Mom Of 3 Under 5

It's a shame that you feel like you have to do this because you don't have security in your marriage. Not a good way to live. I would sit down and discuss this topic with your husband. No one is saying you should depend on him, but it sounds like you're bracing for impact.

I did OTR and now I drive locally so I know both sides. First things first, $17 an hour to drive a Class A truck is terrible pay. I would rather work at a warehouse with predictable days and hours.

I do local and while my start time is the same everyday, the time I get off is not. I could get off as early as 4pm, or as late as 8:30pm. This would create a nightmare for planning with your daycare person.

I would focus on taking care of the kids and supporting the husband as he builds his career. He will eventually make enough to support you all but it won't be in that first year.

I think ultimately the hurdle we need to focus on is what appears to be your lack of confidence with you two staying together. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. And I would use my energy to gain that confidence back somehow so that you don't feel obligated to abandon the kids and seek out additional income "just in case".

I understand where you are coming from. Someone else mentioned driving school buses I didn’t know you had to a cdl for that and that is an option because 2 out of 3 are in school. Also It’s how my mom raised us she isn’t the best person alive and always negative things to say or do and at this point I just really want to provide for children my older 2 father left me in $3000 worth of and I’m a domestic violence survivor as well as child hood abuse survivor I want to give my children the world although my husband is amazing and tries to give us the world I still have a lot that I deal with when it comes to the men in my life. I see why otr cdl isn’t god right and the risks my husband would have if he was to teach me things in his personal or work truck. I will look into more options like driving for the school here or the city. Thank you so all so much!!!!!

It's a shame that you feel like you have to do this because you don't have security in your marriage. Not a good way to live. I would sit down and discuss this topic with your husband. No one is saying you should depend on him, but it sounds like you're bracing for impact.

I did OTR and now I drive locally so I know both sides. First things first, $17 an hour to drive a Class A truck is terrible pay. I would rather work at a warehouse with predictable days and hours.

I do local and while my start time is the same everyday, the time I get off is not. I could get off as early as 4pm, or as late as 8:30pm. This would create a nightmare for planning with your daycare person.

I would focus on taking care of the kids and supporting the husband as he builds his career. He will eventually make enough to support you all but it won't be in that first year.

I think ultimately the hurdle we need to focus on is what appears to be your lack of confidence with you two staying together. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. And I would use my energy to gain that confidence back somehow so that you don't feel obligated to abandon the kids and seek out additional income "just in case".

I understand where you are coming from. Someone else mentioned driving school buses I didn’t know you had to a cdl for that and that is an option because 2 out of 3 are in school. Also It’s how my mom raised us she isn’t the best person alive and always negative things to say or do and at this point I just really want to provide for children my older 2 father left me in $3000 worth of and I’m a domestic violence survivor as well as child hood abuse survivor I want to give my children the world although my husband is amazing and tries to give us the world I still have a lot that I deal with when it comes to the men in my life. I see why otr cdl isn’t god right and the risks my husband would have if he was to teach me things in his personal or work truck. I will look into more options like driving for the school here or the city. Thank you so all so much!!!!!

It's a shame that you feel like you have to do this because you don't have security in your marriage. Not a good way to live. I would sit down and discuss this topic with your husband. No one is saying you should depend on him, but it sounds like you're bracing for impact.

I did OTR and now I drive locally so I know both sides. First things first, $17 an hour to drive a Class A truck is terrible pay. I would rather work at a warehouse with predictable days and hours.

I do local and while my start time is the same everyday, the time I get off is not. I could get off as early as 4pm, or as late as 8:30pm. This would create a nightmare for planning with your daycare person.

I would focus on taking care of the kids and supporting the husband as he builds his career. He will eventually make enough to support you all but it won't be in that first year.

I think ultimately the hurdle we need to focus on is what appears to be your lack of confidence with you two staying together. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. And I would use my energy to gain that confidence back somehow so that you don't feel obligated to abandon the kids and seek out additional income "just in case".

Always BLESSED to hear from Daniel B., Jazmine.....he's .... amazing, for such a young man, starting up RIGHT HERE!

Re: School buses... it's a CDLB with an endorsement (for passengers, of course....) and my Auntie is the BEST in our county, 3 years in a row. They started her out at $20 an hour..... in rural Ohio; she's up from that (of course) now, but... that COULD work... methinks!!!!!

I'd thought about it as well, but my daughter went on to Community College in her Sophomore year, and my son (sadly) has been homeschooled since Covid. Nary often we 'see' a bus, anymore.

Then, there's tour buses and whatnot .. heck, I'd take off with the band .... LoL~!

