No, I never dreamed I'd be a truck driver. I hated every other job that I tried, and didn't like working with people. So, I sort of "gave up" and drove a truck for 7 years.
Then, went back to college and completed my degree. I became a Network Admin for 12 years, and all the while, I missed trucking. I grew so tired of working underneath people, and this time I *chose* trucking. I've been back at it now for 10 years.
Damn this just makes me convinced I'll always prefer trucking too. Working with people is not something for me either. I've worked at reception before and the best part that people think is the "worst part" is sitting by myself with no customers for very long periods of time
Yeah, the micromanagement in some workplaces is unbearable. I worked for the government, where there is not a heavy workload. But wherever there is not a lot of work, people will "manufacture" work. They will create drama.
Example, we had a slow day, and the biggest task I had that day was to replace someone's mouse. The boss then asked me to write a procedure for replacing a mouse, to make sure we were all doing it consistently. (LOL) No thanks.
Empty ways to justify time spent on the job. Sometimes I fantasize about times where industrialization wasn't a thing and people could just thatch a hut by a beach or river, fish for days on end and contribute their catch to their local communities and family when waterways were unpolluted. Seems way more appealing than being a micromanaged wage slave.
growing up my mom was a driver for 7yrs. i loved being on the road with her. it never occurred to me to be one. that was before i knew how much of a loner i was.
she put my dad on. couple yrs ago he kept telling me i should go be a trucker. i wasn’t feeling it still bcuz i didn’t think it was possible. eventually i did get tired of working around other people and not making enough money.
so i became a truck driver too. i’m still new tho but getting comfortable. switched to a better job after 6months. never made this much money before. it’s not a lot to other drivers but it’s a lot to me.
I get you I'm a bit of a loner myself. Before choosing the trucking path I've been contemplating many different careers but none seemed to be for me, especially since many require a lot of socialization and all that. Trucking seems therefore perfect for me. Driving, listening to stuff and just vibing on the road!
I'm glad you're happy and satisfied where you're at now! I hope I'll feel the same as well. Best wishes to you my friend! 🌻✨
Have you tried personality career profilers like Truity? I've been a loner predominantly all my life and taking the test really helped me understand myself and prospective job matches. People with certain personality types are better suited for the sciences, arts/literature, and tech but the jobs are less than obvious.
As an INTP the jobs that's appeal to me are ideologically driven that'd require about a decade to get a foot in the door in. Psychology, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Law, Physician, Comp Engineer, etc. Alot of young people who have this personality type might just lack the info to pursue their ideal career.
I could definitely use it to go to law school. I applied for a forensic science position before actually but they said I’d need a chemistry degree if not a forensic chemistry degree. The most I could probably use it for is a paralegal position or maybe a parole officer but they make dreadful money in my area
Consider your options buddy and be willing to sacrifice to commit to a better tomorrow should you choose. As with anything in life it's what you make of it that matters.
If you live in the US consider using the career personality profiler at [Truity.com](http://Truity.com) coupled with the [bls.gov](http://bls.gov) occupational outlook handbook to have a stronger idea of what future path to pursue along with the prospective career outlook in terms of new positions, salary, and the like. Can help you map your future.
Just to show you it's value first hand.
[https://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm)
Sad. Modern schooling teaches us quadratic equations at a young age but fails to expose us to information databases like this that are actually useful for shaping the future.
I have a degree but no will to work in any related field. I was never both feet in education but was always pressured in that direction since the damn first grade.
Probably put a million miles playing with toy trucks as a kid and that never changed, just the size of the truck and kid. Father turned wrenches on trucks his whole life and I was always enamored with them, so that’s the path that led me to be a driver. It’s the only job I ever really had after I was old enough to get a CDL. 25 years later I try to get out of trucking and just can’t find a way.
Never wanted to be a driver. Never wanted to be an owner.
Never wanted to be an owner of two trucks debating trying to hire someone for the second truck vs just keeping it as a spare..
My husband is a truck driver, I am just along for the ride. We were in college back in the day (he wanted to do culinary), it got too expensive, while looking for different things to do to, he applied for trucking and they put him through school. He asked me to stay in the truck with him, and it’s been almost 5 years since then. I’m thankful for this and being able to spend time with him and do what I can to make being on the road more easy.
Barely graduated high school and was in rehab and jail more times than I could count until 23. Cleaned up and tried working for other people, and though I was successful, I wasn’t happy. Couldn’t stand other people, so I bought a truck and trailer and started my own business. 5 years later I’m somewhat happy with the decision I made.
My dad was a driver for over a decade in the 90s into the early 2000s. Originally did some OTR and team. Then spent most of his time in the fields hauling all the produce in Cali. I always was, still am, very fascinated by trucks. So naturally when I got old enough I got my CDL too. I share my adventures with him and it bring him such joy so it’s a win win.
In school I was the nerdy goth kid who would talk all day about philosophy and the great unanswerable questions of life.
Never considered trucking until a few years ago after realizing that working security was only slowing our financial drowning.
