What were you doing before you got you got into trucking? I was a welder and machinist..I worked for a tobacco company until we closed down my 7th year being there..I also have a background in web development (IT)

[-]

Fox_Tango_@reddit

I worked in manufacturing at a factory making transmissions. I’m much happier now in the truck than I was in that hot factory.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

I used to work in a zinc shop..that pool was 730 degrees..I always thought of falling in..it annoyed me

[-]

Fox_Tango_@reddit

My department was next door to the heat-treat department at my old factory job. Hot, humid summer afternoons, plus 1,000+°F furnaces nearby did not equal a fun time.

[-]

skeletons_asshole@reddit

Decade in tech. I’d shovel shit out of a dark pit wearing nothing but my socks before I did that again.

[-]

It had good parts, like working for a big cloud storage company doing monitoring plugins for servers. But that got bought by another big company and became absolute hell. So I went back to something more local, ended up working with an MSP that also did everything from phones to access control to tower cabling. Angry vendors, angry customers, toxic people, on-call shifts, lots of pressure, no regulation, shitty pay for the time.

I let it eat at me for way too long, and after getting extremely close to tossing myself off the top of a tower, I ultimately quit that job in a rage and burned every bridge. No fucking regrets.

Glad I got out before AI took hold too, I can only imagine how bad it is now. Everyone I used to know is completely miserable in that field. Maybe it’s good for someone, but certainly not for me.

[-]

tonythebutcher13@reddit

I was a butcher at a grocery store for 11 years, id rather die then go back to a customer service job now.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

So many humans hate other humans lol

[-]

DepressedDragonBorn@reddit

With reason, we're adsholes lol.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Yes we are..I’m naturally aspirated on sarcasm so I piss ppl off daily

[-]

TacoRedneck@reddit

Hey I was also a butcher/fishmonger at Kroger for a while before I got into this. I completely agree. I make more in a day doing this job than I did there for a week. People were just awful too.

I think everyone should do a customer service job at least once, though. I think it would help a lot of people realize what a bunch of shitstains they are to each other.

[-]

icy_penguins@reddit

Mechanic at a IBP beef plant when i turned 18 till I turned 21, took the first driving job that called me after I turned 21. That was back when stinky simon had black trucks and werner still had nothing but long hood trucks.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Good old days huh lol

[-]

icy_penguins@reddit

Definitely different back then. I never understand why all the old timers bitched about the new generation till I became one of the old timers, lol

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

🤣🤣

[-]

TheIzzyRock@reddit

I was the shipping/receiving/logistics manager for a warehouse shipping out keyless lock systems for almost 5 years, was let go as a reduction in workforce at 50 years old.

Before that I worked for a grocery warehouse in various roles for about 25 years.

Didn’t have a degree and no one wanted to pay for experience, so I was at the gym working out trying to figure out my next step and not wanting to make $17 hr and I saw a news story about the Trucker shortage and signed up for CDL school and was hired by one of the companies that recruited students at my school.

I’ve been a Trucker for 28 months and I never made more money in my life, but the hurry up and wait aspect of our job sucks at times.

[-]

Commercial-Ant-6869@reddit

Bookkeeping& payroll. I tried truck driving for 3 years I got really fed up and went back to bookkeeping.
I still have my cdl.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Why did you get fed up?

[-]

TurdFerguson7597@reddit

Truck mechanic. Had to get CDL for the job. Then got tired of sweating in the shop all summer. Long days in the AC are much better.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

I hate our terminal mechanics..dude told me he took long to fix my truck because I drive an STI and used to own a mustang lol

[-]

Slough-House_75@reddit

Always amazed at he different backgrounds here

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Ppl in trucking come from all walks of life..that’s why I wanted to make a post about it

[-]

CashWideCock@reddit

I worked at a 76 truck stop as a fuel island attendant and worked in the shop doing tires and oil changes. Then I worked for Goodyear in a commercial tire center.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

The transition to trucking seemed easy lol

[-]

CashWideCock@reddit

I knew when I was 7 years old I was going to be a trucker, that’s why I got those other jobs before I was old enough to get my class A license.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Cool

[-]

Silent-Room-4987@reddit

Paramedic. 10yrs. Got tired of living off of food stamps trying to house and feed 3 kids and a wife who was a waitress.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

You’re taking care of the family..I applaud you

[-]

Scrodosaggins99@reddit

I was a gun range manager, loss prevention manager, armed security doing protective details (good pay just very unstable) and now I’m trucking

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Cool

[-]

flergityberg@reddit

Special education teacher. This is twice the money, 1/3 of the stress, and even though I drive nights, I still have more of a life.

Funnily enough, one of the instructors at my CDL school was also a burnt out special ed teacher.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

I bet..dealing with special needs kids can be tough

[-]

NoMasterpiece2063@reddit

Mechanic mostly.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Oh ok..good background

[-]

Old-Wolf-1024@reddit

Navy vet…..bounced around at various aviation gigs in the Phoenix area. After my 3 rd layoff in less than 1 year I said to hell with it and went to Swift Academy.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Fellow swifter..we are so hated lol

[-]

RaphealWannabe@reddit

Army, I was medically retired and needed work to supplement my disability so here I am.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Doin what you can..keep it up

[-]

ear_cheese@reddit

Landscaping. I was just barely scraping by, and I was already towing a 22 foot covered trailer, so I was used to only using mirrors. I figured, what’s another 30 feet?

