Thinking about a career in OTR trucking, have a few questions

Bud I took it as you were telling me how it used to be because you assumed I was a newbie. I was just pointing out that us old guys who've been out here since the early 90's found a way to shower every day. I didn't say you were personally nasty or had an aroma. If you're good with your wipes then by all means wipe away.

 

Sams Club:

 

Amazon is charging 8 cents per sheet of Dude Wipe while Huggies are 3 cents per sheet. After using a wipe, you probably should wipe your skin with a damp paper towel.

You can pour water over your hair and face, lather up, rinse with water. That only cost water, shampoo/soap, and a plastic tray to catch the water. Too many drivers think DIY means buying a $500 shower system from Amazon or Walmart because the world will end if you don't have a separate purpose-built device made in China for every different use in the truck. Ok

 

I know that's right!

 

I've got some of those!!! They're awesome!!!!

 

Welcome to the industry! Many drivers have routines, and that can hinder them from making good money. You got drivers that just HAVE to sleep at a truck stop. You'll have to learn to be resourceful out here to make deadlines.

When you stop for the night, all you need to focus on is winding down. That means eat something, shower if ya can, relax, then sleep. Out here, you can't look to far ahead. You gotta focus on what's directly in front of you. One load at a time. Sometimes I make a meal, sometimes I grab something out of the truck stop, at whichever restaurant. It depends on how much of a time crunch I'm on. I typically buy a lot of canned goods. I don't necessarily need a microwave to eat canned food. Plus it's cheap.

I sleep wherever there's 63 ft of space. Maybe a truck stop, preferably my customer for delivery. If not, there's always side streets, on ramps, abandoned lots...I've been known to use staging areas at warehouses that I'm not even delivering to lol.

Showers will take some planning. As you gain experience, you learn which truck stops don't have shower lines, and which ones stay backed up. Showers are usually available in the middle of the day, or the middle of the night. If I can't get to a shower, I've got towels, soap, and water. I pour the water in a hard hat and bathe that way sometimes. Every once in a while, you gotta get creative. Pay attention to the truck stop shower patterns. For instance, Flying J in Aurora, CO, you may as well skip that truck stop for a shower. The line is always 20 deep. That wastes too much time.

Steep grades are easy as long you take it slow. That's all I can say on that.

As for personality types, a good OTR trucker will need to be available, reliable, adaptable, mentally tough, high bull #### tolerance, and not impressionable. You'd also have to like yourself and be able to tolerate solitude, and/or loneliness. You'll have to be humble and not think you're a big shot that deserves the red carpet rolled out for you just for doing your job. You'll have to keep an open mind and constantly try to get better at your job. It's also important to learn to communicate effectively. That will be important when dealing with dispatch.

 

Yep, without communication - you have nothing. Shoot I've even slept on side roads right beside graveyards. It's interesting in some grave yards out east (i live in the Midwest) some of the graves are old, I mean r e a l l y old.

 

I have a laptop and an internet hotspot. Watch some shows.
You can get out of the truck and go see some of the local sights, if there are any. But you also have to be ready when that next load does come in. They may not give much time between the pre-plan and the pickup time. And you have to be able to respond in order to accept the load. You may be able to use an app on your phone, or you may need to respond from the truck.

 

I’m in my truck waiting for assignment right now. I’m currently reclining in my bunk, browsing the internet. I finished my breakfast (a Swiss cheese and portobello mushroom omelet) about ten minutes ago, and I’m about to make some coffee.

What to do while I’m waiting usually depends on how much time I have and where I’m parked. Once in a blue moon I get out and ramble, for instance a few months ago when I had a delivery in Las Vegas. Arriving the evening before my scheduled delivery, I locked up the truck and took an Uber downtown where I met up with a friend for dinner. I’ve had friends come pick me up from my truck as well. Most of the time I hang out in my truck, reading or watching something online. I generally get out and take a walk if I’m in a place where that makes sense.

My company tends to give us more than enough time to make it to our deliveries. It’s very rare that I’ll need to hit the ground running right at 10 hours. I try not to abuse this, when I do my trip planning I aim to be at least 30 minutes early. There are a lot of little clock management tricks I’ve learned over the last few years, like taking a two hour (or longer) break along the way to minimize driving in big city rush hour traffic.

The main thing I’ve learned is that I need to just be flexible. Plans change, #### happens, sometimes it’s mostly waiting around, sometimes it’s driving 1300 miles in two days. Some days it’s get up early and drive in heavy traffic, other days it’s pick up a load at 11 pm and drive all night.