The one thing that terrifies me most about trucking

I think that it's smart that you are thinking ahead.

I live in the Northeast and I've delivered down through Virginia and up through Boston. I also lived out west and traveled from the Mexican border up to the Canadian border and through Arizona and Nevada.

Out West was okay, but you go through massive massive traffic in LA to hours and hours of Desert through Arizona and Nevada. It kind of becomes a boring ride for me anyway.

The Northeast is more densely populated, and all those there's more traffic in general but to me it's more enjoyable than hours of nothing.

If you avoid DC and you avoid New York the Northeast isn't bad. The closer that you get to New York, North Jersey drivers are very similar to New York drivers. The city of New York itself as a whole another experience and in that situation you learn to drive more like them to survive and be able to change lanes and whatnot. New York City itself requires a different mindset and you have to be more aggressive in general while staying calm. I know because I used to go up there every day at one point.

I really wouldn't worry about it. Just be a good driver and you'll be okay. If you drove out west for a while and came down some of the mountains and saw there's nothing to stop you from going off of the road into the deep deep ravines you might be happy that you're in the Northeast.

 

We have a new Volvo at our yard. It has all the mindless "safety" features one could think of. Radar for following too close. Radar to detect if you wonder over the white line. Radar that detects if a car is beside you. Most of the time I approve of such devices, as the more information the better.
In the case of this truck, if one hits the turn signal with a car next to the truck, it will play a very loud horn sound in the cab. Loud enough to startle me enough to jerk the wheel a little bit.
So instead of making it safer, it just about forces one to not use the turn signal. Grr....

 

I trained on 94 in Gary. Drive through that area weekly these days.

Maintain your lane , watch for those that don’t.

Be prepared for slow merging trucks and having to slow for them because you can’t get over because the innner lane is moving to fast.

You will learn in time to stay in the middle lane.

And always be aware what is going on next to you.

 

Not if he's on paper logs.

 

You are being paranoid. Newbies don't get to choose their loads at any company I know, and that's good. Go where they send you and you will gain confidence. Even 25 years after I started I get anxious and have butterflies in my stomach looking for a delivery address if I haven't been there. You will be trained how to do what you need to do. Don't take shortcuts and you will be better than 75% of other truck drivers. People with a lot less skill, intelligence than you have easily done this job. Knowing what you don't know puts you at the head of the line to learning it.

You can do it, heck even I can do it.

 

I love the more wide open spaces, trucking through the west. The northeast never gets better; only worse year after year.

 

Changing lanes in a truck is easy. It's the cars forcing their way in front of the truck and slamming on their brakes that puushes my buttons every day. Car driver stay as far left as they can, stare at their phones until 2 inches from their exit and, if you are lucky, they yell bonzai while crossing 4 lanes of crowded traffic.
You can do this job. Every job has its dark side. Drive carefully and you will be ok.

 

changing lanes is easy. What I never liked were the drivers whom sit in the blind spot on your left and get all weirded out because I am attempting to change lanes while they space out.

 

Millis is ok, but strongly consider other options. They're an east coast outfit and that's where you'll stay, with no relief. Some are ok with that, but it's not for me and I'm from the east; Tennessee.
It's relaxing trucking through the west, especially at night:
YouTube : OGT- Las Vegas
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They should put the warning horn on the outside of the truck....like the backup beeper.....then cars would know you are getting ready to change lanes.

I dont like loud noises in the cab!