Comments By John G.

Really appreciate the feedback. thanks for your time for watching.

i heard a guy in the parking lot shifting a 10 speed every second or so. its weird to me shifting so much, but ill try that the next chance i have.

do you usually start in second?

Should I accelerate slower? I feel like the big amount gas I'm giving it makes it harder to get it into the next year? Like I rev it so high, it's ready for 5 instead of 4

i am saving my money for a pete 379 with either a 13 or 15 speed. are they a lot harder to drive than a 10 speed? how do they compare?

i understand there is a learning curve, but the guys who have mastered them wouodnt go back to auto

thank you. i am a local delivery driver and auto is nice when i gotta jerk off parking, going back and forth several times, but i plan on doing longer routes, and think the manual would be more enjoyable for longer hauls. the longest ride in my local route is an hour or so and its boring just setting the truck on cruise

It's been grinding my gears that I learned to drive a truck in a standard, but have only driven auto since.

No trucks were available the other night, so I got to drive a rare 10 speed.

I set up my camera so I can get feedback.. I included my worst moments hoping to get ideas for improvement.

Here's the video.. please offer feedback on how I can improve my shifting. Like timing, rhythm, etc.

Timing? Rhythm?

Here is the video. I annotated and narrated my thought process to make it easier to critique

https://youtu.be/-4Kn_qBSa9g

Thank you

I had the most trouble in the lower gears. It seemed like the truck got up to speed quickly (ie.. 15 mph), and the truck liked when I threw it into 6

Thank you in advance

There was one thing I wanted to add about the personality issues. I'm not best friends with any of the people, but now that I've been there a while, I talk to them like equals rather than a noob. Idk if this makes sense, but for a new person, I would recommend learning the lingo and "acting the part' more than I did.

I was clueless and showed it. This doesn't mean be afraid to ask questions, but talk to the people as your coworkers and fellow drivers, rather than just a noob. ****, look up some stuff to say to them that makes you look like you know the part. Eg... "Man I was checking in at ___ and the clerk had me wait 20 min, can you believe it?"

Appreciate the advice and follow up. I agree about ignoring the negative people..

So far, I've made it and the job is way more fun than I could have imagined. I don't even think about teaching anymore. They can have it.

Once they let me on my own, things got a lot better. I've had hiccups with inventory and paperwork, but so far so good.

My supervisor is a micromanager, which I don't enjoy, but the actual job (stocking drinks, pulling into tight lots) feels rewarding. I already got a raise from my teaching job.

A couple areas I need help with- 1. Backing- I find at the end of the night, my backing sucks. But, during the day, the store clerks have told me I did a great job backing. I maneuver the truck so the lift gate falls on the curb if necessary.

2.No truck zones. I do lots of local deliveries (gas stations, restaurants), so there are times when it is difficult to avoid them. Sometimes I already have turned, then see the damn no truck 🚛 in sign. Do I turn around?

3. Clearance. So far I have not had any can opener moments with the trailer, but a few close calls with tree branches. If the map tells me to turn onto a residential street, I keep going and pass it

4. Wrong way drivers. I've literally driven for 6 mos and already had 2 ppl approach me going the wrong way. Scares the **** out of me. I blasted the horn and the ****er moved over

5. Speed conundrum. I am a delivery driver and the manager has me on a "mod" route, which is slightly less cases than a regular route. He has implied I need to speed up.

I've found that some nights I "have it" other nights I don't. The pallets we use suck and the goods fall off of them easily. This disrupts the rhythm of the delivery.

And there are times when I am well fed and well rested where I can't stock the **** well and feel disorganized.

Then there are other times when I crush it.

Driving the truck fast is a wash for a number of reasons. They have a lynx camera inside, and they have zero tolerance policy for running a red light.

My trainers taught me to let off the gas when approaching a green light (say a 1/4 mile before intersection), then gas it at the point of no return. So there is no way I'm gonna take chances to speed up my route by driving fast.

