Personal Qualities and expectations for newbies

I had the original epiphany that I wished to become a truck driver in November of 2012. It is finally looking like my life has evolved in a manner that will allow me to finally 'take the plunge!' I have had other employment and family needs that made it unwise to pursue until recently. In that time I have read, tried to absorb and ponder on the life of a trucker and whether it would be a good fit for me or not. I'd like to share my thoughts for others concerning this. This I geared more on a person's personality, expectations and attitudes as I have come to believe. I hope that other experienced truckers might be able to add insight and suggestions on the personal qualities and attitudes folks who wish to become truck drivers should consider. Anyway:

1. The first year is the hardest. The majority of drivers will end up being OTR during that first year. After that year, more options become available and after 2 years most options become available. But, you have to 'survive' the first year (preferably without accidents, especially preventable, or tickets which can hinder your record). Your pay will be its worst and your driving conditions (truck, dispatcher, company BS, etc.) will probably be crappy! Just remember, it gets better but you have to 'pay your dues' for that first year. Keep your head down, nose to the grindstone and ego in check. This too shall pass.

2. You have to be very comfortable being by yourself for extended periods of time if you go solo. Or, you have to be really good (patient, tolerant, flexible) 'living' with another human in extremely close quarters with if you end up team driving. Both extremes are actually not real common and I think emotionally, for those that don't possess those abilities, are probably the hardest components to conquer and adjust to and can make you the most miserable.

3. You will most likely not get 'home time' as often as you want and when you want. You will be gone for months at a time, not get home when you requested and it'll suck. Once again, it is simply part of the dynamic. After you have 'paid your dues' you can probably get yourself into a situation where those things, if they are important to you, will get better. But, during that first year, 'home time' will not be as you want.

4. It will be a time of adjustment. Being a truck driver engrosses more of your life than almost any other occupation. It is not a job, it is a life. It will take time to adjust to. There will be crap you didn't expect you had to deal with, there will be all sorts of 'new', both good and bad. If you wish to become a truck driver, understand you are not just learning a job, you are learning a life. Have patience with yourself as undoubtedly you will have phases where you think the whole darn thing sucks. Don't give up, those phases will pass. You will also probably find some really nifty cool things you didn't realize you would experience if you keep your eyes open to see them.

5. As with everything in life, in my opinion, the most important thing is that powerful word expectations! This is true in life of pretty much everything, not just being a truck driver. I think the most common source of complaint and displeasure I have read and witnessed in my jobs are folks having unrealistic expectations. I am 59 and have worked full-time employment for 45 years and have had three major careers (electronics, drafting, cartography). In ANY job I have ever had, it is always folks expectations that seem to create the most displeasure. It is so important to have realistic expectations, IN EVERYTHING! That is part of the, in my opinion, tremendous value of this forum and other similar. This forum is a wonderful place to gather a sense of what is realistic and what is not. I think it would be impossible to have grounded realistic expectations about what it is like to be a truck driver from simply walking in off the street. You have to gather general knowledge of the experience of others to be able to access what is realistic and reasonable or not. So, I highly encourage you to read, read, read and garner from others what it is, and is not, to be a truck driver. And, what is realistic to expect and unrealistic to expect. The number one source of disappointment, displeasure and resentment from my experience and observation is what are your expectations and are they realistic and reasonable. That goes for ANYTHING!!

6. Lastly, attitude goes hand in hand with expectations. Keep your ego in check and keep your ears and eyes open to learn. Never assume you 'know' something to the extent that you are closed to learning something more and new. We have 100% control over our attitudes and often, if not always, it completely determines whether we will able to accomplish something or not. If you read on this forum, you should be able to get a sense from folks the attitudes to strive for that help and the attitudes to avoid that get in the way. Our attitude is the single most important component we do have complete control over. Strive for an attitude that will allow you to grow and avoid those that will get in your way!

OK. I do not know anything. I have never even been in the cab of a semi-truck that I can remember. So, I'll be the first to confess I do not know. That said, I have been off and on this forum for over 6 years and read, pondered and have 59 years worth of life's experience in general to draw upon. Based on what I 'have' learned, the above is what I think folks trying to get into this profession should pay heed to.
Please feel free to add, critique and share your experiences. I think it is important for folks wanting to get into this profession, or I wouldn't have written this post. I am hoping to help others.

Thank you to all who have shared in this forum. I appreciate what I have learned from you and I hope it will help me to become a better trucker someday.

