What are the top 3-10 Tips for New Drivers

Been a driver for 1 year so that I can own a carrier service. In that one year I learned rules are stupid simple.

1. Safety! If you end in the ditch, the insurance will drop you, the broker will drop you, the shipper will drop you, the tow truck driver will charge you 20-30-50 or even 100 k to pull you out of the ditch. So if your not a safe driver, DO NOT BE A TRUCKER.

2. You only make what you DO NOT SPEND ))))))

3. Find your niche. Don't smack your head into a wall thinking this will sooner or later make you feel better about the consequences of mediocrity. It's competitive, so find a niche.

 

all the above.

 

If you go over-the-road 48, trip planning becomes very critical. Learn to read a map. Know where the states are and the interstate network. Know that 65 MPH trucks take more hours to drive 2,000 miles than a car with a highly motivated driver. Learn how the HOS rules work and how to plan your trip to work inside them. Think all the way out to the delivery point/day. Have a plan A for each day that includes a stopping point. Then have a Plan B and C in case of problems. DO what you have to do to get the load delivered in time, but learn how to find the happy medium between stopping too soon and trying to go too far.

If you do local or regional work, the above is not as critical

Never take for granted a truck stop will have parking on any given day/time. Small and medium size truck stops near or inside towns of pollution more than 500,000 tend to fill up early on Fridays with locals using them to park for home time. But on the flip side, truck stops on major interstate arteries fill by 18:00 Sunday-Thursday. Some truck stops are less busy than others. Observe them in the early months as you drive by them and learn and note how they fluctuate across different days and time of days.

 

don't hit anything your not supposed too

 

As a general rule, getting to a name brand truck stop at 16:00 and having parking is not a problem, however as an example, the Pilot in Bloomington, IL. My suspicions were confirmed, I arrived there about 17:00 on a Friday and there was one space available. And you could tell most were there unattended being at home, somewhere nearby.

Weekends are generally easier to get parked later in the afternoon, but not necessarily everywhere. And large truck stops on the outskirts of large metro areas can often fill by 17:00 on a Sunday because of the Monday delivery trucks arriving throughout the weekend.

Point is, discovering creative and less-frequented places to park, and getting parked as early as possible is very important today, more than ever.

 

Everything thats been stated- nav, routes and route planning, food, clothing, meching, and especially the part about treating people when your upset. It is all ojt and experience. Good luck.

 

1. Plenty of patience. You miss a turn? just go around the block and try again. The right turn into someplace is too tight? go around the block and try making a left turn into the place. You want to turn on some street and there a car sitting at the light that doesn't leave you enough room? wait for the light to change and them to leave. Pull over and get a plan together if you need to. Construction can hamper your plan in a hurry, Don't panic.
   
2. Know what is expected of you and what to expect from the company you work for. Know the Regs for vehicle inspection and HOS. Know what you are supposed to be paid for like breakdown, detntion, layover, TONU, or other bonuses. Something isn't right with your pay then make a call and be a squeaky wheel.
   
3. Try to keep yourself challenged. Take it easy at first. But don't take the easy way to do things like parking/backing. If all you to is the easy stuff then that's all you will be able to do well. You learn the most from the hard stuff.

 

Abe always knew how to deal with the internet stuff.....smart man he was.