[Dodgegal79]

I am one. I just got back from being called out with the tools, mine by the way, to help DH on the side of the highway fix his back lights on the tractor. Pouring rain, cars spraying you as they go by. Oh the fun. Not as bad as the time we got stuck in the ditch on a forestry road in Northern Alberta in the middle of the winter with a portable building on the back.The chains on the truck were old and broke, so we had to put other ones on, in the dark, still couldn't move. We were there for over 12 hours waiting for something big enough to move us to pass. Lucky I always carried food and water and a small coleman stove in the truck. :sing:

 

[ann in tn]

Mine is no longer over the road, now he is local although he works between 50 and 60 hours a week. I never did ride with him because of my employment so never experienced the "fun" of fixing things on the side of the road.

I have been woken after 1 hours sleep, when I was working nights, to take his wallet to him at the weigh station 1.5 hours away. He forgot it in his pants from the day before. I got another night worker, a friend, to go with me, we were both punch drunk tired when we got home and to sleep.

 

[soulsurvivor]

DH drives tractor/trailer local too, but I remember the "fun" of long haul back in the early 80s when he drove mostly down south, but some to CA and northwest. Most "fun" was sitting by the scales in north GA waiting for his truck's violations to be fixed. Us and the truck sat there for 17 hours. I was a teacher, but also worked at the local sewing factory on summer break, so I could usually have a good enough excuse not to go with him. Long haul trucking is a job you have to really like doing in order to keep doing it. Hardest job on earth in my opinion.

 

[Dodgegal79]

I was driving Pilot car when we were hauling the building. I've done the wallet thing too, the panic phone call from him, lol. We did do long haul when we first met, my one and only time to see the Western States, I loved it. I love sleeping in the truck when it is moving, which surprised me. He now work local too, better money then long hauling. I like knowing he will be home safe to during the day. Last week there was a trucker and his wife parked for the night on a pull out near my town, maybe about 45 min away. Someone drove up and put 18 .22 rounds into the truck. They didn't hurt the couple, but it made me sick to think about. We always pulled over in a spot and would sleep.

 

[mtfarmchick]

My hubby used to drive truck. He didn't do much that would be concidered OTR. He went 800 miles round trip to haul grain. He had a few loads that were further than that but not many. I went with him every once in a while. I also loved sleeping in the truck when it was going down the road. I didn't get to that often 'cuz he never lets me sleep in a vehicle. I don't remember ever having to fix anything but I've helped tie down my share of hay loads.

 

[Dorothea]

i am a long haul truckers wife,,i do not help fix his truck well once we rebuilt his engine,,,i haven't been with him on a run for about 15 years,,,when the middle daughter starts driving i may go then...

 

[ladykethry]

How do you do it?? My BF was driving OTR, but I just couldn't bear to only see him on weekends. Do you think it takes a certain type of woman to handle that? I (selfishly, I suppose) asked him to find another job.

 

[ajharris]

How do you do it?? My BF was driving OTR, but I just couldn't bear to only see him on weekends. Do you think it takes a certain type of woman to handle that? I (selfishly, I suppose) asked him to find another job.

Ladykethry, yes it does take a special type of woman to handle it. My DH is not OTR, but local. We are really lucky to see him twice a week. Right now DH is about a mile from the house, but he will be out on the job for another 4 days. DH works over 100 hours a week. Last payday he had 236 hours.
DH and I met in a truck stop, I knew what I was getting into, but it is well worth it. You enjoy your time together, and pray for him whenever he is away.
HTH

Amanda

 

[yarrow]

I'm the wife of an owner operator. My hubby is leased on to Berger/Allied (big orange moving truck) Ed is gone a lot more then he's home. (we were just your *normal* 9-5 type married folks for years. Ed got up, went to work, came home, had dinner. Had weekends off. We were together all the time). 9-11 happened and all that changed. His job was phased out. He got a decent package from his former company. We were at a cross-roads in our lives. Last kid about to graduate. Empty nesting, just around the bend. Well.... we had a talk and decided to jump both feet into new lives. Ed had always wanted to travel and really see the country. So... he went to trucking school. (we decided if we were going broke, we'd do it big LOL.. bought a truck, signed onto Allied and off he drove. He's now been EVERYWHERE. He picks & chooses his jobs (he is a master mover) He'll either dead head or rent a car. He's been camping in just about every national park. He's swam with dolphins down in the Keys. Seen the space shuttle do a night launch. Went whale watching. Climbed the island at crater lake. Zoos, festivals, battlefields, he's been there. He's been to every state, multiple times. (on occasion he makes it to different parts of Cananda) He is gone from home on avg. 3 to 4 MONTHS at a time. (this past year he left on Dec 26th, pulled back into the drive on May 28th!!).... so, I can't help but smile when I hear other trucker's wives complain about how LONG their man is gone on each trip..... again, we had NEVER been apart more then 3 nights in a row for all the years of our marriage!..... being an owner operator I could go with him, but I didn't want that wandering type of life. I wanted/needed land & critters. With Ed gone & the kids on their own, I had no reason to stay where I was (Ed could come see me anywhere) So.... I got on line and found a homestead in the Ozarks... signed the deal, sight unseen. Ed did come home and help me pack & move LOL. He stayed here on the farm with me for about 2 weeks, helping get a couple fences up, teach me to use all the power tools, help me find my way around the area... but then he was gone again (I think it was only 9 weeks gone that trip) BUT.. I suddenly realized I was a middle-aged city gal, living on a farm, in a state where I didn't know a single person.. totally on my own for the first time in my life!!!. I too jumped in with both feet. I started my herd of nubians, I got a horse, I got a couple jerseys. I met the neighbors. I built things. I watched the sunsets from my front porch, walked my woods.... Ed was & is my best friend. It's just a little different now. While we don't SEE each other day in/day out.. we do talk a LOT & often (many times a day) unlimited long distance & minutes makes it easy to stay connected. We try to go on vacation together each fall. (we work it in between heavy moving times & fall kiddings LOL) ... It's a very different life then I imagined our lives being... but it's full & it's exciting & I feel blessed that we have each been able to follow & find our own *bliss*.. We *joke* about where he's going to live once he quits driving? We've decided that he'll build a house of his own, out in the woods to the north of MY house. We'll *visit* often....
susie, mo ozarks

