A Few Questions And A Short Story :)

Hello, some of you know me as Daniels wife some of you do not, well I am Daniels wife Olga. Daniel has been driving for about a year and a couple months. When he just signed up to trucking I wasn't happy I didn't want him to go. But, as a wife I was being supportive and just stood beside him. I used to work at lowes but when Daniel was passing through Sac going to LA I took a week off and went with him, I liked it so much I quit my job and drove with him for about 3 months. I LOVED IT!!!! The nature the surrounding, the truckers not so much. Daniel and I were walking at a truck stop holding hands and they were still honking at us. Gross. Living with Daniel in a small closet space wasn't easy and I got bored a lot, we sometimes fought for the stupidest stuff, the food wasn't great (didn't have the right cooking pots and stuff.). When I got back after the 3 month adventure I got a job at Walgreen's (where I currently work) But now I want to go back with Daniel I miss driving side by side with him and seeing him more often he misses me and asks me everyday if I can go with him. I am scared to go though, I want to go to trucking but the trucks scare me So, my questions

1) From a ladies point of you is it harder operating a truck?

2) Ladies if you drive with your husband what do you do to pass the time? (Besides bug your husband and read)

3) I'm afraid of something that big, what can you tell me to make me feel more confident?

I think those are all the questions I have for now I think I will come up with more in a short time.

Just to add, Daniel said that if I ever feel nervous about doing anything that he will gladly do it for me. He says he will backup wherever we need to and if it's too hard then only he will do it until I get some experience. He's also becoming a trainer soon and I want him to train me. I feel too vulnerable with a stranger. So if there's anything too hard for me he will do it for me. He assures me that things have changed since last time I was with him. He says he didn't know what he was doing back then but he does now so it'll be less stressful. When we team (if) then we won't be running super hard every week. We want to enjoy the time and not drive as hard as we can. I know he can drive hard and does 8 hours nonstop without a problem but I don't think I will be able to do that. So things will be much easier for me with him around.

Oh and by the way, Daniel, you're not allowed in this thread. I need to hear from others.

Yay you finally posted. I won't say a word. Let's hear what the others have to say.

Well...theres a few problems...but hopefully we can work around those... Daniel may be able to train you..but when your training is done, someone else will test you to make sure that you can do what they want their drivers to do...like backing, etc. So you WILL have to learn it...and well. And when you run team, they put you two on TEAM LOADS...which arr meant to get there alot faster. Driving 8 hours is a breze...they will expect you to keep that truck rolling atleast 20-22 hours a day....thats why the put a team in a truck. TSB and i ran when we wanted, and hauled when and what we wanted..but we owned the truck...big difference..and if I had it to do all over again...I would not have bought that first truck, or the 2nd, or the 3rd, or the 4th...etc. SO don't even get that idea....

Theres alot of wives out there that ride with their husbands...they do the paperwork, keep the truck clean, cook, and basically be gypsy wives....So if you don't want to drive, you can just be there for him....

But you have alot of time to figure this all out... SO go ride with him...get a feel for the truck, and the road....and enjoy that adventure before you decide on the next one.....

I loved driving with his before. But im scared if handling somthing that big. Daniel berelly trusts me with his "four wheeler". When hes home he shows me how to change gears and let's me drive in a lower gear for a little in the Walmart parking lot. But I'm still scared, what if u crash it or what if somthing bad happens. I know it's common concerns in only 21 and I am terrified of the trucks.

The more you ride with him, the more it will take away the fear. For the first 6 months that I was driving OTR , I was terrified !!! And I had driven truck intrastate for alot of years.....Its just getting used to the newness of the whole thing. The more you settle in, the more confidence you will gain....

Olga! That is my mother's name. Glad to see you posting here, Daniel sure talks about you a lot... lol. All good things, you are both lucky to have each other.

Star is right, it's just about practice and gaining confidence. I grew up in Brooklyn and never drove a car until I was 22 I think. I am 26 now and I drive this monster 80,000 lb. 6 story building at 65 mph down the highway, into NYC, up and down mountains, and anywhere else they tell me to go!

