Most Important Questions From New Drivers Threads

Puggsly and harleymanjax, good luck with Werner. I hope everything goes well for the two of you.

 

I am in an odd situation right now. I work for Chrysler and could be unemployed or not... Have no clue what is going to happen. Right now I have my CDL temps and my physical and drug test.

Just have not pulled the trigger per say I do not want to get my CDL and then sit on them. I would probably have to go to school again if i did that.
(Waste of 5,000 dollars)

I have until april i also was looking at the loads or lack of loads that are being complained about all over these boards. Waiting to see if they pick up with the economy the way it is.

I ask millions of questions and this board has been very helpful. There is alot of experience here. My dad also has been driving for 40 years. He is saying loads are tough to find.

So to answer your question I am going to go to TDDS in lake milton just not sure of the timing. I can see the grass is not greener on the other side so I am going to sit still until the grass dies. Then I will get on the asphalt.... LOL sorry had to do it

 

I was told there was a shortage of truckers and thought I was having an unusally hard time but now I see I'm not alone! there are plenty of drivers out of work. I sure wish I had come here first!!! I picked the wrong school and made a lot of mistakes and haven't even hit the road yet. In hind sight, if trucking pays so much...how come every trucker I know is living in an old moblehome? I've never seen so many trucks sitting still before. I went over to my trucker friend's moble today and the park looked like a terminal! I've made my living in Real Estate, my own carpet business and investments and have done quite well over the years so I'm not hurting. But that was then and this is now. I'm not rich by any means and started driving a B truck for something to do. I thought while the market was all screwed up I would try my hand at driving a big rig. But the way things are going the market will be back before I get the chance.

 

Job Description

​

The Biggest Mistake You Can Make...Is To Underestimate​

​

The biggest mistake people make when starting a trucking career is underestimating what truck driving involves. Trucking isn't exactly rocket science, but there is still much, much more to it than most people realize.​

​

While it may sound strange, driving the truck is only a small part of the job.​

​

So what does it take? ​

​

Here are some of the "musts" that have nothing at all to do with actually driving the truck.​

​

8​

​

Route Planning, Map Reading, Trip Planning...Must be able to find most practical and time efficient route while avoiding truck restricted routes. Must be able to find new places in new cities on a nearly daily basis. Must know how to avoid dangerous situations such as low underpasses or impassable routes. Must read road signs - and fully understand the routing/sign system in order to avoid getting lost, wasting time and fuel and other potentially dangerous situations (i.e. low underpasses). Must know how to plan trip's fuel stops according to company policy.

8 Money Management...In order to make a good wage, a driver must learn good money management skills. A driver must also plan ahead for job related expenses, such as tolls, unloading fees, truck and/or trailer washes, etc. He or she must keep good track of expenses for purposes of taxes and to ensure proper reimbursement for company expenses.
​

8 Time Management...A driver must be able to accurately plan a trip to squeeze the most out of the time allowed. Without good time management, a driver will be late for pickups/deliveries and this may lead to job loss. Less severe but just as important, poor time management leads to unnecessary fatigue. A driver must learn the best routes to take, the best times of day for travel in certain areas and the nature of the terrain and how these factors affect travel time. ​

​

​

​

8 Paperwork...A driver is responsible for completing paperwork for each load hauled, as well as paperwork required for Hours of Service. Not completing this paperwork properly or on time may result in a paycheck being withheld or in the case of HOS, a hefty fine. ​

​

​

8 Diplomat...Must deal with dispatchers, safety department, other motorists, truck stop employees, shippers, receivers, law enforcement personnel, including highway patrol, local and city police and DOT officers as a professional. ​

​

​

8 Loading & Unloading... While many carriers pay for loading and unloading when required, others do not or at times, a receiver will not allow a driver to hire this work out. In such a case, the driver must be able to load or unload the freight.​

​

​

8 Knowledge of Rules & Regs...A driver must know the rules and regulations that govern him. Ignorance of the law will not excuse a driver or get him out of an expensive fine. A driver must know, at minimum, rules that pertain to Hours of Service, FedReg and equipment related requirements. A driver must know how to load the freight in order to comply with weight limitations and how to adjust weight (between axles) in order to bring an overweight load into compliance. ​

​

​

8 Patience...A driver spends an unbelievable amount of time waiting on others. This may be at a dock or sitting in a traffic jam. Patience is an absolute prerequisite. Other vehicles will do obnoxious, irritating and dangerous things around you all day, every day. You get "cut off" numerous times every single driving day. People constantly pull directly out in front of big trucks, with no thought for their safety -- or yours. Many drive selfishly - others drive foolishly - and others have no idea that they are causing a problem. It doesn't matter, really, because the important thing is that you must learn to deal with these things on a daily basis and not to become angry every time because in the end, it only distracts from the job you need to be able to do. A truck driver is not immune to road rage - but he or she must learn how to deal with and control him/herself when dealing with other motorists. ​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

