Advice for Rookies
- Thread starter Speedco
- Start date
As a Rookie my self, I guess the best advice is go slow take you're time, you can never get out and look to much. Watch out for signs and stuff that are attached to polls. Be careful in construction zones where obstacles are prevalent.
Sometimes you'll be put in dumb situations and you'll have to work you're way through it, but eventually the dumb situations end and like I say at the end of the day no matter how many dumb things happened i.e. late customers, having trouble finding product on truck & a gazillion other things. It doesn't matter. At the end of the day if the truck is empty and you made it back to the yard in one piece then you did you're job and should feel a sense of accomplishment. Hope that helps. Just remember those three things, you and the truck come back in one piece and the trailer is empty then you did you're job and those are the three most important things. Paper work errors which you will make trust me I've made my share of paper work mistakes, heck once I had my bank bag ripped out of my truck had all my checks in it from that days deliveries oh boy that wasn't a good day.
Sometimes the addresses will be wrong that you are give you can insert that into the dumb things that happen catagory.
Sometimes you'll deliver to a customer who isn't really a customer, but half the time most customers employee's don't even know what day of the week it is and they'll take you're stuff. Now stuff like the paragraph above doesn't happen every day, but I had it happen to me today, there are two places on the same street in the same part of town with the same name. One is a customer of ours the other isn't I went to the wrong place the people there were a tad confused, but went "Humm maybe they did order from them you know emergencies and all."
Heck there was years ago I think he's around anymore a guy named moondog who lived in Knoxville, TN and he was a trucker for the now defunct Star Transport of Morton, IL (they were bought out by Swift maybe 1.5-2 years ago somewhere around there.) He had a story on his blog and this doesn't happen often, but he was loaded with a load that was not a Star Load, however he was at a Star Transport customer, but was loaded with some owner operators load instead and the freight brokers had to switch the stuff around ended up being a big mess, stuff happens. I guess my point is be prepaired sales people, truck drivers, dispatchers and warehouse people were all human and we all make bogus time costing mistakes, but as time goes by and you get more experience and the good thing about trucking is, it is repetitive and trust me the first time you're new to someplace or something is a real bear, but the second time you go there, you'll be amazed at how much easier it is and by the third time you go there you'll have it down and by the tenth time you're there you'll know everyone they will be used to seeing you a little and things get a lot easier.
Sometimes you'll be put in dumb situations and you'll have to work you're way through it, but eventually the dumb situations end and like I say at the end of the day no matter how many dumb things happened i.e. late customers, having trouble finding product on truck & a gazillion other things. It doesn't matter. At the end of the day if the truck is empty and you made it back to the yard in one piece then you did you're job and should feel a sense of accomplishment. Hope that helps. Just remember those three things, you and the truck come back in one piece and the trailer is empty then you did you're job and those are the three most important things. Paper work errors which you will make trust me I've made my share of paper work mistakes, heck once I had my bank bag ripped out of my truck had all my checks in it from that days deliveries oh boy that wasn't a good day.
Sometimes the addresses will be wrong that you are give you can insert that into the dumb things that happen catagory.
Sometimes you'll deliver to a customer who isn't really a customer, but half the time most customers employee's don't even know what day of the week it is and they'll take you're stuff. Now stuff like the paragraph above doesn't happen every day, but I had it happen to me today, there are two places on the same street in the same part of town with the same name. One is a customer of ours the other isn't I went to the wrong place the people there were a tad confused, but went "Humm maybe they did order from them you know emergencies and all."
Heck there was years ago I think he's around anymore a guy named moondog who lived in Knoxville, TN and he was a trucker for the now defunct Star Transport of Morton, IL (they were bought out by Swift maybe 1.5-2 years ago somewhere around there.) He had a story on his blog and this doesn't happen often, but he was loaded with a load that was not a Star Load, however he was at a Star Transport customer, but was loaded with some owner operators load instead and the freight brokers had to switch the stuff around ended up being a big mess, stuff happens. I guess my point is be prepaired sales people, truck drivers, dispatchers and warehouse people were all human and we all make bogus time costing mistakes, but as time goes by and you get more experience and the good thing about trucking is, it is repetitive and trust me the first time you're new to someplace or something is a real bear, but the second time you go there, you'll be amazed at how much easier it is and by the third time you go there you'll have it down and by the tenth time you're there you'll know everyone they will be used to seeing you a little and things get a lot easier.
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Rookies , stay far far far away from YRCW or any of there companies like Holland , New Penn , Reddway , and prolly stay away from any union company as the non-union pay more and have a pension !! go to Dayton , Old Dom ., R& L , Estes or the new XPO-conway .
Double Nickle
Living from direct deposit to direct deposit.
