Personal gear

the log book is the most important paper you do for yourself. it will cover your butt. i rand mcnally map book will be your best friend and i have seen them at pilots for $5-$6 dollars on sale. well worth it even at full price. most companies will send you directions but they aren't always right so you got to make sure on the directions from point a to point b. let me tell you it is no fun missing a turn or getting lost in a 80 ft vehicle. always plan your route before you move those wheels and that will help out big time and save some frustration. and a back up route is good to have just in case of an accident or something you can go around it. always keep your map book handy. all this you will learn in school and out on the road. that is the only way to really learn it.

 

your welcome. i hope i helped you out some. when you go to school or wherever and get in a truck you get the click of it. and it all comes second nature then first nature.

 

Just a thought here. For Xmas I got a portable GPS system (TomTom) which I installed in the truck and have been playing with since then. And the results are much better than I ever thought they would be. If I was just starting out driving, and had to arrive at a bunch of places that I was unfamiliar with, in addition to having a good truckers quality map book from the truckstop, I would invest in one of these units as soon as I could afford to. You have the ability to simply put in the address of the place you are heading for, and the unit will route you directly to it. It doesn't relieve you of the responsibility to ensure that you do not go under a too short bridge, a road not rated for trucks, or any other hazards, but you can route yourself around them and it will always point you back to your final destination.

Where it really works well is when you are looking for a street to make a turn on and are having to peer through tree branches for a street sign, in fog or bad weather, or when the sign is missing. At those times, you are watching the street names simply pop up on the screen for you, in addition to the arrow and voice telling you to turn.

And that is the area where most new drivers meet their Waterloo. They miss a turn, get frustrated, and damage to truck or trailer trying to turn in places where they shouldn't be. That costs more new drivers their career than anything I know of except for plain old backing accidents.

If I were starting out, I would spend the money and consider it money well spent. If I owned a company and hired new drivers, I would issue one to each of my new drivers. That's how important I consider it as a tool.

 

no. a funeral is time off. most companies will have you either drop the trailer at a yard or swap trailers and head you home. depnding on situation i have seen some companies fly drivers home (you pay) after you drop truck trailer at a yard. there is no questions asked on a funeral. just don't let the same uncle or whatever die like 3-4 times. they do kep record of deaths in family. and like burky was saying a gps system is a good thing to have. just don't depend on it solely. i have one but i really just use it to keep the boredom away. i run off the map book and have the recievers number to call and there is always a driver out there you can call on the cb for directions about a shipper/reciever.

 

they are in the map book. bridge has to be 13' 6 for you to fit.

 

good luck in whatever choices you make.