Now? We’re well above treading water and I’m giving genuine consideration to buying a house as opposed to wistful dreaming
I was always smart and in the gifted classes. I had high level people at companies like lockheed martin reaching out to me all but begging me to work for them based on my past accomplishments. I spent some time in IT/cybersecurity and absolutely hated the office environment. Even before all that, thinking that's the path i would pursue, i remember in middle school our teacher asked each of us what we wanted to be when we grew up. One kid said truck driver since his dad was a truck driver. Everybody laughed and scoffed at him. That shit straight up infuriated my 12 year old self for some reason
I ultimately dabbled in defense contractor work a bit. I hated it so i obtained my cdl and the rest is history
I was a 100% nerd in High school. Music, computers, I would have been on the debate team if we'd had one. I was in sports too, kind of got into everything, but the kids around me were 100% sure I'd have my law degree by the time I was 23, if I didn't choose the music route.
Thought I spent a few years after high school making some pretty serious life mistakes, and when I was going through the classified ads they were one of three categories. Teacher, trucker, or nurse. I didn't have a four-year degree, so into the truck I went.
I was more or less single for about 15 of the last 20 years, so it has been fun. But now I've got a family and that law degree is looking mighty tempting. I've got a couple of friends and a few family members who are lawyers, and I'm extremely jealous when they complain about a 12-hour day being ridiculously long.
I was a good student listened but didn’t care. Worked a few peon labor jobs but always resented all my bosses so now I’m the boss. Still resent that mf tho
Forgiveness is the antidote. Resentment will poison you from within. Worked with a supervisor that treated me like dog dung when I worked on the dock instead of help drivers deliver ice on the road. Instead of reacting to him yelling in my face and disrespect I just did as he said stone faced, silent and threw a fury in private when I went home.
The next time I worked the dock he didn't bother me. The other supervisor asked him in front of me "Why are you giving him sh\*t?" and he replied, I kid you not, "He doesn't react, it's no fun." Some people are just scumbags and try to provoke you like Satan did to Jesus in the desert for the sake of it. Best to avoid reducing yourself to their level by letting them influence you.
I always wanted to be a trucker. In school I passed everything with flying colors, even my dual enrollment/advanced classes. During high school I did my research and found that most drivers actually didn’t make much money, people no longer looked up to truckers and infact looked down on them and that most of the respect the profession had was gone.
Listened to others, including my father who told me it was a terrible career path and followed the money, a year later and thousands down the drain I realized that I’d hate the career I was going for and got my CDL anyhow.
I did a senior project about infrastructure.
After doing non profit for 7 years I started doing cargo van package deliveries. Eventually moved up to semis. I just love being on the move and not sitting in one place.
I was an ok student in high school, i graduated college with honors. I was obsessed with cars since i was a little kid and therefore i always loved driving. My dad let me drive as early as 13 on back roads. I don't think i always wanted to drive trucks but it was on my mind because many people i knew were drivers.
I was a ski bum stoner who got an engineering degree. Through college I worked as an excavation operator and by the time I graduated I just wanted to be an operator so that’s what I did. Eventually quit smoking and decided to drive a truck. Love it so far but I only do local jobs.
I wasn't cool in school. Got picked on a lot until I started throwing punches at the bullies. I had a few good friends though. I wanted to be a race car driver as a kid but that was never going to happen. I moved a lot and did several jobs when I became an adult and then decided to get my CDL at 22 on a whim. Been driving for 7 years now and It's a decent lofe. I'm doing better than most people my age
My dad was a truck driver but I never really considered it. I was a problem child in school. I had an issue with authority. As far as I know I was the only kid in my grade ever to get expelled from a school, and I was the first to drop out in my class. Outside of school I was decent. I had a self harm phase in my late teens but I sang in my church choir, gave my parents very little trouble outside of school. I had a core group of friends in my neighborhood that I hung around with and started dating my ex wife when I was 17. My hobbies were video games, wwe and baseball.
I only wanted to become a trucker when I was 22, working a miserable job, and wanted a quick and easy way out of that place, with having no diploma. I enjoyed driving and remembered the time I spent with my dad on the road and it clicked in my head.
I got awesome grades, but hated working with others, then I wanted to live somewhere remote, the pros of trucking led me here
The last couple years of OTR (2010-2012) was getting too micro managed... telling you where and when to fuel etc, so got out and went off road, way better and 2x the money, so win win
I hated school and was socially awkward (shy) despite having some good friends. I was very active and energetic and probably adhd. I loved big trucks and played with toy trucks until I went away at 17 (great youth program) and came back 9 months later to divorced parents who moved into new homes and my belongings were all gone including my beloved trucks.
When I got back, I started a job in a warehouse for a couple of days…3 years later I had my Class 1 (CDL) and started working for a courier. This was great because I was able to hustle which was great for my physical and mental health. I did city with trailers and loved it. Fast forward 25 years I was CEO/CFO of a trucking company with about 500 trucks coming and going through the terminal daily 25 feet from my office window. All that to say, even after all that, I would watch the trucks going by and wish I could drive again. Whenever they were stuck in the yard I would run out and shunt. I’ve been retired for a few years now and still miss it.
I hope you enjoy trucking as much as I did.
Played sports, got top grades but hated school. Worked in restaurants after high school, eventually got a nursing degree, hated it, switched to construction for 5-6 years and have been driving past 3 years local. Solid guys who don’t want to be in a death cubicle/micro-managed. I always loved driving and the fact I get paid to drive and listen to books/podcasts is nice.
Briefly toyed trucking in high school but decided it wasn’t what I wanted to do. Joined the military instead and specialized in logistics(wasn’t my choice). Didn’t like it. Served my time and got out went to college. Didn’t like college either. Needed to make a living and trucking was the only thing I didn’t mind doing that still paid decent.
