Boy am I happy
- Thread starter jbolton
- Start date
You are right it is not always wonderful out here as it is not always wonderful at home. Jbolton picks home and talks about how great it is no reason the rest of us cannot say how great it is out here. Both thoughts are right just depends on the person.
We have been in very small sleepers to our nice 96" sleeper with a bed that serves as a cook top and table top and all of these sleepers have felt like home. Granted some homes have more amenities then others but they have all felt safe and secure and our place to shut the curtains and be away from the rat race. None of our "home away from home" has had a bathroom or a table but hey we have room to improve. I am also a "home body" and I do not go into customers if I can keep from it, we do not hang out in the truck stops unless we run into friends or meet some new ones we stay in our "home".
I do not see it as picking on jbolton just trying to show there are two sides home is a great place to visit but for now the road is our home and we are enjoying it.
We have been in very small sleepers to our nice 96" sleeper with a bed that serves as a cook top and table top and all of these sleepers have felt like home. Granted some homes have more amenities then others but they have all felt safe and secure and our place to shut the curtains and be away from the rat race. None of our "home away from home" has had a bathroom or a table but hey we have room to improve. I am also a "home body" and I do not go into customers if I can keep from it, we do not hang out in the truck stops unless we run into friends or meet some new ones we stay in our "home".
I do not see it as picking on jbolton just trying to show there are two sides home is a great place to visit but for now the road is our home and we are enjoying it.
sure you do...theres certain rules you have to adhere to ..come on ateam you know that, don't disagree just to disagree. If you can tell me you can haul what you want where you want when you want how you want and you dont have to do logs or send over a pod amongst a whole bunch of other stuff than I agree you dont have a boss.
But we all know that's not the case sir. YOU HAVE A BOSS
It depends on how you define boss. If you take a broad definition to include laws you must comply with, like the requirement to keep a log book, sure, I have a boss in the federal governemnt that sets and enforces rules that govern trucking. And I have a boss in local governments that set speed limits on city streets. In that sense, sure, everyone has a boss.
Under your definition, an independent contractor that bids for construction jobs and hires people to do the work would not be the boss but would have a boss in the building codes he or she must follow.
But under the more common use of the word, I do not have a boss, at least not like the people hired by the construction contractor have a boss.
They don't have the option of calling in saying "I won't be coming to work today because I don't feel like working." I do. They don't have the option of telling the boss I will do this job today (say painting) but not that job (say digging). I do have that option in that I decide what loads to take and decline. They do not decide what their vacation time will be each year and when they may take it. I do.
You said, "If you can tell me you can haul what you want where you want when you want how you want...."
I can tell you exactly that. I don't have to haul any load I do not wish to haul. It is called non-forced dispatch. Once I agree to haul a load, I am subject to the certain requirements like delivery times and locations (I have to deliver the load to the right place at the right time). How I secure it, what route I take, what equipment I use to handle the freight, how I use that equipment and more is all up to me.
In offices, people who have bosses are told what kind of computer they will use, desk they will have and chair they will sit in. They are told when they can take breaks. They are told what time they must be at work and when they can leave. They are not permitted to make extended personal calls when working. They have no control over their work space so if they want to have a hobby, they cannot bring it to the office.
Diane and I decide what our work space will look like and what hobbies we can pursue WHILE WORKING. We can take a break anytime we wish. We can make phone calls anytime we wish. We never have to ask permission from any boss to do any of that.
Naturally, when we are on a load, our freedom is limited by the responsibility to complete the load safely and on time. But that no more gives us a boss than following building codes and contractual obligations to the customer gives the construction contractor a boss.
Another clear distinction between who has a boss and who does not is the compensation arrangement. Self-employed independent contractors receive FORM 1099. Employees that have bosses receive FORM W-2.
A more practical distinction would be for someone to enter your place of employment and ask someone to speak to your boss. The visitor would be quickly directed to a specific person and that person has the authority to tell you what work to do, how to do it and where. That person also watches over you to make sure you are doing it to his or her satisfaction.
If you went to my carrier's headquarters and asked people there to take you to my boss, they would be confused by the question because I do not have a boss and everyone there knows that.
The freedom we enjoy in expediting exceeds that of any job we have ever had, whether we were employees or contractors in that work. A boss is the last thing we are thinking about when we do our work because we do not have a boss.
You started this thread with the words "Boy am I Happy." Happiness is unique to the individual. It is as great that you are happy in your work as it is that I am happy in mine. And it is not true, as you seem to be suggesting, that because you are happy in your job, others are unhappy in theirs. Different strokes for different folks, right?
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How I wish I had super powers in getting load offers!
No super power but somewhere in all this software you check a box that sends you email notification to receive posts on the forums that you are subscribed to. I thought you had a good point as there are two sides to this situation and you will never know if you will love the road till you try it. Instead of making yourself miserable admitting the road is not for you and going back to a normal life makes sense. To those that have that darn addiction liking to stay at home sounds like a nightmare!
I know we have some friends who think it sounds so romantic and sounds like a great adventure and wish they could do it and then we hear the other side “Are you kidding? Spend 24 hours with my spouse I would kill them!”
Many of us out here are lucky we think we have a great home and just the scenery outside the windows changes daily. Ok so does the location of the bathroom but who is counting.
No super power but somewhere in all this software you check a box that sends you email notification to receive posts on the forums that you are subscribed to. I thought you had a good point as there are two sides to this situation and you will never know if you will love the road till you try it. Instead of making yourself miserable admitting the road is not for you and going back to a normal life makes sense. To those that have that darn addiction liking to stay at home sounds like a nightmare!
I know we have some friends who think it sounds so romantic and sounds like a great adventure and wish they could do it and then we hear the other side “Are you kidding? Spend 24 hours with my spouse I would kill them!”
Many of us out here are lucky we think we have a great home and just the scenery outside the windows changes daily. Ok so does the location of the bathroom but who is counting.
nightcreacher
Veteran Expediter
I've been truck driving for over 30 years,expediting 24 years.I've been from coast to coast,border to border,into Canada,and Mexico.I've seen the brite lights of the cities as coming into them late at night,off a mountain,the great shore lines,and yes,the awful fraffic jams,in all the major cities,as well as some of the smaller ones.It's like what most of the athletes say,when it stops being fun,I will quit,You know,having a job you really enjoy,its not like work,but when it does feel like work,it will be time for my retirement,maybe, I'll be in one of those scale houses,checking your DOT's.If being home is the most important thing in your life,then truck driving might not be for you.Funny story,in 1977,when I started to do this thing, called truck driving,The company with the orange trucks,was hiring,and 300 of us were in the Holiday Inn,outside of Akron Oh,as the recruiter was speaking,he said,"anyone that has to be home every weekend may leave" well three quarters of the room cleared out,by the time he was fininshed talking,there were about 75 of us left.I never went to work for Schneider,but I did go to a company that was in direct competition with them,and at that time, was even a biggrer company.B and L Motor Freight out of Newark Ohio.Bcame an owner opp while at there,then went with my own authority,hauling produce,and then came Roberts Express.The rest is history
Angil82
Seasoned Expediter
I like expediting. For the simple fact of this.. If I don't have a toilet in my truck, then I don't have a toilet to clean. Leave that job to the people at Flying J, TA, and Love's. I don't want to stand over a toilet and scrub it. That is just my feelings on that situation.