Retirement

[Bill Morell]

I have decided that 43 yrs of trucking is enough. Doing my final run today. My wife had a new shop built for me in our backyard. Hopefully I will be spending a fair amount of time in it. 

[peabody]

Good for you Bill!
Enjoy!

[Bill Morell]

Thank you Rich!

[Dan McEntee]

   Well go ride 'em cowboy, and be careful out there! Enjoy that retirement and let me know what it's like. I got about 4 years or so to go.
   Best of luck to you!
    Dan McEntee

[Dane Martin]

Sounds exciting Bill! You'll be able to crank out some builds now!

[Ken Burdick]

I've been retired for about 5 years now. It made me chuckle when you said "my wife had it built for me in the back yard"

Congrats on your retirement and you will be amazed at how busy the first year is.

Ken

[Crist Rigotti]

You'll love retirement!  Good for you.  Does your wife have any sisters?   

[Mike Griffin]

Congratulations Bill.

Mike

[Tom Niebuhr]

All the best Bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!  You will be amazed how busy you will be.

[Gary Dowler]

Congratulations!!  If I hang around until full benefit age of 67 then I still have 13 years to go. Now if my 401k keeps going like it has in this past 10 month....might be able to cut that a bit shorter! Thank you DJ Trump! Got to like a 14% rate of return....!!!!

Gary

[Randy Cuberly]

Fantastic Bill!  Retirement is wonderful...except for being poor all the time of course!

Enjoy building model airplanes!

Randy Cuberly

[Will Hinton]

Congrats Bill!!  Did it in June of 2000 and haven't regretted it for a moment!  Someone asked me if it took a long time to adjust and I said, "Yes, I was at least halfway out of the parking lot before it happened!"  Best part was getting to spend 15 years with my Donna 24/7 before she had to leave this world; you and your wonderful lady enjoy each other more than anything else.

[john e. holliday]

Hey Bill, enjoy your retirement and may it be long one.  I retired when it was pointed out to me that there were going to be changes in the company and there the addition of a bonus check also.  If every thing had stayed the same money wise there would have been no problem.  But the loss of cost of living increase twice hurt while every thing else was going up.  It has been a little rough at times but I'm glad I did it.  Can you believe April of 2003 was when I was escorted out of the building after turning in my key an ID card.   After this year I hope things start looking up.

Any way enjoy your retirement and if you don't make a schedule you will wonder how did you have time to do the things you did.   

[George Grossardt]

Hey Bill, 31 year Schneider vet although I didn't drive. 

Who did you drive for?  I left Schneider a year ago and I am now running my own business repairing heavy duty truck equipment.

Hope you truly enjoy your retirement. I know how hard the driving job is.

George

[dennis lipsett]

I retired in Feb 2010 after 30 years at the same institution. as I walked out the door the air smelled sweeter than I had ever noticed before and like everyone else has said I was extremely busy for about 2 years. I have learned to be a man of leisure and play with my hobbies . Or to sum it up in retirement I have learned that the word 'work' is a word with no redeeming  social value to me.
Have a purpose to get out of bed every morning and you will wonder where the day has gone to.
enjoy yourself it is an earned privilege.

Dennis

[BillCalkins]

I retired two years ago, love it.

[FLOYD CARTER]

That's amazing!  I had to build my own workshop.  My wife can manage and design any plant-based item, but not so good at building workshops.

[Bill Morell]

Hey Bill, 31 year Schneider vet although I didn't drive. 

Who did you drive for?  I left Schneider a year ago and I am now running my own business repairing heavy duty truck equipment.

Hope you truly enjoy your retirement. I know how hard the driving job is.

George

I really hate to admit the fact that it was Swift. If they hadn't bought us out a few years ago I would have probably gone for a few more years. It was hard finishing it here but the aspect of starting over some where else had no appeal either. They "grandfathered" most every thing over but you always lose some thing in these kind of take overs.

[Bill Morell]

Thank you to all for the kind words. I have a reason to get out of bed every day. Currently in training to do the John Muir Trail next summer. Just a 222 mile walk.............

[Frank Imbriaco]

Every night Friday night and every day Saturday

[Fredvon4]

Military and DA civilian for most of my working life plus a hot sweaty hard labor underpaid production line manufacturing job for a brief while

41 years of working and saved well, paid a lot of things off early, plus a higher paid working wife let me retire early so to speak at age 55

Biggest problem after all the years of a rigid schedule is having any concept of day or week...since every day is Saturday/Sunday

Secondary problem is trying to keep hobby related expenditures in check

Third problem is she who must be obeyed dreaming up more and more "Honey DO" projects

Up side... Honey Do projects  got me a whole slew of neat tools and toys and shops..yes plural

Fred ---spending my kids inheritance since 2012....grin

Bill---Congrats on the retirement...

