Trucker's First Day In

*Guest Post By Cindy Derricks.

Driver: “Ah, finally a day off.”

Wife: “Hunny, the sink is clogged, the toilets running, oh and can you help me with the errands.”

Kids: “Daddy’s Home! Daddy’s Home! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”

This is a typical homecoming scenario in many households, especially for families who are just beginning to adjust to life in the trucking industry. The key point here is that there is an adjustment and it will take some getting used to. If the family works together this adjustment period can run smoothly and benefit everyone.

When my husband comes in for some home time it may take a day for him to adjust to home life. For the past seven days he’s pulled long hours, had early start times, unloaded trailers; the only schedule he had to deal with was unloading and reloading safely and on time. A truck driver’s day to day life on the road is different. There are no screaming kids in the truck, no sinks to fix, no errands to run, no parties to attend.

My best advice to any wife of a driver is, give them a day to adjust. This doesn’t mean he should avoid the family or their home obligations because this will lead to continued isolation from the family. But by letting him enjoy a day off everyone will have a more enjoyable time while the he is home.

Generally we spend our first day in watching movies, playing cards, playing Nintendo and enjoying other random, relaxing family activities. This family time is important for everyone in the family and you will create some great family memories.

Don’t worry the nagging commences on day two. After he has had a day off, I’ll make him fix the sink, do the errands, continue the renovation work on the house, and even sneak in a few hours of quiet time for myself.

Cindy Derricks is the wife of long time Len Dubois Trucking driver Jeremy Derricks.