8 Ability to Adapt...A driver must be able to adapt quickly according to the environment and the demands of the job. One day you may deliver a load at 8:00 AM but the next unloading appointment may be at 1:00 AM. Work hours are never the same. Along with work hours, eating hours and sleeping hours are rarely the same, either. They must constantly change according to the load. Beyond these issues, other factors are quick to change, also. One day a driver will be in the mountains and the next, in the desert. The weather changes can be dramatic, too.​

​

​

8 Personal Safety...Must understand dangers of life on the road.​

​

​

8 Mental Strength / Fortitude... A driver must often work when tired or very stressed. A driver is not "off" at 5:00 PM, and may actually just be starting his/her workday. Traffic, paperwork, law enforcement, dispatchers, etc can all contribute to a high stress level. While many people work when stressed, it is especially important that a driver learns to deal with stress factors because of the nature of the job - in other words, a big truck has great potential to cause massive injury. A distracted driver is not a safe one. Add to this the added worry about loved ones back home, homesickness, etc, and stress becomes a major factor.​

​

​

​

After all of these skills, you have to know how to drive the truck.
The "musts" that have something to do with driving the truck.​

​

Of course, a driver must be capable of safe operation of the vehicle - often nearly 70 foot of vehicle with a pivot point - in all situations and places. ​

​

8 City Traffic: Streets lined with cars on both sides with lanes so skinny in places that clearance is a matter of inches on either side. The driver must also be able to turn the vehicle into places not intended for 70 foot vehicles - meaning some creative and well thought out maneuvering is required. Cars will not usually understand what you are trying to do and will often honk, yell and go to extremes to go around you. Heavy traffic and congested freeways are par for the course. ​

​

​

8 Backing: While some places will provide sufficient space, a great many warehouses provide only ample space - if that. A driver must be able to dock the trailer where the shipper/receiver wants it. It may take 5 minutes or it may take 45 minutes, but in order to load or unload, you will not have a choice​

​

. In the city, you may have to stop traffic from either or both directions. You may have to jackknife into a dock. You may have to back down an alley. You may have to back in blind. Anything goes. No matter how bad or how tight the dock is, if you hit anything, it is 100% your fault. You may have to get out of the truck 100 times, you may have to stop 100 cars, but one way or another, you will have to get the trailer in the dock.
​

8 Mountains: Mountains present an extra challenge. A driver must be able to properly gauge at what speed and in which gear it is best to descend. ​

​

He or she must understand how the weight of the load affects this decision. He or she must also make allowances when the weather and/or visibility is poor. The driver's carrier may expect the driver to put tire chains on when conditions warrant.
​

8 Bad Weather: Bad weather driving comes in many forms. A driver must learn to adjust to everything Mother Nature might throw at him, such as: Thunderstorms, Hail Storms, Tornadoes, Sand Storms, Snow, Ice, Sleet, Freezing Rain, Temperature Extremes, Fog.​

​

​

These are just the things that I can think of this moment. I'm sure I can (and will) come up with more to go on this list. My question to you is,

"Is this what you thought it was?"

​

 

My advice to all new comers and those just thinking about driving over the road. DON'T DO IT !!!! Get a real job. Learn something that will allow you to make good money and have a life. Don't waste your life sitting in a box going bankrupt and dieing an early death. You can make more money working at McD's fifty hours a week, instead of being stuck in a truck weeks at a time.Especialy as slow as freight is right now,Lots of sitting around truckstops waiting for freight and not getting paid. Stay home,enjoy your life.Don't waste it in a truck. Trucking SUCKS !!!

 

I relayed some horror stories about Werner to my instructor and she told me that they are for the most part not true. She did concede however that times have changed and so have companies.

 

good thread really imformitive be safe

 

I graduate Friday from Keystone Diesel Institute and so far everyone has turned me down. I don't know if its because of my past with speeding which I got suspended in 2001 for 2 wks or my last speeding ticket in 2007. What's the problem here? Is it the insurance companies that don't want me to drive for a company or is it something else? I had USA Truck tell me no today and I asked why and the lady told me she didn't have to give me an explanation.

And advice? Thanks

 

Most likely the ticket in 07. With there being alot of exp drivers out there companies can be as a picky as they like. Dont limit your search to only large companies try smaller ones as well.

 

I just got accepted to the Swift Driving school. Does anyone know if you have to pay up front with them? Is there a chance of getting screwed by them?
jnb1110