I've posted a couple times on here about my almost job with FFE Transportation, waiting to attend the academy, but the one thing I don't know how or where to find are the 'tricks of the trade' and basic knowledge of trucking such as how to be sure you're getting paid the right amount and how to check if the company is trying to run me illegal, etc. If there is a forum post on here, which I couldn't find, about all of this information I'd really appreciate a link to that page and some wisdom from aged truckers. What is per diem? I've never heard of it. What do I do if I pull a muscle while driving?(this one is important) How do I "take the initiative" in this field?, as I've been told.
More and more companies are using Elogs. Running illegally can get you fired and the company shut down with the Elogs.
You are getting the right amount when you get paid for the loaded miles, and mt miles if you are a company driver. You know when they try to run you into illegal hours when you have to fudge your logs. Per diem pay is when they shift some of your pay out of the taxable region for living expenses, and it gets more complicated from there. If you pull a muscle while driving... well, how do you do that while driving? I mean, you are sitting in a captain's seat, relaxed hopefully, kicking back listening to tunes or whatever, adjusting your course as needed... You don't pull anything while driving. And if you're reasonably careful, not when you are doing anything else. And if you do, you either live with the pain until it goes away while doing the job - or you shut down and don't make any money for the same period of time. (you might get fired in the meantime if you do the latter, however) How do you "take the initiative" in this field? Well, you run as hard as you can every day trying to get every mile possible without killing yourself or going crazy in the process.
Go to your nearest truck stop that has a real restaurant. A burger joint is not a restaurant. Go sit at the counter. Order a drink and sit and wait. You will see several types of drivers. 1. The Supertrucker. A guy will walk in and sit down and start volunteering employment history. You say, " Goodmorning." He says, " Well, I have to say, in my 43 years of driving, this is a fine morning. In my 9 years of driving at CR England, I can't remember a finer morning. I know everything there is to know, I am the end all and be all of truck drivers!" All of that from "Goodmorning"? He's like Oprah Winfrey on 18 wheels. 2. The BS'er. 55 years old, served in Korea, sniper in the military, still has top security clearance today, but when you ask him how long he was in the military, he says about 3 years. Has a house in Beverly Hills and a huge ranch with 2500 head of cattle in Montana. Was trained by Bruce lee in 1974(Bruce actually faked his death so he could give his undivided attention to this promising pupil.) Was in Atlanta when the big snow storm hit and the Georgia DOT put the chain law in effect around the 285 Bypass. Drives a freight liner Columbia with a factory 900 HP motor and a 9 speed transmission, but when you ask him what kind of motor it is, he says that it's a 6 cylinder. Pure entertainment. The challenge is to spot the bull. 3. The Dark Cloud. Can't make any money anymore out here. Tells you to find another line of work because he's been out here and knows that no driver out here company or owner OP can make more than $50 grand. Hates his job, hates his life, started driving today in Dallas early this morning picking up a drop and hook load going to a drop yard in Charleston, Sc...but he's done for the day and sitting in Terrell,Texas . Gee, wonder why he can't make any money. the challenge for you is to figure out why this guy can't make money. You should be able to do this in under 5 minutes. 4 Media Man. Has one of those Bluetooth headsets on, talking to the wife on the phone while he's taking a dump." Oh honey, I just put a 10 coil steamer in the bowl, it went aroun 4 times before it broke in half and went down the drain!" He comes into the restaurant, tells his wife where he's sitting, whose in there, how many trucks are in the parking lot, what you are eating, ....Dear God, we all hope that we never become this guy. 5. The Village Idiot. Goes into a public restaurant with a wifebeaters that was dirty 3 weeks ago. You can smell him before you see him. He flirts with the waitress, and it takes every ounce of strength she has for her to make it back to the kitchen without collapsing. He seems to be immune to his own stench. Surely he has to know he smells like he has never used toilet paper. 6. Paranoid Lady. You say Goodmorning to her and she instantly unloads on you. " I know what you want. You want to get in my pants. All of you men want me. If I can't park right up front, I won't even come in here, I have a big dog in my truck...if you follow me to my truck, I will sick my dog on you!" jesus Christ!!!!! im not saying all of them or even most, after meeting 1 paranoid lady, you will most certainly think twice about saying anything to any lady driver. 7. The Driver.doesnt feel threatened by you and so won't try to pull rank and lord over you like the Supertrucker, and won't bs you like the BS'er. He's out of the truck eating. So he's laid back and easy going. He put his time in today behind the wheel and is done. He took a shower, put fresh clothes on, came to eat. When he's done, he will go back to the truck to call mama and tell her goodnight.