~ Anne ~

So... I think several truckers on here are being a little shady. These moms arent asking you for parenting advice they're asking if its legal and will any truck company allow it. I really wish you all would stay on topic so the question actually gets answered. You dont have to work 70 hours in 8 days sure you want to make a great living but y'all just assume everyone is going to do it the same way as you. I'm sorry I don't know the exact age restrictions and I'm not a truck driver I want to be but like you I'm a single parent and not sure how to go about it. My child is almost 3 years old atm and she currently works with me everyday stuck in a car for 8 to 10 hours sooooooo I'm not really sure how this would be much different than what we are doing now but dont listen to all these ppl trying to tell you how to raise your child. My child suffers from severe separation anxiety bc of her terrible mom that likes to pop in for a single day every 3 months or so. Bc of this i cant put her in daycare i tried and she would cry all day / not eat at all. There is no one shoe fits all when it comes to raising children. There are programs like abcmouse that teachers rave about saying the students that use this are way ahead of kids who just go to school. So it can be done I just don't know of any companies that allow kids that young. If you find out please let me know bc I know for a fact I could home school my kid and we would both enjoy more time with ea other vs her being in daycare and me working some other job.

It saddens me that people can be so desperate that they have to consider raising kids on a truck. There should be other safety nets for these struggling parents and their young children.

There are so many unpractical aspects to this scenario I couldn’t even begin to list them all.

Some professions are just not realistic for raising a family. Too dangerous and problematic. Want to be an astronaut and take the kids with you because they can’t be separated from you? Just one of many, many examples I can think of.

I admire parents who are 100% dedicated to caring for their children and want to work to support them, but life in a truck trying to raise kids is not good. Look for more realistic alternatives.

So... I think several truckers on here are being a little shady. These moms arent asking you for parenting advice they're asking if its legal and will any truck company allow it. I really wish you all would stay on topic so the question actually gets answered. You dont have to work 70 hours in 8 days sure you want to make a great living but y'all just assume everyone is going to do it the same way as you.

I'm sorry I don't know the exact age restrictions and I'm not a truck driver I want to be but like you I'm a single parent and not sure how to go about it. My child is almost 3 years old atm and she currently works with me everyday stuck in a car for 8 to 10 hours sooooooo I'm not really sure how this would be much different than what we are doing now but dont listen to all these ppl trying to tell you how to raise your child. My child suffers from severe separation anxiety bc of her terrible mom that likes to pop in for a single day every 3 months or so. Bc of this i cant put her in daycare i tried and she would cry all day / not eat at all. There is no one shoe fits all when it comes to raising children. There are programs like abcmouse that teachers rave about saying the students that use this are way ahead of kids who just go to school. So it can be done I just don't know of any companies that allow kids that young. If you find out please let me know bc I know for a fact I could home school my kid and we would both enjoy more time with ea other vs her being in daycare and me working some other job.

Bradley T.

You are not a driver and you have no clue what you are talking about. The lady that posted it is not at all like your circumstance. At the time she had 3 children all under the age of 5. You have one child. She and her husband wanted to team drive. That truck would be capable of moving 22 hours a day.... Not enough time to let the kids get out and run off some energy.

With the exception of Anne, all the rest of us are professional drivers in all facets of the business and different stages of our lives. Most all of us are parents, grandparents and I am a great-grandparent that has been driving 14 years. We do know, as professional drivers, what would be allowed by companies on having passengers and the age of those passengers and aren't being shady in the least. What we gave her was the unvarnished truth of the driving world. Yes there are many variables, but we have come across more than just a few of them. There are many companies that don't allow dogs still or only one and they usually specify a weight that the dog cannot go over and sometimes breeds that aren't allowed.

What you don't realize, is that the insurance companies really govern trucking companies. More of them are putting in driver assisted applications and cameras whether the company wants them or not. They will put them in because it will lower insurance. So if an insurance company tells a trucking company that it can only have one passenger over the age of 14, that will be adhered to. The youngest I have heard is 10 years old but usually it is 12 to 14 and older.

If her husband was a beginner driver, and he got into being a lease operator or even an owner operator , I can tell you that I will make more money as a company driver at 54 cents per mile then they will. Also in the economy that is currently going on, even experienced drivers are giving up their trucks to be company drivers. Freight is slow and pay is down and many will lose their trucks. I know people that are on "Recovery"... they go get parked/abandoned trucks. It's happening far more frequently now.

The op has not been back since she first posted almost 2 years ago, so we don't know what she was able to do in the long run.

Yeah, chiming in from the single mom perspective here. It was difficult enough being a single parent while living in a reasonably secure and predictable location. Having been through the learning experience ver recently getting my CDL (Almost 2 years now) I can 100 percent say that the original poster would not be able to raise three kids in the environment that she initially proposed.

