Female Noob off to School - What's most Important?

bring twice as many tampons as you think you'll need
a pair of wells lamont work gloves
a small bottle of dawn to presoak the grease out of your clothes
you favorite stress reliever that is not drugs or alchohol

shifting and backing up

shifting because a lot of students didn't learn to drive on a stick and it takes a bit of practice to know when to shift out of gear, how long to be in neutral, and when to go into the next gear, all while keeping track of speed, distance, your trailer, that car that just pulled out in front of you, and omg, look at the porch on that house!

backing because you've never done it before in something so large, everything is backwards and it takes time to train your brain to compensate for that. a tip....just starting out concentrate on cause and effect. when you practice watch and remember what the trailer does when you turn the wheel one way, remember how long it takes for the trailer to respond to how fast you're going back. once you know how the trailer reacts to what your're doing up front, that is the ahaa moment you can celebrate and not a minute before. then you will be in control and not just an observer.

 

It seems the issue women have starting out is the training period.
Female trainer/mentor availability is hit and miss, and some companies won't allow you to go out with a male (or you may prefer not to). After school ask prospective companies if they'll have a female trainer available -- or you could be waiting for weeks, if not months to roll.

Also, carriers aren't interested in EEOC diversity quotas and "gender normalization" to accomodate for a female's lack of strength. You'll be expected to MAN-UP when things get challenging. It's truly an equality work environment. Leave any delicate sensibilities at home.

 

What I did to prepare for school is online research,talk to drivers at truck stops which was alot of help.They gave me some great advice.T ruck driving is not easy for someone just starting out.But having a positive uplifting attitude is most the battle.I've been driving since 2003.Backing for many is their weakness in trucking.Don't be afraid to ask your instructor questions and most likely you'll get an A student in there,ask him for help as well.Do some online research and print it out then study it.Oh get your premit now because you'll need itThat'll be one less thing you have to worry about..No since waiting till you start school to study for it.

 

download the cdl drivers handbook from the DOT. the first part of class will be studying to get your permit, and if you read that ahead of time its one less stress in a stressful situation. If you're not going to school in your home state (many people do not) skip the permit. It's only good in the state of issue, so it wont be any good to you if school is in a different state.

 

Always listen but never be afraid to ask something. Get all the practice you possibly can. Do NOT just take it a day at a time and go in survival mode. You want to do more than just make it through, you want to learn as much as you can. Look at it all as learning opportunities. Think long term. Don't just do the minimum to get by. The hardest part is keeping your head straight. This will get many people.

Fair Disclosure: I washed out for various reasons although I graduated the school. But the above are some of the things I learned from my mistakes. Good luck!

 

Good luck I hope you will love the industry as much as I do. There are a lot of things that you have to learn through experience alone, kinda like trying to explain to someone how to ride a bike. It reached a point now where I can just look at a spot for a second and know exactly how I am going to get in. I must be doing really well as other truckers and shippers always ask how I managed to dock so easily. I never thought I would be able to do this and you may feel the same way now. So you have never driven at all OP? The first day you get in a truck you may feel that you have made a mistake and will never be able to learn it. I started getting better during school once I threw away all of my habits of driving a car and began driving the truck differently. Don't worry about screwing up a lot during school since it isn't until you get out on the road and have to attempt so many different types of backups that you will perfect it through repetition.

You will also have to accept that your home will just turn into another truck stop. When I go home by the time I get situated and comfortable in my house to relax it is time for me to leave and go back on the road. I spent a lot of money on things for my truck that really make my experience a lot better. Basically I have everything in here that my house has except for my car. Oh and when you get a trainer just roll with it until you get out on your own. I am surprised at now many people complain about temporary things. Good luck

 

Not sure you can skip the permit. Without it, you can't get your behind the wheel time. That is purpose of permit. It should be obtained from same state that will be issuing CDL.
Above comments based on my experiences in WA & OR.

 

When the poster said to skip the permit...he/she meant that if you attend a truck school in a different state than where your residence is, you will need to have the state permit for the school's location. Once you finish at the school and get your CDL from that state you have "X" amount of time (depending on state) to transfer the CDL to home of residence.

Federal guidelines: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.aspx?reg=383.73

Each state has their own time period for transferring (changing address) a CDL...the school will know what the student will need to do.

 

Thanks, otherhalftw, for clearing up that point. You have been around here a lot longer than little old me, so you "otter" know!!! Sorry, couldn't help myself.