Starting my first trucking job

I agree. Ive been up on top of landfill mountains with a 18 wheeler twice in 2001. To dispose of bad product that was refused.

Lets start off by stating there is nothing in school that will teach how tippy that semi or box truck is going to get when you start climbing some of those landfill goat roads. There are parts in which you will learn how dangerous it is. Hopefully someone will take you up a couple of times until you master it.

Then rolling out onto the trash pile? sinking time. All the inter lock aint going to help you if those big cats don't get it packed right. (They usesally do.)

I got away with my two trips up there and chalk that as a victory. But no one needs to understand that the inside drives came up pretty high on that centry, the weight of the trailer held it. Kept moving. But I wasnt sure. It would have been 300 feet before we stopped rolling if it did go over.

You seem to do well, good luck But OTR is a entirely (As you should already be aware of) different thing than local work. I like either one. No issues. But OTR is where i do best.

 

I don't agree with people when they say OTR is hard or it is different, it was the easiest work I ever did in trucking, the local driving and especially hauling large and heavy objects was more difficult on a daily basis than any of my OTR work ever was.

One reason why I look at local drivers first for my fleet is I know they've dealt with high traffic issues and crazy drivers, a lot of OTR people I have interviewed are scared to death about local driving and when I tell them they may do that for a bit, they get rather upset and it isn't because they won't make money but the fear of it.

 

Congrats on your first local trucking job.Please keep us updated how its going.

 

I don't get nervous in local. What I do get is some rednecks here in my part of the woods wanting to play games. I had one contractor for which his cement is in my ready mix down a certain two lane road to his job no less... he pulled into my lane for a head on game. To see what I would do.

I made two decisions before impact. And began to follow through on one of them which was to hold my lane and speed. Braking is futile and evading in that bayou is also futile. SO 4 people might die today because boss man wants to play games with his own cement delivery.

I turned that thing around right there on that pavement and followed him back to the batch plant. Several of my co workers prevented me from basically committing battery against this particular idiot bossman. He only wanted to see me get scared.

Problem is I don't scare, we all get afraid, but how we handle the body's fear mentally and follow through... to save a situation where possible that is I think a great thing. It's ok to be scared. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar.

As far as that was concerned, I was not around that particular employer too long, the relationships started degrading and there was for me no point in staying there. So I moved on. Little did I know I would be a national team less than a year later but moving on to big things in life is a joy. They can have the woods to play in lol.

I thought carefully about writing this story. But I think it is a little extreme but shows what is possible in local work... on difficult days.

 

I haul multi stop corrugated around Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama. Run up to 630 miles a day,home every day.

 

Smart choice doing your homework. I landed pretty good job out of school myself years ago. Home ever couple days and they paid hotel while on the road. Bounced around trying different places, I'm on a tanker today best job ever had. Thanks to experience and great mvr.

 

1.- consider yourself lucky, having a family member in trucking is a big help, been there, done that. When i got my license economy was in the dumps, did not know anyone in trucking.. so appreciate what you have... and make us proud...like they said "a dime a dozen"