Thought this might help some of you.

The *Lifestyle* of trucking


The title says it all, well.. Most of it. Trucking is more than just a job, it's a lifestyle that not many are capable of handling. Most new drivers have unrealistic expectations upon entering the industry, and i'm writing this to kind of clear things up. And i hope that it helps!

There are a few important things that you should know before you enter this industry, if you have a family at home that you enjoy being around, then you need to think twice about what your getting yourself into, alot of the better companies get you home every weekend, some of them gaurantee it, others say they will try. The important thing to remember is that this is no 9 to 5 job like you're probably used to. There are no set working days, there is no set time for getting home... While companies (recruiters mainly) will persuade you to believe that you're going to be home on the weekend, what the greater majority of them seem to leave out of this equation is.. For how long? It's important to ask "How many hours per week do your drivers AVERAGE home?". And while it's safe to say that with most companies you will not always be home early friday, sometimes not even friday, what's important is that the majority of the time you ARE home when you're supposed to be.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that nothing is set in stone. You will not ALWAYS get what you expect, you will not ALWAYS get what you want. Trucking is on and off, slow, and fast.. It changes on a daily basis, loads are constantly being fought over by companies competeing for freight business, etc. This affects the driver in numerous ways.. Basically, going into this industry your amount of patience will either make, or break you. But don't let anyone walk on you, either. And it doesn't matter who you drive for, they will try. Don't be afraid to speak up, you are the driver, the commodity of this business, and without you they wouldn't have a job, either.

Money, there are alot of important factors to consider money wise, money talks, so be careful, and listen to what it's saying. Most recruiters will try to persuade you with the astounding amounts of money that you can "potentially" make. Depending on the company, and this can also depend on you. If you're not a self-motivated hard worker that is willing to solve problems and run your ### off, then making money in this industry may come easy for you.. If you're not, then you might want to look at a different career path. You will not have a boss breathing down your neck every 5 minutes, telling you to stop playing video games at the local truck stop arcade, or explaining to you what the best approach is to avoid that accident that's happening in front of you... YOU are your own boss out there. That truck, while it may belong to the company and they are letting you borrow it is still "You're" truck. You control it, you decide where it goes, and what time it gets there, and how it operates.

There are different ways that you can get paid, for example, you can be paid a certain percentage of the load, or you can be paid a base rate by the miles that your driven. Most companies will pay you for SHORT miles, which is usually substantially shorter than the miles you would calculate on your own, or even drive. Something many drivers have been dealing with for a very long time... Some companies will pay "Practical" miles, but the rate per mile is usually less than those that pay short miles. There are alot of "tricks" involved in the industry that you will come to know very well... If you last long enough. While percentage will potentially yeild higher earnings at the end of the year, a per mile basis will earn you a more predictable paycheck on a weekly basis, and you will have to worry alot less about what particular load you are hauling. If you're a regional driver that likes to be home on the weekends you might prefer percentage based pay, while a long haul driver that averages 1,000+ per run would earn more on a mileage basis. These are just a few things to consider when chosing the company that fits you the best. You will likely have to feel your way around a bit, because i can't speak for every company out there.

Take your sweet ### time, you heard it. You have to be able to multi-task, you have to learn to be efficient in your own way while still taking enough time, and care to protect yourself, your truck, and most importantly those abscent minded 4 wheelers that drive around you, cutting in front of you without using their blinker, only to slam on their breaks and shorten your stopping distance... Add to this an ice slick/raining road, and an empty trailer and you could have a potentially devastating problem. There are no breaks in trucking, you must always stay alert, pay close attention to detail, learn how to read what others are going to do around you, predict their next move and make the nescessary changes, SOLVING PROBLEMS before they happen. It's a lot more stressful out there than most guys think... It's not "Oh, i can make all this good money, and all i have to do is drive?"

