Why Do You Go Home?

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Why do you go home?

I'm asking the question here in hopes that the answers will help expedite wannabees understand the draw. Anyone researching the industry for just a few minutes will quickly see that home time is a very, very important consideration for truck drivers of all kinds. But why is that? What is so important about getting home that you will forfiet significant amounts of revenue and incur significant expense to get there?

Why do you go home?
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Like RichM said...A LIFE!!

There's more to this profession then worrying about generating income. A good business plan will and should consider how much home time is required and to budget accordingly....Most have some sort of brick and mortar residence. Things need to be done.
Being in S.D. we worry about such things as: has the pilot light gone out on the furnace? Has any pipes burst? Any break-ins? Although we try and have a relative drop in to check things out. I also have a 52" big screen TV and a Lazyboy chair that needs tending to once and awhile.
 

nightcreacher

Veteran Expediter
Home is where you hang your hat,oh ya, im single so it doesnt matter,well my co-driver is married,and i go home to keep his wife happy.If we get a load going thru home, that delivers on monday,well thats the ideal weekend load.With me anytime im closer than 300 miles,and the express center i'm at is full of trucks,home here we come,might just be for an afternoon but not going waist time where we cant get loaded.
True story,when i started driving in the early 70's,they were recruiting drivers for schneider,at the holiday inn in kent ohio.there were about 300 divers in the room,the recruiter said,anyone that needs home every week end can leave,he almost cleared the room.Going home is what ruined the freight rates,and this happened before dergulation
Ive been home almos everyweekend this month,but I've got this dam flu,seeing Doctor monday,hope he can fix,tired of coughing
 

terryandrene

Veteran Expediter
Safety & Compliance
US Coast Guard
Creach: Your flu will last seven days; if you medicate the flu will last a week. Get well soon
 

JohnO

Veteran Expediter
Gotta see the grandbabies as they are growing like weeds.
Spend time with the family and work diligently on the honey-do-list in between the
Yankee/Trenton Thunder/Blue Claws/Giant/Knicks/Ranger Games
plus just goofing off time.

I found it less expensive and more covenant to fly back to NJ as I was doing so well in the southwest and didn’t want to get out of that freight lane. I would make arrangement to store the truck in a safe place and head home.

Now if I was younger also in better shape I would have wheeled motorcycle off the truck and toured back to NJ on my XT550 enduro, I would have had a numb arse for at least a month after that 5700 mile round trip run butr what memories. That would have been a really cool ride the longest continuous ride I ever did to date was a 2200 miler NJ to Windsor, ON and back scenic route. That trip had many fond memories would love to retrace that route down the road.

Once I take care of my health issue number one on my list is to semi-retire my 1982 Yamaha XT550 enduro for a 2008 BMV F800 GS and head back to the desserts of the southwest.

Life is Good!
 

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
For all the reasons mentioned and to be honest as much as I love the travel I have to get outta the truck to maintain my sanity.
BTW Steve hope ya get to feeling better and John as one of your 1st fans I would like to take that west coast putt with you..
I have had my heart set on a new Fatboy but am gonna test run the BMW and new Triumph before I pull the trigger..
Whatcha have in mind 2-3 weeks???
Wild Hogs:D
 

easyduzit

Seasoned Expediter
significant revenue? significant expense?

depends on what your definition of "significant" is.

i dont do expedite as of now, im an otr o/o and i will tell you that when i feel the need to go home, i go. the wallet is thin at times, but thats ok.

i live in wi. and run on percentage for a small mom and pops outfit in mn., if i run to dallas for a fri. delivery and they cant reload me that day, they know to call my home phone mon. morning. sometimes i wont want to leave again till tue. or wed. no biggie, if i need some money i take a load, if not? who cares?:)
 

dhalltoyo

Veteran Expediter
Dear ThibodeauxBayou,

What an excellent post. I was quite touched by your poignant words.

I completely agree that we must have a balance! Moreover, we all realize that we need money to exist in this world, but chasing after the almighty dollar can never become the only reason for what we do in this life.

"We are not here to simply pay bills and consume products."
 

davekc

Senior Moderator
Staff member
Fleet Owner
Some good posts. I agree that one just has to have a life. There are other things that simply are more important than revenue and trucking. Having balance makes the most sense.
Too much time away is as bad as too much time home.
Relatives and family will remember time spent with them long before they remember you stayed out for a extended period of time to make a few extra bucks.
 

BillChaffey

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
US Navy
I started in September 2007, I had no idea of what Expediting would require of me and the Recruiter made sure not to tell me anything. I would go out for ten days at a time and sit at least five of them. I have two mules and four horse's and go back to see them because the fun and relaxing to be around. (I'm single)
I enjoy the time on the road, but for me sitting two & three days at a time is difficult. If I'm going to sit I would rather sit at home.
 

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
For me it is all the reasons mentioned and like the old saying: a dog licks himself because he can.
 

JohnO

Veteran Expediter
For all the reasons mentioned and to be honest as much as I love the travel I have to get outta the truck to maintain my sanity.
BTW Steve hope ya get to feeling better and John as one of your 1st fans I would like to take that west coast putt with you..
I have had my heart set on a new Fatboy but am gonna test run the BMW and new Triumph before I pull the trigger..
Whatcha have in mind 2-3 weeks???
Wild Hogs:D

Mike,

Let’s saddle up and head out.

