Profile For Davy A.

Hey, I'd recommend getting really involved here. Ask questions, read the materials here and get advice.

There are many of us who started our careers with the help of this community and were still going strong.

High Road CDL Training Program

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Truck Driver's Career Guide

Good questions. To add to what OS said in regards to kids and attachments, the first year can lead to extended absences for more than a month. Not meaning to scare you, its just that during schooling and training, which varies from company to company, you may end up away from home for an extended time.

Generally, at least at the company i started at, Knight, they set up new drivers with routes that match their skill level and the time it takes them to execute. A more experienced driver will be able to deliver a load more efficiently and effectively. I found that they set me up for success as much as they could, its part of the learning process.

I would highly encourage you to dig into our cdl diaries section as well as ask questions as much as you can.

Paid CDL Training Programs

This went under the FAFO category. You found out, the hard way.

In terms of learning from this. Keep your trap shut next time. Seriously, unless I was done with the company and even then I wouldn't do it to avoid burning a bridge, I wouldn't bother telling a manager I did not like them. It will have no good possible outcome.

I mean really? Who does that? This is something we learn not to do early in grade school. Maybe its just a Gen X thing, but we were raised to work hard, keep our mouths shut and if its not working out, go elsewhere or find a way to make it work.

If your dispatcher is not working for you, and you're unable to resolve the issues, request a different dispatcher. Use language that is non combative. Like its not working out or we have different approaches to work that are incompatible. If that fails, go to work elsewhere. But leave in such a manner that you could get rehired.

Learn how to be a tad bit diplomatic. This is just basic communication and work stuff, really has nothing to do with trucking so much as it's stuff that used to be taught in school.

People fail in this industry a lot because of really basic reasons, usually poor choices and personality traits thst will haunt them at any and every industry.

I use the seats, armrests and upper bunk rail. Most of what i do is geared for body recomp, with concentration on progressive overload in each set. Im very lean, require very little cardio and if i do cardio, i just end up burning fuel. That said, i do have a bit of a cortisol belly going that i want rid of, it goes away when Im consistent with my program. Also, I mostly go for whole body rather than targeting specific groups.

For push-ups, I do 3 sets of decline to failure, feet on the bed hands on the chairs. Wide arm alternating to narrow.

Then put the arm wrests down horizontal, raise the air up, do 3 set of crouched dips to failure each set.

Then kneeling pull ups using the upper bunk rail. Again 3 sets to failure each set.

Then to push ups using the arm wrests, narrow pattern, 3 sets to failure each set.

In between sets Bulgarian squats done slowly.

All movements are done slow down, explosive up. Usually 4 to 6 seconds each down cycle.

I do that pattern 3 days a week, off days I shoot for walking a combined total of 45 minutes in addition to normal movement.

Protien intake i shoot for is 1 to 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight. I eat probably about 80 percent carnivore but its difficult for me to get that much protien in consistently. I just don't eat much.

When I'm following my program consistently, it works well for my body, I'll gain lean muscle mass and reduce fat, but like so many, the consistency is difficult to attain.

Knight is a great company to go with. There are several that have schools in Phoenix as well.

Yes, the market is tough in general right now, there is a surplus of drivers and applicants but its still doable.

Paid CDL Training ProgramsApply For Paid CDL Training

Of the trucks I've been in, I'd say volvos were the quietest. I personally prefer a truck to sound and feel like a truck, so I'm biased towards the KW as long as it has the Cummins in it.

I can't say if it works the same at Schnieder, but at both Knight and Hummer, while yes, the load planners work standard hours, they had difficulty finding drivers willing to work nights. Its become a mainstay niche market for me that proved to be a gold mine.

The concept is simple, dropping my loads early in the morning, setting up the next nights loads with planners, picking up, then sleeping. You're almost always guaranteed Rockstar parking, you'll get the loads in early and in the event its a late night drop, you're a perfect shoe in for it.

More importantly though, I have found is to avoid the feeding frenzy all together by building a relationship with my DM, who is the intermediary for the planners through consistent performance. I then try to get tomorrow's loads today and avoid it all together.

Both Knight and Hummer are performance based load selection most of the time rather than first in first out. In other words, a high performing trust worthy driver will get the freight before a mediocre driver even if he gets to the area after the mediocre driver.

Hummer is specifically geared towards early work with more than half of the loads being live unloads early morning at stores and small shops with finite business hours. The way around that I found was to get there a day early, or right at opening. I'd tell my dm that I'd be available at a certain time the next day for pick up. After a time he could bank on my pta, and setup multiple pre plans.

I cant stress accurate and early communication enough. Im assuming it works there too.

To add, its something that will take time to develop a feel for what happens when you use it. That comes over time. Not only does it only slow the tractor, it only applys breaking force to the drive axel(s) that are recieving power. So the trailer axles are free to spin, at a faster rate than the drive axels, causing a trailer jackknife or causing the trailer to effectively turn around the 5th wheel.

Weight makes a huge difference in how the truck reacts.

I routinely use the break in rain, but I use it with weight. If I'm hauling empty, I generally don't use it past level 1. Ive used it in snow and slippery conditions, but weight, speed and feel all go into that decision process. Ive also had the trailer start to come around on me, and I'm comfortable with how to correct it. That came over time from introducing its use in small amounts in an area where I could control it and get a feel for it.

Ive also played around a lot with applying light service breaks in conjunction with the jake to ensure relatively even breaking force to all tires, again though, I've done this where it was easy to recover at slow speeds.

Ive most western passes in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, CA and such in snow with jakes, provided I was heavy and was slow on all of them while I was doing it. I don't recommend it as a new driver. Its risky.

I drove for Hummer for the last year. They're a great company to drive for if you want the miles and no nonsense trucking. They pay well, have very accurate scheduling and dispatching. No cameras of any sorts in the trucks, no pay gimmicks.

As long as you have good work history, clean records, they will take you. If you're a driver that keeps the left door closed, communicates well and can run with little or no supervision, you're a good fit there. If I was still company driving and in their hiring area, I'd go back there. Great company.

Can't agree enough with what OS said. Definitely research the cdl diaries section, and this community in general. This can be a very rewarding career path, many of us found later in life, but it is still a job, nit a vacation. That said, it can allow you opportunities that other fields don't.