I have to admit there have been times, during the first 3 weeks of this experience, where I began to feel that the entire trucking industry might be orchestrated by a bunch of mad scientists conducting some kind of evil psychological experiment. And we (the students, drivers and their families) are their human guinea pigs.
Seriously though, it’s been a wild little ride so far, and I’m sure that will continue. Here’s more……
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Rhonda & Randy's Story, Week 3.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, attending truck driving school, Becoming A Truck Driver, CDL training, getting your CDL, Rhonda & Randy's Story, truck driver training, trucking school
As hard as you think becoming a truck driver will be, it’s even harder. All the stress has made me lose 10 lbs since we started packing for school a few weeks ago.
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Rhonda & Randy's Story, Week 2.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, attending truck driving school, Becoming A Truck Driver, CDL training, getting your CDL, Rhonda & Randy's Story, truck driver training, trucking school
Posted by
Rhonda on
1 November 2009, 6:44 am
Sometimes you’re put in a position as a driver where you just can’t win. One day I was leaving the shipper with a heavy load and was pulled over to see if my weight was legal. Problem was, I never got a chance to weight it myself – they nailed me on the way to the scale. What is a driver supposed to do?
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Current State of the Trucking Industry, Great Stories, Stories of the Road, Women In Trucking, truck driving lifestyle.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, being a truck driver, driver responsibilities, hard lessons learned, life on the road, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle, Women In Trucking
The number of Federal Rules and Regulations for truck drivers and trucking companies has continuously increased over the years, along with stricter enforcement both on and off the highways. A recent announcement by the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration shows that there will be even greater scrutiny just around the corner.
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Current State of the Trucking Industry, truck driving lifestyle.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, driver responsibilities, hard lessons learned, life on the road, truck driving jobs, truck driving lifestyle
Well, I spoke to Randy for nearly an hour last night about his first full day at truck driving school, and it was over a 12-hour marathon starting at 7 am. Ha, he thinks I’m a genius now for all the research I’ve done!
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Rhonda & Randy's Story, Truck Driving School Day-By-Day, Week 1.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, attending truck driving school, Becoming A Truck Driver, CDL training, getting your CDL, hard lessons learned, Rhonda & Randy's Story, truck driver training, trucking school
Well it’s Sunday and I have just completed my first week of truck driving school. This is my first and only day off for this week! What a week it has been!
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Truck Driving School Day-By-Day, Week 1.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, attending truck driving school, Becoming A Truck Driver, CDL training, getting your CDL, truck driver training
Recently I heard a story of a truck driving student who was on the road with a trainer and discovered that the trainer was smoking pot in the truck while the student was driving. How did the student handle this? Did it backfire on him? There are some things that everyone needs to understand about the realities of life in the trucking industry.
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Current State of the Trucking Industry, Stories of the Road.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, dealing with the boss, driver responsibilities, hard lessons learned, life on the road, On The Road In Training, Stories of the Road, truck driver training, truck driving lifestyle
Randy and I have been together now for nearly 29 years. When our business began to really struggle due to the economy and our children were successfully raised and on their own, we decided it was time for a change.
Posted by
Rhonda on
8 October 2009, 5:21 am
Let me start out by saying I entered trucking in 2001 because I needed a job. A job that paid a livable wage. So I entered as a warm body that companies put in the drivers seat. My pleas for an office duty/inside job were not being heard. At first this new driving thing was not too bad, but soon the newness and “fun” wears off.
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Current State of the Trucking Industry, Women In Trucking.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, dealing with the boss, driver responsibilities, hard lessons learned, life on the road, Stories of the Road, Women In Trucking
Sometimes trips go very smoothly, and other times trips are incredibly challenging, like the one I just had. This is the reality of truck driving. Are you up for the challenge?
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, First Solo Months On The Road, Great Stories, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, driver responsibilities, hard lessons learned, life on the road, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle, truck driving stories
If you ask drivers what the golden rule of safety is, you’ll get a lot of different answers – and all of them are likely to be important. But let’s boil this topic down to it’s most simplest form – the one golden rule of trucking….
Wow, I can’t believe it’s been 6 months already. I’ve completed training, and have been on my own now for a couple months. So, I thought I’d share a few of my initial impressions of my early truck driving career, having experienced it for 6 months now.
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Current State of the Trucking Industry, First Solo Months On The Road, truck driving lifestyle.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, dealing with the boss, driver responsibilities, hard lessons learned, life on the road, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle, truck driving stories
One thing that I wasn’t quite prepared for when I decided to become a truck driver is the sleeping patterns. I knew fatigue was a big issue in truck driving, but now I truly understand why. The long driving hours are only part of the issue…it’s rather complicated.
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, First Solo Months On The Road, Great Stories, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, driver responsibilities, hard lessons learned, life on the road, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle, Trucker's sleep cycles
Over the years I’ve seen a million new guys and gals come into the trucking industry with not only the wrong perceptions of what the trucking industry is like, but with the attitude that everyone better treat them like kings and queens and roll out the red carpet or they’re outta here – and I’ve seen a lot of em get outta here in a hurry. It’s tough in the beginning – there’s a lot to learn….
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, First Solo Months On The Road, truck driving lifestyle.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, driver responsibilities, hard lessons learned, life on the road, truck driving lifestyle
I recently got a question from a visitor asking about finding part time work in the trucking industry with a company that would have to give him the flexibility to run loads according to his schedule and lifestyle. He has a full time job already that he will likely retire from, but thought it might [...]