Married to a Truck Driver – My story

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married-to-a-truck-driverWhen people find out that I am married to a truck driver, then the questions start coming.  How long is he gone? Where does he drive? Does he like it? Isn’t it hard being married to a truck driver having two small kids? I really could go on and on about all the questions I get asked about being married to a truck driver. The answers to these questions have changed over the years that my husband has been driving truck.

When my husband first came to me and told me that he was going to go to school to get his CDL and drive truck, I had mixed emotions. I was truly happy for him because I knew this was something that he had always wanted to do and talked about it often. I was scared and nervous because I had never considered what it would be like to be married to a truck driver. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to manage without him. Our kids were ages 3 and 1 at the time he started school. I was also excited at the prospects of what this type of career could do for us as a family.  Starting out as a driver he was OTR, (over-the-road) which meant he was gone from home anywhere between 2-3 weeks with only a couple days at home. At first it was hard. I had to basically get into a new routine and be more independent as a mother and wife.  As the weeks rolled on and turned into months, I was finding out that it wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be being married to a truck driver. Things got easier for me and I learned that I could survive without my husband at my side everyday.  Don’t get me wrong it was and still is hard at times being married to a truck driver. Having your young kids ask you, “When is daddy coming home?” or “Why does he have to leave AGAIN?” Those are hard questions to answer and explain to little ones.

My husband has been driving for 7 years now, and the past 2 years he has been very lucky to be on a DEDICATED run (doing the same run everyday). When my husband first started the dedicated run he is on, we lived in Utah, which meant we only got to see him on the weekends. Yes, that was better than a couple of days after him being gone for weeks. Dad leaving never got easier for the kids, and I know it wasn’t easy on my husband either. My husband and I saw what a great thing this run was, and wanted to somehow have more time as a family. So last year we packed up our family and moved to Idaho. We now live a mile away from the store where my husband ends up for the night. Now he gets to come home, eat dinner with his family and tuck his kids into bed every night. Because my kids are older, they better understand what it is that daddy does and how important of a job it is. Not only because he is providing a wonderful life for his family, but that he is doing a great service for many, many people. They are excited to tell their friends about how their dad gets to drive a “BIG TRUCK” everyday. And it doesn’t get more exciting for them than when they see their dad drive his semi to the school to show and talk to their classes about his job on career day.

So has it been easy being married to a truck driver, not always. Is it getting easier? Yes, I believe it is.  As I said above I had to become more independent and self-reliant. I am glad I know that if I need to I can survive with my husband being gone for a few weeks. Unfortunately, not all truck drivers get to have a dedicated run that gets them home every night. I believe women who are married to a truck driver have to be very strong individuals and can do things that others can’t. I am proud to say I am married to a truck driver and I wouldn’t change a thing.

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