I have finally gotten a job. I will be driving Semi truck across the country. There are many Pros and Cons to this but I am hopeful that the pros outweigh the cons.
I will start with the cons. I am scared to leave my wife and kids home by themselves. Not because they would be in danger or anything I just have them as such a major support system I am afraid to leave them. I am sad because I would be leaving my dogs behind. The dogs are my grounding system. They help me come back from flashbacks faster and things. I am afraid of having a panic attack behind the wheel. I cannot take my xanax during training at least according to my brother who has been a trucker for 15 years now. Also I don't like the idea of being away from the family for extended periods for fear the family will begin to fall apart. My wife and I are on shaky ground to begin with and it could be a blessing in disguise to be apart for awhile or it could cause complete marriage failure.
The Pros to this are pretty good too. I don't have to only drive over the road. I will be signing on with this company for one year of over the road and then afterward I can leave to drive locally and be home every night. After I complete my training and my time OTR I will be able to basically pick whatever company I want to work for. The main thing is this will be a career and not just a job. The pay for beginner drivers isn't too high but it is much higher than the previous jobs I have held. A major thing for me is that I won't have anybody standing over my shoulder telling me how to do things. The last job I held was bad because of people at the job. We never did get along our views were too different.
This is not a decision I came too lightly because I have been considering driving truck since I was 17 years old. I will hopefully enjoy this job but any advice anyone can offer would be very nice. I will try to stay in touch with all of you but at this point I am not too sure on how to do that.
I will start with the cons. I am scared to leave my wife and kids home by themselves. Not because they would be in danger or anything I just have them as such a major support system I am afraid to leave them. I am sad because I would be leaving my dogs behind. The dogs are my grounding system. They help me come back from flashbacks faster and things. I am afraid of having a panic attack behind the wheel. I cannot take my xanax during training at least according to my brother who has been a trucker for 15 years now. Also I don't like the idea of being away from the family for extended periods for fear the family will begin to fall apart. My wife and I are on shaky ground to begin with and it could be a blessing in disguise to be apart for awhile or it could cause complete marriage failure.
The Pros to this are pretty good too. I don't have to only drive over the road. I will be signing on with this company for one year of over the road and then afterward I can leave to drive locally and be home every night. After I complete my training and my time OTR I will be able to basically pick whatever company I want to work for. The main thing is this will be a career and not just a job. The pay for beginner drivers isn't too high but it is much higher than the previous jobs I have held. A major thing for me is that I won't have anybody standing over my shoulder telling me how to do things. The last job I held was bad because of people at the job. We never did get along our views were too different.
This is not a decision I came too lightly because I have been considering driving truck since I was 17 years old. I will hopefully enjoy this job but any advice anyone can offer would be very nice. I will try to stay in touch with all of you but at this point I am not too sure on how to do that.
