Advice to a wannabe revisited....time after time after time!!!!

Being born with a steering wheel in your hand ain't nothing, the trick is to keep from dieing that way (think about it).

 

Very well put. I couldn't have said it better.

 

And a lot of companies lie to you about appointment windows. it might really be a delivery window until next week but they tell you its gotta be there today. Heh. My dispatcher actually admitted this to me recently but i already knew it.

 

I agree with Phroziac in that you will be embarking on a journey where many people will be telling you what to do, when to do it, how to do it ... there will be much time spent alone and with your own thoughts ... what lies behind you and what lies before you are very small matters compared to what lies within you. What you have to be is what you are.

You musn't let the outside noise rattle you, you will be a stranger in a strange land with few people that you truly know, however you will be with people that you have much in common ... and they can be your family. We all fool ourselves into thinking that we are in posession of many things ... but the truth is that what you posess in this world will be found on the day of your death to belong to someone else ... but what you are will be yours forever. Never forget your roots ... where you came from ... your values ... who you are on the inside. If you can do this then half the battle will already be won.

 

And...ever notice how a lot of people complain about their company, and hardly anyone says good things about their company? When you're alone and youhave all this time to yourself to think about how pissed off you are at these people......you just start boiling over. Too much time to think about it

 

And know this Obiewannacannoli...at our age,passing time in a parked truck goes by so much easier than those young'uns sittin' on a firecracker!

 

1) Late is better than dead.
2) Dispatcher/DM isn't in the truck, you are. You are on scene, an adult and in charge. YOU make the safety call.
3) Don't be overconfident... that one cost me a couple tires and I got off cheap (clipped a barrier with my trailer).
4) Down Hills SLOW!!!!!
5) GOAL. and GOAL. Rinse and repeat as needed. (Can you see I believe that one?)

Good tools: Laptop with map program (I like MS Streets and Trips) and DDL. Heavy hammer (tire thumper/stuck pins), Vice grips, Tire Chalk (mark flats, or tandem hole targets) and 100 ft tape measure.

Be nice. Remember the DM's and Keyboard punchers have a ton of trucks they're dealing with and the last guy was probably a jerk. When you are nice, they will respond better.

Make friends in the shop. Need I say more?

 

Here are some of the nuggets I have learned so far.

You can go down a hill too slow as many times as you like, but, you can only go down it too fast once.

Whatever time you think you save cutting corners, like not doing a pre-trip, or whatever, will eventually catch up to you, often with interest.

You do not have to let your truck or your mind get cluttered with junk, take the trash out often.

Remember how precious life is,your life, and the lives of others, don't forget that for even a moment, and drive safely. Whatch out for others. I can live with delivering a load late, I wouldn't know where to begin to live with having killed someone.

Have some RESPECT, for yourself, for others and for this country. I still just can't understand how drivers drive thru miles and miles of breath taking beautiful scenery and then just throw their trash out the window. really? is is that hard for you to use a trash can? Why is it you think it is okay for you to pollute this country with your trash?

okay, that is it for now, I will have more nuggets for you later.

 

Wisdom. It is tough to find these days.