So here’s a opposite take on it from a tramper of 24 years. It all depends on you and your partners outlook on what you want for your family life. And a big part of that if finding someone who understands the job your doing and accepts it. Quite a lot of drivers have problems with keeping relationships due to the hours. I explained this to my wife at the start with a take it or leave it attitude, I’d had a previous partner who tried to change what I did to a 9-5 type job. Luckily she accepted it and we’ve been together just over 25 years.
Personally, I’ve always done long hours whatever industry I’ve been in (farming, railway and haulage) and for most of it I’ve ended up working away. For us that has worked, mainly because the off time has been spent a quality family time plus the financial upside has helped us do stuff we’d never have done if I’d been in a ‘normal’ hours job.
We took the decision that my wife would be a stay at home mum for the last 14 years, the reason was because the majority of her earnings would have gone in childcare anyway. Recently she has returned to work, this helped that I could leave the railway. Even though the pay was brilliant it didn’t make up for the effect it was having on my health both mental and physical.
I don’t see the attraction of day work, as to earn what we require at present, I would still be doing similar hours to what I do tramping but with the added travel time and cost and leaving the house at 5am and getting back around 6/7pm doesn’t give much family time. Plus I’d still miss most of the school stuff anyway regardless of tramping or not. I have done it in the past and we found it didn’t work for us, so I went back tramping. Where I am now it also good as there’s no pressure to work weekends if you don’t want them, I usually do 1 Saturday a month on average, have done more recently as there’s nothing to do with the family anyway so might as well earn a bit extra and pay a debt off quicker.
As you say your 21, and if I’ve read correctly, no family at present the try a bit of everything really and see what suits you. Also earn a bit and put it away in savings as that will help if you want to take a lower aid job when a family does come along.