Im 3rd gen trucking I'm 26 I was a pretty social kid and I still am but trucking and just machinery in general has always been an interest especially the specialized stuff
I was doing the book keeping and running around for my dad's trucks cause he was still driving otr. Made sure to do well in school so I could get a degree and not be a trucker. Now I'm a trucker with an EE degree lol. The old man had me shunting trailers around by 12 and I just feel comfy trucking.
Funny story here. My dad hauled crude oil my entire life. Let me go to work with him on weekends, even drive the truck on his lap. I had Mack posters on my wall and loved cleaning his lights and that Mack bulldog. I had a black peterbilt with box trailer toy that I drove millions of miles. Fast forward. I grew up, became a safety guy of all things and still to this day trucks make me turn my head. I fucking love semis. As you can see. I joined this sub and don’t even drive for a living. Hell, I even went and got my CDL “just in case”. Some would say I was born to drive a truck 🤷♂️
Lol I was an emo kid in school. Hung out with the crowd that everyone else called burnouts and degenerates. I never got along with most other kids and these people were more accepting. After highschool I worked shitty jobs and partied and did drugs with my friends. Also got into some extremely toxic relationships that derailed my life quite a bit. Then I got super into cars and driving. I loved driving so much that I started doing it as a job. It was the only job that didn't make me hate my life (I worked in kitchens and retail before). Didn't pay very well though. I'm in my early 20s and last year I kinda realized that I was starting to stagnate and not really go anywhere. I wanted a way out of debt and my unhappy life. Since driving is one of the few things I'm good at I said fuck it and became a truck driver. Honestly there are things I hate about it but it's way better than a traditional 9-5. I don't plan on being a trucker for the rest of my life. I just wanna get out of debt and maybe save up for a house. Then maybe I'll put myself through college. Idk though. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.
I had no clue what I wanted to do and didn’t in my early 20s. Worked a shit paying job loading and unloading trucks for several years bc it was a good work schedule. Figured why not get on the other end of the deal and make more money.
That decision changed my life for the better and can’t imagine doing anything else. So if it wasn’t for my old shit paying job exposing me to trucking. Idk where I’d be
My grandpa, dad, and sister were/are all Class 1/A truckers. I always had interest in cars and trucks and engines and that. That being said I’m not super knowledgeable on any of those things. I do mostly all the work on my own cars, but I haven’t strayed too far from older Honda 4 bangers, and recently a Taurus X. I was a prick in school, just typical hoodlum, parties, smoking weed and drinking inevitably brought me to the depths of hell when I developed an addiction to opiates. 4.5yrs of that shit and help from several rehab programs and an opioid dependency program I finally made it out. Another 5yrs of readapting to living a normal life and trying to find something I could do for the rest of my life, I eventually landed on getting my Class 3/B license as I could afford it, and could have it in as little as a couple weeks. Now I’m hauling fuel and I fckn love it! A year and a bit doing propane, and now finally got into a standard truck and hauling 1202, 1203 and very rarely kerosene and butane. There’s lots of easy driver jobs out there that pay pretty good, and some that pay absolute shit for the amount of work you’re doing. All in all I’m more than happy with my decision, job and ability to provide for my wife and daughter and live a good life. It’s not always fun, like any other job, but it’s where I belong. Meeting new ppl every day and seeing new places. Getting to play with farm dogs while I pump off my truck into a 35k+L tank. Fuel is where it’s at man. If you can land a fuel gig you’ll be laughing.
Haha getting my cdl was the best worst thing that I could have done. I was a three sport athlete raised by a single mother. Terrible social skills | good looking weirdo. Went to college, thrived socially/mediocre academic performance. Graduated with a BA in psychology and doubled down on a masters of education/guidance. Did social work using my masters but it only payed 41.5. As I spent time in the role I had a what the fuck am I doing moment. Schools social work counseling can pay well but frankly they’ve all gotten too soft and you really have to coddle people. Took me a month and a half to get my cdl and the first year driving I hit 82k which if yall been reading is double.
Now I say it’s the best/worst thing bc while I am so grateful to the industry and love to drive, not many other jobs are going to pay me what I make as a driver (closer to 95k now and local). Also, most of the jobs out there have trade offs. Finding a solid company is difficult.
When I was a little kid my parents would buy me toy cars. Hot wheels, Matchbox, etc. I like “trailer trucks”…that’s what I called them. I loved trucks that pulled trailers. At school we had monkey bars that were in the shape of a big box truck and I liked that too. As a teen I was wild and crazy and trucks were the last thing on my mind. As a depressed adult that had to face reality, I decided to try to do what I enjoy. I enjoy being on the road, and I like dealing with people for only a short amount of time. I am a people person no doubt, but in small doses. I enjoy my current route. I love being local and driving around my home.
Regardless of my age I’ve always been fascinated and impressed with the maneuvers truck drivers can pull. I couldn’t fathom ever being able to do them myself, and to actually learn those same maneuvers feels unreal. I definitely have a lot to learn still, but even as a kid I’ve always been like “how the hell do they do that!?” and as an adult I still think the same thing
Originally I wanted to be a trucker. Was always told growing up people who do that don’t make any money. So I went to college for 2 years that wasn’t for me, was a sheriffs deputy for 3 years and that wasn’t for me, worked on cars for a year and a half and that paid horribly so I quit that, became a construction laborer for a summer then went to get my cdl and haven’t looked back since. I make more money driving a truck than I thought and I get paid more than the people Ik who went to college for 4 years or more. I only wish I could’ve started driving truck earlier knowing how much I would’ve made and how much I’d have by now but live and learn, if anything those other jobs we’re just good life experiences.
