Burnout
Posted by TaperingRanger9@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 25 comments
Well the good news is that I finally landed one of them 6 figure local jobs, with the same company I've been with for the past year. Bad news is that I'm getting burnt out really bad. I'm gonna stick with it and stack some cash at least until winter. I clocked 66 hours from just 5 days of work this week. The checks are hitting but I'm starting to realize that I don't want to work this much for the rest of my life. For any amount of money. With 2.5 years of experience I should be able to go anywhere. Do union jobs work less hours? I was maybe gonna look into private fleets for union places like Safeway. Max I wanna work is 50 hours per week. If this is an unrealistic goal then is a career change worth it? I miss being able to do things after work. Now I'm pretty much just living for the weekend. What should I do?
Mirindemgainz@reddit
Go into beverage, I’m component pay not hourly so I get paid the 8 even if I finished early. I’ll clear 110k I barely work 40. Only peaks in summer when beer cranks and I’ll work 50hrs. That’s my advice because I see all these 70hr warriors and that’s never been me and won’t be and maybe I could make more but I get to see my family a lot and 100k works for me
Take_The_Pen@reddit
What company do you work for?
Pretend_Flatworm_850@reddit
I go for my final interview in a few days for a beer distributor. It’s a 70 mile drive one way. They pay per case and keg and all health benefits are covered completely by the employer. It sounds like this pay is better than hourly or mileage.?
NoGood5117@reddit
Any job in the 6 figures is gonna require a lot of work / time. Even doctors work to hell. Now finding the sweet spot with work/life balance is the hardest part in a job that pays the bills with leftover change
WMDZipperbag@reddit
Broker has entered the chat
curryshotzz@reddit
I feel this my paycheck is damn near great but man these hours suck ass but at least my family is happy
onefastr6r@reddit
I started foodservice 10 years ago and was working 60-70hrs per week. What i have learned is that getting a job that pays component, is better than hourly. You dont have to trade time for money as much. I work 40-48 hrs a week but get paid as if i worked 70. If you work hourly and want the 6 figures plus, be prepared to stay out all night and day long. Find a route based gig and get your life back, but only YOU can find the balance.
lottanadatosay@reddit
I wouldn’t wait 6 more months. Burnout is very real and it just takes one bad thing at the end of one bad week to snap you mentally. Can take years to recover from. I’d get moving on making a move. At least you’ll have the peace of mind daily to know you’re making strides in the right direction,
smoknrubber@reddit
Just a heads up. During your employment life..... you will always be working to get to the weekend. You could try self employed..... but there is no weekend.
ComprehensiveEar2969@reddit
66 hours from 5 days is brutal man. I work irregular schedule as flight attendant and even our worst weeks dont hit that hard. Union jobs usually have better hour protections but you might take pay cut for better work life balance. Maybe look at what matters more to you right now - stacking cash or having actual life outside work
TaperingRanger9@reddit (OP)
Not really. People who work 40 hours per week get off work with enough time to hit the gym, run an errand, and spend some time with their family before they go to bed.
smoknrubber@reddit
I worked 40-48 hrs the majority of my life. The real routine is wake up go to work, come home, take a shower, eat, clean up, make sure your ready for work the next day, watch half a movie while you fall asleep on the couch. Do it all over again, while your just trying to get to the weekend.
Single_Breakfast8839@reddit
This was my life too… until I got an office job. Let me tell you going home and not being exhausted saved my life. Get out of that truck if you can your body and energy with thank you.
TaperingRanger9@reddit (OP)
You a driver manager now? How's that pay? I was thinking about doing that. Since I'd be a former driver maybe I can make a difference in helping out my fellow drivers.
Single_Breakfast8839@reddit
I had to take a step back to get here. Went from driver, to buyer, to operations coordinator, to operations manager (pretty much fleet manager with fancier title). However, while I was a cdl driver I took online classes to get my associates degree in supply chain. You can do it without the schooling too but might be a bit harder to get your foot in the door. I took a small pay cut at first but now I make wayyyy more then I made as a driver for half the effort. No regrets doing that.
imcjoey13@reddit
How long have you been feeling this way?
TaperingRanger9@reddit (OP)
At least several months.
Jimmychanga2424@reddit
At my last local i was almost hoping to get fired. Which i eventually did. It was BRUTAL. I happily returned to extended regional reefer.
Baconated-Coffee@reddit
Union jobs don't work less hours, we just get better compensated for the hours we work. So far this year I have averaged 55 hours per week and have made about 55k gross.
TaperingRanger9@reddit (OP)
55 hours is still an improvement over 66. Fuck it I'll take it
Cracka56@reddit
I worked 90 last week in ag, it definitely suck but you gotta find your motivation and balance
Jasonunlimited@reddit
It’s industry wide my guy. Hell it’s nationwide.
macher52@reddit
Not 6 figures but my neighbor drives for a state entity in NJ. Makes $33 and hour works 40 hours plus Cadillac benefits, plenty of PTO state pension
Joecephus904@reddit
I been a little over 6 years driving local minimum 5 days a week. 12 hours a day. Probably three of those six years, you can add a 6th, 12 hour day. Paychecks are nice. But, at what cost, man.
CakewalkNOLA@reddit
Never had a union job, but I hear they work their fair share of hours. Nobody aaddresses the amount of burnout in this industry. Six figure jobs are definitely few and far between where I'm at, even if you're hauling fuel 6 days/week.