Does every truck driver have a clean driving record?

Just get out and look. If not sure then pull breaks and look. I dont care if you have to stop all lanes of traffic because ur not sure ur gonna clear a sign/building/bridge/tree/truck/child etc . pull breaks and look! 5 mins of holding people up will save u 5 hours of being the stooge who got the road shutdown or tearing off some guys hood at the truckstop , then u will really not have a job. If it takes u 50 times to get out and look to hit a parking spot then do it 51 times just to be sure . play it safe out here and dont rush

 

Be more careful than you think you need to be. Get into a lane change habit where you check mirrors, signal, check mirrors again, start your lane change, check mirrors again. And don't just look at the next lane. Look 2 lanes over for the other guy who is also changing lanes into the lane you want - and remember he may be going much faster or slower than you are.

Plan your entire route before you leave, or at least plan your entire day's route. When I got my ticket, I'd fallen into the habit of planning the next leg of my trip at each stop. I had dutifully stopped to plan my next leg, but the truck stop was jammed full, so I figured no problem, I'll just drive go the next one. But as it turned out, the next one was on the other side of Columbus, and I missed the no hazmat sign while I was standing on the brake pedal rolling up on a traffic jam.

All my accidents were at 5mph or below. The more things you need to pay attention to, the slower you should go. Look like a pro by going slow. Don't let yourself get complacent thinking you've become good enough that you can skip a mirror check and just blindly use the same routine. Both of my preventables could potentially have been avoided by another check of my mirrors. Never move until you're certain it's clear. You never know what kooky stuff some other guy might be attempting.

 

It is avoidable … I have never gotten a ticket in time I have been driving in a truck. I have been involved with one accident in a truck when the truck was hit by another truck and it was unavoidable. In a car or pickup, I have been pulled over many times, the other night for a headlight out but still no tickets. Been into many accidents in a car or pickup, each time never my fault, the last time I was rear ended at a light.

I hire drivers but I won’t hire someone with speeding tickets over 15. My insurance underwriter who dictates this won’t insure a driver even if they have had the ticket dropped. And yes tickets show up even if there is a dismissal on a properly done background check.

 

Stay out of jail, no dwis, no tickets, no at fault accidents and a few years experience you can make big $$$$ as a driver. Everyone needs drivers now. Drivers with above stated credentials are in high demand.

 

You know the guys that work for a really awesome elite company, make really good money and dont have to run thier guts out to do it?? That is the cream, cream rises to the top. Most of those drivers have very few if any tickets.

Sure you can drive truck with a not so stellar record... But you're going to have to work alot harder to make to that upper tier.