Advice You Wish You Had Received About Trucking

Be courteous.

..and.. you don't have to pass everyone just cuz you can go 1 mph faster than them.

 

Toothbrushes.....bring extras. If you drop one in a truck stop, you don't even want to pick it up.

 

Choose to control your emotions because if you're not in control of them, someone else is (i.e. the fourwheeler that just cut you off). You can't change the four wheelers behaviour so you must adapt. BE HAPPY.

 

I have equipped my truck with .50 caliber machine guns and a few rpg's. 4-wheelers beware

Ethan

 

Listen to the advice you give to everyone else. Slow down. Take a LOT of walks whenever you can. Do a pre-trip everyday. Try and eat as sensibly as possible. Get out and look...again.
If you think something is wrong, it probably is. Be nice to other people, it throws them off.

BTW, great thread, lots of good stuff on here.

 

Nothing too profound. I went in from the beginning with a pretty realistic expectation of making crap for pay, having the occasionally awful or downright scary experience as an "fng", but also enjoying seeing new places and meeting new people I otherwise never would have. I also didn't even mind truck stops that much and enjoyed hitting the chow house and the showers at the end of a long and sometimes crappy day.

 

All through trucking school, orientation, and with trainer, they all just said to slide tandems towards problem to fix your weight and that was all. I didn't learn how to judge my weight prior to leaving shipper, and got a overweight ticket the first hour I was out on my own after being loaded. Luckily I have done a lot of research and now I am a pro at it. I never have to weigh it and it is always legal. Every now and then I may weigh it to see how accurate I am and it is always good. Also I never get very angry of have bad days... when things do not go my way I calmly go to plan B. I learned this experience from the years of REAL STRESS of corporate jobs that mentally kill you. Trucking is nothing compared to those jobs where every day is a major migraine.

 

When I started driving I would alwaysstay 15 to 20 Minutes Pulling up and backing up Pulling up andBacking up Pulling out to the left and backing up, pulling out to theright and backing up Going around the block and backing up! The guyslaughed at me but, I did that for about eight months! 5 days a week!Now, I have been Driving since April 14th 1977. I have No tickets, Noaccidents and no worries! A truck driver drives a truck forward But,an Operator Gets it their safely! I still get out of my tractor atpilot or loves and walk into the space plan to back into, I knowothers are laughing and calling me a rookie but, that's OK! I amresponsible for my truck! I get laughed at for doing pre trips toBut, none of those truckers laughing are paying my bills! I don'tdrive a truck to be cool, or get taken out of service like a fool. IOperate a tractor because it is truly what I love to do! THGhost

 

First I'd like to say thanks, if not for this site I would have signed with Werner.

 

I've been struggling with the idea of leaving my company for over a year now..Thanks for this post, I needed it. So, here goes........