What would you do?

[SirDude]

Hi y'all,

I finalized my divorce last month and the wife got pretty much everything other then my tools. So since I need to find a place to live I was thinking about passing on getting an apartment and just put in my time OTR.

Do you think this is "do-able", can a Newbie pretty much live out of a truck right out of school?

What would you do if you were a Newbie and were sleeping on your friend's floor?

Thanks,

SirDude

 

[Scorp]

There are a few things that you'll need to live comfortably. Fridge/cooler, tv, microwave, laptop, ect...those things aren't required right away but will make it a lot easier. As for living out of the truck. I do it and have been for several years now. Get a PO box for you mail and use a friends address for a CDL and employment purposes. I got "home" once a month or so. Usually either go see my family or a friend and just stay at their house for a few days. Motels are an option too if you need a break. I know it sounds easy to say that you want to work and don't need a break. But after working everyday for a month or so straight it's nice to take a day off!

 

[SirDude]

Hi Scorp,

I know what you mean about needing some kind of time off, for the last 13 years I ran all over the US fixing hail damage on vehicles. Since I moved to FL I didn't want to take so much down-time to come back home, so I would stay out for about 10 weeks at a time. But most of my time was in the same hotel room, so it was kind of like "home."

I figured with my life experiences, hiking / camping for weeks at a time, and living on the road with my old business, this shouldn't be too much different. I'm use to packing / traveling lite.

FYI on the address and PO Box, if you get a UPS box (@ The UPS Stores) the address looks like you're living in a condo or an Apartment and then the DMV, banks, etc. don't give you a hassle when you put it on your DL. I've had my UPS address on my DL since 2003. The only time anyone has questioned it is one lady who knew the addresses in my town asked what building was I living in.

The other upside to using an UPS address is you can call that store and have them ship your mail to you wherever you are. I would call my UPS Store as soon as I got settled into a hotel during hail season and just have them ship my mail out once a week.

OH, and they will also sign for any packages you might have shipped home or from something you buy. Then they'll hold it for you until you get home. Can not beat that service!

Thanks for the thoughts and glad to hear that this is "do-able."


SirDude

 

[Scorp]

I looked into the boxes there but the cost is quite a bit higher. Nearly 3x as much actually so I just left things setup the way they are. I may change eventually though. I do like the idea of it being an actual street address!

 

[Cerberus]

Living out of the truck is very doable. After my divorce , i lived out of it and ran for 3 straight months w/o a day off. It helped to clear the mind and really helped the bank account too. The biggest issue i found was not getting the hermit syndrome. Once a week or so , usually on the weekends i'd have some extra free time to waste. Just getting a hotel room really helped out alot. Sleep in a real bed, being able to walk around in something bigger than a coffin and not having to get dressed to use the restroom was well worth the money i spent once a week on the room. Now it wasnt no Hilton, just a normal 30$ a night room and it was the same hotel each week so got to know a few people there. They had a pool and attached bar so at least i had entertainment w/o having to walk somewhere. Living out of the truck for a period of time to save money and get your thoughts together is not a bad idea, just becareful of the hermit syndrome.

 

[patriciajnsn]

I live in my trk.I go home 4 to 6 weeks.But I have a place to go to.But in your situation where its hard right now.I would hold off on getting an apartment unless u can find a driving job where you'll be home every weekend.Which is highly unlikely only because you'll be a new driver.If u get a place youll only be home 4 days a month.Do u wanna pay rent and not be home?Does'nt make any since.When I go home I spend my hometime at my folks.If u dont mind staying out at least a month then I say give it a try.When I first started driving I tohught id get homesick but I didnt and I actually sleep better in the trk then home.You do get use to the trk at least I have.I enjoy living in my trk.For the most part I really don't get too bored.Im always finding something to do.Cleaning the trk,doing laundry or just talking to other drivers.

Hi y'all,

I finalized my divorce last month and the wife got pretty much everything other then my tools. So since I need to find a place to live I was thinking about passing on getting an apartment and just put in my time OTR.

Do you think this is "do-able", can a Newbie pretty much live out of a truck right out of school?

What would you do if you were a Newbie and were sleeping on your friend's floor?

Thanks,

SirDude

 

[SirDude]

Well at least that sounds positive. I am so use to being away from home for 10 weeks or more at a time that I was kind of looking forward to traveling far enough away to see some of the states I haven't been to yet. Plus I could use the time without paying rent to decide where I might want to move to and, yes, to save some money.

Thanks for the info.

SirDude

 

[Cerberus]

Well at least that sounds positive. I am so use to being away from home for 10 weeks or more at a time that I was kind of looking forward to traveling far enough away to see some of the states I haven't been to yet. Plus I could use the time without paying rent to decide where I might want to move to and, yes, to save some money.

Thanks for the info.

