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.
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Current State of the Trucking Industry, truck driving lifestyle.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, being a truck driver, dealing with the boss, driver responsibilities, First year on the road, hard lessons learned, life on the road, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle, truck driving stories
Posted by
Guyjax on
25 February 2010, 10:23 am
Would you drive a truck if the trucking company you worked for only paid you enough to cover your bills at home and your meals, but nothing more after that? For me the answer would be yes. I love driving and I would do it for free. Trucking is in my blood. Do you love driving a truck? Really love it? If so, then trucking is in your blood. To me, there is a difference between liking your job and loving it. Liking your job means you enjoy going to work, you enjoy the people you work with, you enjoy doing your job. Loving your job means you would do it for free! For me, trucking fits the bill.
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, truck driving lifestyle.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, driver responsibilities, Knights Of The Road, life on the road, truck driving career
In the past, truckers were known as “Knights of the Road”. Those days are long forgotten, though, and through time the truckers and their rigs have lost their knightly reputation. Truckers are no longer depicted in a positive light and the situation looks like it may be getting worse for a number of reasons, including our own (lack of) pride and personal discipline, attitude, driving skills, and factors outside of our control including the media, more dangers on the highway, and recent waves of terrorism. Is there anything we can do to improve our reputations? Oh indeed there is plenty we can do.
I LOVE “normal” life. We got lots of errands done, I sold some stuff on Craigslist and Randy had a little pinstriping job – we made more money today than his last paycheck.
He keeps saying how nice it is to be home, and I keep telling him how nice it is to have him here. Home will soon be somewhere else, and we’re going to start moving tomorrow.
Posted by
Rhonda on
20 January 2010, 3:00 pm
With all the fuel that drivers purchase, it’s wise to get the driver payback cards from the truck stops that offer them. Its free, and it’s a way of saying thank you to the professional driver. For each gallon of fuel purchased, you get 1 cent/point put on the card. You can use these points [...]
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Great Stories, Stories of the Road, Women In Trucking, truck driving lifestyle.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, driver responsibilities, hard lessons learned, life on the road, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle, truck driving stories, Women In Trucking
Posted by
Rhonda on
11 January 2010, 5:27 am
If you are the type of driver that thinks about the cost of doing business for your employer or the trucking industry in general, you are in the minority. If you’re not thinking about it, you should be – it has a major effect on your paycheck.
I love being a truck driver, and certainly plan on doing this for a while. I’ve also found that as my experience grows, my enjoyment also continues to grow. I’m still considered a rookie with only 8 months experience, but the little experience I have is already paying off.
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Career Help, Tips, Advice, First Solo Months On The Road, Great Stories, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, life on the road, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle, truck driving stories
Last week was National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. It certainly was nice to feel appreciated for a week. The list of sacrifices that drivers make can go on and on for days. Most of the sacrifices can’t be explained in words, they simply have to be experienced to truly be understood.
Filed under Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Current State of the Trucking Industry, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle.
Tagged Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, driver responsibilities, life on the road, Stories of the Road, truck driver appreciation week, truck driving lifestyle
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
Posted by
Rhonda on
26 October 2009, 6:28 am
Sometimes you have these days and nights of skill testing if you drive a semi. I did not have a leisurely drive to Fort Smith as I normally do. I couldn’t just relax, enjoy the drive, and drink my coffee. This was not meant to be. I had to work to stay safe and keep others safe too on this trip.
Finances on the road can be tough when first getting started, but hopefully this will provide you with a little insight on how to stay out of trouble.
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
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
Over the Labor Day weekend, I was able to make a trip home. I had a fantastic weekend. The plan was for me to get back home on Thursday, then get back on the road on Tuesday. But I ended up getting home a day early. Not a huge deal, but this meant I’d have to leave on Monday which was Labor day. Total bummer, but that’s the life of a truck driver.