Sorry if these are silly questions.

The different mileage pay rates is called "sliding pay scale". This means you get paid more per mile when you do a shorter run to "compensate" for more time sitting at docks and getting a new run after you finish the first short one.

Long haul is where the money is. Sliding pay scale doesn't really make all the difference, I prefer 2000 mile loads any day.

I'm still new. Driven about 60,000 miles in the last 6 months. Started in June, went solo in July.

I'm going to drop my advice now and what I say now will probably only start to make sense once your boyfriend/husband/partner in crime goes solo.

Learn to manage hours. Know how many are coming back to you after your 8th or 7th day, depending on the company you work for and the hours you're allowed.

Stay in touch with your DM (Driver Manager/Dispatcher) Be nice to each other and be open and honest so the professional relationship is successful with minimum stress.

Buy a cooler and bring sandwich makings... this one has saved me big money!

Another one I wish I saw more people do... Get Out And Look! I have seen people back right into the side of an O/O (Owner-Operator)'s truck. I mean, not even close to making it in the hole.

Never be in a hurry. It's better to gradually get to a red light and keep the tires rolling when it turns green than to drive like a four wheeler and hit all the red lights.

NEVER BE IN A HURRY.. take your time. When you take it easy, you're rewarded with the opportunity to actually see hazards and have plenty of space to act accordingly. Driving a rig on ice and snow will scare the crap out of you the first time you do it, then you will understand how to keep things under control.

OH... and finally (for now, don't want to type all day) Bobtailing (just driving the tractor with no trailer attached). It takes longer to stop these when there's no weight on the drive axles (two rear axles on a tractor). Less weight means no braking power and you will skid if you have to stop suddenly. Drive a bobtail as if you were heavy! It sounds backward, but it works. ALSO... Driving empty with a trailer you can still skid. Believe it or not, but you can stop faster loaded than empty with a trailer on. I don't recommend testing this logic. Just sharing some info that is not common sense in trucking.

That's about it for now..

Other than that, I got in touch with my trainer early on so I knew what I could and could not bring and how to expect to live with him for a few weeks. I had a good time and learned a lot.

Oh... and you'll quickly learn that you throw all the info away you learn in trucking school. I don't use jack squat of it in the real world. I always pay attention to experienced drivers and I always let one give me backing tips at truck stops.

 

We all need training when we start out but those companies that have long training sessions with new graduates are not necessarily turning out better drivers. Often those many weeks with a trainer are really a way to have cheap team driving. Training pay is low.

When you drive teams this way, your trainer will spend many hours sleeping and not training while your husband drives. Not much learning happening then. The trainer gets credit for the extra miles your husband drives, effectively doubling his earnings during this time. This also gives the trainer a disincentive to sign off on your husband's driving ability.

 

I'm curious as to how many of you buy into the theory that an 80,000+ lb truck will stop faster than one with an empty trailer?

I for one, do not believe this for a second (especially going down any kind of grade).

My experience with a 48 foot reefer trailer, is I stop MUCH faster empty than fully loaded.

 

A unloaded rig will brake the tires loose under heavy braking much faster then a fully loaded rig. And when ur in a skid all bets on stoping distance is out the window. Take a empty and then a loaded pickup truck out in the rain, smash the brakes and see the diff between the two

 

An empty trailer will begin to hop and slide on you, but if you have any skill at all with the brake pedal you can control that. If you just plain slam on the brakes with an empty you'll probably loose control.

I however would prefer a trailer with about 25k in it, that will give you the best of both worlds. You need some weight on the tires to get traction.


Oh by the way, everything you are taught in school is NOT JUNK, there is a lot more that they should teach, but some of it is worth learning.

 

Before you get your heart set on a certain company,

be sure to call and make sure they hire from your area !!!!

Be sure they can get you home more than once every 4-6 weeks !!

These things are very important, check then double check !!!

 

My5,
Time with a trainer accomplishes one thing: It gives the trainer opportunity to citique the skills of the new driver and help him understand the geometry and dynamics of driving 80,000 pounds down the road in a 70+ foot vehicle.
Other than time and miles, it requires certain situations to present themselves for a teaching opportunity.
An example is driving in bad weather.
A driver can go 5 weeks and never see rain, hail, snow or anything other than sunshine if he's driving in July.
Or backing. The least developed and most needed skill of a new driver.
If a company is set up to 'train' by simply putting the student with a driver, it probably won't go so well.
Each student needs different skills developed.
My opinion, based on my years of driving and instructing is it's better to go with a bit longer time if the student is apprehensive.
Two months training is not long.
You are beginning a new career and there are plenty of things for the student to learn. Lane Control, turning, backing, trip planning, load securement and much more.
The drivers that struggle a year or two down the road are generally those that shorted themselves up front.
It's not all about training pay or getting solo as fast as possible. It's about skill sets and developing techniques for safe driving.

 

If you have a family I highly suggest you think about a different career. Trucking and families don't mix. You will find he isn't going to make the money that they are telling him he will and it won't be worth the time he has to be away from home.

I have been driving for 16 years most of which teamed with my wife, there is absolutely no way you would catch me out there solo with my wife at home. I know what to expect and know that it isn't worth it...

You can realistically expect your husband to be away from home for 4-6 weeks and be taking home $300-500 a week. Is it worth it?