New Truck DriverInformation for a new truck driver what you can expect in a truck driving career. Are you interested in becoming a new truck driver and you want to learn more? Everyone has to start somewhere! Well, you're at the right place! Truck driving is an great career in my opinion. But it's not an easy one, but it's been an great 22 years for me. So for anyone considering a career in truck driving I've created this page to try to tell you a few of the important things you should know. First don't believe everything a recruiter tells you. The recruiters at these companies hire are very smart. They will promise you the world, you'll be home all the time, you'll have the best insurance, you can start out at $50,000 a year, etc. They spend millions of dollars yearly trying to a new truck driver in the door instead of spending the money to keep the drivers they already have. That should set off an alarm right of way. Trust me when I say there are lying. This is your life you're talking about. Learn everything you can before you invest your hard earned money and time and before you and your family take the plunge when you go to a truck driving school(click her to read more) or get truck driver training from a carrier. <<<<< Please subscribe to my free newsletter just fill in the block to the left. Are you a new truck driver and would like to share your experience good or bad with everyone. Or post a picture of you and your truck. Or just want to ask a question and get an answer for other new or experience drivers. This is the place to do so. Click here to learn more Please feel free to leave any comments you have. Do you have the desire and potential to be a new truck driver and start making a steady paycheck. "Is the Pay Good?" You'll have to make that decision based on your own needs. You can decide if the pay is good enough to get you off unemployment, out of a low paying job that doesn't make this much even with overtime, out of a dead end job you hate, or to give you a change in life. Keep in mind that trucking is not just a career change its a lifestyle. How you live your life now will be dramatically changed! You can read more about truck school financing by Clicking here Some of things it takes to be a new truck driver. Map Reading. A new truck driver must be able to find the most practical and time efficient route while avoiding truck restricted routes. You must be able to find new places in new cities on a daily basis. You must know how to avoid dangerous situations such as low underpasses or impassable routes. You must read road signs - and fully understand the routing/sign system in order to avoid getting lost, wasting time and fuel and other potentially dangerous situations (i.e. low underpasses). Must know how to plan trip's fuel stops according to company policy.
Diplomat Must deal with dispatchers, safety department, other motorists, truck stop employees, shippers, receivers, law enforcement personnel, including state patrol, local and city police and DOT officers as a professional.
Unloading & Loading While many carriers pay for loading and unloading when required, others do not at times a receiver will not allow a driver to hire this work out. In this case, new truck driver must be able to load or unload the freight. Big City Traffic Streets lined with cars on both sides with lanes so skinny in places that clearance is a matter of inches on either side. New truck driver must also be able to turn the vehicle into places not intended for 70 foot vehicles - meaning some creative and well thought out maneuvering is required. Cars will not usually understand what you are trying to do and will often honk, yell and go to extremes to go around you. Heavy traffic and congested freeways are the norm especially in the summer during construction season.
Backing While some places will provide sufficient space, a great many warehouses provide only minimal space at best. A driver must be able to dock the trailer wherever the shipper/receiver wants it. It can take 5 to 45 minutes, but in order to load or unload, you will not have a choice. In the city or congested areas, you may have to stop traffic from either or both directions. You may have to jackknife into a dock. You may have to back down an alley. You may have to blind side it. Anything goes. No matter how bad or how tight the dock is, if you hit anything, it is 100% your fault and most likely they will place it on your DAC Report You may have to get out of the truck 50 times, you may have to stop 50 cars, but one way or another, you will have to get the trailer in the dock. Know Your Vehicle The maximum height of vehicle must be obeyed, unless otherwise expressed in a permit on all highways. Every driver is required to know the exact height of his vehicle and load at all times. Observe all overhead clearances! They will be posted in advance of underpass and tunnels. In some areas, overhead check bars, chains, and warning devices are installed to assist in checking height clearances. Before entering a limited clearance area, you should also know the clearance for your route. Do not rely entirely on posted heights at bridge and overpasses. Repaved roads or packed snow on road surfaces can reduce posted overhead clearance. Special attention should be given for low overhead clearance which may not be posted such as: fire escapes in alleyways, marquess, tree limbs, overhanging to roadways, service station and store canopies, low wires across residential driveways, intersections and roadways, warehouse doors. The weight of the vehicle affects it height. The fact that you were able to drive under a bridge when you were fully loaded does not mean you can do so on the return trip when your truck is empty or lightly loaded. Before you enter a bridge or tunnel, check the posted road load limit and overhead and side clearance. Slow down when the posted clearance is less than 6 inches from the height of the truck. Do this to avoid hitting a bump and bouncing into the top of the underpass or tunnel. Check the elevation of the road before going under a low bridge or underpass. REMEMBER, is is not uncommon, when traveling under an overpass, for the front wheels of a long rig to ride up on a higher elevation, while the rear wheels of the semi-trailer are also at a point of higher elevation. This situation raises the middle of the truck and trailer and it could cause it to strike the overpass. Mirrors To successfully operate your rig, you must be aware of what is going on around you. Your view from the cab of your truck is much different from that of a four-wheeler. You can see farther ahead because you are sitting above traffic. You see over the traffic. This is a plus for you the driver. On the other hand, you cannot see as well to the sides and rear. It is hard to see the right side of the tractor-trailer and alongside the drive wheels on both sides. New truck driver needs to learn to adjust both the left and right mirrors to get the best view. All mirrors should be adjusted to show some part of the vehicle (trailer body,tires etc.). This will give you a reference point for judging the position of the other images. Adjust mirrors when the rig is straight for the best image. When adjusting the mirror, the vertical edge of the mirror (about 3/4 to 1 inch) should reflect the trailer body. The rest should show what is on that side (for about 15 feet) and behind the trailer. Every CDL profession has it's pros and cons. Being a new Truck driver is no different. The trouble is, the "cons" can cost you a LOT of time and money.On the other hand, the "pros" can accelerate how far you go in your chosen profession. Read more here on CDL.
Trucking is not just about a class a job; it is a lifestyle. For most, the transition to the trucking lifestyle is a difficult one. This is the reason why the vast majority of new truck driver job school graduates are no longer in the trucking business after six months... or shorter. They are not prepared for the challenges or for the days and weeks spent away from home and family. Some universal truths about the trucking industry are not always pretty. Read more on The Truth About Trucking. Winter Driving Tips Drivers need to prepare accordingly for the winter driving period. Here are some winter tips that not only will make this time of the year more comfortable, but could save your life: Read more here Over the Road - the Life of a Long-haul Truck Driver Over the road truck jobs usually entails staying out on the road for at least three weeks at a time. Let me say this right off...if you have a family, and you would like to KEEP that family....stay away from this option. It's a family killer. I've seen it a million times. If you're single, don't have any children, and like the idea of traveling the country and actually living a nomadic lifestyle...long-haul truck jobs is for you. Read more Click Here to Read more about some useful hints and tips for new drivers and a few old ones on how to be a professional driver. Learn how you can build a website just like this one by Clicking Here. Drive Smarter Not Harder Return from new truck driver to Smart Trucking Jobs Home Page
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