Packing List for Students

Think inside the box.. then break it down into smaller boxes

its always the same from the nw corner to the se corner to the ne corner to the sw corner

I hear there's a sale in the common scents isle... I'm out

 

Trip-Planning in my opinion is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT thing to learn for any and all new drivers. Here's the reality of it: Driver managers (dispatchers) depend on you to pick up and deliver on time. When this happens, they gain a reputation from you telling them you can be reliable and consequently, in effect, they load you down with freight which, EQUALS= miles. After being late a few times and eventually "there & again" ... DM's can't rely on you for time-sensitive and high value loads, so as a result, you'll see yourself getting fewer and fewer miles by the month. With EFFECTIVE trip-planning, you can avoid this downward spiral. For the most part, about every company out there will keep you running 2200+ miles a week if you manage your time right. And this (2200) can be a bare minimum. I was running 2600+ my first few weeks AS A ROOKIE and my DM would go out of his way to get me as much extra pay as he could when something crazy happened such as getting stuck at a shipper or consignee for a few hours. I had a good trainer and I have always been a geography and atlas geek. I traveled the country by foot, hitchhiking, back in 2003 and 2004 and loved it by the way. I sometimes think about doing it again for a few years after I store up some money ... vagabond it from coast to coast and then, perhaps, go back to trucking another couple years. I never liked the 9-5 lifestyle and I hate paying bills. But anyway, rambling on ....

Trip-Planning is vital if you want to make money. Get the little pocket truck stop book, buy a big paper trucker's atlas, invest in a good GSP after you get on your feet and .... familiarize yourself with everything geographically. Trip-Planning (TIME MANAGEMENT) is math as well. If you're not good in math, learn quick.

-14 Hour Duty Clock
-11 Hour Driving Time
-Before 8 HRS driven, you HAVE to take a 30
-How many miles an hour can this truck go
-How many miles to shipper/receiver
-Allowing for construction, traffic, rush hour and weather
-Remembering Time Zones changes will AFFECT your TIME
-How much TIME you spend stopping for FUEL & FOOD

You'll see that these things aren't a joke when it comes to trucking. Knowing the math and managing it right will make or break you. Don't rely on just what you hear on forums about companies that have good and bad miles. The people that complain the most about stuff like this are the ones that aren't telling you they still haven't figured out time management and trip planning. CHEERS!

 

I can understand the time management but have trouble wuth directions they did not teach any of that in school
Not even map reading my friend was fired for not getting there on time

 

Get Map. Look up Point A. Then point B. ...... After this, ideally, you will want to take as straight a line as the crow flies in between point A & B. This of course, is never a straight line, but you wanna go with the least resistance as possible, meaning no zig zagging here and there. If general directions is your problem, North ... South ... East .... West, then you basically need reference points such as : I'm trying to get to Barbourville Kentucky, but it's not on an interstate. After looking it up on the map, I see that Interstate 75 is the closest Freeway. Corbin sits to the left of Barbourville, meaning it's WEST of Barbourville. North is always above, south is always below. East will always be to your right and West to your left. That is, if you're looking at a map and not holding it sideways or upside down. The sun sets in the west .... this sometimes helps.

Most interstates are designated with mile markers. Exit numbers are part of the mile markers too. If the mile markers or exit numbers are going down in count, you're going south. Down by the number also means WEST. As the numbers get bigger, you're obviously headed north ... or EAST. This stays true for the most part but not always. Pay special attention to Toll Roads. Watch the signs! The numbers change sometimes. Signs for cities, towns and rural routes will help you more than numbers in these cases.

I hope any of this makes sense... and doesn't get you lost. Pardon the pun. However, I don't quite understand what you mean by having trouble with directions. If you can explain a little more, .... like give an example it would help. Cheers!

 

Interstates and most state highways with last number ending in an even number(0,2,4,6,8) run East/West and odd numbers(1,3,5,7,9) run north/south.

 

pinkshoes ... the trainer should walk you through it.. no worries. .. however i must admit I'm a little surprised with the idea you've never looked at map thus far in life.. for the record .. i wasn't referring to the crayon box.. i meant the lower 48 states .. its a box (cage) .. each state represents a smaller box with-in..

 

Oh i know the crayon box thing is just a funny saying i have letting people know i am not the brightest
I have looked at maps just never mastered them
They did not teach that in schoik

 

pinkshoes, buy a Rand McNally Road atlas at a truck stop. Get the big one... Check all pages... and the big USA map with all roads to become familiar with them...
Horizontal main highways (I-10, I-20, I-40, I-70, I-80 and I-90) go from west to east and exit numbers increase going east (to the Atlantic).
Vertical main highways (I-5, I-15, I-25, I-35, I-55, I-65, I-75, I-85 and I-95) go from south to north and exit numbers increase going north...
Exit number on almost all roads always increase going east and going north.

Check the page with the area codes and Zone Time... you will see lines that separate zone times... there are 4 main zone times - east, central, mountain and pacific.

Each page has lots and lots of info about many important things... for instance, phone numbers and websites for each state if you need check road/weather/construction info.
You also find info on National weight and size provisions for each state... distances from king pin to rear tandems...
You will find lists of low clearance and restricted roads, scale station locations... state by state... you better know before you go.
On top of each state map you will find info on distances from border to border and from some main cities to other main cities. It also shows rest areas, parking areas, welcome centers, weigh stations, etc...
The roads in blue are the main ones which are OK for big trucks. The roads in orange are also OK... Some in red may be ok but better check the page with restrictions to make sure. The roads that are grey are very questionable and maybe restricted for big trucks. The green roads are toll roads.

Become familiar with the signs showing what kind of road it is, interstate, US road, state road, etc.

At the end of the road atlas you find a Directory with all states and most cities in alphabetical order. Each city will refer to a letter and a number that you can use as reference to locate the city on the grid on the page showing the state.

There's also, at the end of the atlas, a Mileage Directory, where you can find distances between main cities in the country.

An instructor I had used to tell me that one should be able to know where is North, South, East and West at any time... Well... I can't... So he told me to buy a compass...

At the end, we learn by practicing... Best of luck to you!

 

Thanks a lot i will have to check this out

 

I totally agree here with everyone's feedback thus far. It basically comes down to this one statement: YOU MUST FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE RAND MCNALLY TRUCKER'S ATLAS. You can get the $20 paper version or the $30 laminated version. I would still like to know of your problem area concerning directions. Give us an example. Are you referring to directions given to you on a particular load, in a particular sequence? Such as: Take Interstate 94 West to US highway 41, then east to Glenview Rd. A gps is good to have, but they have caused me to get stuck in areas that weren't meant for big trucks. CHEERS!