This letter has been long overdue and lies heavy in my heart.
Husbands, if you drive over the road, please don't forget about your family or put your company first. It's not worth it. In the end you're just a number in their book. My husband devoted his life to a company for 10 years, and when he died they wouldn't even give me his last check or even send a sympathy card.It's like OK, you can't help us anymore, let's pretend you never existed. Also, double check your life insurance policy. I am fighting tooth and nail with my husband's company because he had a heart attack while on the road. They claim they don't have to pay because he had a disease (although he had his physical two days earlier and they gave him a clear bill of health). It's sad to feel he is being punished because he pulled off the road when he started feeling bad. If he would have stayed on the road and wrecked and possibly killed someone, they would have no problem cutting me a check.
But this is not about money. Truck driving, no matter what anyone says, can be addicting. You're on the road all the time, and when you come home it's very hard to sit down and relax because you're used to being on the go.
You keep telling yourself, "just one more paycheck and I'll slow down, come home more often," but it never happens. So please keep a check on your emotions and feelings because if you're a family man, your family needs you more than that paycheck or trucking company.
To the wives of truck drivers: Please give your husbands a break. It's not all fun and games out there - it's not a vacation from home life.
It's very stressful: The companies are always pushing them to get to their deliveries faster and faster - they don't care about traffic or the type of weather your husband has to go through. They don't have to be the ones who have to live with the guilt you will have if you wreck and kill someone. Your husband also needs to know you trust and love him. Yes, they get lonely, but if they have someone at home who is going to be there for them and cheer him up on the phone when he's down and not nag at him for not being home or accusing him of cheating, he will always find his way home.
Life on the road is no picnic. There are a lot of strange things and people out there. So give him a break when he comes home and just throw your arms around him and give him a hug. Because there may be one day when he won't be able to return.
