A word to the New Drivers from a Retired Driver

For those of you looking to enter the OTR Industry as a Driver and looking for a Job FORGET it this is a LIFESTYLE not a Career. You have to be willing to put up with Idiots that drive cars DOT officers that would rather swipe your Paycheck that treat you with respect. Also the Company you Choose to Work for is not going to be PERFECT DEAL WITH IT. It is called suck it up and Be the Better Person for 1 Year than you can look for a Better Job. Start Treating Each other on the Road with a Little Respect and you would be amazed with how Far that will come back to you in Spades. You WILL NOT GET THE NEWEST TRUCK in the Fleet when you Start Out So GET OVER IT. Also Represent your Carrier Well at the Customer aka Show up CLEAN and not Dressed in Sweats and Flip Flops.

Your First Truck your Assigned is going to be BEAT UP why because other DRIVERS like you have not Taken Care of it. Your going to have to deal with smashed Fairings busted Hoods and other issues. Called they did not care maybe you SHOULD. Treat your Dispatcher with Respect he or she is the one that determines how well you will make MONEY treat them well they will make sure your Rolling at all times be the back end of a ####### to them and your going to be sitting. Same thing with a DOT officer be amazed what a Simple Yes Sir or No Sir will do for a Police Officer. That CDL your holding is a Privilege NOT A RIGHT to hold it. Treat it with Kid GLOVES Guard that sucker like you would your own Kids Life if you have any. Obey the LAWS of the Road.

Now for some Truckstop Advice the People that work there are trying to do their Jobs as best as they can Help them HELP YOU OUT by not clogging the Fuel Lanes find a Parking Space before you go in to Shower Eat Transflo and other Items. The Parking Lot is NOT A RESTROOM OR A TRASH CAN. A 13 Gallon Trash Can can be put behind the Passenger Seat of Most Trucks between it and the Cabinets in the Sleeper Get one and USE IT. Even with the 14 hour Clock that the DOT shoved down your Throats there is still no reason to Pee in a Bottle in your Truck. I ran Team with my Father in the 90's and when we needed to use the Restroom we Stopped and we had Tighter Schedules than you can Think of and we never missed one. Try going 46 Hours Gilroy CA to Philly PA did that all the time and Not ONCE did we use a Bottle.

Lastly this Industry has always been like this I heard the Same BS from Drivers when I was running in the 90's why I am not still out there is I had a Timebomb in my head that blew in 2000 and forced me off the road. I ran in a era of NO Resets NO APU's when 70/8 was ALL YOU HAD regardless of what you did. My First Truck I Ever Drove and Got Paid for in 1993 after getting my CDL at 18 and going Intrastate in IL was a 73 IH 4070 that had 2 Sticks for its 2 Transmissions with a 318 Detroit Motor in it. No PS NO AC NO Air Ride Suspension. Yet I was glad to have it why I was getting Paid to DRIVE the thing. When I went OTR I thought I Died and went to Heaven with my First Truck 88 Pete 379 that had a 310 CAT and a 63 flat top sleeper then a few months later I really got a Big dog 88 IH 9300 that would make these Trucks today go WHAT PASSED ME. 850 HP over 800 to the Ground we never got a True Dyno after we blew the 720 HP one up 13 Double over 3.55 rears and Big Rubber. I drove a Test truck at my Last Carrier and did things there that are still talked about 15 Years later I have been there and I have the Freaking Tshirts. I am doing this to remind the next Generation of Drivers that alot of the Stuff you have like the Frige AC Air Ride and crap like that drivers before YOU got because they demanded them. You need to respect those in the Industry now that have been in it for the last 20 Years they KNOW MORE than your CDL School could ever hope to teach you if you ASK THEM Politely you might be amazed at the answer your given.

 

Just 4 Times in 2 Days for Driver Changes and Fuel. We would Swap Drivers and the one that was going to bed would go in and get Both of us something to Eat the other driver handled getting Fuel and pulled up. Lets just say it was Hard running all the way there. 2936 miles Each Way. We busted our Butts doing it. I ran TEAM with my Father and we got a nickname at that carrier we got to be called FEDEX when it ABSOLUTELY HAD TO FREAKING BE THERE WE GOT THE CALL.

As to being Disgruntled NO I AM NOT AT ALL. I loved my time out there and even today I would do it in a Heartbeat again. Why the Money is Excellent if your Willing to WORK and not Whine and Complain.about what I had to do. I was not one that complained if I had to go to some out of the way place to make a Delivery. I got sent to Roswell NM for a Beer Delivery hauled Honey Drums out to Montana took Cheese out of WA to WI Oranges to Florida and Back to CA. I did whatever I was told and when the Good loads can up and I was there to run them guess what I was one that got the GOOD RUNS or that NEW Truck or the Test Truck.like at my last carrier. I was one of the guys that got to test the NEW 14 Liter Detroit Diesel before it was released the Last test Program loaded in mine was 665 HP and 2250 Ftlbs of Twist. I would walk away from Cats so called Big Motor 600 in the hills. So yeah I miss it wish I was there and NO there is no amount of Automation that WILL replace a Skilled Driver behind the wheel when the Crap hits the fan on the road