Finally The Time Has Come.....

Retirement or sort of retirement. Retiring from OTR. I have spent the better part of 2 decades driving across America. 18 1/2 years to be exact. I can truly say "Been there and done that". Where to start....This maybe long but I wanted people to know my thought process and perhaps somehow help someone down the line.

We all know that it takes a special kind of person and special kind of mentality to drive a truck and be successful at it. There comes a time,some happens sooner than other, where you must know your limit when you reach it. I have put up with many things through out the years ,as many have, and shrugged most of it off.

You know its not anything really big or that stands out that I can put my finger on and say "Yep that is the straw that broke the camels back". Attitudes are changing within the trucking industry. Drivers mostly and not for the good. Seems to be a lot of "Me me me me" and less of " Us. Common curtsy surprises me now when it happens instead of being a normal thing. Drivers seem to be in their own world now a days or at least on their cell phones while they are driving watching movies and videos. You can't call them out on it cause it seems no one has their radios on now a days.

Not even going to talk about 4 wheeler drivers. Worse than they have ever been and its not improving.

I guess the defining moment for me to know it was time for me to come off the road was a little while back while coming through Indiana I was passing another truck. Well I guess a BMW driver thought I was holding him up on purpose cause when I got back in the right lane he decides he was going to show me and he got in front of me and hit his brakes. We went from 65 mph down to a complete stop in the middle of the interstate.

I locked up my brakes and swerved to the shoulder at the last second and what does he do? Gets in front of me and continues speeding up and brake checking me. Here is the part that made me decide it was time to make a change....You would think I would have an "Oh S$#T" moment and hit my brakes. I didn't. For one splint nano second I thought to myself "What if I did not hit my brakes?" And I almost didn't. I run 2 drive cams in my truck. One in the companies and one is my own private drive cam.

I would have been protected as far as my company and the law is concerned. No one would question me once they saw the drive cam footage. Its not that this incident took place that made me reevaluate my career. It's the fact that I THOUGHT about not hitting my brakes.

To me that is not an acceptable frame of mind to be in. I have well over 1.5 million miles of safe driving in 18 years. I am not out to hurt anyone BUT there was ,if only for a split second, the thought that I wondered "what if".

Maybe it is just getting to a point of being burned out. Maybe. It happens. I just refuse to go past what I consider to be a limit for me.

So onto happier news. While I am retiring ,sort of, from OTR I will still be driving a truck. I am staying with Tyson but changing to a new driving position. I will start doing local driving at one of the Feed Mills near my house servicing Tyson chicken farms delivering chicken food to the farms. Home everyday and only working 5 days a week. Sunday through Thursday with Friday and Saturday off.

Will be a pay cut but will have a better home/work life balance. Besides everything we have is paid for including 2 cars and a motorcycle coming next spring. Going for $1500 a week down to $840 a week but being home everyday and having a regular social life again will be worth it in the end.

You have to do what is best for you. No one will judge you on that. Drives Safe and God Speed

You may find this new endeavor to in fact be a breath of fresh air.

Your posts have been a source of knowledge and inspiration for me over the last year. I'm sure many others can say the same.

Thanks and best of luck in this new journey.

Good luck Guy. I understand exactly "where" you are. It's rare when I don't experience some level of wreckless behavior out here. It's a shame. Driving has become secondary to the myriad of distracting activities that seem to take priorotity in the minivan over common sense and safety.

I drive through Atlanta a few times a week. I get have those thoughts already and I'm 6 months in.

Guyjax, I especially appreciated your comments about the thought you had to not hit your brakes. I know from past experience that that is a dangerous place to be mentally. The fact that you recognized it and didn't act on it speaks volumes about your character.

Glad you found a better position that will get you home more!