For context I'm a truck driver.
I got my CDL in Dec of 2019 and started at an awesome flatbed company. (For background, flatbed trucking is labor intensive and you need to study securement and be damn good at driving a massive ass truck in confined spaces. But it pays a lot more than refrigerator or dry van trucking. It's more dangerous but honestly, ton of fun if you like being physical and being challenged.) This first company was great. Pay was awesome, the people were saints, they promoted me 3 times in a year and gave me the best trucks in the fleet. But unfortunately I had to quit, I was looking for local jobs and they even tried their best to find me a local route but they're an over the road company so it just was not possible. I left on great terms, even detailed the truck and returned it with a full tank of fuel so it was ready for the next driver as a thank you for how they treated me.
Found a local gig that was based right near my house and seemed all great, owner seemed nice as hell, the work was cool as I was driving pretty simple loads around the greater NYC area in a really fucken awesome Peterbilt with a big ass engine that was a total hoot to drive. But as time went on, I really started to ignore red flags. I don't wanna get into details because itll take too much typing but I was really ignoring all the red flags. Yelling, broken promises, days of “no work” and not getting paid, trucks broken and excuses of lazy mechanics etc. But it paid good, was making $300 a day 5 days a week mon-Fri. Hours always changed but that's trucking. Some days I worked 5am-9am and got a full day's pay and some were 5am-6 or 7pm. Mostly was like 5am to around 3 or 4 tho.
December of last year I was slammmmmmed, almost everyday I was working from 5am-6pm because the contract we were hauling for has a end of year sale so we were fucking jamming. Then come January, no work. Days and days of no work. Friendly excuses and Yada Yada but no work. Then we started a contract with this steel place and I was hauling steel into Manhattan everyday which I'm not gonna lie, was pretty fucken cool and made you feel pretty bad ass. I liked the work, it's fun chaining steel and trying to get a massive 70-90ft rig around Manhattan, it's a challenge and you really gotta be on your toes.
But this is when the bullshit started coming out. They made the son the “boss” even tho we had 5 fucken employees and he was rediculous to work for. The dad was always getting pissed and I was constantly being verbally harassed and told I was a shitty truck driver even tho I'm literally maneuvering steel thru Manhatten. Fucken berated me constantly, never let me say anything, and still random days of no fucken work. Son had autism and would call me on the weekends constantly about work and after work and before work and would drop shit on me non stop.
One time I had to work from 3am to 7pm even after fucken explaining to him and the dad for months that I'm not a night driver, I need sleep. I can push 5am and go to the city or short drives and be fine but this was a 500 mile day that was a favor to the bosses land lord. I told him that it's a safety concern for me because I know I will not beable to get up at 2am and beable to work a day like that without being a safety hazard and kept assuring me to drink coffee and I'll be fine which was his every fucken excuse to a safety concern. I eventually talked him into doing it and he said “call my father to make sure” so I call his dad and mentioned it and his dad responded “DO WHAT I FUCKING TOLD YOU” and hung up.
I must have had 3 Adderalls(I'm prescribed for adhd) , 6 or 7 red bulls and worked my ass of dropping loads and driving down the highway. I got it done but it was the most uncomfortable thing I've ever done. But I was under a manipulation spell from these fucks bevause the boss was a con artist and knew when I wasn't happy. Whenever I wasn't happy, all of a sudden he's my best friend and promising me the world and saying shit like “yeah I get angry sometimes and I'm sorry, im just under so much pressure from…” and my dumbass would believe him.
Breaking point was 5 weeks ago, the steel place was in between jobs and I was sitting at home. They said no work but the part time guys and the son, who mind you lived at fucking home and got free meals, free car, didn't have a fucken bill in the world, was working and giving work to the part time guys and himself. The dude was posting to Facebook all the fun he was having as big trucker man in Manhatten while me and my boyfriend are trying to figure out how to get food and pay the mortgage.
Got to a point where I called the boss, he started berating me, then said on Friday at the sussposed company meeting that never happened, he was gonna berate me again. So I told him to fuck off and quit. Like look, you can yell at me whatever if I'm getting a paycheck I have the stomach to ignore it. But you're gonna not pay me and then shit on me? Fuck you. He's still holding my last paycheck hostage til I comfront him.
Last week I started a job as a dump truck driver at a construction company and oh my god what a world of difference. They have an office, a fucking office, and its a real office and not an alcoholic with files shoved in his apartment. They have an Hr department, and the management is super super friendly. The trucks are all new and working, they have a mechanic on site. The crew I work with is super friendly and professional.
The work is fun, I never need to go farther than 60 miles outside the base. I still get to do physical labor which I love because it's like being paid to go to the gym. On top of that, I'll get to be trained on heavy equipment like excavators, cranes, Bob cats, anything really which will set me up so I can get into a local NYC union as an operator making $100+ an hour for life.
Even the commute is fucking awesome. I drive a miata as my only car and my new commute is all through windy roads and woods and I just get to blast tunes with the top down and enjoy the scenery and have a fun drive. Shit, there's even a ton of convinient shit to stop at on my way home like several supermarkets, hardware stores, beer stores, fancy food places, malls, name it and it's on my way home.
And the hours, oh my god the hours. Show up between 6:30/7:00 and you're done by 3 or 4 everyday. I get to get scheduled sleep again and have energy to cook dinner again!! And I'm not constantly fucking pissed the fuck off!!
I feel like a damn person again and it's so fucken nice. Those who are reading this and are in toxic ass jobs, just keep looking, you'll find something better and when that comes, just tell your new employer you can start immediately.