The lure of the open road, the excitement a traveling to new places and meeting new people, the ability to call your own shots and set your own hours -- the life of a trucker has a certain "Easy Rider" allure. Sure its hard work and, like any job, days can run the gamut from boring to aggravating. But there's nothing like cranking up the radio and barreling down the highway toward another beautiful sunrise to get the blood pumping.
A buddy of mine, an electrician, had developed a nice little heating/cooling business. He was making some nice change and never lacked for customers. The problem was that his customers considered a rattling furnace or a downed air conditioner tantamount to the end of the world. He found himself working way past dinner and most weekends to keep his customers happy. It wasn't too bad when he missed a couple of wrestling matches. His son understood. But when he missed the big regional match, neither he nor his son was happy. When he found himself patching an air conditioner together on the night of the annual sports award banquet, he decided enough was enough. He sold his business, bought a big rig and started taking short haul jobs. He hasn't missed an important event in his son's life since! In fact, when his son's free, he often rides along and they've become closer than ever. My friend swears he'll never go back. Trucking has put him back where he wants to be -- four square in the center of his family. And his wife's pretty pleased to have him at the dinner table again enjoying her home cooking!
If you think the trucking life might be for you, check out the school listings on our website. Study hard, practice up and you'll be enjoying the open road before you know it.
