New to the industry, questions about mechanics...

welcome to the forum

 

If you drive for a big company it might be possible for you to help out in the maintenance facility on your days off, but who would do that? You will get hands on experience with the same trucks you drive.

There must be an owner's manual for every truck made. These truck makers have websites and contact info. Ask them for help.

 

go to your local library for books, but they would be generic, and not very informative comapred to the books you would get at a technical school on the subject. be forewarned that most (if not all) trucking companies forbid a driver from doing repairs on the trucks. in some instances, you will need to be ASE Certified and in some states, need to be licensed to work on big rigs. this is to cut down on lawsuits for inept repairs done by shoddy garages and idiot mechanics.

i'd suggest driving for a while, like maybe 2-3 years, build up some savings, then quit driving and go back to school and learn mechanics the proper way. by that time, you should have some money in the bank, a new student loan, and maybe a part time job to make ends meet till you graduate school. but then again, you'll be starting as a "newbie" again, this time as a mechanic, and have to put up with all the politics of a garage this time.