6. This is random, but I want to practice driving a standard. My buddy let me drive his 10 speed cascadia, and I drove it way better than I did in driving school. I grinded a lot less. I wonder if I could take one of the company trucks around the parking lot for a while to practice my shifting

If anyone who is reading this is considering a delivery job, know that it is lots of hours and physical labor. But there are lots of benefits. Ive learned to drive a truck in difficult areas (not mountains, but tight spots), and I enjoy it. I get a hot coffee on my way back to the yard and blast music.

Since I'm not at a desk, I don't browse for **** I don't need online, but when I do need something, I have the money and I buy it. I spend my money on training supplements and car parts instead of weed.

Before I got my cdl, I smoked lots of weed and getting the CDL forced me to quit.

Trucking requires time, at least 12 hrs a day at this job, so I don't need the weed I did to deal with boredom. Plus I wouldn't risk losing my cdl for it

Got a update and unfortunately I'm feeling mad discouraged today, but read further if you want a textbook case of irony.

One of the biggest reasons I quit teaching (besides being a mechanic and liking trucks), was to get a job that allows me more independence. This has been quite the opposite- the people I work with are pettier than the middle age teachers I left.

My trainer reported me for language. I didn't say any bad words in the store, or around customers. I'm actually charming and the customers like me I can tell.

Meanwhile, my trainer hates his life. He's only 35, has 3 kids and another on the way. He seems miserable as hell and still advises me to have kids. I think he hates on me a little cause I drop 2 grand on a car mod, he's buying **** for his family. That's a separate issue, but it leads to the main point.

I've been cooperating assiduously with this dude. We drop a pallet in the store, he tells me move it 6" to the right. I've been cooperating thus far. He cusses non stop even at me, but I understand I'm new, so as long as he's not too disrespectful, I tolerate it, I've gotten way faster at stocking and the process. I can tolerate a lot of **** from people. I've learned and I'm glad.

Then he tells the supervisor I cuss too much and doesn't want to work with me. I'm ok with that,except the hypocrisy. Even my gf heard him cussing in the background during a lunch break. Dudes mad at the world and I've been putting up with it.

The other day, I go into the break room. Ppl in there (except for a driver or two) se miserable as hell. I start talking with one driver I'm cool with and tell him I got Headers for my car and it's gonna be retarded loud. Next moment, I'm in the office with the supervisor getting my load and some "lead" pops his head in and says "I'm from the country,so I know what you meant, but don't say retarded cause ppl could misinterpret it." I know how to take feedback so I say "my bad, don't wanna hurt anyones feelings. Won't happen again."

Since then Ive been keeping my mouth shut.

Then last night after a 10 hour shift of sweating (we are in 100 degree texas), we pull up to the gate. I give the check in kid my paperwork and handheld. This 20 yo starts giving me sh*t, then makes a huge deal of me scratching my ass and refused to check me in. They had a lady do it instead.

He literally reported me to HR for that. I had to write a statement. I didn't even mention scratching my ass, but she me. It's hot and I've been doing physical labor for 10-12hrs

I'm really frustrated, cause I've become a better driver (different trainers have given me good feedback) AND I've learned how to stock coolers at lightning speed.

The problem is tiptoing around the sensitive people here. Also, so many ppl have attitudes, like they hate their jobs

I'm supposed to be driving on my own next week or the week after, depending on some paperwork.

Any advice? I'm gonna stick it out for a while,but I got accused of all sorts of dumb hearsay BS at the school, now it's even worse at the trucking place.

One thing I will advise is your trainer isn't your buddy. But this dude put himself in a position to hate me. I got a car collection and he kept asking how much I spent on each one. Stop comparing *******, we are not the same.

But for real I need advice.... I did not expect to be accused of scratching my ass

I feel gay talking about myself, but I finally feel qualified enough to be able to contribute something to new drivers and people interested in trucking, so I will share what I’ve learned. Here is an outline, and I’ll elaborate each point further. Please comment if I helped you or if you have a pointer for me. I’m still a new guy.

1. Trucking is actual work. It feels like work, but that is not a bad thing 2. People who work labor jobs still workout. Per my trainer (personal trainer) 3. My delivery job is more delivery than driving, but it is still good driving experience.

1. Trucking is actual work. It feels like work, but that is not a bad thing Trucking requires more commitment than I expected. Before I explain the main point, I’ll share my background. I worked as a school teacher before and half-assed the past couple years. During covid, we ran everything virtually, so we just sat at a desk and did zoom meetings. During this time, I experimented with a side business. I ran a mobile tire service for semi trucks, and it was the owner operators who inspired me to get my CDL. This semi-relevant statistic aside, I found myself getting very comfortable as a teacher, but felt discouraged on the job outlook. According to the pay scale, I would only make another $10k per year as a 15 year teacher. This small raise wasn’t worth the time 10 additional years I would have to commit to teaching. I found the teacher salary depressing after I saw how much I could sell my time for as a mobile mechanic and the ****ty houses and cars teachers have. I am not meaning this to sound disrespectful, but these are the key reasons I started to change my focus.

I accidentally ****ed off my principal my last year teaching and got a ton of write ups. I had worked at the school many years and never received a write up. I got written up for being on my phone in class. Some old ***** poked her head in my room, complained, then I got an email from the head principal that I was going to have a second formal meeting with the administration to discuss the infraction. It was around this time I enrolled in CDL school.

I continued working in the school and took a night course and finally got my CDL after the second try last December. I felt amazing after I got it, probably too ****y. Since I was still employed at the school, I really indulged myself. I called in, went on trips, scheduled repairs for my mobile business and left the moment school got out. I saw my coworkers as idiots, like haven’t they seen the way out of this government job yet?

Like I said, I may have gotten too ****y, although I find airing on the side of ****y has gotten me further in every area of life than being timid has.

I had my first job lined up with an end dump company. I was in for a surprise. The safety manager who hired me told me we show up around 6 every morning, and we road tested in a combination tractor- dump trailer. He also said I would get around $1,500 per week.

I was in for a rude awakening. When I started, I learned we were supposed to be at the pit at 5 am. This meant waking up at 3 or 4 am which meant going to bed very early, like 9 or 10 pm. I really struggled falling asleep so early and waking up early. I still showed up, but would take naps during my breaks.

The other surprises were the truck and pay, or lack thereof. The manager told me they start new people in super tandems (big dump trucks) instead of combinations. Okay, I thought, I figured they did that so I would learn the process. I later found out they didn’t have anymore tractors- they were all occupied. I ran all day in the dump truck and was making $600-700 per week after taxes. A far cry from the $1500 I was promised and barely a liveable wage. I found myself unmotivated to show up. They wanted us to work Saturdays too, but I did repairs with my side business instead. It wasn’t worth my time.

They called me into a meeting where they made up some **** about safety violations to try and fire me, but I told them it’s fine I quit. I already had my current delivery job lined up.

I applied to a night shift position as a Coke delivery driver. I was so worn out from the day shift hours I figured why not change things up even more. I am glad I chose the night shift, because I wouldn’t be able to wake up every morning at 4, plus I hated having to go to bed so early. At night, I remember thinking, “I wish I could just go to work now.”

Oddly, I discovered not many people want night shifts, so my prediction for evenings is both good for Coke and me.

We start around 4 pm. This was the first week they let me drive the truck. We push heavy pallets (they call them skids since they’re not technically pallets) into different stores and gas stations. Driving the truck and having a CDL feels secondary, but my trainer and I are actually working.

Aside from changing music, there is no time to play on my phone. As a comparison, when I was teaching online classes, I spend hours browsing the web. Being busy puts priorities in order. I don’t spend hours doing online shopping. I don’t buy stupid **** and I buy stuff I need. I spend hours comparing specs on a laptop I wanted when I worked at a school. When I’m doing deliveries, I spent a few of my breaks researching phones and just ordered one. I order the protein and supplements I need from amazon. I don’t have the luxury to browse online.

Working 12-13 hour shifts has been a good thing.. reaching the limit, will add more later

I figure worst case scenario, there is an accredited online course for $25 I can take a print a certificate with

I literally have another orientation (by accident) scheduled tomorrow an hour and a half after Cokes starts. This one is for Mclane. I could always go there if coke makes a big deal about the certificate

Question...