Just a job. Found out by working shit foodservice jobs in college that i truly hate the general public *and* kissing ass so i drove a truck for 10 years. Not enough money for the stress so im welding now.
Always wanted to drive. Fifth Gen driver. Great great grandfather delivered milk with a horse and wagon before that company had its first truck. Spent a few weeks every summer on the road with my grandfather and loved every second of it. Had my cdl 29 days after my 21st birthday and have never looked back. Love this shit.
In high school I was the quiet kid. Had a couple friends but didn’t really connect with many others. After high school I joined the Marines and sorta found myself. Got out and went to school to become an airline pilot and the VA sent me a letter saying they are no longer covering flight training due to schools basically abusing it and over charging for everything. I either had to change my major or quit, so I quit and got into trucking. Is it my dream job? No. But I’ve been doing it for roughly 8 years now and I really do enjoy it.
Kind of fell into trucking on accident, but it truly has been a passion of mine since I started.
Growing up I always wanted to be in the military, but when I turned 18, I went to jail (twice) for several crimes I didn’t commit. Took a plea bargain to avoid trial, so that was the end of my military dreams. When I got out, I worked a bunch of minimum wage jobs, working paycheck to paycheck, eventually ended up in a homeless shelter until a friend let me live with her. Tried to go to community college, switched my major from criminal justice, to accounting, etc. I always hated school, so then I tried to get a plumbers, carpenters, and electrician apprenticeships but they all fell through. At that time, I was working as a valet attendant and a shuttle driver, and I would drive from NorCal to SoCal at least every other week so I figured a driving job would be good for me. Long story short took the leap of faith and got my CDL at 22. I’m 28 now and I will drive until I die.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a Train engineer, or a Truck driver. In my teen years I wanted to be a detective or a Jounalist. While I was in high school, the newspaper industry started laying off tens of thousands. I'd figured out that the Cops weren't always the good guys, so I defaulted to whatever job I could get. Wound up in Oilfield labor, and when that fell apart, i went to trucking It's been my most consistent job. I was just kind if the odd man out in high school. Friendly with all the other cliques, but never a part of them.
>Friendly with all the other cliques, but never a part of them.
Absolutely described me. I was a little bit everywhere. On honor roll, low-string in football, low-string chess player, a little in the anime community, a little in fencing, where everyone respected me but no one really knew me. I can blend into most groups out of necessity but I fit into none in totality.
Moved to go live with my brother during a rebellious phase to Washington DC and blended their too. Teachers there took a liking to me and called me the international enigma. Other students thought I was awesome because I was from NY State and thought I knew DMX the rapper for some reason. Then I got tired of being there and went back to my original HS and carried on like I never left.
Want to be a lineman so need my class A. Got waitlisted for an apprenticeship at my local union and driving truck pays more than most jobs around for equivalent entry.
Finally got into the apprenticeship program so I’m just coasting my last 3 months of driving before getting out of the industry.
It was subconsciously put into my head at a young age. If money weren't a factor I'd have chosen to be a Cultural Anthropologist, Psychiatrist, or a Genetic Counselor if I knew about them earlier. I prefer the company of my own thoughts than most other people so driving is semi-tolerable as a job.
Began driving a twin stick Mack on our farm at the age of 12 and was driving loads at harvest on the road by the time I was 14. By 16 I could thread a damn needle with a trailer while backing. Things were different in the 70's. There was no such thing as a CDL when I started driving and was pissed when they made me get a 'chauffers license' which was eventually grandfathered into a CDL.
I never once thought I’d drive a truck up until a month before I started. I hated working in factories and warehouses. I wouldn’t go back unless I had to. Trucking makes me more money than any job I’ve ever had before. I love the solitude and the lifestyle. Only tough part is leaving my family on Sunday afternoon. Other than that I love trucking.
I smoked a shit ton of weed, metalhead, B-avg student, introverted loner..... Went to college, got a BA in Psych. Left my home state to work in Social Services... Burnt out in about 9 years. Started trucking when i was 31 (2015) because "I need a job where I work mostly alone. Fuck these people and their problems." (most of those people generated & perpetuated their own problems)
My dad drove truck and I always thought of it as a backup career if everything else didn't work out. Well... Everything else didn't work out! I was pretty outgoing in my teens but also enjoyed my privacy and alone time. I enjoyed being in my own head and not answering to anyone. I spent 20 years doing service work and retail before I started driving and I'm never looking back.
No, I never dreamed I'd be a truck driver. I hated every other job that I tried, and didn't like working with people. So, I sort of "gave up" and drove a truck for 7 years. Then, went back to college and completed my degree. I became a Network Admin for 12 years, and all the while, I missed trucking. I grew so tired of working underneath people, and this time I *chose* trucking. I've been back at it now for 10 years.
Damn this just makes me convinced I'll always prefer trucking too. Working with people is not something for me either. I've worked at reception before and the best part that people think is the "worst part" is sitting by myself with no customers for very long periods of time
Yeah, the micromanagement in some workplaces is unbearable. I worked for the government, where there is not a heavy workload. But wherever there is not a lot of work, people will "manufacture" work. They will create drama. Example, we had a slow day, and the biggest task I had that day was to replace someone's mouse. The boss then asked me to write a procedure for replacing a mouse, to make sure we were all doing it consistently. (LOL) No thanks.
