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I have a relationship question.

by Chris
(Maine)

My wife has strong feelings against me going into trucking when I retire from the military in 2 yrs, but every time I think about what I want to do I keep coming back to trucking. I want to respect her wishes, but I also don't want to deny my own desires when it comes to how I support the family. Any advise?

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Sep 20, 2011
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Good Advise on going agains the wishes of spouse to become a trucker
by: Hervy

Anon has made some good points about trucking and considering the realities of trucking. You should really think hard if you can't get your spouse to consent to the mission. Most of what was mentioned is here, I have also added the money link.

Disadvantages of becoming a trucker

What I advise is coming up with a precise game plan of how you will transition out of trucking, including a time line. This would be based on the reality of trucking. For instance as stated, you won't make a killing the first year so obviously you not going to stake $100,000 and then quit trucking or go local.

However, you could drive for a year, switch to heavy haul and drive a few more years, maybe buy a truck after 1 year maybe not. Drive for another 3 or 4 years stacking while also building another business and after 5 or 6 years have a another business built at home and money saved enabling you to leave trucking with nest egg and also a business to move into after leaving the road.

Maybe having a plan similar to this is more acceptable and she can get on board and you both can compromise and be happy long term.

Sep 20, 2011
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Agreeing with your wife, to a point.
by: Anonymous

I understand you want to be able to support your family, but please understand that local jobs are slim to non existent for new drivers. Most companies that hire drivers straight out of school will starve you and leave you setting hundreds of miles from home.

The average income for new drivers is only 20,000-25,000 the first year or so. I know this because I am the wife of a trucker. Me and his children only see him for 2 days every two months. Unless he's lucky enough to find a free internet WiFi hook up, but then seeing him on a computer is nothing in compared to having him home. I spend 2 months alone, without my driver and I honestly hate it.

If your thinking of driving a truck I would definitely urge you to reconsider, especially if you have small children. My daughter's constantly cry for their father wanting him home and not understanding why daddy is gone all the time.

He missed our youngest daughter's birth, her first everything and to a point they are complete strangers to each other. He misses holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, everything.

With all the new laws, regulations and restrictions that have recently been put into place as well as the ones that the government is trying to enforce makes things even more complicated, especially if your thinking of attempting to become an owner operator.

Every day more owner operators are loosing everything they have. I have spoken to several wives/girlfriends drivers etc, and you wouldn't believe how many of them have lost their homes, they're vehicles. Everything and are severely scraping to make ends meet and on the brink of loosing everything they have.

I think you need to listen to her concerns and her thoughts fears and worries before ever thinking of anything more on the subject.

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