Most Truckers like Over The road Trucking as much as they like Hemorrhoids! Yeah I said it. 3 out of 4 truck drivers get their Class A CDL and don’t make it 6 months before they hang up their new found career. To put it on a larger scale with the same ratio we can safely say that for every 400,000 people that get their CDL 300,000 don’t make it 6 months and hang it up! But why? Well the answer is in the opening statement. Once you have obtained your cdl you only have but one option and you guessed right “OTR” or “ Over The Road”. But again why? Well the answer is in the career itself. A man may say to himself its time for a change. The idea of a job that allows you to see the country and get paid does sound appealing especially when you really don’t have the facts about the job and you are only going on a preconceived idea of how life on the road must be, seeing the sights and roaming from state to state like a tourist! Or maybe you have been watching re-runs of BJ and the Bear! Usually by the end of the first trip you realize that this is nothing like the picture they painted when signing you up at the trucking school and you also have come to the conclusion that BJ and the Bear is a myth and you “aint gettin the girl” at the end of todays adventure! “Honey Im Coming Home” (for good!).
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The Road
Before that first day when you got on a bus or a plane to head to orientation to what you thought was going to be a great career you didn’t realize that the local Pizza you ate every week, twice, was not gonna be anymore. You also didn’t realize your entire routine that you were used to was never gonna be the same. Taking the dog for walks, The kids jumping on you in the morning, your wife greeting you every day with hugs and kisses, your neighbor waving to you as you pull in the drive way every day, the soccer, football and baseball games every week with little Johnny and all the things that made up your life would not be the same including pool night with the guys. So when most drivers get on the road for the first time its like being cast into the “Twilight Zone”, “Mommy Help! So the BJ and the Bear thing seems like a bad lie and a bad dream. Long hours, slippery roads, Bad Weather, Lying Dispatchers, Steep Grades, Crowded Cities, Aggressive 4 Wheelers, D.O.T, Touch Freight, Slow Trucks, Low Pay, Truck Stop Showers, Truck Stop Food, “No Home Time” and on top of all these things you have momma at home crying “I miss you, when are ya coming home”. Not to mention that 80% of all Trucker suffer from High Blood Sugar and High Blood Pressure! These are some of the things that wear on an Over The Road Truck Driver especially the “3 out of 4”!
Don’t Feel Bad!
If you are one of the many that did not make it on the road, “Don’t Feel Bad”. It just wasn’t for you. It doesn’t mean you are less of a man, it just means this career was not your cup of tea. Not everyone was built to be a “Rocket Scientist” nor were they built to be a Lawyer or a Doctor and not everyone was made to live on the road. We are who we are and at least you gave it a try. This job is a one of the roughest jobs in America or the world for that matter. If you are one of the drivers that have made a career out of Trucking then you are one of the few and we thank you for what you do. My hat is off to the men and woman that can stay on the road and put up with all the mentioned downfalls of the industry and find a way to love their career.
As we stated in the beginning, truckers like OTR as much as they like hemorrhoids, Well Most of them! If you’re thinking of a career as an Over The Road Trucker, maybe you can find a company that would allow you to ride as a passenger to see if this might be for you.
“Ride alongs” can be a way to see the road will appeal to you with out spending money on a trucking school. In fact there are companies that will train you through themselves and contract you for a year while employing you. You might start with them first to see if this career is for you. I would end this short article with this suggestion, if you are wanting a “Job” then Trucking is probably not for you but if you are looking for a career and have really looked into it and already know in your heart this is what you want then it probably is for you.
I am linking some carriers that pay for CDL’s that you might start with.
CR England https://www.crengland.com/careers
Swift Transportation http://www.swifttrans.com/careers
Pam transportation https://www.pamtransport.com/careers
Prime Inc https://www.primeinc.com/careers
CRST https://www.crst.com/careers/
Written by
Trucker X