I started trucking like 9 months ago and I started with Haz-Mat liquid tankers. I figured I'd go for the most difficult thing I could and if I could do that then I could do any other type of driving. The first few weeks I was out solo I was scared. But you learn to get use to it, you learn what works and what doesn't, it all comes very quickly, a lot quicker than you think. Plus you will have the benefit of having someone who cares about you helping you learn.

Team driving can boost your family's earning significantly, so that would be a motivator for you as well.

Good luck.

Hey Olga!

As far as a woman handling the truck - no, there is nothing about handling a rig that should be a problem for a woman. Rarely ever (outside of flatbed) do you have to do any sort of heavy lifting of anything. Once in a while you might have to get out a hammer to beat on a bent door hinge or a frozen tandem locking pin. Or you might have to help set some pallets in place while the forklifts unload the freight onto the pallets you're setting in place for them. Things like that. But there isn't anything I can think of about handling the rig or doing the day to day routine a driver goes through that a woman can't handle just fine.

Now as far as passing the time while Daniel is driving - that isn't going to be a concern if you're running team because you're going to be plenty exhausted and ready to pass out when your shift is finished and his begins. So you'll be sleeping through most of his shifts, as he will through most of yours once your initial training period is complete.

As far as being afraid of driving a vehicle that big, as you've seen from the answers above pretty much everyone falls into that category. I mean, how can you not be a little concerned at least, right? It's an incredible responsibility. But it's definitely something you can get used to. Handling any vehicle - from a bicycle to a train - there's a learning curve. You have to learn how to maneuver that thing. You have to learn what it can do and what it can't do. But once you've got it, you've got it. Once you've figured out how to back up in tight places and maneuver around parking lots and such it really starts to feel quite similar to driving a car. Your eyes adjust to seeing things in relation to the bigger truck instead of the smaller car. You learn to scan an area and know if it's big enough to turn around in. You'll learn to scan the docks and come up with a strategy for getting backed in. You'll see the layout of a truck stop parking lot and know where your best chances are of entering cleanly and finding a spot quickly. Things like that.

For a couple of years at one time I owned a tree service and I was the climber. I had to climb around as much as 80+ feet up in trees, hanging from ropes, using a chainsaw to cut off limbs and lower them down with a system of ropes and pulleys. Well when I first started climbing it was absolutely terrifying. I would get 10 feet up and my knees would start shaking so bad that my spikes would wiggle loose from the tree sometimes. I had to start "low and slow" as they say and over time just slowly work my way up to where I could handle the big jobs. But let me tell you, it would brutal. Those first few months were almost non-stop terror. But then it really started to take shape and I got the feel for it. The heights didn't bother me in the least. I would spend all day 60-80 feet up in the air telling jokes, singing, and having a good time. I even took short naps a few times up there just cuz I could. To be honest, I knew I could learn to handle the climbing and I figured I would get used to the heights but I didn't think it would ever seem as easy as it became after a while.

So with anything, if you can fight through the hard part, stay focused, keep learning, and keep moving ahead you can accomplish way more than you might think. Driving truck would become no more difficult after a while than driving a car is now.

I think ultimately the decision to become a driver or not is going to rest on whether or not you think the lifestyle suits you and Daniel well. If you guys enjoy travelling together and like the lifestyle of running team out there I think you'll be glad you got into it. I wouldn't worry about learning to drive the rig. Almost anyone can drive a rig given enough time and the proper training - both of which you'll have. But no matter how well you can drive, if you don't enjoy the lifestyle out there it isn't something you're going to want to do for long.

On the other hand, why not give it a shot? Even if you only did it for a 6-12 months you would still have memories that lasted a lifetime and you and Daniel would be able to make some great money together for a while. Maybe trucking isn't the ultimate final career you'd like to have but it may be a great stepping stone to something else down the line. You guys could make $100k+ running team together. Do that for a while - maybe a few years - and then at that point one or both of you might be ready to take the money you've saved up and move on to a new adventure.

