Trying desperately to survive last breakdown and progress to getting out of trucking. I’ve been a long haul truck driver for 18 years and have missed a lot with my family. My greatest fear is dying out here somewhere far from my family. I also don’t want to ever become a danger to myself or others out here. I can’t afford to retire but if anyone out there is willing to help me get to that point, well, God Bless you.
https://www.gofundme.com/6s06mwo
I’d like to explain why I am not prepared for retirement. 15 of my 18 years out here I have leased trucks in an attempt to become a successful female owner operator. That has been a struggle beyond belief. Between truck payments, repair expenses and falling behind with tax debt, nothing left to build towards retirement. You fall literally into a rut in this industry and it’s nearly impossible to dig out. Not to mention the wear and tear on your health. I’d love to get out sometime in the near future before it’s too late.
Hoping I don’t get boring but I would like to tell my current ordeal as an example of what I have been through and the impact it has on me. Freight was slow during Christmas and New Year holidays. I was headed to Omaha on January 11, day after my 62nd birthday. My truck broke down and had to get towed to a shop. Turned out it had to have transmission rebuilt, new clutch, and x-y shifter. 12 days in the shop later I’m nearly 14k in debt. The repair debt hurts but the down time hurts even more. I’ve been through so many setbacks over the last 18 years and don’t know how many more I can handle. And freight is still slow. In the 18 years I struggled out here I have never reached out like this but when you get my age the struggle gets harder every time not to mention dealing with health issues on top of it all. I don’t ever want to be a burden to my children they have my beautiful grandchildren to take care of.
If anyone out there finds it in their heart to help at all, God Bless you. I know reaching that retirement fund may not be realistic but anything would be a blessing. Right now I’m a month behind on bills due to holidays, truck breaking down, and lack of enough freight to haul.
I feel I should clarify a little. The fear of something happening on the road due to health issues is based on me being type2 diabetic with occasional tachycardia. I’m managing it, but that fear is always there.
Not only is retirement out of reach but right now I can’t even keep up payments on my life insurance and health insurance is totally out of the question.
I’ve been a single mom for 33 years and raised two awesome kids, I’m so proud of them both and they have given me 3 precious and amazing grandsons.
All these years as a single parent were tough but worth the struggle I used to work several jobs at times to make it. I have always been severely independent and never before reached out like this. I always felt I had to do it on my own, and truthfully never had anywhere to reach out to. All my family and friends had and still have their own struggles.
I’m saying this was hard for me to do, and may not amount to much, but God Bless any and all that feel the desire to help, and Bless those that don’t or can’t.