Your first time out?

I was a nervous wreck in CDL school. I literally had to choke down my lunch in between dry heaves because my stomach was in knots. Some level of nervousness persisted throughout my first few years driving depending on the situation.

I never really 'got over it'. As time went on, I simply became more and more confident in my ability to drive anywhere anytime and the nerves slowly faded. I rarely get nervous over any driving situation anymore but I've been at it 14 years now.

 

Nervousness is normal. You must learn to manage it so it does not debilitated you.

 

Wasn't too nervous in school. First trip out with trainer was real nervous. It gradually went away. Now it's like breathing.

 

As time goes on you'll learn to manage stress and nerves. The only time I get nervous now is when I'm in traffic surrounded by CRST, Swift, or Werner.

 

Isn't this the truth.

I always think of the USA driver that had a bonafide melt down trying to get turned around at a low overpass. When the situation starts to overwhelm you; Stop. Deep breaths. Get yourself under control before doing something stupid. I mean, that dude was in straight up flight response and acting completely irrationally.

 

Lotsa those guys end up on Twisted Truckers! I advise in situations such as a low overpass, turning in somewhere you should not have, etc. To turn the 4 ways on and set the brakes. Put out triangles if needed. Walk around calmly and assess the situation.

 

Concur.

I've done just that more than once.

 

I remember my first time with the beer company out in Cleveland Heights, hohohahaha funny now, but it was awful at the time top 10 one of the worst days of my life there's is no debate. I pulled into a Sunoco station and had to back out because the 18 bay trailer I had was to big to swing through the pumps.

Then on top of that I pulled into the back parking lot of Dave's Super Market out there totally the absolute wrong thing to do, and ended up getting the truck caught on one of those yellow concrete barrier polls that was nothing short of awful, however I managed to get my self unstuck and backed out and got straightened out and going again. Didn't hurt or damage anything nothing like that, but it was a learning experience.

Now a days if I had to do that route it would be much different.

Every Friday when I drive by that supermarket on Ceder Road in Cleveland Heights I chuckle to my self and smile, haha. Live and learn. As a wise woman once said "When you know better you do better."

 

When I switched jobs I wasn't as nervous, mainly because the guy and he's gone from the company now nobody liked him, but the guy I was training with at the time was a huge a-hole and I was ready to be done with him, so when they put me on my own it was like a huge relief. Eventually he ended up quitting and management couldn't get rid of him fast enough.