Originally Posted by ajritter04

Join the club, Coltsfan.

I quit driving OTR after 2 months, which is 1 week longer than you managed, before I had the same realization. I also had the same problems with it..being away from family and all that jazz.

Initially, you and I probably got into it for the same reasons, the promise of good money and jobs anywhere. In my case, I was bringing (or rather sending) home about $400 per week, which is usually less than or close to the same amount as working fast food.

Initially, I was going to spend 2 years OTR so that I could "qualify" for some of the better jobs, like fuel hauling, or LTL freight. After spending 2 months on the road, I could justify that kind of time investment for a job where I will plateau at a relatively modest income.

I decided that I would rather invest 2 years into something with double (and in some cases triple) the income of the average OTR driver. I decided to go back to school and am currently pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Science and CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Administrator) certification.

After 2 years in school, the base salary for the average Network Administrator is close to $50k per year and with 5+ years experience it's close to $90k per year.

$50k per year to start, home at night and on the weekends, sitting in an office in front of a computer every day, every major holiday is paid time off, overtime after 40 hours. It's kind of a no-brainer when you look at the difference.

Coltsfan, I personally commend you for realizing that trucking wasn't for you and deciding to do something about it rather than sitting there bitching and moaning constantly.