Homesteading: A Woman's Journey

Support for the Wives of Truck Drivers

The life of a truck driver is varied.  Some are on local routes that have them home each night.  Then you have your regional drivers who travel to a group of neighboring states in their home area.  Regional drivers are able, depending on the company they driver for, to get home each weekend.  Lastly, you have the OTR (over the road) drivers, sometimes referred to as long haul.  These drivers leave home for 4 weeks up to several months at a time before coming home.  It is a job that, as a driver, you either love it or you hate it.

Joe and I both have driven trucks.  As I have spoken of before, we teamed together up until I was about 6 months pregnant with our daughter.  We both admit that we have truck driving in our blood.  We love it.  If there were a way that we could travel with Abbie in a semi, I would join Joe on the road in a heartbeat.  Recently, Joe had to go back to the OTR company that we had driven for together.  He is now training newly hired drivers, most of whom will be fresh out of truck driving school.  His schedule now is being on the road 4 weeks, then home for 6 days. 

Being a trucker's wife is hard.  You miss your husband, but understand the nature of the job.  It can get lonely. Not many people outside the trucking industry understand why you are willing to live this lifestyle.  You get treated at times to comments such as "you are living like a siingle parent but with the benefits of a spouse's income".  The worst comment is when you are referred to as a "trucker widow" because your husband is always on the road. 

Luckily, I have found a wonderful support group online called "A Trucker's Wife.com".  It is an online forum where the wives or girlfriends of truck drivers can reach out and find other women who understand the day to day issues that a trucker's wife goes through.  They understand the loneliness, frustrations, and joys of this lifestyle.  They give encouragement, answer questions, and just plain have fun.  We share each others tears and laughter.  It is a community of women who are all walking the same road......keeping the home fires burning while waiting for our beloved husbands to return when their work is done.

Most of the women I have met through the forum are good Christian women & families. Each day, you see posts offering to keep each other in prayer.  The love, compassion, and faith of these women is something that you can hold onto on the days when you are going through the emotions of this lifestyle.  Their prayers and friendship uplift you, just as you strive to be uplifting to others. 

If you are a trucker's wife or family member needing or looking for the comraderie and friendship of others who understand the trucking life, give them a try.  They have been such a blessing to me in the past 9 months that I have been a part of that forum.

Untitled Comment

08:57, Sunday, March 4, 2007 .. Posted by morningsunshine

I have great respect for truckers. one day we were visiting my aunt when she received a delivery of lumber (they have a finished carpentry business) and the trucker allowed my then 2 yr old to climb into the truck. I told him (my son) that if he wanted to, he could drive one when he got big. the trucker quickly got after me and told me not to want that for my son. I have never understood that; I think it is a profession we could NOT do without. there are a lot of "low-skill" jobs we could get rid of without great problems... but trucking? no, we need men like your husband to put food on our tables and clothes on our backs and toys in our homes and, well, anything!

thank you for your sacrifice for me.

Thanks

12:39, Sunday, March 4, 2007 .. Posted by oklamouse

Thank you for your kind words. Many who are not in the trucking industry have negative views of truckers. In some cases, they are very justified because they have had a bad experience or have been taught that truckers are a nasty lot.

Most truckers though are family men. They have a wife and children waiting at home. You may be surprised at the number of them who are spiritual and have a great faith. They are normally the quiet ones. The rowdy ones that people think of, are actually a small minority in the industry.

When I was still team driving with Joe at 6 months pregnant, I would have drivers come up ot me all the time if Joe was asleep when I stopped for fuel. These kind hearted drivers would offer to fuel the truck, check the oil, and clean the windshield for me. Only on a very rare occassion did a driver ever treat me as anything but a lady.

It is good to see that there are those out there who see the kindhearted truckers. I can understand his comment about not encouraging your son to be a driver. It can be hard on family life if you are not very careful and diligent about staying in touch by phone or email.

God Bless.

i've been there

05:27, Friday, April 6, 2007 .. Posted by agodlyhomemaker

i've been there so i know what you mean. i am so glad we aren't there any longer tho. dh drives locally now. i hope it stays that way! whew!