Often times the list of available trucks is shorter than the list of drivers needing trucks. This helps keep a company efficient and hopefully profitable. It's not that drivers are waiting a week for a truck or anything like that. It's usually a day, maybe two at the most. So it usually works out to be first come first serve. You wait in line on the list and as trucks become available you'll get one.

Most of the time a company will not have any trucks more than a few years and they try to keep them in nearly brand new condition. So to them it shouldn't matter too much which truck they give you, they're all pretty similar.

In my experience they're right. As long as the maintenance program is a good one they will fix anything and everything that you find needs attention. So by the time you leave the terminal in your newly assigned truck it should be comfortable and in perfect working condition no matter the age and mileage on it.

Now I can't tell you how many hundreds of drivers I've seen over the years absolutely OBSESS over which type of truck they're going to get. I've driven ‘em all and although there are certain ones that I like better than others it just isn't enough of a difference to worry too much about it.

A lot of drivers will show up for their first day of orientation and the very first thing out of their mouth is, “I won't even drive for this company if I don't get a ...(truck of their choice). My recruiter promised me one and I won't drive anything else.”

Remember earlier when I mentioned jumping off the Empire State Building and landing squarely on your face? Well, this is another example of someone who should do that. Please don't stress yourself out over which truck you get. Just take what they give you and go through it thoroughly to make sure everything appears to be working properly...wipers, mirror heaters, 12 volt plugs in the cab and sleeper, the heat, air conditioning, and the fans both in the cab and sleeper, power windows and locks, all the lights, turn signals, and anything else you can think of.

Ask the shop if any maintenance has just been done to it and when the next work is scheduled to be done. If everything is in working order, the truck has been inspected, and no other work is scheduled to be done then the truck should be just fine. Now of course there are some parts on the truck that you can never tell when they are about to break like the alternator, starter, fuel pump, or something in the transmission.

These things can go at any time and there's nothing anybody can do about that. But please don't freak yourself out over which truck you get. I'm telling ya it just doesn't make that big of a difference. You want something to obsess over? Obsess over which dispatcher you're going to get. Now THAT is something that really, really matters.