Any tips for a new driver on their own?

Yes Crazy, I was looking for this good advice from someone.

Knowing exactly how you get to your destination is half the battle. The address you get for delivery is usually for the front door. You need to see where the truck entrance is.

All others above are excellent too!

 

If you drive like "everyone else", you're doing it wrong.

 

Take your time, don't worry about anyone but yourself if someone else is pushing you. Remember you have to live with any mistakes, and you have to explain them to others with authority over you. You are in control of your equipment and are the only one who is. Manage your time responsibly, but don't get so burnt out that you crash. Getting your equipment into places means you need to get it back out of them, both endevers need to be considered before you begin.
Be prepared for as much as possible, like tools, chains, filters, a small can of fuel for filling filters, oil, antifreeze, starting fluid, cold weather additives, coats, boots, blankets, clothes. Nothing worse than losing valuable time by not being prepared for a minor problem. This is a serious business with real hazards and you're the one in harms way, no matter what anyone else tells you. It all falls squarely on you & your ability/abilities to think and make decisions that get the job done.
Good drivers make it look easy, bad ones make the rest of us work harder.
Good luck, be smart, be ready, and go do it.
O/O, Cattle hauler, since 1983.

 

+1 on google maps satellite view. Take it a step farther and use street level so you can virtually "drive" the street and read the signs.

My trainer told me, "don't ever put your nose somewhere that your tail won't back out of.".

 

Begin every day with a goal of not breaking anything. The day that you are about to start is not important....it's only another day in your goal of 1,000,000 accident free miles.

That goal starts with a good post trip the night before, a pre-trip the following morning, a good trip plan and checks when you stop for breaks.

There are many, many tips, but the the only thing can really make you unemployable is a wreck.

As Dinomite mentioned, go slow. Don't tailgate. It is difficult to leave enough following distance sometimes because of traffic but then you need to slow down. Remind yourself that you cannot stop before the vehicle ahead of you stops.

Lots of people think they can stop, but that's because they haven't had to yet. If dead drivers could talk they would tell you otherwise.

 

I agree with a lot, good pre tripping is important, when I was over the road I also had one of those rest area/truck stop books you can pick up for around $5 or so if I remember right. Do not rely on a GPS, its a tool to help but they have put drivers into some bad situations including me before, I was just lucky I found my way out of those but they can be stressful and scary.
Google maps is an awesome tool to use, I used it for all the places I went to especially once I got on a dedicated over a year ago and would look up every single store I delivered to, GPS is very lousy for stores since they take you to the front of a store and not where the dock area is.

Take things slow and easy, like others said dont let people rush you. If you have a CB just turn it off when your going to be doing things you know will be slow that way you wont hear those arseholes making fun of you. People have good and bad days, you will too, I even still have bad days sometimes where I want to slap myself. My bad days seem to be at some of the easiest places go figure.

 

all that great advice and you don't thank anybody? wtf

 

its all good man, as you can see there's a learning curve with ANYTHIHG new

 

Always think ahead when pulling into a tight parking lot full of cars at a delivery. Example: get your trailer tires close to the side you need in order to make the tight turn Before theres not enough room to. Like when first turning into the parking lot! Try to shop at Walmart not expensive truck stops.When it comes to backing in(Your initial setup) vehicle positioning is the key to it. Dont be afraid to hog both lanes in a roundabout with your flashers on. Avoid taking gps directions thru side neighborhoods.If a load feels "heavy" always pay the $8.50 get it weighed before taking it across the weigh station.Keep maintain a good drivingrecord. A few scrapes and tickets will put you working at Jack In The Box nowadays. Trip planning: dont route out to where you end up getting to a bad area and have to shut down like at a Memphis truck stop.Try to look hard when you roll across the scale at a weigh station. Not easy pickins for a shakedown.Dont spend all your cash on $14.99 buffets.Shop at Walmart. Keep a rugged padlock on your trailer.Dont speed,pass all the time and cut back over too soon in the rain and trash the guys windshield you're passing! If something is wrong with your truck get it fixed asap.