Terry!

PS. I just remembered that as a teenager in the mid-70's I worked at a local gas station that was the closest thing my little town had to a truck stop. I used to fix split rim flats, grease trucks, oil changes and other such tasks. Also, on a couple of occasions I rode with a gentleman hauling brine for local oil field stuff. It was a long time ago. I don't remember much about the ride alongs, but I do remember fixing flats on split rims. I'm not sure the industry even uses split rim wheel anymore. But, I could still break one down and put it back together. It is not a task you forget how to accomplish.

 

Well put. And, considering a move to driving myself at 57, I agree with what you said. Experience comes in many forms.... life experiences chief among them.

 

There aren't any dues to pay with proper planning.
Get all the endorsements and go for the money.

 

This is a great post! Thanks for sharing! It's nice to read something that talks about being realistic w/ out being overly negative. The first year of any new job / career is probably the hardest. Having a long term plan, goals and a deeply rooted "why" that extends beyond just trying to make fast cash are probably the best ways to stay grounded and moving forward.

I came to the idea of trucking as a "next career" too and I've been here trying to gather as much info as I can. This forum is a great place for research and the occasional reality check. I was hoping to start CDL school next month but just found out I probably won't be able to start until September. That was a bit disappointing but I've decided to look at it as just more time to research and possibly even study up and take the written CDL tests for my permit before class even starts. There's often a way to make even setbacks work to your advantage, you just need to have the right attitude!

 

I think people see the new truck and the driving down the highway and say it's an easy job. I just got brand new truck from my company. My old one was a 2017. So not very old only had 345,000 mile on it.

People don't understand what it take it get the load some place on time. Today with ELDs you have to do it legally. Im sitting at loading dock for 3 hours now in my nice new truck. How long It takes to get loaded is out of my control. I'm Glade this new truck has a fridge and microwave.

You have to be willing to go with the flow. Where I park and get shower tonight all depends when I get out of here and Chicago traffic and how may HOS I have left in the day. I enjoy driving this new truck with fridge and microwave and adaptive cruise control and TV mount on the wall. It has Auto shift transmissions and disc brakes. Truck also have 4 regular 120v outlets for power.

 

I consider myself very good at trucking. At least the driving part of it.

Your post was written as if you had a lifetime plus 60 years running the crumbling highways of our blessed indebted USA.

I cannot think of any thing bigger than to suggest the Moderators sticky this post pernamently somewhere useful in these forums. You wrote very close to what I had a lifetime of doing.

Well done.

PS. There is one word most valuable over all other words in the english language.....

"No." spoken with quiet resolve and a list of why not to a dispatcher intent on abusing the newbie in the first 90 days until they burn out and quit.

Your "No." will evolve carefully to match whatever dispatcher you might need to use it on.

And document that no, with who, where, when, what time, and why. Always by name, date and time and so on.

That way should that little word "No." create a Porta Potty #### storm of epic proportions by a enraged management intent on putting you back into your place at the bottom of the totem pole... you will have a number of options.

 

Request sent. Hopefully a positive result will come from your team.

 

There's one that's coming in with the correct mind set.
WOW!

The only thing I would add is BE HUMBLE and not too proud to ask for advice or help when you need it.

I won't EVER turn down someone that asks for my help.
I've seen people refuse to help many times.

Never become complacent. Even when what you're doing seems mundane. That's when disaster happens.
Mistakes in this line of work are often catastrophic.

I think you'll do just fine.

 

Chinatown, x1Heavy and jammer910Z. Thank You. That is the exact type of insight I was hoping to elicit from experienced drivers. And, thank you for the affirmation that it looks like I am headed in the right direction.
One thing to add:
When you are with your trainer, it is YOUR responsibility to learn EVERYTHING you need to learn to be successful once you have completed your training. For a multitude of reasons, whether intentional or not, your trainer may omit critical guidance. It is the students responsibility to take the initiative to learn everything you need to know and understand to be able to accomplish all this 'stuff'. I wouldn't hesitate to ask and nag, if you have to, your trainer to teach you what you need to learn. He does not know everything you need to learn. But, you do if you pay attention. So, pay attention and learn as much as you can. That is what the 'mentor' phase is all about. How you gonna do it without your trainer on board if you didn't learn it while your trainer was there to show you.
Also, sorry I tend to be a bit longwinded and verbose. A trait I have been guilty of my entire life.