What Made You Decide To Become A Driver?

What is the single most important reason that compelled you to take up driving?

What made you do it?

PS - Some people are called by God to become Catholic priests, supposedly. Who or what inspired you to want to command these big steel beasts?

I've had mostly driving jobs the entire time I've been working.

I was at my first job for 12 years. I was the ultimate company man. So much so, that I was at work when my son was born. When I moved to Pennsylvania, the commute to New York was brutal and I couldn't be on call anymore. I needed a set schedule and they weren't too happy about that. The first time I couldn't make it in on a last minute call, they fired me. 12 years and I got a "we'll call you if we need you". I left with driving experience, but no skills that I could take with me.

My next job sucked, but I took what I had to. The bills don't stop. At this job I fell off a ladder and hurt my back. I went to the doctor and my insurance refused to pay because it happened at work. They said put in a workers comp claim so I did. The owner of the company was afraid I would go on light duty and he fired me.

After I got better, I went to work for a FedEx ground contractor. I loved it, but the money wasn't great and there's no future in it. No promotions, no retirement and no benefits. This is where I met some CDL drivers and began looking into it.

I went to work for Amazon because they were willing to pay for training. But I had to be an employee for a year. They kept pushing the marker back by renewing my seasonal status.

This is when I found out about Walmart DC. I was there for about 2 years and I was happy. I would've stood, but I knew what I wanted to do. I decided that if I left Walmart it'd be to follow my new rules.

New rules are I have to work somewhere that gives me a skill I can take with me anywhere and no small companies with an owner sitting in an office worrying more about his bottom line than my safety.

Now, I'm at FedEx. I learned a skill I can take anywhere and they're all about safety.

Sorry about the long winded response.

For one I Love trucks...and I love driving them.

Realized after almost 50 years,.. "The Journey is the Destination".

So George,... tell us a little about yourself...

Why are you here?

What can we do for you?

I started riding with my Dad when I was about 5 years old and continued off and on until I was 16 when he pulled over and told me that I'd been shotgun long enough. So I drove about 100 miles to the pick up point with empty tanker in an R model Mack with tri-plex tranny, missed a few gears, loaded the bulk tanker and scaled then drove another 100 before turning back over to my Dad. I started at his company shortly after washing the tractors on the weekends and driving around the yard. At 20 they gave me a job in state making local deliveries and pick ups. At 21 I made my first road trip from NJ to Nebraska and drove until I retired in 2014. Sure miss them though.

For me its the sound when the club head hits the golf ball and goes PING. I love that sound. Especially in the morning when the 1st group tees off a few hundred yards off my back deck while sipping a freshly brewed coffee!

What is the single most important reason that compelled you to take up driving?

What made you do it?

PS - Some people are called by God to become Catholic priests, supposedly. Who or what inspired you to want to command these big steel beasts?

So George,... tell us a little about yourself...

Why are you here?

What can we do for you?

No need to apologize, Banks. I'm a patient man and love to read.

G-Town, you ask me what is giving me the bug to drive a beast now? Well, sir, no job in the world is a picnic. Work is work: it's not play or fun. But considering (by my own studies) what drivers get paid, $40-80K year depending upon how good they are, whom they work for and how much experience they have, I can't think of any other job in the whole world that pays more money per each and every drop of sweat off one's brow nor requires a bachelor's degree or better and/or a long list of technical certifications. I figure one can make $50K a year stressing over meeting deadlines in an air-conditioned vehicle or sweat in a hot kitchen while flipping McDonald's burgers at minimum wage. Pick your poison!

But here is what impresses me the most- something I found in Brett's Book:

"These bonuses are common at the larger companies. Sure, they HOPE you're gonna be an awesome driver, but more than anything they just desperately need your butt in one of their trucks. Period."

"They desperately need your butt in one of their trucks. PERIOD."

https://www.truckingtruth.com/book/page6

How BADLY do they need my butt in one of their trucks? It sounds like this industry has more opportunity than anything else in the United States of America. I remember when unemployment was so bad (circa 2009) in this country that hundreds of people were lining up for a position as a school janitor somewhere.

There is not much you can do to help me right at this moment, sir, but thanks for asking me just the same. I'll ask later if I should run into trouble understanding something. I just wanted to use this question as a sort of fun introduction post. People have been asking many different types of questions here except "What ultimately made them to decide to get into this line of work?" Most people need a job to make a living. I'm still in the exploring stage right now. Nice to have found this wonderful web site. It seems packed with tons of information.

I'm here because I love to read and learn things.

It's Todd again, obviously

Todd, go back to using your "Donald" login. I'm not going to let you keep signing up under new names and flood the forum with fake identities.

How BADLY do they need my butt in one of their trucks?

Well I don't know. How well has the industry done the past 100+ years without you?

OMG! Go jump off a skyscraper you Waste Of Time Supreme Troll!

Brett, any way for some facial-recognition-hardware in conjunction with our log in process to keep this asshat away forever?