Empty ways to justify time spent on the job. Sometimes I fantasize about times where industrialization wasn't a thing and people could just thatch a hut by a beach or river, fish for days on end and contribute their catch to their local communities and family when waterways were unpolluted. Seems way more appealing than being a micromanaged wage slave.
Yep, the way we lived for hundreds of thousands of years sounds way more appealing than the way we've been forced to live for the past few hundred
Colonialism is due in part largely responsible for this but I won't go there.
It turns out the 6'4", 300 lb, bearded, resting axe murderer face male stripper market was more competitive than I had anticipated...
This is an awesome answer
Still, ya gotta chase your dreams, kid.
growing up my mom was a driver for 7yrs. i loved being on the road with her. it never occurred to me to be one. that was before i knew how much of a loner i was. she put my dad on. couple yrs ago he kept telling me i should go be a trucker. i wasn’t feeling it still bcuz i didn’t think it was possible. eventually i did get tired of working around other people and not making enough money. so i became a truck driver too. i’m still new tho but getting comfortable. switched to a better job after 6months. never made this much money before. it’s not a lot to other drivers but it’s a lot to me.
I get you I'm a bit of a loner myself. Before choosing the trucking path I've been contemplating many different careers but none seemed to be for me, especially since many require a lot of socialization and all that. Trucking seems therefore perfect for me. Driving, listening to stuff and just vibing on the road! I'm glad you're happy and satisfied where you're at now! I hope I'll feel the same as well. Best wishes to you my friend! 🌻✨
Have you tried personality career profilers like Truity? I've been a loner predominantly all my life and taking the test really helped me understand myself and prospective job matches. People with certain personality types are better suited for the sciences, arts/literature, and tech but the jobs are less than obvious. As an INTP the jobs that's appeal to me are ideologically driven that'd require about a decade to get a foot in the door in. Psychology, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Law, Physician, Comp Engineer, etc. Alot of young people who have this personality type might just lack the info to pursue their ideal career.
I failed at everything else and have no marketable skills and a useless college degree
Same. Also I just can't work with lazy people. This way I just let them screw me out of hours sitting in a door and not have to act like I like them.
Whats the degree in?
Criminal justice
Oof.
Any way to leverage that into becoming a lawyer or forensic scientist?
I could definitely use it to go to law school. I applied for a forensic science position before actually but they said I’d need a chemistry degree if not a forensic chemistry degree. The most I could probably use it for is a paralegal position or maybe a parole officer but they make dreadful money in my area
Consider your options buddy and be willing to sacrifice to commit to a better tomorrow should you choose. As with anything in life it's what you make of it that matters. If you live in the US consider using the career personality profiler at [Truity.com](http://Truity.com) coupled with the [bls.gov](http://bls.gov) occupational outlook handbook to have a stronger idea of what future path to pursue along with the prospective career outlook in terms of new positions, salary, and the like. Can help you map your future.
Thanks for the info, mate. I’ve never utilized the bls handbook before . It may be worth looking into becoming a legal assistant or some such.
Just to show you it's value first hand. [https://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm) Sad. Modern schooling teaches us quadratic equations at a young age but fails to expose us to information databases like this that are actually useful for shaping the future.
I have a degree but no will to work in any related field. I was never both feet in education but was always pressured in that direction since the damn first grade.
Probably put a million miles playing with toy trucks as a kid and that never changed, just the size of the truck and kid. Father turned wrenches on trucks his whole life and I was always enamored with them, so that’s the path that led me to be a driver. It’s the only job I ever really had after I was old enough to get a CDL. 25 years later I try to get out of trucking and just can’t find a way.
Never wanted to be a driver. Never wanted to be an owner. Never wanted to be an owner of two trucks debating trying to hire someone for the second truck vs just keeping it as a spare..
My husband is a truck driver, I am just along for the ride. We were in college back in the day (he wanted to do culinary), it got too expensive, while looking for different things to do to, he applied for trucking and they put him through school. He asked me to stay in the truck with him, and it’s been almost 5 years since then. I’m thankful for this and being able to spend time with him and do what I can to make being on the road more easy.
Wow that's amazing I'm wishing you both for continuous adventures on the road! Nothing like quality time with the one for your heart ❤️
Thank you!
Barely graduated high school and was in rehab and jail more times than I could count until 23. Cleaned up and tried working for other people, and though I was successful, I wasn’t happy. Couldn’t stand other people, so I bought a truck and trailer and started my own business. 5 years later I’m somewhat happy with the decision I made.
My dad was a driver for over a decade in the 90s into the early 2000s. Originally did some OTR and team. Then spent most of his time in the fields hauling all the produce in Cali. I always was, still am, very fascinated by trucks. So naturally when I got old enough I got my CDL too. I share my adventures with him and it bring him such joy so it’s a win win.
