What Did You Do Before Becoming A Truck Driver?

Some people were chiming in on Laura T.'s "I hate Nursing" topic about what they did before they became interested in trucking. I put the question in the title for others to tell what they did "before".

I taught middle school math and science for eleven years. Finally I "had it" with both student attitude and administration pressure to get my students to pass the annual testing.

Also, rookie truckers make just about as much as rookie teachers do, without all that college!

So, what did you do in your "previous life"?

Want to talk about a diverse group. I just extracted the first forty replies, prior jobs, and here it what I got ::

1. Teacher math & science 2. puchasing and logistics manager food & beverage cost controller 3. IT software programmer and developer 4. warehouse jockie 5. Underground utility expert Owned skateboard company Genetic Genealogy 6. Appliance repair business owner 7. Telephone communication systems expert 8. Auto restoration, custom body and paint 9. Sam's club warehouse worker 10. Warehouse jockie Motorcycle mechanic 11. programmed CNC machines in a furniture factory 12. House framer thde owner of framer company 13. assistant gas coordinator for a large steel maker 14. 11th year of working overnights at CVS 15. Corrections officer Police officer for 16 years 16. management during the 90's then worked for the government until 2010. 17. U.S. Army I worked as a truck tire mechanic A butcher for about 18 years. Environmental services supervisor at the VA hospital Then a retail store manager. For the past 5 years, I was an H.R. manager 19. Assembler commercial and industrial fans 20. Air Force then transfer to Navy and did 20 years 21. Franchise owner of a computer business 22. Correctional officer, then temp jobs 23. US Army mail clerk taught history in public high school for 20 years 24. Stint in the Navy criminal justice, sales career real estate 25. got my BS, I majored in Business worked the graveyard shift at a private drug rehab center out-of-state delivery driver for a pet food distribution company 26. Navy 34 years doing consulting/sales/service for the Law Office market. 27. Fast food manager Joined the USAF in1973 and spent 20 years as an intel analyst seven years with a hospice software company 28. Vice President of a company that specialized in the precious metal industry 29. 7 years, Worker in chrome plant 7 years trash truck mechanic 5 years Ford dealer worked small auto and forklift repair 30. US Air Force right out of high school, 7 years as AF Cop Lawenforcement officer 27 years 31. I've been a farrier since 09, (horses)? 32. Manager for Home Depot for 8 years, My own handyman business for 16 years 33. teacher 34. special forces out of school came back from Nam 35. 25 year police officer 36. collision repair and refinishing Car dealership parts. I was there for five years. 37. Recording engineer in Nashville for 25 years 38. Firefighter for 30 years 39. traveling musician playing around the country, 40. Land surveyor and technician 14 years for Ace Hardware Corp 28 years I worked full/part time as a radio announcer

We truckers can do anything and everything we set our minds to. So be damn proud to be part of such a diverse Brother/Sister Hood!! And when you pass another trucker on the road, RECOGNIZE!!!! JUST A THOUGHT.

Some people were chiming in on Laura T.'s "I hate Nursing" topic about what they did before they became interested in trucking. I put the question in the title for others to tell what they did "before".

I taught middle school math and science for eleven years. Finally I "had it" with both student attitude and administration pressure to get my students to pass the annual testing.

Also, rookie truckers make just about as much as rookie teachers do, without all that college!

So, what did you do in your "previous life"?

Errol,

Very cool! I taught Middle School and High School math and science (Chemistry, Geology, Thermal physics, and general science for 8 years. I left because of the total crap teachers have to go through/put up with for little pay. And, rookie drivers make a bit MORE than rookie teachers, yet teachers have the future of the world to teach. SO stressful.

Bill, I lasted 11 years before I "popped".

(Side note: at the end of the movie Inside Out you see, for a few seconds, how a teacher's brain operates. Spot on!)

My view of high school science teachers has been forever altered after watching Breaking Bad!

My view of high school science teachers has been forever altered after watching Breaking Bad!

That is what my students said! I taught them how to make fireworks, brew beer and lots of stuff.

Well my first job rolling small square hay bales on edge so they could be picked up with a farm hand, lots of rattlers I do remember. As life progressed I worked as a box boy, worked as a pipe straightner, as I got into my later teens I worked on a ranch for a few years. I finally got into trucking and later on became a owner operator , hauling cattle, hay, and grains. Jumping foreward I went to college and become a drug and alcohol counselor.I did that for 8 years and got burned out on it so I went back to trucking. Now after a couple years being on disability,I am getting the back to work key and getting off disability and my last job will be a professional truck driver.

I have really enjoyed reading this thread. Thanks for starting it Errol.

Okay, here goes:

I joined the Air Force right out of high school. I was a telecommunications center supervisor (Cobra Ball, Burning Star anyone? KG-13?) Got out of the Air Force after 5.5 years. (Followed by about 12 years in the AF Reserves). Went to Bible College in Missouri and got my B.A. Worked as a bi-vocational pastor for about 4 years while earning my living doing sign painting and then IT. After bi-vocational pastoring for about four years, I pastored a church full time in Wisconsin for seven years. For six of those years I also ran a martial arts club in the church basement (LOL - that was upsetting to some of the elders -- I told them it was a method of outreach to the youth of the area, which it was). After pastoring full time for seven years, I got burned out and ended up taking a job as the national chairman of publications (and network administrator) for the American Taekwondo Association in Little Rock for a couple of years.

After that I went back to Wisconsin and was an executive assistant for the Berean Bible Society and an instructor at the Berean Bible Institutute. While there I became a reserve police officer, figuring that would get my desire to be a LEO out of my system. But it only made it worse and I eventually became a full-time police officer for 12 years. During that time I got my Masters in Education and taught criminology and criminal justice courses at Marian University. We had decided to retire to Arizona so we started looking for a retirement home out there. Then my wife got a job offer in Phoenix so I took an early retirement from the PD and moved to AZ. I didn't do anything for about six months out in AZ but then took a part time job as Compliance Inspector for the HOA.

Then I, like so many of you, decided to "go for it" and try something that I've always wanted to do -- drive a big rig.

So for now, I am into week 2 of my on the road training. I have driven about 3,000 miles in eight days. I am blessed to have an excellent instructor. He has been driving over 20 years and really knows his stuff plus we get along well. Knight allows a person to be an instructor with only six months experience -- that is crazy. To me, that is like the blind leading the blind. I am very happy that I did not get someone with such little experience as my instructor.

On Wednesday, I was driving from CO to CA and got caught in a snowstorm on I-70 in Utah. So, I got to have mountain grades AND winter driving AND heavy Thanksgiving holiday traffic ALL AT ONCE! I have driven in snow before (lived in Alaska and Wisconin before) so that didn't bother me, but the almost white-out conditions from the blowing snow and the obstructed windshield from the iced up wipers was pretty stressful. I peeked down through the lower half of the windshield where the wipers actually worked a little and managed to slowly drive to a rest stop where I was able to pull over and clear the wipers and windshield. I was thankful that I didn't have to face that for the first time alone.

Sitting around, staring at my wall. Also, I worked at REI.

Sales for the last 13 years (auto, auto body supplies and roofing) LVN nursing for about 1 1/2 years and before that 10 years as a prison guard at the psych unit

Sales for the last 13 years (auto, auto body supplies and roofing) LVN nursing for about 1 1/2 years and before that 10 years as a prison guard at the psych unit

age, AGE! How old are you! This is a topic about "old" people who drive tucks.