Since hubby job as a machinist can end any time he wants to know if there are any machinist that decided to drive and if they like driving better and if so why? Being a machinist is the only thing he knows how to do.So a big change like this is a big decission Right now he can be out the door tomorrow or not for 5 yrs

 

Sounds like Highwayman in reverse. :lol:

 

what do you mean in reverse

 

Hello Mary

Well, I worked as a tool and die maker for 15 years. The company I worked for downsized the toolroom along with all of the other indirect labor they could stand to get rid of. This went on for a few years and they recently announced and followed through with the plant closure. Their reasons were varied, but the facts are the same. Their new plant in Mexico is doing well...'nuff said?

Personally, I was tickled to death to get out of that place. I was completely fed up with dealing with same dumbazz managers and supervisors every day. Politics and social skills prevailed much, much farther than ability and willingness to get the job done. And of course, that's why their cookie crumbled, but yet it is blamed on the cost of labor and lack of productivity.

You will find alot of the same problems in the trucking industry as well. After all, trucking companies are ran by corporate elite, just like any other company in America. They are in business to make their money off the backs of the workers..it's just that simple...always has been, always will be. Solution? I don't have one. We all have to make a living and it seems that we'll have to work for someone else to get it done. At least for the time being.

Now for the more upbeat side. Would I go back to tool and die work after being on the road for a little over six months now? NO WAY! I'm outside everyday. I may have to deal with 100 azzhats today, but at least they won't be the same azzhats that I had to deal with yesterday. It is very possible to spend an entire day on the road without a single conversation with anyone from the company you work for. You might have to send in a msg on the qualcom (satellite communication), but I seldom have to communicate with my company unless it's something for my own benefit. It's nothing unusual for me to BRING HOME more money than I grossed as a tool and die maker. I don't average that much, but I do get close. I've seen places that I would never had seen any other way. Sometimes that is good, sometimes it's not!

Is this line of work for everyone? NO. Can anyone tell you whether you'll like it or not? NO. There is only one way to find out and that is try it for yourself. You'll find people from every walk of life in this profession and you'll find that each of them have different levels of satisfaction with their job. A lot of the things that drive me nuts, other drivers are begging for more of. The things that I want more of, other drivers would park the truck and go home if they got it.

One good thing about truck driving is that once you get some experience and have a good driving record, you will be able to find a job fairly easy in any part of the country. Even if i were to decide to go back to tool and die one day..or do something else, I'll still have the OTR experience and it wouldn't take much at all to get back on the road making some money. At the very least, it's a good back up plan.

Hope this helps. There is a ton information on this website. I do STRONGLY encourage you and your husband to research this industry as much as possible before jumping in. There are ALOT of scams out there and i seems as though some of these trucking companies invented 'em. Do your research...read all you can on these websites, then make your own decision. That's about the best advice I can give you.

Hope this helps!

Arky

 

There is a poster here and at other boards that went from trucking to machinist. That is what I was referring to.

 

trucking can be very rewarding. as it has been for me. you will get all types of opinions here i'm sure. it has helped me become more successful than i ever would have imagined. though most people cannot start out like i did, even though it was the most inexpensive way to get into trucking. good luck to you & yours.

 

It takes disipline to be successful in driving. There are lots of people wanting to take your $$$, with the company being #1.
I started in 1990, when the Russians gave up the "cold war". The pay is less, hours are longer and you are GONE...until a local job shows up.
It is a good way to see the country. When I deliver to shops there is no way I could go back.
Once driving is in your blood it may as well be drugs...you gotto go.

 

After 22 years I am switching for alot of the same reasons said about dealing with the same a@@'s. July 9th is class start date

 

I'm 42 and work maintenance for a papermill,I will give OTR a shot if something ever happens to my job,manufacturing is on a death spiral in the USA.
I think this is a trade you have to be cut out for,a person who can make sound decisions,somewhat of a loner and an easy going attitude.

 

I worked as a machinist for almost 9 years before i started trucking. got tired of looking at the same people every day and i love the freedom driving offers 8)