Nor any of the other available options besides maybe being a school bus driver.

This isn't digging at the OP or any other parents contemplating this scenario. It is explaining the harsh realities that this is not just a job. It is an entire lifestyle that is unpredictable at best, and insane at worst.

I am sure you want to do the best you are able for your child, as the OP was considering. This situation isn't conducive to raising children on a truck.

Can it be done with one child? Potentially, with a whole lot more effort and planning, and a VERY willing company. Those are few and far between in this market right now.

Also, IDmtngal is correct. Most insurance companies dictate what can and can't be done.

So... I think several truckers on here are being a little shady. These moms arent asking you for parenting advice they're asking if its legal and will any truck company allow it. I really wish you all would stay on topic so the question actually gets answered. You dont have to work 70 hours in 8 days sure you want to make a great living but y'all just assume everyone is going to do it the same way as you. I'm sorry I don't know the exact age restrictions and I'm not a truck driver I want to be but like you I'm a single parent and not sure how to go about it. My child is almost 3 years old atm and she currently works with me everyday stuck in a car for 8 to 10 hours sooooooo I'm not really sure how this would be much different than what we are doing now but dont listen to all these ppl trying to tell you how to raise your child. My child suffers from severe separation anxiety bc of her terrible mom that likes to pop in for a single day every 3 months or so. Bc of this i cant put her in daycare i tried and she would cry all day / not eat at all. There is no one shoe fits all when it comes to raising children. There are programs like abcmouse that teachers rave about saying the students that use this are way ahead of kids who just go to school. So it can be done I just don't know of any companies that allow kids that young. If you find out please let me know bc I know for a fact I could home school my kid and we would both enjoy more time with ea other vs her being in daycare and me working some other job.

So, you have no driving experience as a truck driver, let alone an OTR truck driver, but you are going to try to comment on what can and can't be done on a truck being driven for team OTR. Not only are many of the experienced drivers who commented on this thread parents themselves, they have years of experience. They are qualified to speak on what can and can't be reasonably done while working as a truck driver. They can speak on being parents while working as a truck driver. You can't speak on either one of these. Your place is not correcting professionals in any capacity pertaining to their profession, unless that profession is your own. Stay in your lane because you went well outside of it.

Bradley to me it sounds like you're trying to use this thread to justify your choice to bring your daughter with you to work. Trucking is far from any job you've ever done before. There are many places around the country that have no facilities or safe places to pull over to even get out and stretch your legs. It isn't like someone doing Doordash is similar jobs that you can get out frequently and restrooms are very accessible. Starting out you're expected to run any load you're assigned, make the appointments which may mean flipping from days to night regularly. Some loads are scheduled super tight that you're expected to run your 11/14 clock out, and get started again immediately as soon as you're off 10 hours. Other loads have a ton of extra time you can take your time getting there. In your instance how would you handle potty breaks and showers? Can't leave your daughter alone in the truck, and you need your privacy while showering. The company is investing easily over $150,000 on that equipment. They expect it to be utilized to the full potential. Once you get some experience and stand out as a top driver you'll have more control over what your hours look like. Trucking frequently makes the list of most dangerous jobs. Is it really worth endangering your child's well being? Also where is the kid going to exercise? I definitely wouldn't trust the parking lot or the grass at truck stops or rest areas. Some states (Minnesota for example) have very small playgrounds at some of their rest areas but they're few and far between.

Although you didn't ask for my opinion I'm still going to say it. As a father of 3 young children, i feel you're doing your daughter a huge disservice. She's missing out on just being a child. Being cooped up for 8 or more hours is NOT healthy for a child. Most kids have separation anxiety initially. They get over it. Some kids take longer than others. My nephew was really bad with separation anxiety. What worked for my sister is gradually extending the amount of time they were apart. What you DON'T do is give in to their crying. Have you reached out to her pediatrician to help with this?

But....you do what you see best. Just know the longer you take to remedy the issue the more difficult it will become. We're fortunate enough my wife has been able to be a stay at home mom for the past 8 years, though the lack of socialization with kids their own age has negatively impacted them in some ways. First day of kindergarten my oldest son actually ran away from the school to come to us as we walked away. We took him back over there, and left again. The principal held his hand, and gave him one of those sensory toys to distract him. He cried for the first hour or so. After that he was fine, it continued that way (minus the running away) for the first week, each day less crying. Parenting isn't easy, ultimately it's up to you to do what you see best.

I didnt have time to really read too much into it, but found this blog about Trucking with toddlers. It may be worth looking into just to see what their experience has been.

Also, that website above lists requirements but it's still best to confirm with your recruiter.