How far is your commute?

[clemsonfor]

i drive 25 miles one way, my first job i drove 54 miles one way did that for 16 months then went back to school. I did it to live on the farm i drove about 1 hour in the mourn and 1hour 10mins in the afternoon, was still home at 4:30 everyday. I worked with folks that drove 45 mins and were only 20 miles or less away but on the other side of town. Where i worked was on my side of the big city and right on the interstate where i could run up 15 mins to the rural area and get off on my back road commute. Everyone i worked with though i was crazy but i only drove 15 more minutes than they did :confused2:.

Like i said i drive 25 miles 1 way and am in the car for 30 mins. But in my line of work, a forester, i cover a territory that ranges in one direction over 160 miles and about 50-70 the other way. So there are days where i get ot work , pick up my work truck and get in for a 1.5 hour ride 130 miles away check on the logger for an hour or 2 and get in the truck for a 1.5 hour back haul. Then there is the occasional 3 hour trip oneway to look real quick to get in and drive back to the office. So somedays i am in the truck 6-7 hours for work then an hour commute time.

 

[eepete]

Rural people measure commutes in miles, city folk measure it in minutes.

100' for me or a trip to the clients location which could be anywhere.

Pete

 

[clemsonfor]

My brother use to commute about 1.5 hours from baltamore to DC.

I hate driving in the city i have to go into the big city every once in awhiile to get things my town that has the walmart, dosent have. I cant stand the sitting, the lights the turns that take 3-4 cycles to get through, the cutoffs the passing the beeping the constant slamming on the brakes. Its so stressfull and takes forever to go 4 miles. In the afternoon i get in my car, pass through 3 towns that you slow to 35or 45mph in and then the last one before the house has a stoplight and about a 3 mile drag of 35 mph. I usually get stopped here but usually am no more than 3 cars back from the intersection. Once through the light its another 10 mins to the house at highway speed. No cuttoffs (usually) no cracheads wandering around, no accidents usually, no lights where i sit for 10 mins, no constant stop starts etc.

Most of you with a small commute dont understand is that most of us who drive far dont do it in our truck, fuel would eat you up and it would be slap wore out in 3 years. We find a beater car on it with 100k or less and pay a couple thousand for it (one that gets usually around 30mpg) and drive this till the thing gets unreliable. Usually all you pay for is gas oil changes and tires. Tires for cars are half to a third what your truck tires cost. These reasons is why when you look at my signature line i have a saturn, i currently put the miles on it, the ranger was my truck i used at first, my first job i put 35K on a year just going to work, which is why it has so many miles. I still keep it cause its not worth anything to anyone elese but to me is still reliable and gets 21-25mpg.

 

[von-mil]

I quit my job in '07 but at the time I had a 54 mile drive each way. It went from 14 to 54 when I moved from city to country. I didn't mind the 54 miles since I was driving between 5 and 6 am and the traffic was light, although I could really notice more and more traffic as the months and years went on. Quitting time was 2:30 pm so that was alright too.

 

[lakngulf]

Distance into work each morning: about a thermos of coffee

Distance home each afternoon: great thoughts of lake, or garden, or tractor, or woods, or boat, or being away from work

BTW, that works out to 42 miles each way

 

[MossRoad]

Rural people measure commutes in miles, city folk measure it in minutes.

100' for me or a trip to the clients location which could be anywhere.

Pete

O.K. My 7 minute commute is about 4 miles. :laughing:

 

[charlz]

Rural people measure commutes in miles, city folk measure it in minutes.

That's because the time can vary so much depending on time of day. When I was in SoCal one of the guys I worked with had about a 25 mile commute each way. Out of rush hour that was about 1/2 hour each way. During rush hour it could be 4.5 hours EACH WAY!

