Trucking is one of the hardest businesses out there, with one of the worst turnover rates in the US. For every driver that enters the industry, one leaves or switches companies. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) told me that this is because wages are low, drivers can’t get paid overtime, and hours are long.
Lisa Otto has over 20 years, 48 states, and 3 million miles under her belt. Over seven days, she can easily clock in 70 hours of driving. She lives out of her truck, which she bought for $230,000, for weeks at a time. She doesn’t have a toilet or shower in her rig. But she does have her two weiner dogs, Clarice and Phoebe.
I was worried for Lisa being away from her family and home for weeks at a time. But she told me she enjoys traveling for a living, and she’s so introverted, she likes her alone time. She said she sleeps better in the foam mattress in her truck than at home. And she reminded me there’s FaceTime to talk to her grown children.
Out on the road, her dogs keep her company. She says she wouldn’t know how to survive without them. When she’s alone in her rig at night, she feels protected with them around.