It is highly likely that you will end up with a dispatcher that has barely a high school education, that has never even seen a big truck before he, or she started dispatching for your company. But that's okay.. He or she will work with you, IF you work with them. Communication is ESSENTIAL. Let him/her know how many hours you have left, what type of run you are expecting to have, where you're interested in going, what time you would like to get home for the weekend, and everything else in between. Let them know things as soon as possible, you won't always get your way, they can't choose what company decides to let you haul their freight, so be patient, once again unrealistic expectations and patience can make, or break you. But communication will at least give you a better oprotunity to get what you want.. TALK TO THEM, BE KIND TO THEM, TAKE CARE OF THEM..It may even be nescessary to run a load you really don't want to.. But in the long run, weather it be a week or a year down the road, he or she will have to return that favor. So keep track!!

Bad directions are bad in a car... Imagine being in a truck. You're almost 70 feet long, 79,980LBS and you end up on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, with no place to turn around (save some farmhouses extra small driveway) what do you do? These are things that you must always consider. You must pay close attention, read EVERY SIGN. Plan your route as carefully as possible, how practical do you want to be? Do you want the shortest miles, or are you willing (or your company) willing to sacrifice some out of route to get there faster, and safer? Are there fuel stops on the way? Do they have showers, and something to eat so you can shower, eat, fuel and not have to stop again for the rest of the night? Grey roads on the map? If you're not in a flat state, try and avoid those! Always check your route for restricted roads, low clearances, etc. Solve problems before they become problems!

D.O.T Regulations are a pain in the butt, and make very little sense the way that they are now, but you MUST follow them. If you're caught running illegal, worse yet, if you're in an accident while running illegal, be it your fault or someone elses, it's your butt. Watch yourself! Don't let *anyone* push you into breaking the law. If you're tired, the roads are icy, you feel unsafe.. PARK IT! Nobody can tell you otherwise. If your dispatcher gives you flack about it, tell him/her you want to speak to your safety department immediately, i gaurantee they will change their tone, and if they don't then you may wish to find someone else to drive for. Good pretrips are often overlooked, i'll admit that even i don't do as much of a thourough inspection as i used to, but i do make sure that my tire pressure is good, my lights are all functioning, mudflaps, lugs, breaks, etc. are all in place and aren't going to pop off. Check for air leaks, make sure your breaks are working properly, tire tread is good, etc. If you find any problems make sure that you let your company know ASAP so that they can get it taken care of! Don't let things become your problem, companies more often than not will try and push as much blame onto their driver as possible to avoid a ticket, or a fine.. Don't let this happen, catch them first, make sure you let someone know!

Backing up, do you know how many accidents i've seen in the truck stop, how much time i've lost from another driver backing into the front end of my truck flattening my tire, ripping off my headlight, bending my fender in and ripping off my bumper? About 2 days. Be careful, try to park where you are less likely to be hit by another driver. When you're backing get out and look, don't worry about who's looking at you, or talking about you, don't get nervous!!! It's better to get out and look 1508235 times if you have to than to hit another drivers truck. When i was backed into i wasn't nearly as upset as i would've been if that Peterbilt was MINE... Take your time, don't get into a rush. If people are talking trash on the radio (Which they tend to do) turn it off, ignore them, do whatever it takes to make sure that you're truck, and those around you stay safe. There is nothing wrong with being a new driver, alot of seasoned veterans like to use the term "Rookie" "new guy" as an insult, and it's a piss-poor way to treat a FELLOW driver, new or 30 years worth, we all deal with the same things out here, and it's time we start respecting each other again. We all started out somewhere, ignore them, you will be at their level in no time, if you aren't already.. Remember, there are more of these types of drivers that end up in ditches during the winter than there are regular, safe drivers, because those are the guys that think they got it all figured out, and are willing to do 70+ miles per hour on a snowy road! Don't let this be you!


About all i can come up with right now.. Spur of the moment kinda thing, i hope this helps all of you guys lookin' at breaking into trucking. I'll add more as i come up with it, please feel free to add/comment. And good luck out there!!

R.M
Black 'N Chrome, Baby!

 

Very welcome. I am headed out to Des Moines the sunday/monday after thanksgiving to get in another truck. I hope i see you out there!! I'll let ya know what # I get when i get it bud! Be safe!