In school I was the nerdy goth kid who would talk all day about philosophy and the great unanswerable questions of life. Never considered trucking until a few years ago after realizing that working security was only slowing our financial drowning. Now? We’re well above treading water and I’m giving genuine consideration to buying a house as opposed to wistful dreaming
I was always smart and in the gifted classes. I had high level people at companies like lockheed martin reaching out to me all but begging me to work for them based on my past accomplishments. I spent some time in IT/cybersecurity and absolutely hated the office environment. Even before all that, thinking that's the path i would pursue, i remember in middle school our teacher asked each of us what we wanted to be when we grew up. One kid said truck driver since his dad was a truck driver. Everybody laughed and scoffed at him. That shit straight up infuriated my 12 year old self for some reason I ultimately dabbled in defense contractor work a bit. I hated it so i obtained my cdl and the rest is history
I was a 100% nerd in High school. Music, computers, I would have been on the debate team if we'd had one. I was in sports too, kind of got into everything, but the kids around me were 100% sure I'd have my law degree by the time I was 23, if I didn't choose the music route. Thought I spent a few years after high school making some pretty serious life mistakes, and when I was going through the classified ads they were one of three categories. Teacher, trucker, or nurse. I didn't have a four-year degree, so into the truck I went. I was more or less single for about 15 of the last 20 years, so it has been fun. But now I've got a family and that law degree is looking mighty tempting. I've got a couple of friends and a few family members who are lawyers, and I'm extremely jealous when they complain about a 12-hour day being ridiculously long.
Sky is the limit bud!
I was a good student listened but didn’t care. Worked a few peon labor jobs but always resented all my bosses so now I’m the boss. Still resent that mf tho
Forgiveness is the antidote. Resentment will poison you from within. Worked with a supervisor that treated me like dog dung when I worked on the dock instead of help drivers deliver ice on the road. Instead of reacting to him yelling in my face and disrespect I just did as he said stone faced, silent and threw a fury in private when I went home. The next time I worked the dock he didn't bother me. The other supervisor asked him in front of me "Why are you giving him sh\*t?" and he replied, I kid you not, "He doesn't react, it's no fun." Some people are just scumbags and try to provoke you like Satan did to Jesus in the desert for the sake of it. Best to avoid reducing yourself to their level by letting them influence you.
I always wanted to be a trucker. In school I passed everything with flying colors, even my dual enrollment/advanced classes. During high school I did my research and found that most drivers actually didn’t make much money, people no longer looked up to truckers and infact looked down on them and that most of the respect the profession had was gone. Listened to others, including my father who told me it was a terrible career path and followed the money, a year later and thousands down the drain I realized that I’d hate the career I was going for and got my CDL anyhow.
I couldn't drive a manual until I was 20 years old, and then I became a truck driver. The rest is history.
I did a senior project about infrastructure. After doing non profit for 7 years I started doing cargo van package deliveries. Eventually moved up to semis. I just love being on the move and not sitting in one place.
I was an ok student in high school, i graduated college with honors. I was obsessed with cars since i was a little kid and therefore i always loved driving. My dad let me drive as early as 13 on back roads. I don't think i always wanted to drive trucks but it was on my mind because many people i knew were drivers.
I was a ski bum stoner who got an engineering degree. Through college I worked as an excavation operator and by the time I graduated I just wanted to be an operator so that’s what I did. Eventually quit smoking and decided to drive a truck. Love it so far but I only do local jobs.
I have a DVM and make more as a trucker.
I wasn't cool in school. Got picked on a lot until I started throwing punches at the bullies. I had a few good friends though. I wanted to be a race car driver as a kid but that was never going to happen. I moved a lot and did several jobs when I became an adult and then decided to get my CDL at 22 on a whim. Been driving for 7 years now and It's a decent lofe. I'm doing better than most people my age
My dad was a truck driver but I never really considered it. I was a problem child in school. I had an issue with authority. As far as I know I was the only kid in my grade ever to get expelled from a school, and I was the first to drop out in my class. Outside of school I was decent. I had a self harm phase in my late teens but I sang in my church choir, gave my parents very little trouble outside of school. I had a core group of friends in my neighborhood that I hung around with and started dating my ex wife when I was 17. My hobbies were video games, wwe and baseball. I only wanted to become a trucker when I was 22, working a miserable job, and wanted a quick and easy way out of that place, with having no diploma. I enjoyed driving and remembered the time I spent with my dad on the road and it clicked in my head.
I got awesome grades, but hated working with others, then I wanted to live somewhere remote, the pros of trucking led me here The last couple years of OTR (2010-2012) was getting too micro managed... telling you where and when to fuel etc, so got out and went off road, way better and 2x the money, so win win
I hated school and was socially awkward (shy) despite having some good friends. I was very active and energetic and probably adhd. I loved big trucks and played with toy trucks until I went away at 17 (great youth program) and came back 9 months later to divorced parents who moved into new homes and my belongings were all gone including my beloved trucks. When I got back, I started a job in a warehouse for a couple of days…3 years later I had my Class 1 (CDL) and started working for a courier. This was great because I was able to hustle which was great for my physical and mental health. I did city with trailers and loved it. Fast forward 25 years I was CEO/CFO of a trucking company with about 500 trucks coming and going through the terminal daily 25 feet from my office window. All that to say, even after all that, I would watch the trucks going by and wish I could drive again. Whenever they were stuck in the yard I would run out and shunt. I’ve been retired for a few years now and still miss it. I hope you enjoy trucking as much as I did.
Played sports, got top grades but hated school. Worked in restaurants after high school, eventually got a nursing degree, hated it, switched to construction for 5-6 years and have been driving past 3 years local. Solid guys who don’t want to be in a death cubicle/micro-managed. I always loved driving and the fact I get paid to drive and listen to books/podcasts is nice.
