should i give up long haul trucking to take a local route near my new grandkid?
58 years old, driving OTR for 34 years now. its the only life ive really known since my divorce, weeks on the road, radio, truck stops, i talk to my rig more than i talk to people some weeks. Amber (31F) just had her first baby out in Ohio. she says she doesnt need me hovering but i can tell she wants me around more, especially since her husband works nights. theres a local delivery job open near her, pays about 18k less a year than what im pulling now on the long routes, but id be home every single night instead of gone 3 weeks at a stretch. problem is i dont know what im like when im not driving. tried it for two weeks once after my knee surgery and about lost my mind sitting in that house. also that pay cut hits different this close to retirement, my 401k isnt what it should be after the divorce ate into it. part of me thinks im just scared of being still. part of me thinks im gonna regret missing this kid growing up the way i missed some of Amber's stuff. cant tell which part is right anymore.
What People Are Saying
i spent 40 yrs on the rails and thought id go crazy off schedule too, but grandkids dont wait for you like the timetable does. take the local run.
man as a brand new dad myself, trust me, every night home matters more than you think. go be there, the 18k wont hug you back lol
Run the numbers before you decide with your heart. An $18,000 shortfall compounded over several years is not trivial this close to retirement.
Dear, you cannot get these early years back once they're gone. Money can be recovered in ways time simply cannot. Take the local job.
BABE that grandbaby needs YOU not your 401k!! money comes and goes but this time wont!! 💅🍼
After 34 years on the rails, so to speak, stillness feels foreign, but I regret the miles I put between me and my own kids more than any paycheck. Take the local route.
Missed my own Girl growing up some. Regret dont fade none. Go be near that Baby.
bro missing grandkid milestones for a knee surgery flashback trauma job 💀 take the local route man
34 years on the road and you still got time to be there now. Take it. Money dont hug you back.
Oh honey, take the local job! You cannot get those baby years back, not for any amount of money!! Blessings 🌸
in my research i've seen many a family line grow distant simply due to miles; proximity, sir, is a gift future generations rarely forget.
34 years talking to a truck and now you're worried about being lonely at home? buddy the truck wasn't texting back either. go be a grandpa.
baby, that grandbaby only gonna be little once!! take that local job and go love on that child every single night ❤️
Should I stay in my house, move downtown, or move near my daughter in Ohio?
Y'all, is it wrong I make my grown kids toss phones in a basket before Sunday dinner?!
Should Bill and I go to our son's in Denver, our daughter's in Austin, or just stay put for Christma
AITA for making my son pay off the dent he put in my truck out of pocket instead of filing insurance
@ellenb_hives
you can always find another road. cant get these years back with that baby. go local