How to know when ready to go solo?

Have not figured that one out yet, but making it impossible for rescue personal to get to you during a emergency is really not good...once upon a time in a land right here we had everyone looking out for each other, then we were divided into groups, each thinking they better and we have chaos.

 

I just did a search for any threads regarding "truck stop safety" and the last thread was in 2013! Things must have gotten a lot better since then!.

 

It is as bad as it always was, the biggest problem is the crowd out there now. Some is just disregarded anymore because you know how truck drivers are viewed now, and no we are not the knights of the road anymore.

 

Many still are and they're the ones I'm hoping to meet. Wish me luck!

 

If a seasoned truck driver from 1980 was then cryogenically frozen, the thawed out today, he would have kittens once he saw all the BS on the roads and in the truck stops today.

Changes that happen slowly and incrementally over time can go much further than rapid changes, without causing revolt. Government leaders learned this tactic 80 years ago. But the same thing (changes for the worse) happens all throughout society.

 

You have a life time to run all 48 states. There is NO hurry. It only took me around I think 6 years or so to get west of the Mississippi, another 4 or so to get into the west coast states. That was when I discovered just how crappy the NE has been all my life. I hardly run the NE now. (No offense) it literally isnt worth it unless you have a very specific freight such as medicines delivered and waste cardboard back to Memphis that makes it worth while. (Linfield CT would be the receiver, they handle all medicines for the east coast.)

TAKE your time. Always treat backing as a potential being fired if you did not GTFOAL... (He he...) And the people will give you a hard time for holding them up. Eff em. You are not in that much of a hurry.

Finally you have to grow a pair to be a little crude. You cannot be hiding under mama's wing in the birdnest all the time.

 

If your saying your not sure that is usually an indicator that you don't feel confident enough to do it yet? How does your trainer/ mentor feel about your driving skills? How do you feel you'd go if the company say sent you on a trip by yourself do you feel confident enough to drive there and deliver the goods? If you've answered yes then by all means go for it.

 

I will never get this:

Some guys think they are ready to own the trucking company before even getting a CDL, going to school, or even shifting their first gear. A couple posts on this forum and they are ready to be stealing freight contracts from Jerry Moyes and Kevin Knight.

Other guys spend weeks rooming and training with another driver after going to school, and still have doubts they can handle a truck or the job.

 

That reminds me...years ago, I was working out with a group of teens, preparing them for a powerlifting meet. My kid sister invited a friend of hers to work out with the group. The first thing he said to me was, "I don't want to get real big." I told him not to worry...he was one of those guys that could be in the gym for years and never look like he did anything.

We get that all the time...pull into a parkinglot with a superload and someone will come up and ask questions about how to get into the OSOW business. Within 5 minutes, they feel that they know better than you and can do a better job. "Sure you can fella, after all, it's just driving."

And then, they realize, "Six, you're an A Hole!"

And I thank them for reminding me. I had forgotten for a moment.

Most of the time, you stop to help someone by answering questions, it blows up in your face. But every so often, that rare individual comes along that actually can listen and learn. I fully understand now why the 'meek shall inherit the earth.'