Nervous about heading out on my own. Any advice or help?

Deep breath, relax, take your time, don't rush, and if you have to second guess something or yourself. Don't do it until you are 100% positive!

 

LOL,No I did'nt flirt with them.It was a very scarey first trip.I had no training for that.I must have asked a good 75 dirvers what do I do.I guess I did good.DOT never slapped any fines on me or Werner.I did many trips to Canada after that.I also had a few more first bad trips till I got hometime.Not going to lie,it is scarey for new drivers.But you get better with each passing day.

 

Just relax and watch what your doing,if you need to make your self a check list . everyone in nervous their first time out you will be fine Good Luck

 

Relax, plan out your day ( where you get fuel, know the ext #, where approx the rest areas are, where you are dropping or staying the night.) relax, do your pre-trip, relax. . .you have gotten that part right? I'm not the only one with that peice of advice

 

Relax, relax, relax. GOAL = Get Out And Look .. Taker yer time .. Other will just have to wait, we have all been there.

Ask other drivers at shippers or truck stop for help, advice .. Most of us realize, doesnt matter what company ya drive for, we are all doing the same job.

Oh .. And relax.

 

Fixed it for you.

 

yeehaw it's go time! You'll probably be edgy for the first few months at the very least. But dont sweat it, you can do it. And remember, everyone else in your class is doing it too. Then one by one, things that make you nervous will fade away. I picked up my truck in Gary .. Hooked a loaded tanker and went right out into the frying pan on route 80 in afternoon traffic. I sat at the OC forever before leaving, double .. Triple and quadruple checking everything.

Id say the main thing is -- never panic. If you make a mistake, don't push thru without thinking and turn it into a bigger mistake. Miss a turn? Stay calm and focus on what you have to do. It's much better to pull over somewhere and figure out where you need to go .. Rather than not focusing, hurrying thru a turn and hitting a utility pole, stop sign or a car. Everything is like that, there's plenty of opportunity to either fix the situation or make it worse. If you panic and succumb to impatient motorists, it will likely get worse.

Also, slowing down fixes a lot of things .. Especially at times when you can't see well because its dark, raining or both. Or watching for signs. Screw whoevers behind you, just block that out .. Unless they're willing to offer you a better paying job after you get canned when you roll a trailer in a ditch while turning faster to get out of their way.

Just use your brain and common sense and you'll be fine - good luck!

 

Remember the shippers and receivers do not know you are brand new. Very few places operate the same, so.just get clarification because it is your first time there... not because you are new.

The first time I went to a Walmart... at the guard shack I was asked if I had been there before. Told them no, itbwas the truth, I then said I had not seen two WM DC's that functioned the same way, again the truth, this was.my first one,, he chuckled and proceeded to tell me exactly what I needed to.do at that one, and was none.the.wiser.

 

Ask questions,ask questions, and then ask more questions. We all started the same way you are starting. When you are in a jam slow down or just stop and think the problem through,and once you calm down you will figure out the answer. After some time on the road you will look back and say " Dang I was worried about that? Now its just second nature." Hope that helps ya out.

 

Beautiful analogy, I am gonna remember that one.