Taking That Unexpected Call

One of the many problems associated with living a life on the road is that you are never at home during critical moments.  You have got to learn to deal with this in some way or another.  It can be tough at times.  I am always in here giving instruction and telling about my "life as a road warrior," and as you read this information I also want you to see how much I enjoy this job.  In today's world of internet crybabies, whining, complaining, and finger pointing has taken itself to an incredibly shameless new level.  Part of my motivation in doing this blog is to counter some of the inexplicable foolishness that is posted on chat rooms, forums, and trucking review sites these days.

Any time a new person interested in a career in trucking starts doing their research into this business they will usually be completely demoralized after just a few attempts at understanding what it is they are getting into.  This is primarily due to the high failure rate of new entrants to the career, their total misunderstanding of how one succeeds at this crazy lifestyle, and their proclivity to blame their failure on the trucking companies whom they so quickly liken to modern day slave owners.  Are you aware that the success rate of new entrants into the truck driving career is somewhere around five percent?  I am defining success as continuing on past your first year of employment as a new over the road truck driver.  That is an abysmally low number in my opinion, and much of it stems from unrealistic expectations, misconceptions, and a false understanding of what it takes to get out here and make things happen in your favor.

I'm getting sidetracked a little, but the main point of this post is that while there are issues with this career, most of them are not really what people typically think they are.  I can remember times when I wished I could be home with my family when something troubling was going on, but since tragedies come upon us unplanned and suddenly, there is no way you can plan to be home for an emergency.  That is a very real problem, and it requires an understanding spouse who can think on their own and manage things at home no matter what life throws their way.  The folks who are charged with keeping the home fires burning make just as much a sacrifice, and probably more, than the driver out on the road.

My wife is a woman of beautiful character, and she has put up with many things that most would not. I remember having phone conversations with her recently while one of our pets was dying.  She was troubled and wanting to make it as easy on the poor animal as she could, and it would have made it so much easier on her had I been there to assist in the whole scenario.  There are many more even more serious events that she has faced alone and the way those times weigh on me is severe at times.  There is just not a good way to get around that issue, but it is one of the problems associated with a life on the road.

When I left out of Delhi with this recent load that had one stop in Louisville, Kentucky and then went on to final in North Collins, New York, I wasn't but about two hours on the road when my brother called to tell me that my Mother had died.  This was on a weekend and I could not get my dispatcher on the phone.  I have his cell phone number, but he was not carrying it at the time.  I had to make a quick decision on what to do.  I chose to go ahead and keep advancing my load, and I did this based on the long relationship I've had with this gentleman.  I knew I could deliver in North Collins first thing Tuesday, and I also knew that my dispatcher would pull out all the stops to make sure that I could get home in time for the funeral.  Sure enough, once he and I talked, he expressed his condolences, and thanked me profusely for keeping at my task.  He even told me, "you are probably the only driver I have who would handle this situation like you did, but I do want you to know that it would have been fine with me for you to have just turned around and headed on back. Don't worry about a thing, I will put a pre-plan on you tonight and when you empty out in the morning you can just deadhead on back."

So, here I am in Glenwood, Arkansas today.  I am with my siblings and we will be seeing a lot of my Mother's friends over the next few days, and having her funeral tomorrow.  Tragedies strike unexpectedly, and they can be a real problem for a person engaged in this career.  One of the biggest secrets to success at this business is to have great relationships with the people you work with.  That relationship between driver and dispatcher is foremost among them all.  I knew that I could trust my dispatcher to handle things for me so that I could get home, and he knew that he could trust me to handle an emergency on the road with clarity and professionalism.  He called me several times, as did my wife, to make sure that I was doing okay.