I briefly thought about OTR trucking when I retired from the Army; got saved by the local MFG job... still have a lot of friends who drive OTR short local and long haul... grueling underpaid dangerous work IMO

In my area there is no end to want adds for truckers... signing bonuses and more work then there are applicants
I spent three years running Hot Shot (my truck) loads for my former MFG job to and from Lampasas and Katey Texas...good bucks too
I have a friend who delivers Harley MCs to and from dealers all over Texas...very good bucks

So if you find yourself with too much free time.... exploit your CDL for some of these short term and local driving opportunists if they exist where you are

[phil c]

Go for it Bill.  Drive safe this last trip, I'm prayin' for you.

Best advice- take care of your health.  Start excercising, walking, biking, even jogging, regularly if you can.  Eat healthy- try to get a salad at least at every meal, make your own cheaper with fresh veggies.  Try weightligting or lifting machines to build up strength.  It starts to go away after 50.  Take all necessary medicines on schedule, don't skip any, and make your doctor(s) your friends.  Their nurses too.

[Fredvon4]

Phil C has probably the best advice

I had a bad accident and the recovery is grueling
Be safe, don't take unnecessary chances
Eat well

Live free and long

I had a hard time for a while with duldrums...not really depression, just a lack of a plan and purpose...hard to start a project

I found setting weekly or even daily goals was necessary (for me)

Silly wife got one of the stupid Amazon Echo devices...basically worthless assistant that does NOT know anything
BUT it is very good at daily reminders of task lists

Not like any of us need a personal assistant to remind us to take our vitamins and today is Monday...trash runs at 0900

[Jim Kraft]

Congratulations Bill. I have been retired for 12 years and never regretted it once. Maybe you will get a chance to use some of the ignition engines now. You have some really good ones. All the best.

[Larry Renger]

I have been refired for over 10 years (long story that, but got my revenge!)

You will be amazed how little time you actually have freed up. I think I got more building done while working/commuting than I do now.

But, I am enjoying life a LOT more now.

Best of luck and keep at your hobby, it will give you years more life and enjoyment than sogging in front of the idiot tube. Of course there is always golf 

[eric rule]

Good for you Bill. Now it's time for you to enjoy life.

[Bill Johnson]

Congratulations. I think you'll find it true that you'll be very busy for at least a year or 2. I've been laid off from my job for about 5 weeks now and I haven't had a single day of rest since. Almost have half the upstairs painted, new electrical fixtures, ceiling fans, furniture repaired/refinished, Ac ducts cleaned, etc. I can see this going on for at least a year.

Not a single day of boredom!

[Gerald Arana]

Congratulations. I think you'll find it true that you'll be very busy for at least a year or 2. I've been laid off from my job for about 5 weeks now and I haven't had a single day of rest since. Almost have half the upstairs painted, new electrical fixtures, ceiling fans, furniture repaired/refinished, Ac ducts cleaned, etc. I can see this going on for at least a year.

Not a single day of boredom!

Well, lets see; I have been gainfully unemployed (semi-retired) since '92 or was it '82, can't remember (got CRS) [can't remember stuff] and since I've been retired I often ask myself "When did I ever have time to work?" I've got more to do NOW than I ever had!
To many planes to build and to many to repair......
Good luck Bill,
Jerry

[Chad Hill]

Congratulations, Bill. Just retired myself after 35 years of buzzing around. Hoping to finally have time to enjoy this hobby. I've been able to stack up on just about everything I will ever need control-line wise. Lived far below my means, no debt, stayed married to wife #1, put away every $ I could after my employer declared bankruptcy a number of years ago and waxed 1/3 of my retirement. Health is good, eating better, working out, getting back in shape and straightening out a sleep schedule that was turned upside down for decades by the job. Things are looking up, hope to see more of everybody starting next year. 

[Andre Ming]

Congrats to Bill and all of you that have retired. I'm due to pull the pin on my railroading career come April/May of 2018 and join your ranks!

[Tim Chenevert]

I wish you an enjoyable and long retirement! Tim

[Bill Morell]

Thanks again to all who responded! Made it through the first week without any symptoms of potential boredom.

[Gary Dowler]

4628, wait scratch that its morning, 4627 days to go..........lol!!!