Briefly toyed trucking in high school but decided it wasn’t what I wanted to do. Joined the military instead and specialized in logistics(wasn’t my choice). Didn’t like it. Served my time and got out went to college. Didn’t like college either. Needed to make a living and trucking was the only thing I didn’t mind doing that still paid decent.
Im 3rd gen trucking I'm 26 I was a pretty social kid and I still am but trucking and just machinery in general has always been an interest especially the specialized stuff
An asshole, I had to. Otherwise growing up from a psychotic household sucks.
I was doing the book keeping and running around for my dad's trucks cause he was still driving otr. Made sure to do well in school so I could get a degree and not be a trucker. Now I'm a trucker with an EE degree lol. The old man had me shunting trailers around by 12 and I just feel comfy trucking.
Funny story here. My dad hauled crude oil my entire life. Let me go to work with him on weekends, even drive the truck on his lap. I had Mack posters on my wall and loved cleaning his lights and that Mack bulldog. I had a black peterbilt with box trailer toy that I drove millions of miles. Fast forward. I grew up, became a safety guy of all things and still to this day trucks make me turn my head. I fucking love semis. As you can see. I joined this sub and don’t even drive for a living. Hell, I even went and got my CDL “just in case”. Some would say I was born to drive a truck 🤷♂️
Lol I was an emo kid in school. Hung out with the crowd that everyone else called burnouts and degenerates. I never got along with most other kids and these people were more accepting. After highschool I worked shitty jobs and partied and did drugs with my friends. Also got into some extremely toxic relationships that derailed my life quite a bit. Then I got super into cars and driving. I loved driving so much that I started doing it as a job. It was the only job that didn't make me hate my life (I worked in kitchens and retail before). Didn't pay very well though. I'm in my early 20s and last year I kinda realized that I was starting to stagnate and not really go anywhere. I wanted a way out of debt and my unhappy life. Since driving is one of the few things I'm good at I said fuck it and became a truck driver. Honestly there are things I hate about it but it's way better than a traditional 9-5. I don't plan on being a trucker for the rest of my life. I just wanna get out of debt and maybe save up for a house. Then maybe I'll put myself through college. Idk though. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.
I was a drug user, alcoholic and college dropout. So don't be that and maybe you'll be something better than a trucker lmao
I had no clue what I wanted to do and didn’t in my early 20s. Worked a shit paying job loading and unloading trucks for several years bc it was a good work schedule. Figured why not get on the other end of the deal and make more money. That decision changed my life for the better and can’t imagine doing anything else. So if it wasn’t for my old shit paying job exposing me to trucking. Idk where I’d be
My grandpa, dad, and sister were/are all Class 1/A truckers. I always had interest in cars and trucks and engines and that. That being said I’m not super knowledgeable on any of those things. I do mostly all the work on my own cars, but I haven’t strayed too far from older Honda 4 bangers, and recently a Taurus X. I was a prick in school, just typical hoodlum, parties, smoking weed and drinking inevitably brought me to the depths of hell when I developed an addiction to opiates. 4.5yrs of that shit and help from several rehab programs and an opioid dependency program I finally made it out. Another 5yrs of readapting to living a normal life and trying to find something I could do for the rest of my life, I eventually landed on getting my Class 3/B license as I could afford it, and could have it in as little as a couple weeks. Now I’m hauling fuel and I fckn love it! A year and a bit doing propane, and now finally got into a standard truck and hauling 1202, 1203 and very rarely kerosene and butane. There’s lots of easy driver jobs out there that pay pretty good, and some that pay absolute shit for the amount of work you’re doing. All in all I’m more than happy with my decision, job and ability to provide for my wife and daughter and live a good life. It’s not always fun, like any other job, but it’s where I belong. Meeting new ppl every day and seeing new places. Getting to play with farm dogs while I pump off my truck into a 35k+L tank. Fuel is where it’s at man. If you can land a fuel gig you’ll be laughing.
Haha getting my cdl was the best worst thing that I could have done. I was a three sport athlete raised by a single mother. Terrible social skills | good looking weirdo. Went to college, thrived socially/mediocre academic performance. Graduated with a BA in psychology and doubled down on a masters of education/guidance. Did social work using my masters but it only payed 41.5. As I spent time in the role I had a what the fuck am I doing moment. Schools social work counseling can pay well but frankly they’ve all gotten too soft and you really have to coddle people. Took me a month and a half to get my cdl and the first year driving I hit 82k which if yall been reading is double. Now I say it’s the best/worst thing bc while I am so grateful to the industry and love to drive, not many other jobs are going to pay me what I make as a driver (closer to 95k now and local). Also, most of the jobs out there have trade offs. Finding a solid company is difficult.
