Personal Qualities and expectations for newbies

Not many careers throw you in with a bunch of folks who can be the cream of the crop and the dregs of society...all at the same time. Don't have any illusions of grandeur because there are many folks on the outside who won't give you the time of day. OTOH, this will be your opportunity to meet the salt of the earth. You'll need a very, very thick skin.

 

I've been driving for 14 years... you've nailed it. You are absolutely spot-on.

 

New drivers do not need to be away from home for weeks at a time to do OTR. Choose a company that gets you home for weekends. This is easiest if you live near your company's yard and your company is regional. In 25 years I've never been required to be gone more than a week. You are not going to talk your company into working on your schedule so pick one that already works the way you want.

 

First job of a truck driver was to get loaded delivered on time no matter what. Today it's run legal and try to get to delivery on time

Everyone looks at trucking different because they come from so many different life's. Look at home time, I don't know if I will be home this weekend. Part of that is how this company runs their trucks. I did not sign up for a Monday- Friday job. Depending on how important home time is can determine who you drive for. Some companies get drivers home every weekend. My company say home 3 out of 4 weekens but it never works out like that. Plus their definition of a weekend is really 34 hours off. That getting home Saturday evening and leaving Monday morning. That not a weekend in my opinion. The truth is in my opinion they can't pay for this 2020 truck I'm driving unless they get 70 hours a week out of a driver.

A new truck today is $160,000 an auto shift transmissions is like $10,000 option. They are making them stand so the price will drop. These are computer controled transmission. Disc brakes on all axle is like $4,000 options. The more truck people want to drive, the less home time you will get in my opinion.

Lots of trucks are leased for $1,800-,$2,000 a month. That how the trade them off every 3-4 years. If you are not driving they can't make at lease payment. So driver have get the miles to makes money and so they can make the lease payment.

 

Absolutely. I started driving at an age greater than OP. I'm home every week. Haven't had this much fun since my honeymoon.

 

All drivers and newbies need to remember there are many different type of trucking jobs. OTR is one type of job. Inside of OTR there are many different types of OTR with many typed of demands and requirements. Every time some prospect comes asking where to start working or what the job is like many peopel chime in with the idea "prepare to be gone from home X number of weeks." I think that is bad advice. It's one possibility, but hardly a necessity. Yes, if the newbie chooses to work for a Mega carrier based many states from where he lives, he's probably not going to get home much. If the newbie decides for whatever reasons he MUST keep living in the same small town with no trucking companies, 300 miles from any large city, he may have to VOLUNTEER to only get home a few times per year. Newbies should do a lot more research before picking their first company and they should not sign up to only get home every 4-6 weeks just because they think that's what this job requires. You wouldn't pick up the hobby of boxing by entering the ring with Mike Tyson, why enter trucking the hardest way for your family?

If the newbie has a family at home, every week he stays away from home the higher the chances he leaves the industry quickly, due to family pressures. He also is at higher risk of beginning to job hop searching for more money now and more frequent home time. Job hopping is a good way to get locked into third-rate companies and risk your clean record.

Newbies can enter this field and get home-daily jobs with no experience.

 

I'll add my thoughts....

Be courteous. Whether at a customer, a truck stop, or out on the road. Courtesy goes a long way. My biggest peeve in this regard is when 2 trucks governed about the same get side by side. If you can't pass in a timely manner, don't. If you're being passed by one of the "me me me me" steering wheel holders that can't get around in a timely manner, ease off the throttle just a bit and let him get by. You'll lose what? 10 seconds? If that. That's just one example and I hope it doesn't cause this thread to stray off course.

 

A lot of trainers shouldn't be training..Some of them need to be properly trained themselves...if you get a bad trainer request a better one immediately