But taking a shot at trucking is a pretty low-risk proposition from a career standpoint. You can give it a shot, stay as long as you like, and walk away anytime you want to - no big deal.

Hey Olga, It's so nice to have you in here! Daniel is one of the the best friends I've ever had without actually meeting them. I know he will catch up with me one of these days, and then we will actually get to say we've met each other. But in the mean time we have enjoyed poking fun at each other and joking around.

You know, I think us guys that are happily married all wish our wives could be with us. I mean, I enjoy this lifestyle immensely, but it is a terrible loss spending so much time away from the woman I treasure more than anything in this world. I'm on some home-time this weekend and my wife told me she was planning on taking a couple of weeks vacation from her job and riding with me during that time. Man I was thrilled, I had no idea that she was planning that. I think you guys could really enjoy doing this together.

You mentioned fighting over stupid things when you were together, I think it would be totally different if you were running as a team, as was already mentioned each of you will be tired when it's your turn to go off duty and your time together in that limited space is significantly reduced by your sleeping schedules. So you will probably only be spending about four hours together actually each day which is very similar to people's lives who both work and see each other in the evenings before they go to bed.

Daniel is going to have to get past thinking he can help you do the things that you are not comfortable with because there will be times when he needs to be sleeping while you are backing into a tight spot, but that will come with time just like your confidence will build with time and exposure to all the different things about maneuvering a big truck around.

Olga, we had a girl at my truck driving school who was having trouble with her confidence, in fact when it was about to be her turn to drive I could see big drops of sweat beading up on her forehead, and I'm sure that inside she was completely terrified. But after they sent some extra time with her and got her the exposure she needed to familiarize herself more with how it all comes together she eventually got that license and did a pretty decent job on her final driving test. It just took her some time to get accustomed to it all. With Daniel right there beside you, and all of your new Trucking Truth friends supporting you from the sidelines I have every confidence that you can not only do this, but that you can do it with confidence. Go for it girl!

I'm kind of hoping now that I will get to meet you at the same time I actually get to meet Daniel. Now I've got to really work hard at avoiding him until you get on board!

Old School...you forget !!! you owe Daniel DINNER !!!!! If Olga is with him, then you are honor bound to buy her dinner also.....And if Daniel eats like most truck drivers......I hope you can find a all you can eat for one price buffet for him. Olga, of course, can order anything she wants .

I had a young lady start the CDL process but some of the guys in class were let's say unkind to her. I was like wtheck. I am an older gentleman who see all people as equals. Money fame or broke we are all the same. So the 3rd day of class I decided to sit beside her to see if the man vent would come to me. I am the kind of person where my back needs to be against the wall and i need to be able to see everything. Well I took myself out of my comfort zone to see if I could help ease the stress of this young lady. I didnt like the feeling of being in the middle with some1 behind me but did it Just Cause. Well day 4 come's and she was still there. We held conversation and I told her if she needed help I was there. Gave her my personal number and my home number. Told the wife I did it and if she calls if I am unable to answer to come get me. Day 5 was a bad day for her in the sense the hater's started again on her. I did step up to defend but to noavail I only stopped 1 of them. I know him outside of class so I told him class is class but life is what happens outside those doors. The day to get out permit at DOT. She didnt show. No call from her I was worried. I was so angery I was praying all the guys failed their test so they would be back of the class and I would move forward. I passed and so did they. I was so mad I voiced my thoughts to them all back in the class and I wasnt talking very clean. Well got a call from the young lady so told me thank you for being nice to me but I decided to go to a school that had a higher rate of women in class and in truck. I was crushed. Please if you have to go through a place don't let the hater's discourage you.

Now on a personal note. I am in the process of moving from one state to another put a few pre hires on hold and i miss the shifting and being the biggest on the road of many 4 wheelers. I was wondering how someone comes up with a CB handle?. Not as important as my move but was just tring to get that figured out.

God Bless And Be Safe All