting redundant, isn't it? Just in your head. That kind of stuff shouldn't bother you.

I no longer need to drive in the “slow vehicle” lane going up hills except when there is moderate or high traffic, then I will move to that lane out of courtesy.

And again, so what?

Really, do any of those things really sound like a problem? Did any of that really matter? It shouldn't have. Getting home regularly is really the only valid problem you solved. You didn't like living on the road. I totally get that. A lot of people don't like it. But to say you're "euphoric" because you're going a few mph faster and your truck won't be beeping? How long do you think that honeymoon is going to last? Come on.

And coming in here criticizing the company that gave you a start to this career and showed you endless patience when you were doing a lousy job is in bad taste my friend. Very bad taste. I wish I could get in touch with Roehl and find out the inside scoop on your time there. I bet there are a whole lot of interesting rookie stories about you that would put your criticisms of them (or anyone for that matter) into a whole new perspective, am I right?

I also wish you the best of luck, of course. We do this because we want to help people enjoy their trucking careers the way we did. But I've watched this "happy dance" play out and soon sour about 1,000 times over the years. No one jumps out of bed with excitement for long because their truck doesn't beep or there's no camera on the dash or they're going 8 mph faster. These are not important differences.

One of the biggest challenges in trucking is controlling your own mind. You can't let unimportant things become important things. You can't let little things bother you in a way that they end up becoming big things. Don't kid yourself into thinking that something little was really hurting you or that something little is suddenly going to become your key to happiness.

I'm forever in debt to my starter company. They provided me with a means to obtain my CDL. They provided me with employment. They provided me with equipment that had all the necessary safety features that a new driver would want. Collision avoidance, lane departure and speed governors. They allowed me to be home weekly for resets. They tried there best to accommodate special hometime request. They provided me with reasonable health care at a reasonable price.

My starter company was Roehl Transport. I'd still be there if they could have got me home every night. I'm in a good situation now with Central Transport. Well respected for my productions as a city p/d driver. But, I will forever recommend Roehl to any new or experienced driver.

Its all about attitude. Good luck in your new position Ruminator.

I kind of had a feeling of the response I was going to get from Old School and Brett and the like....In retrospect is was a mistake to post what i posted. My Post appeared to, perhaps, discourage new people from beginning a career in trucking. I apologize for that, that was not my intention. I was only trying to help people who may have been feeling discouraged/unhappy after a few months to a year in trucking. But now I see I may have caused more harm than good. Roehl is a good starter company. I didn't really say I detested them nor to stay away from them, etc. They were more than patient with me and had a more laid back approach it seemed compared to Schneider. But they are a Starter company and huge one at that. Most of us had to start or will start at these big trucking companies. They are big on "Control" and micromanaging things. I just never expected it to be so much, I suppose. It's a matter of personal opinion, I guess and one's ability to Conform to it all.

The things I listed that I no longer have was simplified, I did not have the time nor the space to go into detail about them all. and yes there are positives about them as well as negatives. Take for example, the lane departure warning system....Number of times I was NOT aware that I was on the line or crossing the line.......Answer...ZERO.....Same thing with collision avoidance system......Never did it alert me and I was not aware of the vehicle in front of me......Like I said by themselves, they are at best tolerable, but when you have several devices going on concurrently, when does it become a distraction or hindrance. If the driver is driving in an agitated or annoyed state of mind..How safe is that.

Anyway, thanks for your well wishes you gave in my new job....and i do recommend Roehl as starter company, believe it or not,

It's I just wished they could take the "Training Wheels off" gradually as you proved yourself worthy.

What i heard was you need new and challenging things every day. You'll probably start getting bored with this job and in six months you'll be finding fault in the company. Are you a flat bedder? If not, maybe you should consider it. If you walk away knowing you can improve on yourself, (looking in the mirror) you'll be one step closer to a happier life. Oh, how youth is wasted on the young.

Take for example, the lane departure warning system....Number of times I was NOT aware that I was on the line or crossing the line.......Answer...ZERO.....Same thing with collision avoidance system......Never did it alert me and I was not aware of the vehicle in front of me......

Maybe I'm confused at the point your trying to get across here. Would you advise me to get rid of my smoke/fire alarm in my house also? I mean it's never gone off for a real fire during my existence on Earth. It's really annoying when the battery drains down and it starts chirping at me in the middle of the night! I mean the chances of my house burning down are slim so does that mean it's serving no real purpose?

Sheesh!

Ruminator, thanks for the post. All I took from it was there are sometimes, better fitting jobs/companies, just don't give up without considering other opportunities. I read nothing more or less into it.