Hahaha Triple 6 thats the truth right there. Hey u forgot the hippy looking drivers that got stuck in a time capsule from Woodstock. Those guys that know they need a haircut and a beard trimming with the ol dirty hanckerchief tied around various limbs hahaha. Dang u guys make me laugh. But to answer part of the original question u learn as you go. Any training comp u start with will be a challenge. The main thing u need to focus on is learning to manuever a 65' 80k truck safely and proffesionally. Thats the main thing. Pay will be below average. Hopefully the miles will be there. Hopefully ur trainer is awesome. Small steps young Jedi small steps.
Hey who knows maybe you will get a sweet job right out of school in a LTL carrier in ur state like a lot of members in this forum have. Good money and bennies. Good luck.
You kinda just have to look around. Look at the "stickys" at the tops of some of the forums. Usually pretty good information. Most of what you want to know has already been answered somewhere, you just have to find it. A benefit to that is you sometimes find answers you didn't know you were looking for.
There's things that you can learn before you get into a truck. In ancient times, before airbags, macpherson strut suspensions, abs disc brakes, and cars weighed over 5000 lbs, motorist used brakes as a last resort. They learned how to flow through traffic. You learn to flow in a car. And you drive a truck the exact same way. You flow. Easy on the controls, read traffic and like Bruce Lee admonished, "Be Water". Traffic should by design flow, right? It doesn't. What goes wrong? Motorist don't look beyond 20 feet in front of them. They never learn to flow in traffic then they get CDLs. Biiiiiiig problems. Drive down the highway and flow. If you have to put on the brakes on flat ground, you failed. Where brakes used to be the last resort for all motorists, they are now the first line of defense. Bad idea. In dry asphalt, you may not have much problem at legal speeds, but in in climate weather, it's lethal. Notice brake lights when you drive down the road. Brake tapping on the highway is a sure sign that the driver does not have full control of the motor vehicle. An accident waiting to happen. There are quite a few posts about rookies asking about winter driving tips. I think that's a mistake. See, it's the common 4wheeler misconception that you can drive like an idiot in good weather, but suddenly be a good steady driver in in climate weather. Doesn't work like that. The human brain has a few billion nerve cells. These nerve cells have connections called synapses which fire off. Some synapses are used more than others. The more a synapse is used, the more automatic that synapse fires off. In other words, through every day habits, you program yourself. In other words, if your initial reaction is to slam on the brakes or cut the wheel in good weather, your natural instinct will be to slam on the brakes and cut the wheel in foul weather. So, before you ever get anywhere in a big rig, take the time you have to learn how to flow through traffic. All traffic. What if someone cuts you off? The vast majority of motorist have the crab mentality. If traffic is stacking up in front of you and you jump into the open lane, the car in front of you first instinct will be what? To cut over in front of you. When you slam on the brakes, you are thinking to yourself, "I knew that idiot was going to cut me off!" If you are flowing, you are actually anticipating this. So why hammer down only to have to slam on the brakes? Let em go. All you have to do to slow is to let off he throttle. Be water, remember? Unless the road is completely stopped up, water is not going to put on the brakes. Heres a common one. A 65 mph truck is coming up on a 60 mph truck. He cuts left and suddenly the 60 mph truck goes left to avoid a car on the shoulder and the 65 mph truck has to nosedive on the brakes. What went wrong? The 65 mph truck was following too closely when he stepped left and the 60 mph truck isn't looking far enough ahead. If you can't see what's to the left front of the truck in front of you, you are following too close. Basically, you have two trucks driving blind. Water does not tailgate. You're running down the road in the right lane. You have the typical idiot driven 4 wheeler run up on you at 80 mph, then slow to match speed with you. A big truck is coming down the ramp. You expect him to keep going. Let off the throttle and he should flow right in with you. when we flow, it looks like synchronized swimming. When we do it wrong, everyone tells you you're number one and you get hot under the collar. Anyways try driving without touching the brakes at all.
That's what I've been trying to explain to my fiance and my family for years TripleSix! I've used water as a reference for flowing with traffic instead if against it but they kept telling me it was the 'other guy' who caused the problem. Ive learned from my grandfather who is a veteran trucker that patience, focus, right of way and common sense make the driver. I'm glad to hear from a fellow sane human being. Thanks triple six you've been very nice to me. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
