I’ve been tramper for the better part of 30 years, and don’t see an end to it anytime soon.
The few times that I’ve had a go at day or occasional nights away work, both Me and the Mrs have found it more stressfull, as the varied finnish and start times seemed to totally disrupt the smooth running of the house. Where as I’ll see you at the weekend works better.
As for not seeing the kids grow up, well yes that is My biggest regret, though to be honest, when I tried day work, the kids were allways in bed when I left for work and returned home, so really saw no more of them than I do as a Tramper. Would I change my chosen lifestyle, if I was starting all over again, to spend more time at home, No !
I would think, that if you were married and decided to go tramping that would be a hard change in circumstances for a wife to handle. I was already tramping when I met my wife, so she accepted what she was getting into 20+ years ago.
Living in a tin box
as Robroy has already stated, doesn’t have to be an endurance test. Showers are easy to come by, though sometimes its worth paying, and not waiting til you park up. I do similar to Rob, in that my mrs cooks and freezes meals for me, which I then Microwave. depending on where I’m parked, and whom I might bump into will make the decision as to whether to go and socialise over an evening meal, instead of in cab cuisine, but the choice is mine, and not forced on me by adverse circumstances, as I’ve allways got something to microwave or cook in my truck.
Living in North Norfolk also has a bearing. All the drivers I knew before and when I started driving did nights away, and early starts, so it was/is just part and parcel of trucking from our piece of this sceptre isle, and I embraced, and still do.
As Muckles stated, the employment options are limited for day work anyway, and with only commuting at either end of the week, means its viable to work for an Employer 75 miles from home, for better than local wages.
Unlike the many day drivers, who seem to have to berate trampers for our lifestyle choice, without, it seems bothering to ask why we prefer that as our lifestyle choice. Trampers seem on the whole more measured in our appreciation of different drivers differing work patterns, I’ve yet to hear a tramper say to a day driver, blimey, I wouldn’t sit in all that traffic each night just so I could get home late to re-heat my tea whilst waiting for the mrs to return from bingo, 10 minutes before I need to go to bed for a 4am start !