New trucker with covenant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#1; FORGET THE GPS! You said "car" so that should give you a clue to begin with. Look at your car or any car for that matter, then the truck and notice a few distinguishing differences from the car to the truck! Such as height, width, length and weight. Overall a lot bigger than that truck! I'm sure in your driving experience you've noticed signs that have height dimension and weight restrictions on them? Car GPS and routing software will take you places you'd love to go with the wife and kiddies but not in that truck! More in a little while...

#2: You just told every one of us you had a MORON as a trainer! He didn't teach you how to use a map or plan a route? Thats the kind of trainers needed out here! I guess that's another hit against Covenant! (You apparently didn't read up on them or you wouldn't be employed with them!) Routing advice towards the end of this class!

#3 Food?: There ARE restaurants in the truck stops and there are restaurants you can get into with a truck if you see a large parking lot and no signs that say "No Trucks" or trucks parked there. You can also get a DC powered refrigerator and buy food at a store and an inverter and microwave for cooking in the truck or just fix the meal and use the microwave in the truck stop. Try NOT to waste your money on those DC operated appliances (made in China) as they are just space wasters! I have heard of one, the small lunch box type is fair, but a good inverter with a circuit breaker installed by the company or dealer or old timer who hasn't burned his truck to the ground because he didn't know how to install an inverter! That and or a small oven or hot plate will work. Me, I tried not to cook to much in a truck except to make my coffee in my coffee maker as food smoke and cooking smells start to build up and the truck starts to smell. Sandwiches and pre packaged foods do best in the truck.

#4: Websites can be the ones you see in the front of the Road Atlas you bought from the truck stop and on the maps themselves. Or Google and use many words in the search engine. You can also go on line (after Google) and even see live videos of traffic jams and one of the best ways to find out about traffic and construction backup is AM Radio. I "Think" Microsoft Maps when you get to city level and a little closer actually shows sections of roadways that have slow or stopped traffic. MS uses the cities buried sensors to put that info on the maps. I don't have my Laptop out or I'd know for sure which one it was! I do know it's not Google BUT Googles Street level can help to identify the building you're go to just by putting the address into the search engine and then clicking down to street level! Sure wish I had that 30 years ago!

AM RADIO ?? Yep, it's still out there and it's way better than listening to traffic on satellite radio as with AM It's just a few minutes old and not 30 minutes or older! FM can be ok but they are more for music than news and traffic. Most major cities have a 50,000 watt AM station that has traffic on the 6,7,8 or 10 minute schedule! It IS better than the CB except for that "Hey, A big truck just wrecked in front of you so you need to get off now! " deal or out in between big towns. I NEVER turn the CB off! Yes there are a bunch of sissie babies morons who have to make their funny noises and yoyo's who think they can sing or that rap crap or motor mouths who love to hear themselves on their talk back,but learn how to tune them out with the squelch and RF Gain and you'll hear something that could/will save you a few hours of sitting! But then again that will give you time to use the cell or listen to your book or music!

I love to be on that alternate route to get around a 5 mile backup and hear those people with a CB come on and ask "Hey? Whats the hold up?" when for the last 30 miles, when they could get it through all the morons blabbering that there was a problem up the road they would have heard it but then they might also have been on the cell, listening to FM Radio, listening to a book on tape but they don't have the brain power to listen to 2 things at the same time so they turn off one of the most important tools they have in the truck! This is a job not a sight-seeing tour! Turn the other stuff off, do the job with the tools you have and play when you stop!

Now, how to route your self: First I have to ask. Didn't that school you paid a ton of stupid money to teach you how to route yourself? I know the one I taught at did as it was a 5 hour course!

I hope you have a TRUCKERS type of Map Book! I use the Rand McNalley Motor Carriers Road Atlas. It has all kinds of information you need from telephone numbers to web site addys, weight information and restricted routes! It even has useless city maps of all the major cities. I get the Deluxe in big print and plastic covered pages as they last longer, you can use a grease pencil on them if so needed and the larger print is helpful even for those who don't need glasses! Keep the receipt and claim it at the end of the year on your taxes! Now the city maps in these motor carrier atlases are pretty useless and I say useless as take NYC for instance or Atlanta or Chicago. All these towns have miles and miles of side streets that you might need to take. Yes, they do show SOME alternate routes BUT what happens if the road you're on and was put there by either directions from the CB, Quailcomm or the shipper or receiver and they have it shut down due to construction, bomb scare, snow or something and you get off onto that route they pointed out to you, that has no signs directing you around the detour and all you hear on the CB is BS so that's not an option your cell has a dead battery and you KNOW Quailcomm isn't light speed fast! What do you do?

Pull out that paper fold out map you bought before you went to Big City USA! Yep for $3.99-$5.00 that paper map is your saviour! The same if you bought a "legal" truckers mapping program, and a GPS. If you do buy one of these programs then claim the laptop on the taxes as you are now using it for your job! You'll use that paper map to VERIFY the directions you were given to make sure you know where you are going and also verify the ones you're looking at on a GPS or laptop!! Oh don't waste your money on the plastic "fast map" of any town! You need details and they are just a step above the city maps in your atlas. The reason I say a paper map and not the laptop is because a laptop is not sitting in your lap! It's more than likely in the sleeper, or sitting on the passenger seat and hard to read with all the glare and you trying to watch traffic. The paper map is folded to the area you need and can be picked up and held close to your face to see where the heck you are! You can hold it just below eye level and look over the top of it for street names. Yes it's not safe to do but I've been doing it so long it's second nature! It takes practice but in cities there are also stop lights and side of the street parking to make it safer.

Now how to route yourself without a routing program:
Put a finger on your starting point on the US Map in the front of your road atlas, put a ruler on your finger then move it until it is on the stopping point. Look at the roads between each point along the ruler and take it from there! OR buy a TRUCK routing program or a TRUCK Routing GPS. DO NOT JUST BUY A ROUTING PROGRAM! If it's not made exclusively for trucks do not waste your money as it WILL take you under the first low bridge to top out the trailer, It WILL take you on a restricted route and/or a Parkway, or it WILL take you onto a dirt road just to add to your already fun-filled day! All which will cost you tons more than what you saved buying that auto routing program over the more expensive truck routing software! If you use the GPS backup the info with the book and maps!
There are a few other threads with this same information in them use the search function!

OK, Class dismissed till the next thread!

Good luck
Rollover

 

My friend drove for Covenant for about 5 mouth's and had to quit......They left him waiting for a partner and load in Chattanooga for almost 2 weeks in the dead of winter.

They are supposed to be a Christian company but Dusty said they lied to him and cheated him outta money.

My uncle has a George Foreman and microwave in his truck.Grill you some chicken breast on the frill and get some boil-in-the-bag rice for the microwave and whala....You gotta a good meal.

Truck stop food will make you fat.....But it's a necessary evil.

 

Great post Rollover! A new driver would be very fortunate to have you as a trainer. Thanks for your input.

 

OH HELLO NO! I don't play well with others when locked in a rolling closet! ROFLMAO! Been there done that and even tried a female co driver many years ago before I met my wife! The fur flew in that truck and it wasn't from that horizontal relief effort!
I do much better in print than mouth! How I was able to last the few months as an instructor I don't know as sometimes it seemed a waste of time having to repeat myself! The same as a trainer! At least they can print my posts and from others with good information and use them as crib notes! LOL. Doctors say maybe 3 more years before I have to check out so I'll pass as much on as I can! LOL

 

Rollover, you just reminded me that i need to get my cb out from under my bed..lol..never bothered to install it in the new truck yet...am waiting to get the windshield sealed first..