- Credits
- 13
If we can't talk you out of driving a truck, remember one thing...no matter how warm or hot it is when you leave home, always TAKE YOUR COAT.
You could have told him to try teaming like you and I for CRST!!!
Don't ever think you know everything, and don't ever think you're entitled to anything, because you don't and you're not.
This industry is a dog eat dog world. From the time you drive your first mile to the time you hang up your keys for good, you're in competition with every other driver out here. To most of us it's friendly tough love competition, but others take it to the extreme.
Good money and fast trucks will eventually come your way, but don't expect that to happen over night. You have a long and hard road ahead of you. This job ain't the rainbows and kittens that Hollywood portrays.
This industry is a dog eat dog world. From the time you drive your first mile to the time you hang up your keys for good, you're in competition with every other driver out here. To most of us it's friendly tough love competition, but others take it to the extreme.
Good money and fast trucks will eventually come your way, but don't expect that to happen over night. You have a long and hard road ahead of you. This job ain't the rainbows and kittens that Hollywood portrays.
Cerberus_Kelpie
TB Veteran
- Credits
- 0
Greetings Speedco and WELCOME to TruckingBoards!!
One of the biggest hurdles to driving are the new and idiotic D. O. T. regulations regarding Driver Physical Requirements.
Look up B. M. I. (Body Mass Index) and find out what is yours.
During the physical, if you smoke tobacco, you will be faced with a daunting test: Lung Evacuation Value where a 65 is not passing but a 66 is and the device used, while appearing similar to a alcohol breath test (IF you've ever been requested to do one), is not similar except in design. Making a tube with your hand is equivalent to the device which, like your hand, delivers NO back pressure.
The "sleep apnea" debacle is another hoop yet is usually a problem if you admit you snore or (from those federal addlepated dunderheads) you have a large neck size.
Minimum age to drive solo which seems to be less of a concern due to the "driver shortage".
Company training time: anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months.
Understanding that like college, Trucking is not a savior to those unemployed or unemployable.
Like the Military, not all that apply are accepted.
Your criminal record (should you have one) is queried however there are some companies that hire people with a felony, sometimes felonies, depending.
Each conviction of a D.W.I., D.U.I., O.U.I., O.W.I. is a criminal misdemeanor yet in Canada, it's a felony and in the U.S.A. has to be a few years out and some companies (L.T.L.) will not accept just one conviction of alcohol related stupidity regardless of time (beyond 7 years) since conviction.
Trucking is unlike ANY other avocation yet while there are similarities, Trucking is equivalent to being in the mob or a covert operation as experience in Trucking is usually not transferred when departing to other avocations as well coming from other avocations into Trucking.
There have been and will be MANY People that have driven yet were away from Trucking for 2+ years and when they wanted back in, treated just like they were never in at all, yet such does not apply to everyone, just most, departing and rejoining Trucking.
Hope something in this post helps.
This has been of MY OPINION where YOUR opinion is yours.
CHEERS!!
One of the biggest hurdles to driving are the new and idiotic D. O. T. regulations regarding Driver Physical Requirements.
Look up B. M. I. (Body Mass Index) and find out what is yours.
During the physical, if you smoke tobacco, you will be faced with a daunting test: Lung Evacuation Value where a 65 is not passing but a 66 is and the device used, while appearing similar to a alcohol breath test (IF you've ever been requested to do one), is not similar except in design. Making a tube with your hand is equivalent to the device which, like your hand, delivers NO back pressure.
The "sleep apnea" debacle is another hoop yet is usually a problem if you admit you snore or (from those federal addlepated dunderheads) you have a large neck size.
Minimum age to drive solo which seems to be less of a concern due to the "driver shortage".
Company training time: anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months.
Understanding that like college, Trucking is not a savior to those unemployed or unemployable.
Like the Military, not all that apply are accepted.
Your criminal record (should you have one) is queried however there are some companies that hire people with a felony, sometimes felonies, depending.
Each conviction of a D.W.I., D.U.I., O.U.I., O.W.I. is a criminal misdemeanor yet in Canada, it's a felony and in the U.S.A. has to be a few years out and some companies (L.T.L.) will not accept just one conviction of alcohol related stupidity regardless of time (beyond 7 years) since conviction.
Trucking is unlike ANY other avocation yet while there are similarities, Trucking is equivalent to being in the mob or a covert operation as experience in Trucking is usually not transferred when departing to other avocations as well coming from other avocations into Trucking.
There have been and will be MANY People that have driven yet were away from Trucking for 2+ years and when they wanted back in, treated just like they were never in at all, yet such does not apply to everyone, just most, departing and rejoining Trucking.
Hope something in this post helps.
This has been of MY OPINION where YOUR opinion is yours.
CHEERS!!