 

[Mrs Katzenchix]

It's nice to hear from all those truckers wives in different situations. Yarrow, it sounds like both you & DH live very interesting lives. I really admire your chutzpah. :goodjob:

DH drives local & I work from home. About 5 years ago, DH's factory moved out of state so he used a grant from the gov't to go to truck driving school. At first, he worked all hours, very unpredictable, 14+ hours day/ 6 days a week. I like it much better now that he has a dedicated run to Chicago every day. He only works 50-60 hours/week & home every weekend. The down side is that he gets sick of doing the same trip everyday.

If need be, I'm sure he would go to OTR but it would be difficult for us both. I have alot of respect for those who can & do drive OTR.

 

[jil101ca]

My hubby used to drive long haul too. He would be gone for weeks at a time. I used to like it but would get very lonely at times. It kept our relationship fresh, when ever he was home it was like we were dating again. He stopped doing those long runs when he came one day after being gone for 7 weeks and his DD who was 2 at the time didn't know him, she acted "strange". I have done the wallet run many times lol. Now he is home every night but 2 jobs so I still don't see him much.

 

[Jaclynne]

My dh has been trucking for 35 yrs. He just runs 4 states now, and that gets him home most nights. He'd be bored to tears with a regular day job.

I've done the 'midnight wallet delivery' too, and food runs since dh is diabetic and doesn't eat on the road.

Thank goodness for cell phone plans with free minutes!

Halo

 

[neal68]

I can relate to alot of these stories, two years ago while driving for JB Hunt the hubby got stuck in the yard. (there had been an ice storm the night before) He came in the house calling for me to help, so out I went and we ran a large tow chain, in the freezing cold and rain, to our ten year old pick up truck. I then proceeded to pull out the dh, and his "BIG" rig with our "little" four wheel drive beat up pick up. I've also been his navigator on the road, and crows nest girl watching out for things he might side swipe or back into. I really miss it. He is now driving for a little agway store and only drives straight truck, but I keep trying to convince him to go back out, I do miss the sound of the jake brake as he comes home.
Take care

 

[myheaven]

Im a truckers wife, when dh And I were dating he was gone 3 mts at a time or more. Now I see him 34 hrs a week. Much beter than what it use to be.He is a long hauler for a pretty major company. I have gone with him several times. I can only hack 3 days mentally and then need to go do something. I cant stand idle for very long. We have 6 kids oldest is 9 youngest just turned 1

 

[Jaclynne]

He came in the house calling for me to help, so out I went and we ran a large tow chain, in the freezing cold and rain, to our ten year old pick up truck. I then proceeded to pull out the dh, and his "BIG" rig with our "little" four wheel drive beat up pick up. .....

Oh, I've done the that too. Actually I was amazed it worked.

Freight has slowed so much this year that when dh's off days are near a Sunday he usually gets extra days off. Three days in a row of him being home for every meal makes me dread retirement something fierce!

Halo

 

[Dodgegal79]

Yup done the towing in the driveway on the ice. I only have my two wheel drive truck but that dodge 440 had lots of power. LOL. Before I met my DH he drove for H&R all allover Canada, US and Mexico. He was in New york on 9/11. He has seen it all and doens't want to do it again. He lived in the truck for 3 years, he only ever drove past his home, no point in stopping except to visit his dad. I did not like his doing long haul, especially in the winter.

 

[Bay Mare]

My DH has been driving some kind of truck for most of his adult working career. Dump truck, to concrete mixer, then to a milk tanker. With those he was home every night. Then he went OTR in '97 and is still at it. Home about 34 hrs a week. He was an O/O for several years and is now back in a company truck which in most ways is much less headache. He has seen most of the lower 48. When he was running California he used to love to call me in January and tell me he was wearing a T-shirt. It was usually during a snow storm or something here. One night he called and said "can you hear that?" as he hung the phone out the window. He was sleeping beside the bay in San Francisco and wanted to make sure I could hear the water on the rocks!

When he has time and is coming thru town sometimes I will meet him for dinner or take him his dinner if I am already home from work. Unlike me he has never forgotten his wallet. I usually can't find something (keys, wallet, etc). Or it is me forgetting to give him something when we are loading the truck for the week. Cash for the road, bread, paper towels, smokes. Week before last I forgot to give him his cigarettes before he pulled out. I realized it when I went back in the house and hopped in the truck to run him down.

He says he wants to come off the road but I am not sure what kind of job he will be able to do that won't drive him crazy (not that trucking doesn't drive him crazy sometimes). We have known many guys over the years that got burnt out on trucking and quit. After a few years or sometimes months they went back to it.

No kids here so that probably makes it easier for me than most other trucker's wives but I do still have all the farm animals to care for and work full time too.

Angela

 

[HappyYooper]

My hubby was OTR & delivered throughout the midwest. Since 1996 he made the change to driving log truck locally...this is right up his alley as he loves the woods. I used to run with him frequently & saw the most beautiful scenery & had the opportunity to see 2 moose