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Archive of posts tagged hard lessons learned

My 33rd Anniversary In Transportation

October 27 2009 is a special day for me because it was October 27 1976 when I entered the transportation world. My only experience in this world was riding the school bus for all the years in school. What an amazing journey it’s been.

Advice For Couples Regarding Truck Driving

The reason I’m sharing our personal experiences with this is to help people understand the truly tension-packed environment at truck driving school, and how it may affect your spouse. Everyone’s marriage is different, so everyone’s experience will be unique, but there will be common issues for sure. And things will pop up that you never even considered. I’m being completely, 100% honest here, because I don’t think glossing over the tough stuff would be very helpful!

Advice For Truck Driving School Students

This is a summary of what I’ve learned from many experienced truckers on TruckingTruth, plus the perspective I’ve gained as my husband went through the classroom training during August-September, 2009.

My Overweight Ticket

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?

Regulation and Scrutiny Of Truck Drivers Increasing Steadily

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.

Randy’s Truck Driving School – Day 6

Randy was all excited and relieved to tell me that, early in the day, he passed his backing test on the first try. He was nervous, so he did lose 2 points (could miss 12 and pass). He’s been backing trailers (on and off over the years) since he was 16, but said that being trained in proper techniques has increased his confidence. He said the thing he misses most about home is “me making dinner”. What??? Shouldn’t he have just said “me”? The thing I miss most, at least right now, is just being able to sleep.

Randy At Truck Driving School – Day 1

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!

Crazy Bus Ride to Truck Driving School

I am writing this for anyone who, like I was, is wondering what it may be like to ride a Greyhound Bus to Truck Driving School. My first piece of advice would be to try to spend that last time that you have together relaxing and enjoying it.

New Truck Drivers: Beware of Rocking The Boat

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.

I Want Out Of Trucking As A Driver

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.

My Recent Trucking Adventures – Quite A Challenge

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?

Trucking Safety: What Exactly Is The Golden Rule?

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….

My Truck Driving Career – A 6 Month Review

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.

Seeing the Other Side of the Tracks as a Truck Driver

“I wrote a recent post called “Truck Driving: An Office With A View” and that post had a lot of descriptions of the beauty this country holds. But out here on the road, our office doesn’t always have such a great view.

The Sleep Cycle of a Truck Driver – It Doesn’t Exist

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.