It's a Team's Life

What is the hardest thing about trucking?

If I were independently wealthy, would I be a truck driver?   The answer to that is no way!   There is a lot of fun and exciting recreational idea is that I would like to pursue that trucking does not allow me the time to experiment.  

Since I am not wealthy and still have to keep my nose to the grindstone this is not a bad way to do it.   What I have found with trucking is that if you do not enjoy this lifestyle than everyday you are out here will be burdensome and will wear on the mind.   Trucking is an all day every day job and even when you are at home you cannot totally be away from the truck.

We are able to stay out on the road for a few months at a time before the house starts calling our name.   During those few months our minds or with the truck and the job that we do and there is no longing or thoughts of what we would be doing at home.   Once the decision is made, it is time to head for the house or when we are getting close to an appointment we have at home the itch to head that way is hard to bear.

While on the road, my dad passed away.   We were not owners at that point and so were not in a position to deliver our load and than head for home.   We had to wait to swap loads and get approval to head for the house.   I made it a couple hours before the funeral.    A few months after this my mom also passed away, I was at home when this happened and was able to make the funeral arraignments.   

While on the road, we miss birthday parties, holidays, family gatherings, and impromptu dinners.   I still miss the planning and executing parties at the courthouse where I used to work.   I always had fun with these events and the sharing of recipes and the time to relax and enjoy each other’s company.   The positive to all of this is when we do go home it is a celebration and turns into an event.   We spend specialized time with family now catching up on events, seeing pictures and having people drop by to see us. In some ways, we feel like celebrities with all of the people that take the time out of their lives to see us.

I enjoy the holidays and decorating the house for each one.   Now I decorate the truck for the holidays and I must admit it is much easier to put away the decorations now.   One of the neat things about being on the road is I get to see tons of neat decorations in other peoples yards all over the country.    Christmas time is amazing out here as you pass by the different houses, businesses, and decorated parks throughout the country.

I am always planning as I send out gifts early so they arrive on time or I now order gifts to be directly shipped to the recipient.   Time flies by and before I would know it, I had missed sending a gift out.   I enjoy sending Christmas cards each year and now I have the time to personalize each card I am sending out.   I feel as if the holidays are less stressful as I am not able to try to perfect each little item and am more relaxed about the holidays.

Another hardship out here is cooking and cleaning the truck.   The truck is tight and I find my self practically on my head cleaning some areas.   When cleaning the area is small and even small, movements cause you to run into stationary objects.    The great thing about this is you are done very fast even with a deep cleaning.   I am not fond of making the bed while crawling all over it, but that is a mild annoyance.   Cooking is a chore as there is not much room and I do not have a table.   I am sure it will not matter to me how many years I am out here, I will never get used to using the bed as a table.   I use a tablecloth on the bed but still it is a bed…   While at home, I enjoy the luxury of having all of the tools I need to cook a nice meal at my fingertips.   The ability to wash dishes after I finish cooking without having to heat up the water is a luxury.

Another hard ship is our mail.   We are lucky right now; our daughter collects and opens the mail.   Bob had a summons for jury duty and he would have been in contempt of court as we would not have been home in time to see the letter.   I was able to call the courthouse and get the instructions on what procedure I needed to follow to have him excused from jury duty. This is one of my concerns is getting an important letter and not being able to respond.   I pay everything on line and I have found with a little planning this is easy to stay ahead.   The unexpected does cause consternation on my part and some in trepidation when I get home and start going through our mile high stack of envelopes.

All of the above negatives can easily be changed to positives with the right mind set and planning.

Bob & Linda Caffee
Leased to: FedEx Custom Critical
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters 5 years been out here on the road ten years
[email protected]

 

Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
Expediting isn't just a job, it's a business.