Monthly Archives: March 2010

On The Road In Training With Ringo Part 2

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Rick Huffman

The first couple of weeks on the road driving flatbed were hard, because my body was not conditioned to this pace, this type of work, or these long hours. I lost most of the feeling in the tips of my fingers, and I had aches in places where I would have sworn I didn’t have muscles. Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming A Truck Driver, Great Stories, On The Road In Training, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

An Intro To Big Trucks And Truck Driving School Part I

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Brian Laine

If driving a truck has ever crossed your mind, or you just like the looks of that Kenworth, Freightliner, or Peterbilt going by, maybe you would enjoy reading a little more about the trucks and driver training experience, so here goes… Continue reading →

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On The Road In Training With Ringo

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Rick Huffman

My first time out on the road in training I had a patient, entertaining, and unique character for a trainer – Ringo – an imposing, grizzly bear of a man with a beard like Dan Haggerty. His patience and entertaining stories made for a very unique experience. Since we were running southeast regional, we would get to go home on weekends, but the “trucker’s weekend” was not something I’d been prepared for. Continue reading →

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Truck Driving School Part IV – Taking The CDL Exam

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Rick Huffman

Finally, the time to take the road test arrived. We would go, in small groups, to the testing facility in Hartselle, Alabama over the next five days. I would test on the second day, and Alan would test on the fourth. Everyone was nervous, and most of us failed the first attempt. Continue reading →

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Great Stories, Passing The CDL Test, Week 3 | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Trucking School Part III – Boot Camp

Posted on March 25, 2010 by Rick Huffman

Almost everyone is abysmal at 45° angle backing to start with, and I was no exception. However, I was not the only one having difficulty. Alan even resorted to mathematical solutions to crack this puzzle, but it didn’t seem to help either of us. But a couple of great instructors stepped in and helped get us going in the right direction. Continue reading →

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Great Stories, Week 2 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Made It Through Your First Year As A Driver? Great! Now What?

Posted on March 23, 2010 by Guyjax

What comes after the first year of driving? If you keep your safety record and license clean you now have a lot more option on where you can go, including becoming a lease driver or owner operator. Continue reading →

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming An Owner-Operator, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Finding The Right Truck Driving Job | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

My First Year as a Truck Driver

Posted on March 17, 2010 by TruckerMike

Wow, it’s hard to believe, but I’ve been at my current employer for 1 year as of today. I began Truck Driving School in January of 2009, completed that in February of 2009, and was hired on in March of 2009. This post will simply serve as some observations that I’ve made as my first year of a truck driver. Continue reading →

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Current State of the Trucking Industry, truck driving lifestyle | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Attending Truck Driving School Part II – First Day On The Yard

Posted on March 15, 2010 by Rick Huffman

Alan and I were both nervous, yet excited about the new challenge before us. We’d be spending the first couple of days in the yard, learning straight-line backing and 45° angle backing. Here we go – my first attempt at backing up a truck. Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming A Truck Driver, Great Stories, Truck Driving School Day-By-Day, Week 1 | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Attending Truck Driving School Part I

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Rick Huffman

Priceville, Alabama was where my trucking adventure began. A Super 8 motel room would be my home for the next three weeks while I attended CDL school. I did not know what to expect on the first day, but I met a wide range of personalities in the other students. It was incredible to see the diversity. Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming A Truck Driver, Great Stories, Truck Driving School Day-By-Day, Week 1 | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Becoming An American Trucker

Posted on March 8, 2010 by Rick Huffman

I was probably one of the most unlikely candidates to become a truck driver that the world has ever seen. I had spent the past 20 years of my life working in television broadcasting in various roles. While it had been exciting and challenging at first, the years had eroded my role into a thankless and suffocating rut. I seriously needed a change…a new experience. This is the beginning of my story – the life of an American Trucker. Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming A Truck Driver, Great Stories | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Not Much Help For The Drivers

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Steve Rubens

The Qualcomm system at most companies have directions to customers listed, but a lot of the time the directions are wrong. Unfortunately, even when dispatchers and customers know the directions are wrong nobody seems to care enough to do anything about it. Here’s an example of the mess it can cause. Continue reading →

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Cathy and Steve's Story, Great Stories, Stories of the Road | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Truck Driving Down Donner Pass

Posted on March 4, 2010 by TruckerMike

Until recently, I had never actually been on Donner’s Pass in California. Donners Pass is usually touted as one of the more dangerous areas for truck drivers and is the site of many fatal accidents. It’s quite an experience! I had the pleasure of going through it at night. I would have liked to take it during the day so I could see some of the scenery around me, but I’m sure I’ll get that chance in the future. I was still able to make some key observations though… Continue reading →

Posted in Great Stories, Stories of the Road | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Our Trucking Adventure Begins

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Cathy Rubens

Hello readers. My name is Cathy Rubens. My husband Steve and I started our trucking adventure in October of 2008. These writing will be done in the form of flashbacks, with some things from the past and some things from the present. Steve and I will be writing about the events and happening from our respective points of view. The flashbacks will be stories of happenings and musings from events as remembered by us. Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming A Truck Driver, Cathy and Steve's Story, Choosing A Truck Driving School, Great Stories | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment