DATE
May 15, 2024
LOCATION
Home in NY
AUTHOR
Rhea
One of the questions that we commonly field is "What is wrong with you?" Sometimes, people are referring to our decision to walk away from our careers and climb back into a truck. Let's explore, shall we?
Back when we were young and in love (as opposed to now being old and in love), with stars in our eyes, we threw caution to the wind and followed our hearts... into a pumpkin truck (aka team driving for Schneider National). We felt right at home on the road and loved the feeling of a job well done.
As a young, eager to please, easily overworked couple, who were also volunteer firefighters in our free time at home, we decided that this just wasn't the right time in our lives for the lifestyle. Controlled by a dispatcher who knew nothing of life on the road and was solely concerned with earning his bonuses at our expense, we were also getting used up.
When we came off the road, I returned to social work, and Jamie returned to structural design work and eventually structural steel sales. I left social work for veterinary technology and then returned to veterinary diagnostics. Jamie returned to driving to support gasfield operations while they were active in the area, followed by tire sales and heavy equipment operation.
In our non-working hours, we added a few sheep and a llama, which then morphed into a gorgeous herd of registered Nubian goats.
Before we even decided that we were going to leave the first time, we made a promise that we would return before we retired. After taking a step back, evaluating our aging selves and our hearts, it quickly became clear that the time was upon us. Jamie had been watching some YouTube videos about Expediting and this seemed like the perfect solution!
We are thrilled to have only ourselves as coworkers again and our pups will be excited to have mommy and daddy all the time (we've tried to explain the plan, but their command of the English language is limited, and none of the words we've used include "cookie".)
Ultimately, we have the tools at our disposal to live the life that that we have missed, literally every day, for the past 23 years.
Q: Why expediting?
A: Expediting will be a departure from the trucking life that we knew previously. Aside from the major technological advances that have taken place in the last 23 years, the entire lifestyle of expediting is a major change from regular tractor trailer. Expediting centers around moving urgent freight from place to place, and income is not as closely linked to keeping the wheels turning 24/7. There will be down time between loads. We will also be driving a straight truck (box is attached to the frame, no trailer), with essentially a small camper for living space- and the truck can actually fit, not only into parking lots for groceries, but also many campgrounds. We will not have forced dispatch- we will be able to select our own loads.
Q: Are we buying our own truck?
A: We are not buying a truck. We may eventually, but it is in our best interest to be independent contractors, essentially leasing a truck from a fleet, while we learn the ins & out of expediting.
Q: Are we keeping the dogs?
A: Yes. Fleets that don't allow dogs are not under consideration.
Obviously, we haven't yet entered the lifestyle, but these are some of the main factors we have been using while considering our numerous fleet options.
