What kind of manors or skills do most rookies lack?

Good advice right there!

Don't try to outdrive your ability and experience. I'm an 18 month rookie and believe me, I know my place. And if I forget, there are drivers out there that will remind me and put me back in it.

Spend an abundance of time planning your trips. If you don't know where you're going....DON'T GO until you do.

Use your break time wisely! The only way your body and mind can refresh is with SLEEP. If you deprive yourself of sleep, you're gonna make mistakes, count on it.

Good luck and, for God's sake, take it easy!

 

I may be a rookie trucker but I am not a rookie in life, one thing to remember, especially in this business is to not be too #### sensetive!!!! You ARE going to make mistakes, people will rag you for them, just as they were ragged for it when they did it and those before them. Take it, smile, laugh it off and remember that in time there will be a rookie do something for you to laugh at. As long as you didnt kill anyone or tear any equipment up, it can all be looked back on and laugh. Be safe and enjoy life because no one is promised tomorrow!!!

 

been driving for 7 mo's not long but long enough to say this,rook's and even drivers w 10+yrs seem to have this problem, when your at a fuel island you are not there to sit and read your newspaper while you sip your coffee in your fluffy bunny slippers for 45 mins when theres a line of trucks out to the highway waiting for fuel, and another huge thing, have a sense of humor if you take life too seriously driving these trucks will make your head explode

 

exactly.....the way you appear and act is the way your going to be treated... even if you dont own the truck keep it as clean as you can and keep yourself as clean as possible..It will make this job go easier for ya and if you get stopped by the DOT and you look like you have been running for a month straight and smell like it your going to be there awhile...As gravelhauler says..Take Pride

 

Depends.......Is showering a skill?

 

the big diference between going 600 miles east instead of going west,i guess.┼

 

I am ALWAYS right.

 

I use this title to my advantage!

 

if your going down highway and are in the right lane approaching an on ramp and you have a 4 wheeler on ur driver side so u cant get over... PLEASE dont slam on ur brakes to let that car getting on the highway by.... they have what is called a YIELD sighn if they fail to acknowledge that yield sign then it is theyre fault if they hit you....

My philosophy is this. If your to busy talking on ur phone/text/ doing make up what have ya to pay attention to the road then i have absolutely NO sympathy for putting you in the ditch/breakdown lane/guardrail.

why should i risk my life and everyone else lives to let someone on the highway.


One other note if you truck can NOT do the legal speed limit on the hwy...get out of the middle lane if i come barreling up on ur 6 o'clock doing 5-10 over the last thing i wanna do is pass you on ur passenger side...i dont know what other drivers do but i will warn you on the cb when im coming up or if i am gonna pass u on the inside...if you dont have a cb get one and leave it on they can be ur best friend and might save ur life someday.

 

In my opinion, rookies either lack confidence in certain situations, or they have too much confidence. Both have advantages, and disadvantages. You have to have confidence to drive a truck, especially when you're tight situations. At the same time, if you have too much confidence, it can lead to thinking you know everything, and you'll find yourself in a bad situation. Being humble helps when driving otr.

The best approach to take when being a rookie, is to act like a sponge. There is a lot to learn, and most you have to learn on your own, without a trainer. Find a few people that you can call throughout the day if you run into situations. It's helped me a lot.

I can't tell you how true this is. You can be the best driver in the country, but without the right mindset, you won't be around long.