New guy advice from a 2.5 year rookie.

I'm in a mood today, some of these things have been stewing in my head for a couple of weeks. One most recently today, put me behind and caused me to have to take a 30 minute break when I shouldn't have had to. (Yeah prime refer drivers, I'm staring at y'all)


1. CYA... we all know what that stands for, your license is your livelihood, protect it. Protect yourself, keep tabs of all conversations that you think are questionable. Say it through the Qualcomm/peoplenet or email. At least then there is proof to back up your claims. "But gunner, they won't do that, they just talk to me over the phone" ########, if you have a smart phone, download an automatic phone call recorder to your phone. Then advise everyone that you speak with that your call is being recorded. By notifying the person on the other end that you're being recorded it keeps you out of legal trouble, and it helps to keep everyone honest.

2. DO NOT TAKE YOUR BREAKS ON THE FUEL ISLAND!!! #### if this hasn't happened to me 3 times this past week. Today it was a prime refer driver. 3 calls over the intercom, he finally comes meandering out of the restrooms like it's nothing. I sat there for 25 minutes waiting and couldn't back out because all the other islands were full, and I was boxed in.

3. Trip planning has got to be the at the top of the list of the things you need to learn. I'm on elogs like most of you, I'm in a governed truck like most of you. I can still bang out 600 to 650 miles in my days. Keep the door shut, don't stop at every casino, XXX rated store, truck stop, or interesting thing you see. You're out here to do a job, do it, wait to see the sights on your 34, or when you go to take a vacation. Park up as close if not right at your receivers the night before, I usually manage my clocks close enough that at 2 hours before my clocks at done I start looking for a safe pull off, (and no that doesn't include shoulders, or on/off ramps). At 1 hour of time left, I start narrowing my search. And I usually stretch my clocks down to within 10 minutes, sometimes I'll be at 1 minute of drive time. Today I happened to have 3 hours left because I only had to go 286 miles.

3. CB radio, good please get one. Even if it's a cheap Cobra 25. Believe it or not these things can save your life, save the life of someone else, save you the hassle of being in a back up. If you don't want to buy one, save your points and get one. Take something to a pawn shop, checked cashing places will take an item in for trade and trade straight up for one. That's how I got my galaxy 949. I bought it a check into cash for $45.

4. Take some pride in your appearance. My god, some of y'all are embarrassing. Walk around like you're coming from a 5 and dime with second hand clothes. Sweat pants, t shirts with your Dickie do's... Flip flops/sandles, smell and look like y'all ain't showered in 3 months.

5. Grow a spine, I can't even begin to count how many times I've heard drivers sitting at the dinner counter at the ta Dayton OH complaining that they're all stressed because their dispatcher is pushing them to get to Fresno in 3 days on a single driver truck. If you know it can't be done, tell them it can't be done, tell them what you can do, and then stick to it.

6. Ask questions, I realize it's hard to admit when you don't know, specially when you have individuals that look down on you because who you drive for, or because you were just recently released from training. Be honest with yourself and ask for help, be appreciative when help is offered, but most of all be humbled when an old school offers up advice. (Something that took me a few months to learn)

These topics have been discussed so much it's like beating the dead horse with another dead horse. I've got tons more that can be added here, I'm sure there are many guys here more experienced than me that will add to it.

 

I don't want anyone fired. Being inconsiderate isn't an offense is want someone fired over. On the other hand, the jbhunt driver who cut me off the other day that caused me to have a critical event because he felt the need to pull an unsafe act in order to get to his off ramp rather than go to the next one down and back track, yeah, I hope his ### is sitting in the unemployment line

 

I got pretty irate with the guy. He didn't even hear the announcements because he had ear phones in while dropping a deuce