FYI Knight Newbies: Becoming a Professional Driver

FYI Knight Newbies: Becoming a Professional Driver

Here is a typical graph showing accident rates vs. years of driving experience.



Notice that the highest rate of accidents occur within the 1st 3 years of driving, when drivers are being trained, then going out on their own, and learning by the hard school of the whole gamut being thrown at them of new & varying experiences while moving various types of freight and in all types of weather.

Why I dont consider a driver a 'Professional' until they pass that 3 yr point safely delivering on-time freight with no more than a minor incident. I read a stat that 60% of all those who get a CDL quit within the 1st 9 mos. Combination of accidents, not willing to endure the hardships that they didnt expect, being gone too long, missing family & friends, etc.

Then from 3 to about 12 yrs, drivers are experienced, competent, and usually safety conscious with a minimum accident rate.

After that period, the accident rate slowly climbs with ongoing experience usually due to having developed bad driving habits that catch up with them as well as becoming over-confident and careless.

And so, 0-1 yr newbies, you are just starting out, havnt 'been there/done it all;' and just remember, "Anybody can get a CDL----but not everybody makes a good driver!'