Regrets

When I decided to leave trucking and go back home to work at a law firm again, my reasons were valid. In some ways they still are. However, after being home for a few months, talking to drivers that I trust, especially the ones that know me personally, and working in an area of law that bores me to tears, I am wondering if I left too soon. Did I not try hard enough? No, I still don’t like the idea of being away from home a month at a time. Yes, the struggle to find a place to park at night after getting tied up at a shipper or receiver will still be there. Yes, I will still need to learn how to run a truck effectively as solo instead of as team as I was trained. No, I don’t want to drive team. But, I miss driving. The arguments in my head whether to stay where I am or go back to trucking are constant, with the ‘go back to trucking’ side pulling out in front.

I have not made a decision yet about this. I guess I’m just posting to say that final decisions may not always be final.

I'm sure Prime would love to have you back if you decide to go back to driving. The nice thing about trucking is there's so many options for drivers. Roehl for instance has a variety of home time options 7 on 7 off, 14 on 7 off. Etc. Downside is you're not making money sitting at home. I personally wouldn't be able to be out for a month or more at a time at this point.

One "happy medium" that I had for a while was regional . Many of these types of programs have you drive through the week, and you get home on Friday night/Saturday.

Also, if you have the chance to drive "your own hours". If you start your day very early, you can pull in around 3-4pm when you have an empty truck stop parking to pick any spot.

When I decided to leave trucking and go back home to work at a law firm again, my reasons were valid. In some ways they still are. However, after being home for a few months, talking to drivers that I trust, especially the ones that know me personally, and working in an area of law that bores me to tears, I am wondering if I left too soon. Did I not try hard enough? No, I still don’t like the idea of being away from home a month at a time. Yes, the struggle to find a place to park at night after getting tied up at a shipper or receiver will still be there. Yes, I will still need to learn how to run a truck effectively as solo instead of as team as I was trained. No, I don’t want to drive team. But, I miss driving. The arguments in my head whether to stay where I am or go back to trucking are constant, with the ‘go back to trucking’ side pulling out in front.

I have not made a decision yet about this. I guess I’m just posting to say that final decisions may not always be final.

See if Wolding is hiring in your area. They are very good about home time. I just talked to a guy who works Monday-Thursday.

It is definitely worth a call.

tel:800-945-9090

Why are you opposed to team? It seems team driving would have advantages for you, but I understand that not everyone can adapt to team. I certainly couldn’t drive team.

You should definitely be able to find a job where you are home every night and then parking is a non issue.

When I decided to leave trucking and go back home to work at a law firm again, my reasons were valid. In some ways they still are. However, after being home for a few months, talking to drivers that I trust, especially the ones that know me personally, and working in an area of law that bores me to tears, I am wondering if I left too soon. Did I not try hard enough? No, I still don’t like the idea of being away from home a month at a time. Yes, the struggle to find a place to park at night after getting tied up at a shipper or receiver will still be there. Yes, I will still need to learn how to run a truck effectively as solo instead of as team as I was trained. No, I don’t want to drive team. But, I miss driving. The arguments in my head whether to stay where I am or go back to trucking are constant, with the ‘go back to trucking’ side pulling out in front.

I have not made a decision yet about this. I guess I’m just posting to say that final decisions may not always be final.

See if Wolding is hiring in your area. They are very good about home time. I just talked to a guy who works Monday-Thursday.

It is definitely worth a call.

tel:800-945-9090

I just checked. In Charleston WV all they have is OTR which would be 4 weeks on the road. Sorry

Rob, a lot of companies offer 2 weeks out with 2 days home. That’s the same amount of time as Prime’s but it’s split. I don’t see how the split would affect the money part of it. Maybe it does, I dunno.

Errol, I have thought about regional and have been doing some research on it. As for my own hours, I tried leaving super early but seemed to always get tied up at the S/R and that would put me way late in trying to find parking.

Grumpy, I will check them out and see if that is an option for me.

Bruce, when teaming I was never rested. Every time the truck stopped or drove on bad roads I was awake. I don’t think I ever got a ‘good’ sleep.

Thanks guys!

Kim

Just a couple of thoughts. I know exactly how you feel about a job that you don't necessarily like. Most days clock watching is my past time. Its not that I don't want to be busy, I am just not busy enough to keep me mentally challenged. I honestly can't wait for the day I can check out of hear, and check in the hotel for training. If I never have to sit in front of a computer again, I might just be the happiest trucker. I am not sure how long you gave it before you left the road, but if the "safe" job is always available, then second guessing will keep you wondering about driving.

Look at it this way. Why not try again if you really want to, and do a year. Knowing that quitting is not an option. After that year, then start to look for the line haul or dedicated routes etc. I have always said you can do anything for a year. If the family supports you then, you can do it. There is face time, and all those streaming services so we can have face to face time. I know its not the same, but its not forever either.

Best of luck with your decision, I hope you make a decision that makes you happy.

Chris

Hey Kim, Glad you are well. This is a tough decision. I don't know what or who is at home that you miss. If you decide to persue trucking you should mentally prepare to be on the road for that one year minimum. Then you could start looking for local home daily work.

You do need to learn how to manage your truck and find parking. Rainy is an expert at it.

Teaming is not for everyone, I know I couldn't do it. If you don't want to stay with refer, you could try CFI. You don't lose the home time days you build up and can take as many days off as you want. I almost never get stuck at a shipper or receiver and when I do, I can usually stay there. CFI reimburses us for parking. I reserve a lot.

Kim, if you are conflicted, it would probably be wise for you to stick to your legal job until a different path was clear. Otherwise you might get caught in a back and forth career path.

Truck driving takes total commitment if only for safety reasons. You have the luxury of time to explore your options. Until a driving opportunity is found that matches your criteria, stay put where you are and keep searching