I'm a new driver any helpful tips 4 me

most importantly have patience for your trainer! remember its his truck! you are a guest so treat it with respect! and you will do great.

 

I don't have many helpful tips that haven't been brought up already. Like stated don't mess around usually what I do is if I have say 3 days to make a delivery I'll get their in 2 so I have a day to relax or just in case something goes wrong.

 

ecu51 gave some pretty good advice---
if you smoke--dont over do it--can easy be 2 pack a day habit when sitting and driving
eating cheap--well you get what you pay for--no nutrition-- even if you eat just once a day--make it a good healthy meal--not just a sandwich
i got my reward for eating/smoking crappy stuff when i was 42--and i wasnt out of shape--5-10--165
2 nice shiny stents and a few months off and a lot of heart damage--and now even if i toss one off i have to have a break cause it wears me out

 

exactly why i mentioned TAKING THE TIME to go to walmart and buy healthy foods.. you should make that a hobby basically. truckstop food has no nutrition or its just loaded with sodium as well, and PRICEY. hopefully you dont smoke, cost money.. bad for your health.. and makes your truck smell like an ashtray. just play your cards right !

 

lmao


ive got an uncle who can eat dinner in the grocery store for free

 

I second all the tips on staying with healthy eating choices. A good tip to keep you from getting sick is to eat lots of fresh, in season fruits and veggies as they carry the nutrients to keep you healthy during that time of year.

One thing not covered yet is you need to find something you like to do while on the road and do it. Get out of the truck when you can and enjoy life. If you like to run, bring your shoes; if you like to hike watch for opportunities; history buff, look out for historical places in your route when you have some time to kill and see them first hand, and so on. (I like fishing, cycling, and hiking myself)

Just get out of the truck. If you don't you will over time get cabin fever and that makes your stress levels go up witch makes your blood pressure go up. A high BP will take years off your life fast.

It is my opinion that most of the drivers you always hear complaining about "living in the truck" and "not home enough" more then likely never get out and do anything. They let things just stew and this makes things worse. Look at it as a paid vacation with a lot of deadlines. Sure you can't make a day long outing often but when you get the chance don't sit and complain like every other driver in the truck stop its your day off, go have fun.

Good luck to you.

 

I like BigJDub's point about getting out of the truck, now and then. There's a great rest area on the east side of Wyoming that has walking trails. If you can find places like that, and take half an hour to yourself, it'll make your entire day better. (Assuming you're not running behind, but we're responsible drivers who plan our runs properly and don't get forced into taking loads without enough time under them, right?)

Also, like everyone's been saying, stay out of the fast food joints. It's not even the food itself that's so bad (it IS bad, though), but the portions. The food in the convenience stores isn't any better...so your best bet is definitely getting yourself a fridge. If that's too expensive, there are electric coolers that do a pretty decent job of keeping your food the right temperature.

If you don't have one, get yourself a smart phone such as the droid or iphone. I went without one for my first 8 years, but I honestly have no idea how I did it. There are some absolute life saving apps out there for truckers.