Surviving Your First Year On The Road:

The Toughest Challenge You May Ever Face

Turnover in the trucking industry is higher than in almost any industry in the country. The job is difficult, the CDL training is short, and the changes you must endure to adjust to the lifestyle of an OTR truck driver is often times completely overwhelming for a new driver. You have way too much to learn in too short of an amount of time, with very little margin for error, and potentially severe consequences if you make a mistake - sometimes even a tiny one. You're away from your home, your friends, your family, and now anything you ever considered a normal part of your life seems like a distant memory in a short amount of time. But there are great rewards to be reaped from a career in the trucking industry if you can just get through that first year. But for many, that's a far more difficult task than they had ever imagined. So what can you do to get through it? Here's some of the most important things for a new driver to understand.

First and foremost, you must set a goal in your mind from day one - that no matter what, you are going to get through the schooling, get your first job, stay at that first company for one year, and make it through that year safely - without exception. If you ask any veteran driver they will almost unanimously agree - nothing is more important to your career than taking this first step. But I'm telling you right now - it will be a very, very difficult year.

Trucking Companies Will Test Rookie Drivers

Companies, believe it or not, will test their new drivers. Not only drivers that are fresh out of school, but any drivers that they hire. Not just test them, but sometimes even try to take advantage of them - especially the new ones to the industry. Why, when it's so difficult already, do the companies do this? Well, as far as taking advantage of them, there are always "undesirable" loads that need to be hauled - and someone has to haul them. Sometimes it's easier to get a new guy to take them than a veteran. After all, the new ones may not yet realize the load is "undesirable" in the first place. It could be undesirable for several reasons - the region it's picking up from or being delivered to, the weight of the load, maybe it's a HAZMAT load, or maybe the customer is difficult to deal with. So companies will sometimes take advantage of a new driver and send them on more undesirable loads than a veteran would be willing to tolerate.

Also, companies have all different types of freight, and some is far more critical than others. Some freight pays more, sometimes you're dealing with an important customer, some freight is more difficult to haul than other types, some freight absolutely must be on time, some may be quite valuable, and some your company may be on the verge of losing because of poor service in the past or higher freight rates. Well, no company is going to give critical freight to an unproven and untested driver. Companies want to see if you "have what it takes" before they will give you the responsibility of hauling their most precious cargo. Are you consistently safe and on time? Are you willing to bend the rules a little bit if it means the difference between getting a load delivered on time or not? Can they trust you? Do you know how to keep valuable freight safe? Can you drive long hours at night? Do you know how to schedule your run so you can make your 8:00 a.m. appointment in downtown Chicago in heavy snow on a 5 degree morning in heavy traffic on a Friday in February? (Wow, that last one was a doozy! But it's real!) The only way they will know is if they test you.

Finding Help When You Need It

So don't expect to come out of school and be treated like a king, and don't expect to be babied either, because there isn't anyone there to hold your hand all the time. Experience is the best teacher. Time will teach you how to handle all of these situations, and the best way to learn is by asking the more experienced drivers for help and advice. Before you fly off the handle at your dispatcher, abandon your truck and quit your job, or break down and just give up, take a deep breath, go online to a message board (like the trucker's forum at TruckingTruth ) or walk into a truckstop and sit at the counter and explain your situation to an experienced driver. Don't panic, don't blow a tube, and by all means don't abandon your truck, pack your stuff, and hitch a ride home. Try to relax and find someone to talk to.

Many companies have "Driver Assistants" or "Driver Liasons" that are there to help. They are experienced drivers who have been at their respective companies for a number of years and are trusted by both the management of the company, and the drivers themselves. They understand both points of view, and can help the drivers relate better to the management's point of view, and by all means vice-versa. They are a "go-between" when drivers are faced with a difficult situation and are on the brink of quitting their company, or even worse, leaving the industry all together. If your company has these guys, by all means use them for help. That's what they are there for. And use TruckingTruth, and use the counter at the truckstops. Hey, nobody gets through their first year alone. We all needed a lot of help, and we all got it from the guys that had been around the block a few times.

When Is The Right Time To Finally Quit?

If you really think a company is that terrible to work for, then wait until you're having a great day, and then decide if you want to quit. Don't decide at 2:00 a.m., when it's 45 degrees out, it's raining, you're in New Jersey (again!), and you've just gotten lost (again!) after you've been up for 27 hours straight. Wait until you're cruisin along a quiet highway in West Texas on a sunny, 78 degree Saturday afternoon, with a great tune jammin on the radio, under a good paying run to South Florida. Then, if you still want to quit the company you're working for, but you haven't been there for a full year, well, you still don't quit until that year is up! Did you already forget what I told you? Did you think I was going to say it was ok to quit? NO! You stay the course.

Because any experienced driver will tell you that if you come out of school and make it safely through one year with a company, then you've established a foundation for your new career in the trucking industry and you will be in much better shape to start new somewhere else if you so chose. But you might just be surprised - put in a full year at a company, find a dispatcher you like and get to know him and his boss pretty well. Work your way into a truck your really enjoy driving, learn how the company operates on the inside, and you might just find yourself at a company you've become quite happy to work for. But no company seems perfect the first year you drive there, especially when it's the first year you've ever driven anywhere. Stay for one year, make safety and learning your number one priorities, and be patient - give yourself a chance to adjust to your new career, and give your company a chance to appreciate what a great job you do. It all takes time, and it will all pay off in the end, if you'll just give it a chance, and 'let it ride'.

Until next time - here's more resources for ya: