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Our Most Recent Posts
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By: Brett Aquila
Category Archives: Great Stories
The Completion Of CDL Training (After A Lot Of Stress!)
I completed my truck driver training last week and got my CDL. I also got hired by the two best companies that were recruiting from my school. Overall it went well but there were some really tough teachers to deal with and not everyone made it through. Continue reading →
Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Great Stories, Truck Driving School Day-By-Day
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Tagged Advice and Opinions, attending truck driving school, Becoming A Truck Driver, CDL training, choosing a truck driving job, finding a truck driving job, hard lessons learned, truck driver training, truck driving school, trucking school
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A Teacher, A Writer, A Philosopher, Now A Truck Driver!
After a life of travelling, writing, teaching, and schooling, my teenage dream of becoming a truck driver is finally about to happen and I’m ready to start schooling. Continue reading →
Posted in Becoming A Truck Driver, Great Stories
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Tagged Becoming A Truck Driver, getting your CDL, new drivers in a slow economy
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5 Comments
More Boot Camp Stories From My Time In A Company-Sponsored CDL Training Program
Going through a company-sponsored CDL training program is no bed of roses. Here are some of my experiences and some challenges you can expect to face. Continue reading →
Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Great Stories, Week 2
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Tagged Advice and Opinions, attending truck driving school, Becoming A Truck Driver, CDL training, Free CDL Training, getting your CDL, hard lessons learned, truck driver training, truck driving school, trucking school
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3 Comments
Mama Said They’ll Be Days Like This
During the two hours spent awaiting the arrival of the tow truck, I once again questioned whether I was cut out for this. For all I knew, this would mark the end of my brief trucking career. I had, however, learned another hard lesson. Continue reading →
Keeping Your Head Screwed On Straight In A Crisis
I learned two things from a recent misadventure: first, that being safe out here requires being careful and being lucky and, second, that I needed to keep my head screwed on straight in a time of crisis. I had made the wrong initial decision, but I had gotten lucky—next time, I might not. Continue reading →
Posted in Advice and Opinions, Career Help, Tips, Advice, First Solo Months On The Road, Great Stories, Stories of the Road
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Tagged Advice and Opinions, driver responsibilities, First Solo Months On The Road, hard lessons learned, life on the road, Stories of the Road, truck driving stories, trucking accident
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Fighting Through The Challenges Of Life On The Road
After loading up some drywall that had to be tarped on a rainy day in a muddy mess of a parking lot I began to question whether or not becoming a truck driving was a mistake. Continue reading →
Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, First Solo Months On The Road, Great Stories, Stories of the Road
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Tagged Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, driver responsibilities, First Solo Months On The Road, hard lessons learned, life on the road, Stories of the Road
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Night Shift
I work the night shift and haul carfuells. That work goes on for 24 hours almost 7 days. The Netherlands is not that big and most of the work is in our own part of Holland. Continue reading →
Bad Directions, The Wrong Entrance, and A Coon Dog Cemetery
The first delivery of my first full solo week was to Simpsonville, South Carolina. This one, thankfully, went very smoothly; the directions were accurate, it was easy to get to, and they had me unloaded quickly. This trend, however, would prove to be of the one-in-a-row variety and I came across some odd sitings! Continue reading →
Posted in Career Help, Tips, Advice, First Solo Months On The Road, Great Stories, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle
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Tagged being a truck driver, driver responsibilities, First Solo Months On The Road, hard lessons learned, life on the road, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle, truck driving stories
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A Humbling Adventure: My First Delivery Driving Solo
After saying goodbye to my trainer, it was time to set out on my first solo run. And what an adventure it turned out to be! Continue reading →
Posted in Advice and Opinions, Career Help, Tips, Advice, First Solo Months On The Road, Great Stories, Stories of the Road
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Tagged Advice and Opinions, being a truck driver, driver responsibilities, hard lessons learned, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle, truck driving stories
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On The Road In Training With Ringo Part 2
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
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Tagged Becoming A Truck Driver, driver responsibilities, hard lessons learned, life on the road, On The Road In Training, Stories of the Road, truck driver training, truck driving lifestyle, truck driving stories
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On The Road In Training With Ringo
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 →
Truck Driving School Part IV – Taking The CDL Exam
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
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Tagged Advice and Opinions, attending truck driving school, Becoming A Truck Driver, CDL training, getting your CDL, hard lessons learned, Taking the CDL exam, truck driver training
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Trucking School Part III – Boot Camp
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 →
Attending Truck Driving School Part II – First Day On The Yard
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 →
Attending Truck Driving School Part I
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 →
