Pulling a pup...

Could help you get on with another "Entertainment" gig later such as movies and rock stars etc. From what I hear it's one of the hardest "niches" to get your foot in the door.

 

Yeah mate, I'd go for it. Sounds like a great job.

So long as you're not expecting huge paychecks, but these aren't everything in life.

My advice - not that you asked, but

BE REAL CAREFUL. Take all the good advice from here, your training, and common sense, and go forth.

I don't want to hear you 3 weeks from now asking who will hire after a rear end, rollover or . . . .

Good luck.

 

Pulling a pup is extremely easy, you can back into docks designed for straight trucks with ease

 

Not knowing much about the job but what you posted I would certainly hop on it. You shouldnt have much problem if you have 27k in the box all the time and backing wont be a problem, things just happen quicker with a shorty.

 

My friend I do love your enthusiasm for the career you are about to embark on. But please be warned. There's a lot of smoke and mirrors in this industry. They usually don't tell you the whole truth or some of the truth until you have traveled hundreds of miles away. This gig seems a little too good to be true to be handing it to a fresh rookie right out of school. Which should make you start thinking as well. I would not put to much trust in anything they have told you. You also said something about being in a hotel, but you also said sleeping in the truck if you wanted to.

Even if some of the stuff is true and they don't have you do all the unloading and loading by yourself. Along with the setting up or any other favors I'm sure they will ask. The being alone part is one of the hardest things to handle. If you were constantly rolling it probably wouldn't be so bad, but it seems like you will have a lot of down time, and that will take a toll on your loneliness. 3 weeks can seem like forever. Then you become one of these drivers that just so happen to have an emergency situation where you need to be home and find local work because you have to take care of a sick relative.

Double check your permit book. Being a rental you are probably going to be called into the scale. They will ask for registration. Ifta, insurance card, medical card, and maybe your log book as well. The last thing you want to do is get shut down at a scale house because the rental company didn't update the permits. Also if you go to Oregon there is a special permit, and if you don't have it its a nice 400 something dollar fine. That comes out of your pocket. Also just follow the signs at the scale they normally have arrows. And a speed limit they want you to go over the scale at. They put the red light on stop. Or they may flash the sign to pull over to the right or left and bring in paperwork. If you are lucky they give you the green light and you keep on trucking. Some scales have weigh in motion. The board will say you can by pass or you must enter. Lots of times the scales are closed so don't worry about them, but normally there will be signs telling you scale in 1 mile or 2. Usually that is when you are passing somebody and nobody wants to let you over. Some scales will send a chase car to go get you, and that's a nice fine as well.

Don't fill your fuel tanks with DEF. Don't fill your DEF tank with Diesel. Know how your company authorizes your fuel card. Watch your pay closely. Know your companies break down procedures and who to notify to get authorization to get things fixed.

Bobtail and empty wagons are more likely to hydroplane. Also be careful about leaving your trailer unattended. People will steal your trailer or even try to break into it. Think that should cover most of it. Don't be surprised if trucking isn't all it's cracked up to be. To some it's a lifestyle. To other's it just a job. Hope things work out for you, and keep us updated on your progress.

 

My only advice is watch your mirrors backing a pup. While they are shorter and maneuver better they also jacknife easy if you don't watch those mirrors backing.

 

Sounds like a great job, good luck with it!

Being a Penske, you should be able to fuel at any Penske shop, and get any service work done. Some of the Penske truck's are bare bones, and some are pretty decent.

 

I drove a Penske rental for one company. Most of their trucks were decent but when I hired on there weren't any of the regular trucks available locally so I got to use one of the Harley Davidson ones. Very nice FL Century. Had an APU, fridge, plenty of room and nice cabinets. Only thing I didn't like about it was the Super 10 tranny with the auto-shift 9th and 10th gear. That and having to keep track of my mileages on each road in each state. But you got used to filling out those reports after a bit.

Not having a trainer means you are going to have a very steep learning curve though. There is a LOT about driving a truck that they don't teach you in school. Driving, shifting, backing, dropping, hooking, etc., are all just a part of what we do. Good trip planning is also a major part that you usually only learn once you are in a truck. Driving in cities means you will HAVE to get good at that very quick as there is often roads there that you will absolutely NOT want to be on, even with a pup. I'd suggest getting an atlas and a trucker's GPS as soon as you can. And make sure you understand that the GPS is there as an additional tool, it is not meant to be the end-all of guidance for routing. Also very helpful would be a laptop, tablet or smart phone with internet so you can use Google Maps satellite views to check out the final few miles into your destination. This helps alot when trying to find the best route into a place. Calling the destination is a great option as well though you have to beware that the person giving you direction may not full realize how long/tall you are. Heck, they may not realize you are a big truck at all.

As for scales just make sure you try to have all your ducks in a row before hitting one. Read every sign there and try to follow them to the best of your ability. Watch what other drivers do as they pull in it. Some scales have a bypass lane that you'll get the green arrow for. Some every truck that pulls in has to cross the main scale. Some of those you have to stop on, some you just roll across very slowly and will either get a red light when they want you to stop or they'll tell you via speaker. Make sure you have your window rolled down either way.

Anyway, sounds like a great gig for a newbie! Good luck and never be afraid to ask if you aren't sure of something. Asking a dumb question might only make you look dumb for a little bit, but doing something dumb will surely make you look dumb for a long time!