The Least Stressful Job For a Rookie Driver

Hit the Road and team up with an experienced driver. Teaming with a veteran will take 75% of the stress out of it. For Kicks, boot-up a DVD of Patrick Swayze in the movie Blackdog. Some of the scenes are a riot. Swayze's character is driving a Big Rig again after years off the road. There are moments behind the wheel where Swayze looks like he's freaking out. Now you could say that was terrific acting, but my opinion was Swayze was actually driving a Big Rig for the first time on the movie set and the experience was getting to him. Remember the first time at truck school? The instructor carried windex and paper towels to wipe off the seats after that first short drive. He He.....

 

guess it would depend on the driver. some like the thrill of going to new places while others like the idea of steady paycheck and running the same route on a daily basis. i've done the loaded otr, and otr ltl, right now i'm trying to finalize a deal that would have me running from ft worth to san antonio 5 days a week and home every night. and and praying that job comes through at any moment.

course, may need to get a good divorce attorney seeing as the wife and i aren't used to seeing each other on such a regular basis, but i'm willing to take that chance.

 

I don't think stress level should be a criteria when looking for an entry-level gig. Your buddy sounds like he has a great first driving job and with the good pay and hometime there's a fair bit of stress involved. You could get an OTR job with less stress but also less hometime and ultimately less money (at least initially). You pretty much have to decide what's best for you. Also, nothing says your first driving job has to be long term... most folks tend to find a place to learn the ropes and after a year or 2 move on to a job that better suits them. Once you have the experience you'll have a better idea of exactly what you'll want long term. In the past I've run both dry van and reefer, 48-states+Canada OTR, west coast regional and a couple of dedicated accounts. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. While it may not seem like I'm offering a lot of advice here it's because this is the type of job where it's best to experience the different aspects for yourself and go from there. That's just the way it is IMHO.

 

If you know anything about trucking, you know that it is a stressful job. Kind of a bad way to go about things.

 

If a couple of snide comments are all it takes to piss you off you will fail miserably in this career.

Shippers and receivers who get paid by the hour and could care less that you most likely will be paid by the mile. Every idiot in every car around you. Rush hour in metro areas. Weather. Revolving inconsistent work hours ect ect ect. This is a high stress industry no matter what segment of it you enter. If you aren't patient, tolerant, have a sense of humor and can't manage stress on an hour by hour minute by minute level, you'll just be another one of the thousands who never see one year in the seat. We're a special breed and you're either one of us or you aren't.

Threats won't get you far here either. A thin skin is a sure sign you aren't one of us and aren't well suited for the job

 

Stress? Are you kidding me?

I don't care what job you take or what kinda of tractor trailer you drive.. all the stress you think is stress is nothing compared until you hit ice roads in the winter time.
As a noob I started out in Winter, forget OTR vs LTL, backing up, finding parking in the Northeast at night.. etc... hitting ice.. now that is real stress. Nothing compares to that...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17aUXZOQ1zg

 

Geez...tough crowd here today .....

I have read a lot of bad advice on here but the level of stress often times is not even job related...

I have run otr , ltl ,regional and long haul.

The worst for me was ltl for the reasons you stated. It did not help that it was with the worst company on the road which was central transport.

I hate regional since it is all short miles and lots of traffic.

I prefer otr running west coast and back. I like stretching my legs out and just running. There can be a lot of stress but mostly due to being out too long... 4 weeks are my limit then i have to get out of the truck for a week.

Teaming is very tiring and stressful. My wife and i teamed for 10 years,which is the only reason to team since you get both paychecks. Otherwise it is not worth it. Trying to rest while someone else is bouncing you down the highway is impossible.

Remember....stress is the number one killer and any way to remove it from your life is advisable.

If i were to advise you i would say get your cdl and training then find a job running otr that avoids the northeast. The northeast always raised my blood pressure 20 points...terrible drivers and way too much traffic.

Good luck

 

Great advice, and yes, the above mentioned part about bad advise is definitely true around here.

 

Try a private carrier such as Tyson Foods.

Perdue Farms has a place somewhere near Cookeville.