Home Sweet (bitter Sweet) Home

It's December 22nd - I've been here at home since the 8th of this month. I've had to take some time off for a couple of eye surgeries. Glaucoma runs heavily in my genetic pool, and the continuing development of cataracts in both my eyes has exacerbated some vision issues I'm having, causing me to undergo the surgeries so that I can maintain good ocular health. Tentatively I'm set to return to work January 3rd.

Here I am sitting at home in my "easy chair," doing my best impersonation of the "Dread Pirate Roberts."

One of the strangest things about being a successful truck driver is the passion I have for the job. I love being on the road. I'm a man of action, and I thrive in the challenging environment that over the road trucking provides. I'm going to be honest with you guys and gals: I love being here with my wife, and I'm really going to enjoy having my three daughters and their husbands gathered around our table over the holidays, but... I'm longing to be moving! I really miss the lifestyle that has helped me provide so wonderfully well for my family. They get to enjoy the money it provides, I get to enjoy the lifestyle it provides. Trucking has been a "Win Win" situation/career for me.

I got into trucking after closing my longtime business down. "Retirement" seems like a prison to me. Trucking gives me the freedom to continue working as long as I like, and it provides the challenges I crave, while providing a nice income all at the same time. I love it!

Being a trucker requires some give and take from each of us. It is a balancing act for the entire family. Husbands miss their wives as acutely as the wives miss their men. Children look forward to the return of their parent who is on the road, as much as the parent longs to get home to see them. It is a demanding lifestyle, and not a particularly easy one for a family to undertake. For me the rewards have been there consistently. I do everything in my power to make sure it works for us, and I find my employer recognizes that I give them 110% while out here on the road. Because of that, they allow me a few privileges that might not necessarily line up with "company policy." I'll have my rig parked here at home with me for almost a month. They told me to just let them know when I was ready to roll.

The doctor told me yesterday that I could get back at it January 3rd. I can't wait! I'm ready now! Until then I'll keep enjoying my lengthy stay here with the people I love, the people who've allowed me to live this wonderful nomadic lifestyle. It's gonna be just as tough to leave them as it was to pull off the road for this extended stay at home. Trucking is a conflict of emotion at times. If you're an over the road truck driver you'll completely understand what I'm saying. If you're just thinking of becoming a truck driver, pay heed to the conflict I'm describing. It takes balance. It takes determination. It takes Commitment.

I Hope your recovery goes as well as planned. I'm glad you're getting your issues taken care of before it gets worse and jeopardizes anyones safety on the road. The upside is you get to enjoy this holiday season at home with those you love.

Best wishes on a quick recovery and return to the road.

Old School: I'm wishing you a speedy recovery and a merry Christmas, Hanukkah, (or whatever, hehe). Let me take this opportunity to thank you for sharing all your knowledge and experience with us newbies on TT. I've learned so much from your posts and your co-moderators. You have a handsome family, you must have robbed the cradle! I'm sure that if ever you couldn't drive, you would be a highly sought after instructor at any training institution. Keep on trucking, keep on posting and you could ride with me any day. What a thrill that would be for me!

Hey man, here's to a speedy recovery. I'll be home at the end of January, for a couple of days to take my wife to her second caterac surgery.

Hey Old School, here’s to a speedy recovery my friend (as I raise a steaming cup of #2 Java)

Terrific and moving post. In about a year l’ll likely have the same procedure on my left eye. Not quite “ripe”.

Seasons Greetings and enjoy your family.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, and wishing you and your family happy holidays. This was a really good read and touched my heart. You definitely are an inspiration to us all (along with all the other vets of the road on here).

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. And, Merry Christmas.

Man, that's a huge bummer about needing surgery. Sure hope everything turns out great. It's nice you get to spend a bunch of time with the family at the holidays. That's awesome. You'll seriously appreciate being back on the road when the time comes.

I'm a man of action, and I thrive in the challenging environment

I think that is a key component for any OTR driver. Now if someone is the type that loves a routine and prefers being home every day then there are perfect trucking jobs for them also. That's one of the beauties of trucking - there really is something for everyone, assuming they have the other qualities it takes to drive a rig safely and efficiently.

But if you're going to thrive as an OTR driver you have to be super ambitious and adventurous. You have to love the complexity, the tough schedules, a super dynamic environment, and the endless stream of challenges you face every single day out there.

I've always been an adventurer. I've pursued adventure and challenge above all else my entire life. Running this website over the years I've always been rather dismayed at how few people seem to have that type of personality. I can't imagine getting started in OTR trucking if adventure isn't high on your list of priorities.

That's why you can usually tell from the first few sentences of their introduction whether or not someone is going to get anywhere in this industry. If they're not excited by the prospects of travelling the country in a big ol' American Big Rig then they're probably not going to be there for very long. It's a super demanding job and lifestyle, but it's also incredibly rewarding if you're the right type for the job.

I was always bored out of my mind anytime I came off the road to visit people who lived "normal lives." A week on the road is busier and more exciting than any two month period for most people. I felt like life moved in slow motion when I wasn't in the truck.

Old School:

Wishing you a speedy recovery so you can get back doing what you love.