Anyone have a legit fear of trucking and still did it?

Yeah I hear you about the inner cities. My old job would send me to deliver gas stations in the worst parts of large cities at like 2AM. Dude, I have seen some strange things delivering fuel in Stockton at 2AM. Like, really strange things. I can't even post about it on this website or else I'd get banned. Uh, trust me. I've seen some really crazy things...

The way I cope with it, is to walk and act like I just got out of the joint. Look at these people straight in the eye like you're going to stick them. They'll mess with you if they sense fear. They'll back down if they know you a stone face killa. Obviously you're a stone face killa if you became a truck driver, how else can one handle all of the alone time at work....

I think the most terrifying was delivering to a Chevron station across from Oakland Coliseum at about 1:30AM. I threw two hoses out and tried to get out of there ASAP. I witnessed a dude fill up a glass bottle full of gasoline at the pump, and he walked away on foot with a rag hanging out of it. I recall thinking to myself, Black Lives Matter are going to be burning down the police department. I almost wanted to call the cops but I thought Oakland PD wouldn't even investigate.

 

Ill agree with this as i almost got pinched on I-80 W on my way back from Indiana into illinois just yesterday. Seen the truck start on the onramp way ahead of me and 2 drivers were passing me end to end with a 4 wheeler behind them. The guy on the short on ramp wasnt slowing down. So i had to brake quick after trying to slow down ahead of time. Let everyone by and got over quick so i didnt put the guy merging into a guard rail. Happens fast.

 

Good job driver avoiding a possible accident. There is something wrong with peoples thought process. You see it everywhere, everyday. Imagine going through life being "that guy".

 

I was sweating bullets at truck school when I had to learn on a 10-speed. Class was four weeks long and the last two involved driving. So after I got my CDL I still didn't feel prepared or confident enough to go straight into it. It's nerve wracking for sure. Most people on the road will get out of the way but you have to be on guard constantly which is mentally draining. Thankfully companies are going automatic which helps you concentrate more on the road (I was bad at downshifting quickly). However, like many have said.. do a year of that and you can go on to something better where you can run dedicated lanes or eventually go owner op and or do short runs between two states. That way you can manage your own time instead of worrying about company time.

 

I would agree with you 100%. I rarely get nervous in my truck but when I drive my car I'm terrified. The one thing that has done for me after years on the road is its given me insight into what car drivers are probably feeling when trucks follow to close etc. I keep that in my mind and make sure I don't do anything that would make a 4 wheeler nervous. It's safer for me and them.

 

Trooper said what i was going to. After witnessing a steer tire blow out my 1st wk on the road that killed the driver thats what i fear the most. Always inspect those real good

 

I'm with ya on the endangering part but ignoring an officer isn't a reason to take a person's life. Police are taught to take people down by non lethal means as a first option but so many are quick to grab guns first.

 

They didn't have all of this information at your fingertips stuff when I started so all I knew was just that I wanted to drive a truck, plus I was just stupid enough to not know any different to be scared. I wanted to do it so badly I just jumped into it and it came so naturally. Like others have said, I never looked at it any differently than driving a big ol car.......a LARGE CAR! LOL

 

Oh yeah, I agree. Police more and more are being trained to shoot first and ask questions later. I remember hearing how an instructor lately basically said that the Feds can take their training programs and throw them in the garbage as far as he cares, because all they teach cops to do is shoot people. My trainer when I started with Landes was a former police officer, so he had some interesting things to say about all of this, too. He told me of an interesting conversation he had with a former colleague, a veteran officer.

Basically, this officer was sharing his frustrations with the current crop of police officers coming up. He didn't think too highly of the millennial crowd coming onto the force. They don't know how to keep control of a situation with body language and voice commands; they can't assert themselves properly or diffuse a situation. They don't think on their feet fast enough, and they panic too fast and reach for their guns too quick. This is what he was saying.

All of this being said, people need to realize that when an officer gives them commands, they better comply or they are taking their lives into their own hands. If you refuse to obey and keep resisting, things can easily escalate to the point where deadly force occurs. There might be too many shootings, but many people have absolutely no respect for authority whatsoever. Police officers are kind of like truck drivers in that regard. If a police officer has to shoot somebody, no matter what, somebody is going to say he did something wrong. Same thing with a big rig getting involved in accident with a four wheeler. No matter who caused it, some lawyer is going to try and point the finger at the truck driver.

Too many people in this country have the mentality that they can do whatever they want, and if anything bad happens, it is always somebody else's fault. All I can say is, good luck with that in the afterlife.

 

I remember the first time going on the road off the track at road master and would be shaking with nerves. Nothing was like the 1st load assignment when I went solo. I remember it vividly, thankfully I had to bobtail to get an empty so it was nice to get the feeling of my 1st tractor a bit. I did have 2 trainers thru my training but they were horrible. I just laugh a little now when I think about my first month but made it through without major incident. You'll have little problems like going down a street your not supposed to or making a wrong turn and trying to find your way out on a tiny residential road stopping before every power line to make sure you clear it or when your in Brooklyn and cant get over in time and see a Parkway in front of you................thankfully I took the next exit and got turned around but I recovered from my heart attack with a few a pills. Now it's day in day out and easy but experience and planning is something you gotta earn and learn!! Good luck to ya!