Figure 400 to 500 a day say a week from Las Vegas to NJ depending on weather and road conditions plus how the ole arse and rest of bod is handling the jaunt. So 2 weeks to do round trip plus you got to take a few days off just to enjoy the sights and we all know you’ll be taking a slew of pictures. You must promise if I dump no picture for general consumption…lol

Love to have a fatboy but getting on and off truck would be quite a chore plus it’ll take up a tad more space than what I have now. Whether I like it or not I need to keep enough open space for some freight every now and again…lol

Thought about getting an Argosy with a 29” dry box but I would probably end up with a slew of motorcycles and other toys filling space. My being an expeditor is more about enjoying myself then driving 24/7.

2001 FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY Cabover Truck w/ Sleeper For Sale At TruckPaper.com

I’ll keep you posted for when I get releases from Dr’s to begin planning excursion to far away places. Please Doc I got to go it’ll help cure me I just know it will. I think I need more umph to swing these Dr’s to my way of thinking. My son is good with words I’ll get him working on my appeal proposal.
 

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
Do that! maybe we can even get Arlene and Jim on their Big Dawg hell even Broom has a scoot (I think) set a record poker run:D
 

pelicn

Veteran Expediter
Someone mentioned motorcycles...that's part of the reason we go home. If hubby doesn't get to ride his bike at least once or twice every few months there is no living with him. :rolleyes: We go home to take care of things at home. To recharge the mental batteries, to sleep in our own house, to visit family and friends, and one of the biggest reasons is to feel like normal people. :eek:
 

are12

Expert Expediter
Do that! maybe we can even get Arlene and Jim on their Big Dawg hell even Broom has a scoot (I think) set a record poker run:D
Count us in!! We would love to take a jaunt with you guys!:D:D Jim is always looking for a reason to ride.
Now, back on subject:
We go home for many reasons. I think the main reason is to see family and our dogs. (I really miss our dogs when we are gone) I come from a large family (8 siblings) and we are all pretty close. And let's not forget about the grandkids! I try my best to be home for certain holidays, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day and Christmas so we can have family gatherings. We also go home so Jim can ride - no sense in having the motorcycle just to take up space in the garage! Then, of course, there are things that need to be done around the house and yard. Especially when the weather first breaks and it is time to start pulling out all my yard ornaments and fixing up my "rock" garden. (Got rid of most of the flowers when we came back on the road)
We will also go home if we feel we are always in the "wrong place at the wrong time", just to re-group and start over. Sometimes we just go home because we need to get off the truck.
If I were to get a call that one of my family member's were very ill, I would not hesitate to head home.
I know some say that you can't think of your business as a job but to me, it is still a job but it does not have to consume our whole lives. I love the time I spend at home, just like I love the time I spend on the road but there has to be a balance. Without some type of balance in your life, you will go crazy!:eek:
 

arkjarhead

Veteran Expediter
When I was on the road my main reason for going home was simple. I got tired of sleeping alone. It's nice to share a bed with the wife from time to time. Plus I have a life. My dog always liked it when I came home. I'd call my wife when I was close to home so she could move the car to allow the truck and trailer to fit in the driveway easier. She said our dog would start acting weird then about 2 minutes later there I was. She said the only time the dog would act like that was a couple of minutes before I got home and a couple of minutes after I left. She also said Baby Girl(my dog) would look depressed for like 3 or 4 days after I left. Most likely cause the wife doesn't feed her chips like I do.
 

ATeam

Senior Member
Retired Expediter
Good replies, all! Reasons cited for going home include:

To check on your property

To watch your big screen TV

To keep your wife happy

To see the grandchildren

To spend time with family

To complete chores (honey-do list)

To goof off

To get out of the truck to maintain sanity

To continue your role in family, with friends and in the community of which you are part

To regenerate the mental capacity to spend time on the road

To spend time with animals that are fun and relaxing to be around

Because you can

To ride your motorcycle

To recharge your mental batteries

To see your family and dogs

To maintain balance

To share a bed with your wife


I would like to add an alternative to the view held or implied by some that if you do not go home, you do not have a life.

For some, that is no doubt true. There are expediters who go out on the road to work and come back home to live. They see work as something they have to do and life as something they want to do. But there are others that have fully integrated the two. For them, life is fully lived and fully enjoyed both at home and on the road.

That said, let me answer the question I raised. While we go home less than most expediters, we do go. Our one planned trip a year home is to celebrate Christmas with the relatives that then gather. They are scattered around the country and we see them other times too, as the freight takes us close.

Mental recharging, or decompressing as some call it, is vital to our health and happiness on the road or at home. We can tell when it is time. When it is, we generally stop where we are, go out of service, and spend a day or two off in a non-moving truck and with no loads to deal with. With most of the comforts of home in the truck, there is no need to go home or into a hotel to enjoy them.

One thing that being home provides that no place else does, at least none that we have created yet, is a safe parking place for the truck, and the ability to be away from it without worrying if it will be there or be OK when we return.

At home, we can let our guard down in a way that is not possible on the road. No security guard is going to run you off the lot. No taggers are going to spray paint the truck. And if the truck happens to need service or breaks down, vendors already familiar to us will be the ones we call.

If we were to go on a wilderness camping trip or overseas vacation, home would be the only place we would feel comfortable leaving the truck. Without the sense of security home parking provides, the vacation would be less enjoyed.

Another thing home offers is familiarity. It is nice, once in a while to go to a store where you don't have to first figure out where it is and where you will park. At home, you already know. It's also a special treat to dial a phone number without having to dial an area code first.
 
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