Can't see a way out of driving so much....any suggestions

[vartz04]

I'm a Project Manager for a construction company. I have jobsites all over the northern third of Illinois. My office is 30 mins/30 miles from my Rural Subdivision with low property taxes (about 4500 less than a home near my office) but...The office doesn't matter as I am rarely there (especially this year working from home so much....which I intend to do as long as possible).

I need to be on these jobsites a couple of times a week. I drive a midsized pickup that is paid for via auto allowance and a fuel card is provided. Personal trips (outside of family vacations) utilize the company fuel. My car payment (stupid but working on getting out of it) and insurance are about 25% less than the allowance.

I have had a lot of stress over all of the driving and miles though . I'll burn through a new car ever 7 or 8 years at the most and a lightly used one every 4-6. About 2 years ago I drove 35k miles in the one year. I have come up with some plans to reduce that in 2021 but does anyone else have any ideas. The truck/SUV thing is part of the stipulation for the allowance as you need to be able to drive off the road on some of these jobsites.

[Morning Glory]

It sounds like driving is part of your job. Count the driving time as work time and figure your wage accordingly, a la Your Money or Your Life.

Can you make it more pleasant by listening to ebooks, podcasts, etc? If it's still stressing you out too much you could look for other work.

[ender]

What problem do you want to solve here?

It sounds like there's no financial issue, given the company stipend.

Are you looking at the environmental angle? The "I don't want to sit in a car so much" angle? Or something else entirely?

[Metalcat]

Yeah...your job requires driving, I too can't see a way out of driving so much.

Do you like your job?

[vartz04]

Love my job. Honestly would probably continue doing the same thing on a contract basis once I can retire. I do consider those hours as working as I am fielding phone calls most of the time anyhow.

Just seems like I'm doing something wrong after binge reading these posts.

I do get a ton of podcast and audio book time which helps me make sense of it as I am learning and bettering myself too.

[Metalcat]

Love my job. Honestly would probably continue doing the same thing on a contract basis once I can retire. I do consider those hours as working as I am fielding phone calls most of the time anyhow.

Just seems like I'm doing something wrong after binge reading these posts.

I do get a ton of podcast and audio book time which helps me make sense of it as I am learning and bettering myself too.

I don't understand what you think you are doing wrong?

Some jobs require driving, that's just part of life. Nobody here is faulting a pilot for flying a plane.

I don't know if you need a truck for work, if not, consider a more fuel efficient option, or even an electric car.
Otherwise, I really don't understand why you think anyone here would take issue with you driving for your job.

Welcome to the forums, spend a little time reading. People come here and make a lot of early assumptions about what we believe, but the reality of the community here is usually quite different than they expect.

[ender]

Yup.

If you were saying something like "I go for a 60 minute joyride every day in my 15mpg gas guzzling truck" you might get more pushback but... there's not anything necessarily wrong with driving as part of work.

It sounds like your job has an expectation of driving and you actually get a mileage reimbursement/stipend anyways.

Just make sure you aren't stuck if you ever choose to change jobs.

[Zamboni]

My brother works in commercial construction and also does a lot of pick up driving (in his case, most of the longer driving is hauling a trailer). He tears through trucks, too. He was super annoyed when he had to replace his last truck at what he felt was too low of mileage for the engine to go. It sounds like what you are doing is just part of the business. If you like it, then don't stress over it.

The scolding on here is for irresponsible driving for those of us who don't really need to drive at all. In your case, driving is a big part of your job: you get a pass.

[cool7hand]

Yup.

If you were saying something like "I go for a 60 minute joyride every day in my 15mpg gas guzzling truck" you might get more pushback but... there's not anything necessarily wrong with driving as part of work.

I'll go one step further. If you want to go joyriding for 60 minutes a day in a 15 mpg truck, go right ahead. I've no right to shove my sentiments down your throat. If it makes you happy, who am I to judge.

[former player]

It might be worth your while considering whether you can modify your driving style to reduce wear and tear on yourself and your vehicle, plus reducing fuel costs. Gentle acceleration, minimised braking by always "thinking forward", reduced highway cruising speeds.  You might take 5 minutes longer on a journey but be happier when you get there than (for instance) constantly accelerating and braking, tailgating etc. (not saying you do these things, of course).  Plus, given the amount you drive, look at defensive driving techniques to limit chances of a bad accident.

In the UK we have the Institute of Advanced Motorists that trains and tests for these sorts of things, I don't know whether you have anything similar in the US -

https://www.iamroadsmart.com/about-us/iam-charity

[Metalcat]

Yup.

If you were saying something like "I go for a 60 minute joyride every day in my 15mpg gas guzzling truck" you might get more pushback but... there's not anything necessarily wrong with driving as part of work.

I'll go one step further. If you want to go joyriding for 60 minutes a day in a 15 mpg truck, go right ahead. I've no right to shove my sentiments down your throat. If it makes you happy, who am I to judge.

Well, this community is pretty cool with judging people for carelessly disregarding the environment, but I generally agree with you on any financially wasteful behaviour that doesn't destroy the environment for others.

It's kind of a cornerstone of mustachianism.

That's why I suggested considering a more fuel efficient or electric car moving forward.

[Paper Chaser]

Simple aerodynamic modifications like a grille block or smooth underbody can make big differences in fuel consumption for very little (or no) money up front. Most trucks leave some room for improvement in that area, and if most of your driving is open highways without a heavy load, then you don't need a ton of cooling capacity anyway.
Using less fuel will save you/your employer money, and has environmental benefits for everybody if that's a big reason why you're concerned about driving so much.

[joe189man]

other than facetime or zoom meetings, which in construction are not ideal, you have no good options, other than a different job

but like you say the company pays for the truck and fuel, and you get free personal trips with fuel card,

you get phone calls done in the car, you get audio books and podcasts done in the car,

the only negative i see is sitting for extended periods of time, which would happen anyway in any office job, so.... unless you want a job change, it is what it is

i have a friend doing something similar but with daily driving, in his personal (big diesel) truck, using his money for fuel, driving more miles so it could be worse

[LovinPSDs]

Don't beat yourself up over it unless it's the job you don't like.  Financially it all makes sense. The next time a vehicle purchase comes around by the smallest/most efficient thing you can get away if the "shame" factor hasn't worn off. I personally find the 1/2 ton trucks to be relatively efficient these days, all things considered.  The 2.7L Ecoboost Ford is a bad little motor that gets pretty good mileage on the daily.

I know construction, so you could do a lot of small things two, like not idling the truck all day, not putting big mud grips on the truck, etc etc.