Lovin’ The Open Road
Luckily, the one thing I expected to enjoy, I’m loving. The driving. Cruisin’ down the open road. The solitude. Jamming to some tunes. The freedom. All of the previous jobs I’ve had, included answering to several bosses. I don’t even know who my “boss” is right now. Sure, if I screw up royally, I can be fired. But I don’t have any boss to answer to everyday. I’m told to pick up from this shipper at that time, and deliver to that receiver at this time. What I do in between is my own business. As long as I get it there undamaged, safely, and legally, I never hear from anybody at my company. Very few jobs can offer that type of freedom.
Traveling the country is everything I thought it would be, and more. Traveling across state lines has become as routine as going to a different town back home. This country has definitely “shrunk” in size since I started driving. As I gain more experience, I’m starting to learn the ins and outs of major cities. I’m starting to learn where my favorite truck stops are and my favorite places to eat. I’m starting to learn which Wal-Marts have truck parking and which ones don’t. I’m starting to learn the best ways to get to certain large customers that I go to often. I definitely see myself enjoying this career more and more as the months and years tick away, simply because I’ll know where I can go and do certain things. It’s tough getting used to it all. At first, I didn’t know any of these cities, or where I could go shopping, etc. Slowly, very slowly, I’m starting to learn.
Confidence Is Slowly Building
These first 6 months have been a huge challenge for me. This has definitely been the biggest learning experience of my life. And as soon as I think I’m starting to get the hang of it, I’ll make a bonehead mistake to bring me back to reality. I’m still new, and mistakes are made almost everyday. Whether I miss a turn, brake hard for a yellow light I should have gone through, go into the truck stop through the exit instead of the entrance, botch a backing maneuver, stall the truck on the scale at a weigh station, try to make a U-Turn that can’t be made, turn down a small country road with no place to turn around for 20 miles, all of these things keep me on my toes. And yes, unfortunate to say, all of those things have actually happened to me, and more I won’t repeat! Equally, I’ve seen other drivers do even worse things. I truly hope some of these embarrassing mistakes will ease with time and experience. My confidence some days are very high. Then I’ll make one of those bonehead mistakes and it’ll be right back down to the confidence level I had on my first day.
But overall, I’m loving every minute of this career and lifestyle. I feel that sometimes I over-glamorize it in my blogs, because this is certainly not a career for everyone. There is a reason many people don’t make it through their first year of truck driving, and a reason that the turnover rate is typically near or above 100% during a good economy. But if you have what it takes, this can be just the lifestyle change you need. Six months down and hopefully years to go.
Until next time, drive safely!
TruckerMike
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Great article once again. I was just watching the news and saw that the area around Atlanta had a very large amount of rain (I want to say 20 inches but could be wrong)and then recalled seeing you had been to that area just last week, if not just on Thursday or Friday!
Mike,
After spending all day on the backing pad today your blog really hits home!!! Thanks for paving the way and writing about it for us. I’ll be out there soon. Maybe if enough of us feel connected, and encourage each other we may make a difference over time. Be safe in all your travels this week!
Rick
Yes, that backing is a toughie in many places. The trucks/trailers are much bigger than they were when those buildings were built and now they think we can take that rig and still make it fit in that small space. Sometimes we do and sometimes we don’t. I have seen where the trucks can’t even turn into customer driveway from the road because there is no room to do it on the narrow road/street and the narrow driveway. Just take your time backing–no time limit on getting it to the dock safely.
All those wrong turns, going IN the OUT or all the other examples you gave, will just be a fact of life in trucking. Especially the screwed up directions!! Not that it happens all the time, but it does.
So many drivers think/insist on doing 11 hours of driving a day. It is not possible for many who do short runs with waiting time and it is not required to do that. I (and others) drove 8 or 9 hours, found a place to park and had a nice break and this also allows you to not run out of hours at the end of the week.
You sure have accomplished alot and it is working out for you and you even like it. Big plus there. Won’t be long when others contact you for “greener pastures.”
I love your blog~my son turned me onto it. He, too, is new to the industry. The best thing is, I know that you will be the change you want to see. Keep on truckin’, keep on writing and most of all, be safe!
Some of this really rings true for all new drivers. I been in the industry for a while now and it’s comforting to see new drivers struggling with the same things drivers have been for years. Something never change like terrible pads at retail stores. I’ve seem some places that looked like they put things in the way during construction just to make it harder for the drivers… Either way, your confidence is warranted and as you drive longer you’ll continue to be learning.