How far doesn't matter as much as time of day, route and what direction (with or against rush hour traffic)

 

[jayste]

O.K. My 7 minute commute is about 4 miles. :laughing:

And only about 6-8 sips of your coffee cup!:laughing:

 

[woodchuckc]

150 mile round trip. We live on the farm my wife grew up on - a condition when we got married 8 years ago was that was where we would live. I am a professor at a medical center - the only job options closer to home would involve about a 70% pay cut, so I will commute until we have a sufficient nest egg for me to retire. My wife works at the same medical center, so we commute together. We have a pretty good deal worked out - I drive and she (mostly) sleeps!

 

[merrickvilleguy]

108 miles round trip ... between 3-4hrs a day ... if they didnt pay so well there is no way id do that

 

[brokenknee]

I thought my commute was to long at 80 miles round trip. You and I both have suffered many snow storms doing that also!!! I was raised south of the twin city area on a dairy farm.

I would not even consider driving that far if I had to drive to the metro. Yep snow days can be a challenge. If it gets to bad I would just have to call in.

Changing employers is not an option for me. As I stated I have been with the same employer for over twenty years. The other reason, the one that prompted the move is the wife came down with cancer and if I were to switch jobs I don't think I would be able to get health coverage for the wife's "preexisting condition".

I do have a good job, I enjoy my work and the people I work with. The pay is much better than the average wage for the area and the benefits are good. And the most important part is the wife is happy.

 

[ragkar]

For the last thirty years it's been 12 miles that use to take twenty minutes when there were only three traffic lights. Now there are fourteen lights and it takes 35 minutes.
One big grumble that I have is that for some reason, my various homes have always been to the west of work. That means that I drive into the sun in the morning and into the setting sun in the evening.

Our local paper had an article about a local guy that has a three hour commute to work, each way. He drives to the bus station and in New York city takes the subway. He's been doing that for six years. He's nuts.

 

[brokenknee]

For the last thirty years it's been 12 miles that use to take twenty minutes when there were only three traffic lights. Now there are fourteen lights and it takes 35 minutes.
One big grumble that I have is that for some reason, my various homes have always been to the west of work. That means that I drive into the sun in the morning and into the setting sun in the evening.

Our local paper had an article about a local guy that has a three hour commute to work, each way. He drives to the bus station and in New York city takes the subway. He's been doing that for six years. He's nuts.

Driving west in the morning east in the afternoon. Sun is not a problem for the first time.

6 hour daily commute, I guess I would have to draw the line somewhere. But then again I have been to NYC in the early 70s when I was in the army. An interesting place to visit, but I sure the heck would not to live/work there.

 

[Hersheyfarm]

86 miles one way. I am self employed so I make sure guys are set for next morning and I leave anywhere from 2:00 to 4:00. I moved way out in a place that couldn't support my income.

 

[Nissan197]

7.7 miles, usually takes me less than 10 minutes. When I lived in the city it would take me 20 - 25 minutes because of all the traffic lights and I hated it.

 

[Alan L.]

I drive about 52-56 miles one way, depending on traffic and which route I take. Takes about 80 mins in the morning and usually a little less at night. I've listened to lots of books on audio, but mostly listen to talk radio - mostly sports related. Wish it was shorter, but thats the way it is.

 

[The Haymaker]

20 miles each way. Worst part of my day when you consider I drive 450 a day in the truck. But good thing is one of my three possible routes is the interstate with 1 mile back roads on either end, or I can take all secondaries.

I miss the days when the terminal was 2 miles from the house and I could ride the dirtbike there.

 

[4get gto]

I my line of work you go where the work is.
On a good year I do 20k - 25k miles a year. I'd take that anytime. There's been worst. On the same note I have a work truck and gas is paid for so thats somthing to be thought about.........

If you live in the boony's and want to make better money you have to go where the money is.

2 hours a day travel time has been part of my life for long time. You learn to live with it.

 

[sal64]

7 miles each way

 

[mostly_gas]

Before retirement 30 miles each way. When I started with the company it was 100 mile each way for 6 months. Both locations were west of the company