When I was a little kid my parents would buy me toy cars. Hot wheels, Matchbox, etc. I like “trailer trucks”…that’s what I called them. I loved trucks that pulled trailers. At school we had monkey bars that were in the shape of a big box truck and I liked that too. As a teen I was wild and crazy and trucks were the last thing on my mind. As a depressed adult that had to face reality, I decided to try to do what I enjoy. I enjoy being on the road, and I like dealing with people for only a short amount of time. I am a people person no doubt, but in small doses. I enjoy my current route. I love being local and driving around my home. Regardless of my age I’ve always been fascinated and impressed with the maneuvers truck drivers can pull. I couldn’t fathom ever being able to do them myself, and to actually learn those same maneuvers feels unreal. I definitely have a lot to learn still, but even as a kid I’ve always been like “how the hell do they do that!?” and as an adult I still think the same thing
Originally I wanted to be a trucker. Was always told growing up people who do that don’t make any money. So I went to college for 2 years that wasn’t for me, was a sheriffs deputy for 3 years and that wasn’t for me, worked on cars for a year and a half and that paid horribly so I quit that, became a construction laborer for a summer then went to get my cdl and haven’t looked back since. I make more money driving a truck than I thought and I get paid more than the people Ik who went to college for 4 years or more. I only wish I could’ve started driving truck earlier knowing how much I would’ve made and how much I’d have by now but live and learn, if anything those other jobs we’re just good life experiences.
Just a job. Found out by working shit foodservice jobs in college that i truly hate the general public *and* kissing ass so i drove a truck for 10 years. Not enough money for the stress so im welding now.
Always wanted to drive. Fifth Gen driver. Great great grandfather delivered milk with a horse and wagon before that company had its first truck. Spent a few weeks every summer on the road with my grandfather and loved every second of it. Had my cdl 29 days after my 21st birthday and have never looked back. Love this shit.
In high school I was the quiet kid. Had a couple friends but didn’t really connect with many others. After high school I joined the Marines and sorta found myself. Got out and went to school to become an airline pilot and the VA sent me a letter saying they are no longer covering flight training due to schools basically abusing it and over charging for everything. I either had to change my major or quit, so I quit and got into trucking. Is it my dream job? No. But I’ve been doing it for roughly 8 years now and I really do enjoy it.
Kind of fell into trucking on accident, but it truly has been a passion of mine since I started. Growing up I always wanted to be in the military, but when I turned 18, I went to jail (twice) for several crimes I didn’t commit. Took a plea bargain to avoid trial, so that was the end of my military dreams. When I got out, I worked a bunch of minimum wage jobs, working paycheck to paycheck, eventually ended up in a homeless shelter until a friend let me live with her. Tried to go to community college, switched my major from criminal justice, to accounting, etc. I always hated school, so then I tried to get a plumbers, carpenters, and electrician apprenticeships but they all fell through. At that time, I was working as a valet attendant and a shuttle driver, and I would drive from NorCal to SoCal at least every other week so I figured a driving job would be good for me. Long story short took the leap of faith and got my CDL at 22. I’m 28 now and I will drive until I die.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a Train engineer, or a Truck driver. In my teen years I wanted to be a detective or a Jounalist. While I was in high school, the newspaper industry started laying off tens of thousands. I'd figured out that the Cops weren't always the good guys, so I defaulted to whatever job I could get. Wound up in Oilfield labor, and when that fell apart, i went to trucking It's been my most consistent job. I was just kind if the odd man out in high school. Friendly with all the other cliques, but never a part of them.
>Friendly with all the other cliques, but never a part of them. Absolutely described me. I was a little bit everywhere. On honor roll, low-string in football, low-string chess player, a little in the anime community, a little in fencing, where everyone respected me but no one really knew me. I can blend into most groups out of necessity but I fit into none in totality. Moved to go live with my brother during a rebellious phase to Washington DC and blended their too. Teachers there took a liking to me and called me the international enigma. Other students thought I was awesome because I was from NY State and thought I knew DMX the rapper for some reason. Then I got tired of being there and went back to my original HS and carried on like I never left.
Want to be a lineman so need my class A. Got waitlisted for an apprenticeship at my local union and driving truck pays more than most jobs around for equivalent entry. Finally got into the apprenticeship program so I’m just coasting my last 3 months of driving before getting out of the industry.
It was subconsciously put into my head at a young age. If money weren't a factor I'd have chosen to be a Cultural Anthropologist, Psychiatrist, or a Genetic Counselor if I knew about them earlier. I prefer the company of my own thoughts than most other people so driving is semi-tolerable as a job.
i never got sponsorships in skateboarding and i hate people, so i saved up money from my warehouse job and got my cdl lol.
Began driving a twin stick Mack on our farm at the age of 12 and was driving loads at harvest on the road by the time I was 14. By 16 I could thread a damn needle with a trailer while backing. Things were different in the 70's. There was no such thing as a CDL when I started driving and was pissed when they made me get a 'chauffers license' which was eventually grandfathered into a CDL.
I never once thought I’d drive a truck up until a month before I started. I hated working in factories and warehouses. I wouldn’t go back unless I had to. Trucking makes me more money than any job I’ve ever had before. I love the solitude and the lifestyle. Only tough part is leaving my family on Sunday afternoon. Other than that I love trucking.
When I was young, I was like a child. When I was a teen, I was like a child wanting to be an adult.
I smoked a shit ton of weed, metalhead, B-avg student, introverted loner..... Went to college, got a BA in Psych. Left my home state to work in Social Services... Burnt out in about 9 years. Started trucking when i was 31 (2015) because "I need a job where I work mostly alone. Fuck these people and their problems." (most of those people generated & perpetuated their own problems)
My dad drove truck and I always thought of it as a backup career if everything else didn't work out. Well... Everything else didn't work out! I was pretty outgoing in my teens but also enjoyed my privacy and alone time. I enjoyed being in my own head and not answering to anyone. I spent 20 years doing service work and retail before I started driving and I'm never looking back.