SirDude

Getting paid to travel and see the sights is a plus. And spending a few hrs a day loading and/or unloading. Its not a bad gig honestly, just don't look to get rich anytime soon. And after you see jersey/chicago/atlanta/lower NY/philadelphia/baltimore , you'll realize you've left nothing there and really don't want to go back. But it seems all freight runs out of these areas on the east coast so you'll learn to just go in/out of these places at only certain times of the day. Then you'll just beg to head out west where its so much easier to drive and very enjoyable.

 

[SirDude]

That's why I was thinking about moving to somewhere between IA and CO. I don't think I want to make a living out of driving the east coast. I don't miss the Midwest winters, but the FL heat is getting very old and I found that living in any of the "corners" of the US stinks. Where I live it's a half day at least before I get to GA border. So if I'm going to be on the road for weeks at a time, the last thing I want to do is be a day or two away from a terminal, etc.

 

[Cerberus]

Running out of florida is tough. they always complain about getting you back home or getting you out of there. Its a dead state for freight, per say. Seems the only thing coming out of florida is oj/water and everybody is cut throating to haul that out of there just to get a load to make a few dollars. the east coast isnt to bad, definitly get experience on preplanning your route and times to go thru cities. if i could have my choice where to run , it would be the south west region.

 

[SirDude]

I don't know about other SouthWest cities, but I lived in Phoenix, AZ for a little bit and the streets seem to be pretty Truck-friendly. Laid out in a grid, nice wide lanes, the biggest thing I didn't like about Phx, even driving a car, was people look at a Red light as having some kind of 10 second rule. :cop: Forget speeding up for yellow, these people kept going through the red lights. I learned after about a month of being there to count to 5 or 10 before starting out at a fresh green light if I was the first car at the light. :rolleyes2:

The other thing Phx / Scottsdale drivers are known for is the turning left or right from the other turn lane. I lived off of Tatum and Union Hills (NE Phx) I would see these people in their Benz turn across from the right turn lane, across all three straight lanes, to make a left turn. And we're talking about them being all the way at the corner and doing this. It's like they thought the cross-walk lines were another lane or something??? :nod:

One other thing blew my mind about AZ. In 2000, on the drive from IL to Phx, I came down from Flagstaff and I was doing just over a 100 mph and I was getting passed on that decent by everything from jacked up pick-up's to semi's. I haven't seem SO many people speeding at one time.

 

[Racer X 69]

I know I spend a lot of time in my truck, but if it was the only home I knew I think I would go crazy. I enjoy the change of pace the home time brings.

And yes, they haul ass in Arizona. And New Mexico. And Utah. And Wyoming. And South Dakota. And North Dakota. And Nebraska.

All the high speed states. Utah even has some stretches of interstate that have "speed limit test sections" where the speed limit is 80, so everyone is going 85 plus.

Hammer down.

 

[lunachic]

Yea, live out of a truck. Not a worry in the world. Hell only real bill u might have is a cell phone. I'm sure you'll eat well and have everything else u need on the big weekly or bi weekly check..er whats left after u advance to eat......
Oh and when an if the days comes that u clear ur head and or might not have a driving job and know place to call home,You'll be cool sleeping on ur friends couch again if his wife/girlfriend/other lets u..............
You went through a divorce not the end of the world. Get a job, get a place make a life..........

 

[SirDude]

Yea, live out of a truck. Not a worry in the world. Hell only real bill u might have is a cell phone. I'm sure you'll eat well and have everything else u need on the big weekly or bi weekly check..er whats left after u advance to eat......
Oh and when an if the days comes that u clear ur head and or might not have a driving job and know place to call home,You'll be cool sleeping on ur friends couch again if his wife/girlfriend/other lets u..............
You went through a divorce not the end of the world. Get a job, get a place make a life..........

WOW Lunachic, did I read this right, a person with a "hippie" for an avatar / picture and a Peace symbol is telling me to "conform to society" and "live a normal life"?! :rubeyes:

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to start any sh!t, I just found that to be very weird. And yes, it's just a divorce, and not a bad one at that, but what you don't know is the "thing" that makes me look at driving OTR / live out of a truck.

And just so this doesn't turn into a big mess, I did get your sarcasm / reference to the great life-style of a trucker. But compared to the options I have here that life-style is one that will at least let me eat and have a bed to sleep in for yet another day.


Thank you for your thoughts,

SirDude


"It's not the fall that kills you, it's the landing"
-Unknown

 

[lunachic]

Not a problem dude, But the day and time will come that living in a truck will get old. Real fast remember it's also ur job. More so then the life part.
You will find that time is not on ur side. A home be it anyplace even a room someplace away from that cab will be a welcome sight.
Divorce can be looked at as a start of a new life. Everyone moves on in some sort. And as a newbe to the industry I will guess to say you will be in more trucks then one. And you will start to rebuild by that meaning stuff, A place to hang your hat..............