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Right on

[-]

Wadester58@reddit

I was going to welding school. Left and started driving truck at 18 that was 1976

[-]

AgreeAndSubmit@reddit

Pontiacs still looked sexy that year. The things we loose over the years.

[-]

Wadester58@reddit

I had a 76 Trans Am I bought with my first couple of paychecks

[-]

AgreeAndSubmit@reddit

I had a 77 Buick Regal I bought with a couple of paychecks, but it's was 25 yrs old at that point, cost 500$ and need another 1000$ to keep going.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Lol

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Awesome

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Sheesh..sabotage from Black Sabbath came out around that time

[-]

Ghostxteriors@reddit

I was a roofer for 18 years making $12/hr. Said fuck this: did lawn maintenance for a guy I ended up calling my "uncle" for a while till he passed. (Less money: better environment.)

Then started trucking.

[-]

issaswrld999@reddit

Been a pro 18 WOS pedal to the metal driver before becoming a trucker.

[-]

TechnoG90@reddit

Worked various positions in a nursing home for a collective ~6 years. Basic hospitality for like 2. Case management for 3. Life Enrichment for ~1.

[-]

No_Round_7601@reddit

Maintenance Supervisor hated every minute.

[-]

everythangspeachie@reddit

Basically everything that didn’t need a degree to do. I make way more now

[-]

ArtisticAd9404@reddit

6 years managing a pizza place. I liked the job, I hated the people.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

You don’t like ppl? Lol

[-]

ArtisticAd9404@reddit

Not at all. One of the key reasons I got into this industry. I don’t deal with as many people. 11 hours of solitude most days.

[-]

that_one_erik@reddit

I was a diesel tech. Got tired of fixing trucks so I got my CDL and started breaking them

[-]

Silent-Room-4987@reddit

You had better be an owner op with that knowledge and tool set sir.

[-]

that_one_erik@reddit

I am :)

[-]

DecadentEx@reddit

I did pest control for over a decade (decades of warehouse work before that). Always wanted to drive rigs, and finally went to school when I got tired of wanting.

[-]

dairydog91@reddit

Lawyer. Fuck that industry and job market.

[-]

Silent-Room-4987@reddit

Curious, what type of law?

[-]

SH_SWH@reddit

Started out after college in retail management. Worked for Kroger (sucked), Loves Travels Stops (was great), shifted to tech support with Apple for a while, then got into social work. Did that in two different states. I’d go back to the first one in a heartbeat, where I currently live not so much.

[-]

msnthrop@reddit

Farm manager/research analyst on academic farms

[-]

AaronTuplin@reddit

Security guard. Prison guard. Computer tech support and repair. Day labor. And all that before I turned 21 and started driving trucks

[-]

Kkalemauser@reddit

Worked in a day program for handicapped adults in wheelchairs.

I know how to deal with shit.

[-]

East_Indication_7816@reddit

I'm IT and AI took my job. Plus not worth the stress .

[-]

msstatelp@reddit

Warehouse Supervisor. I make more now and don’t have to put up with a bunch of 30 & 40 year olds acting like 5 year olds.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Warehouse jobs have the most gossip lol

[-]

QueenScottish@reddit

Same here for warehouse supervisor and dealt with management that would at times stab you in the back. Barely getting into trucking, though.

[-]

FlatbedtruckingCA@reddit

Repo agent..and a few other jobs

[-]

pstbltit85@reddit

Part time pumping gas and part time community collage student. Station had a fairly busy service bay. About 18 1/2 in 1971 when I started driving a local gig.

[-]

ID_Poobaru@reddit

Amazon outbound dock ship clerk

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

I’m remember my Amazon days lol

[-]

ID_Poobaru@reddit

Still there, but out in the yard lol. It’s not horrible but not great either.

Teeter tottering on where to go next for local work

[-]

Mamatiger85@reddit

Front desk manager in a hotel, then did pharmacy delivery in a cargo van until I decided to get my CDL.

[-]

deadbeataunt@reddit

k-8 teacher

[-]

JohnWa54@reddit

Machinist-welder-fitter when I got my original CDL ( 1989.) Let it lapse, got it again in 2001, drove a year and went back to the shops but kept it. Full time driver since '15.

[-]

Vanstrucker2222@reddit

Working a minimum wage job at 7.25….. crazy it’s still federally 7.25

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Trash wages

[-]

Delicious-Cattle-357@reddit

Buddy you could be making way better money with those backgrounds

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

The situation I was in at the time I couldn’t wait around for something to come along..I had money saved already so when the plant closed down..I just went to school and lived off my savings

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Also..I picked up a gig as a clamp operator making 1500 a week at this paper mill and these sons of bitches fired me because they said I was playing “the race card” against my white co workers WHICH I WAS NOT!! I said I wanted to be trained correctly and everyone started calling me Malcom X there..it got out of hand and they forced me out lol

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Nice

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Well versed

[-]

Mushiesssss@reddit

Plant nursery and landscaping i genuinely enjoyed it but the pay sucked.

[-]

Desperate_Fee_808@reddit (OP)

Understood