How many of you trampers on here have been divorced directly or indirectly because of the job keeping you away from home?
A few of my mates have lost their marriage through it, either by their wives getting bored of them being away, or by themselves getting found out seeing somebody while away, others say their marriages have lasted because they are away a lot, and maybe there’s something in that, as for me, and the reason I ask, is today I’ve been married for 29 years,(not sure if I’m boasting or complaining 
) all of which I have been away tramping UK & Europe,( is this some kind of record or can anybody beat it) the down side of this is I have missed a lot of my kids growing up, but still managed to stay with the wife.
My first marriage ended after I came off the road from international tramping. We quickly realised how little we knew each other or had grown in different directions. Although it lasted nearly 7 years when we converted the time we had spent together into terms of a normal 9 to 5, 5 day a week situation we figured we had lasted about 6 months max
Depends on the combination I think, some people need constant attention and re-assurance, other relationships work better when you see each other less, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all of that.
I’ve never been married, nor am I ever likely to be. Marriage, like everything else, seems a bit of a nonsense to the younger generation in general. If it doesn’t then you probably haven’t thought about it enough. You are tying a millstone around your neck, enforced by law, for the sake of tradition. In a world of life that is dynamic and unpredictable, then that seems to me like a very bad plan. Or perhaps I am just putting up a wall, to prevent future hurt.
Thanks to the instant gratification of the modern world, with the internet and such like, there is a world of 6 billion open to you, rather than a couple of villages from where you grew up. With the development of the media, and the “everyone is living a better life than you” celebrity obsession, grass is greener syndrome sets in rather quicker than it perhaps used to. Whether this is a good or bad thing, is still open to heated debate.
The job in general has certainly done no good for my relationships in general. If it works better when you are around each other less, then that should probably have alarm bells ringing. It’s very easy to fall into a relationship situation of convenience rather than any real passion or love, especially when children or a significant amount of money/assets are involved.
Frankly, life is too short for that.
It is typically English to be stoic and stiff upper lipped about such things, but if life turns out to be ■■■■, there is no longer any reason to tolerate it, just because society says you should.
Me driving has cost me a relationship yep we are still friends & do still speak
Yep he was also driving but just in a slightly different to what I was doing
It all depends on the 2 people within the relationship tbh some can cope better than others as I believe it is mainly down to trust & if the person left at home can be strong & independent & not have to rely on the other person
tramping has cost me 1 marriage and several relationships, my current partner would like me home more,but she understands that i had the job before we met, and this is what i do, she also knows its just not a job its a way of life as well,and for that she would never ask me to change what i do.
its the same for her, she has her job as well and i would never ask her to change, we only get every other weekend together because of her shift patterns but we try to make that as forfilling as possible in what we do,
i personally believe that when you are away as much from a partner there has to be a great deal of trust, but as long as you have that, things will work and thankfully i have found the right person 
My first marriage ended because my wife was banging half the town when I was doing night trunk, she eventually ran off with her section manager at Tesco (who she eventually cheated on and then left him).
My second marriage ended basically because I was doing show work and away from home for months at a time.
My third marriage is holding because every chance I get I am home, we have been wed longer than the first two and seems we are very happy still. After 12 years together I find her more attractive every day 
She does get hit on a lot, as do I, she sometimes dresses so sexily and is very pretty she attracts attention. As for me getting hit on ? … ask any English guy living around here and they will tell you the same … ‘want women to find you attractive ? get an English accent’
I still would never cheat on my wife.
if anything its done our relationship wonders never row just enjoy they time we have before i hit the rd again when we first met i couldnt even drive a car 6 yrs later im tramping and loving it
with all of todays tech skype etc its very easy to keep in touch while your away and keep the flame burning
Wife gave me a choice a long time ago when I was tramping " the truck or me"
I loved that truck! …
I attended a after funeral get together when one of my uncles died.
As the beer flowed and memories were kindled , one old timer (who had forgotten that I was related to the deceased) told me, “Aye, he were a grand old lad and everytime he was down the road, half the yard would be round his house seeing to his wife,an’ he never caught on”
I was only married for 2 years. I wanted to be in the truck rather than be at home.
Won’t be doing THAT again. 
I’m from south Wales and my wife up north, we have been married nearly one year and she has been living with me properly for two (we have been together for four years in total)
She used to commute from here to Cheshire for work everyday for two years! This meant getting up at five and dropping her off at the train station and getting home at gone nine some nights, also the money was none existent as trains are so expensive. She handed her notice in when she finished her last exams just before Christmas and now lives here with no job but fully qualified for when she wants to go back to work and with a baby on the way this August it’s going to be a while…
I asked her to marry me to prove I loved her enough to want to spend the rest of my life with her (I’m not a religious person but I do believe marriage the best way to show your love and commitment to each other) this gave her the support she needed to make the big decision on moving (as I am the main income it meant her moving here)
Her mother has now moved down too! And swapped branches for the company she works for and my wife now has even more support for when the baby comes.
I’m now thinking of becoming a full time owner driver and this would mean nights away, I know we can make it as a couple as its all we have ever known. My only concern is missing my children growing up.
i don’t work for companies that tell me what to do.
if they say you can’t take the wife with you. then they will have to put a muppet in the cab. because i won’t work for them.
Why lie… Is it clever?
I have been married 45 years and all that time sevices and lorry driving but my mates point out regularly we have a great relationship because I am never there but will it last,she didn’t get me an Easter Egg.
No Easter egg? You’re screwed.
Writng on the wall Big Vern,how could I not be given a Cadburys Easter Egg,I don’t ask for much forget most of the time what I actually want.
One word…ELBOW!
Not married, been with my ‘missus’ for 14yrs, like Clifton, I was with her before I could even drive a car, used to work in an office doing computer and network stuff, then decided I didn’t like being inside, so became a bin man, and then did a load of other ‘■■■■■■ jobs’, onto busses, 7yrs on busses and coaches, then did my hgv in 2007.
I do varied work, sometimes I’m on 7am starts and home every night, sometimes 4am starts and away all week, in the past I’ve done nights, but rarely do any weekend work since giving the busses up, so we always get the weekends together, no matter what I’m doing.
We spend a lot of money on going out for meals, going to shows (concerts, comedies, plays etc, NOT the opera!!), and enjoy life whilst we’re young, this takes money, so I do a lot and some strange hours to earn it.
She understands and supports me at the moment, but we have no kids, if we did, this may all change.
We’ve been married over 30 years.
When we met I was a squaddy and away a lot. When we got wed I was still a squaddy and away a lot. 10 years later I left the army and started driving for a living, and was away a lot. I’m still driving and away a lot.
Being apart is probably what keeps us together !
I am 39yrs old and have just celebrated my 17th wedding annivesary yesterday…i have been with my wife since 1991 and have two kids…one 19yr old and one neary 14yrs old…she works mon-thurs and i am away mon -fri most of the time,but we make time for each other at the weekend and it works…we hardly ever argue etc…so i think it depends on the person/couple.
My ex and I never argued…It was difficult for her, with her gob full of the neighbour. 