I got my CDL in Texas before the Entry Level Driving Training law took place in February

I got a job at coke today and they're asking for a certification from a school. I went to a night school, idk if it is accredited. I am looking for it. The safety director didn't know whether to write me up as new or not. I have a few months driving experience

Does this matter for an entry level driver?

If not, I'm not tripping, I got other options

Good news and bad news

Just another week of practice has made driving the dump truck a lot better. I feel comfortable with it and keep good distance.

Towel idea was great. I feel no more back pain. I also use a purple gel cushion on the seat.

Now here's the bad. I'm already considering jumping ship. This place I thought only hires experienced drivers (I have 9 mos "unverifiable" tractor trailer experience and a clean record). They put a new driver in a dump truck, and he comes barreling down a 2 way road almost in the middle of the road. I pulled over, but this was by a narrow bridge, and I'd be lying if this didn't scare the **** out of me. This isn't the only problem.

We go to different sites to get loaded with sand, so there is a guy loading it with a loader. The first guy was nice, the second guy is a complete *******. He threatened to "send me back to the yard" cause my truck was facing the wrong way when I was getting loaded. I told him I didn't hear nothing, then he threatened to call my boss. I don't play that game, I told him ill call his.

The worst part is I had NO Instruction. My trainer told the idiot loader my CB is having issues. We use CB radio, and just to make sure mines not defective, I asked for a new one.

The other problem is the commute is 45 min each way. I got no problem working a 12 hr shift, but driving 45-50 min home is a *****. I wake up at 345 in the morning, leave the yard by 5 am and get back around 430. Usually I'm home around 6 or 7 pm. This week, I just sleep when I get home.

I don't feel completely ****ty, I haven't got sick or anything. But, I am an athlete (bodybuilder) and haven't worked out in a week. I am sure this is just acclimation and ill be lifting again soon.

I applied for some other local jobs that only commute for 20 min. One is Coke, others are various local jobs with touch and no touch freight. I don't mind working a 12 hr shift. I just think I bit off more than I can chew with this job, because of the commute and harassment.

My goal is to drive for a year or so for decent pay, then get my own truck and lease to a company. I would like a job where I am on more interstates or bigger highways-not tiny gravel roads

What do yall think? Should I stick it out for longer or apply for local **** that is closer to home?

Hi all, **if you're a tldr guy, skip to the bottom for a numbered list of questions. If you wanna be Dr. Phil, learn about my background, and hear about my first week driving local end dump, start here!

The past 10 months of my life have been the hardest period of my life. I decided to quit my teaching job of 8 years where I was well-liked, comfortable, had summers off and took (past tense) a lot of anxiety medication to handle the boredom from repetition.

How long can one teach the same subject without going insane? This year the students were less and less engaged in class, while deeply hypnotized by their cell phones. I'm only 30, but I can already feel the age gap widening in communication-I had not experienced this before covid, but I was known as one of the most liked teachers by students. We had engaging discussions, we learned a lot and this disappeared. I was teaching to collect a check and hoped for good interactions and learning moments. Students told me this- I am not bragging.

During this school year, I got my CDL for the second time, but this time was different-I busted my ass prepping for the test with the intention of driving full time when school was over.

Before, I hauled containers during summers for an owner operator , but this was a side hustle with no benefits-I still had benefits from the teaching job.

Except for my trucker friends and girlfriend, I got nothing but flack from parents, since our family values education. Last year when I saw a 15 year teacher makes only 10k more than me, I stopped seeing teaching as an option if I want a comfortable life. I felt immense guilt towards the job (which didn't always treat me well) and my family. But ****, I want to make money and I love trucks, I put my windows down when driving next to them to hear the exhaust. Enough background, let's talk about my first week.

I got hired as an end dump driver at a yard 45 min away from my house. We leave the yard at 5 or 6 am, which means I wake up at 4 to get there.

On my way, I get a big cup of coffee, a bottle of water and healthy snacks (protein cookie) to last me till lunch. During lunch, I get a bigger meal, but not a coma-inducing carb bomb

The trips are about 30-50 min from one site to deposit shale at a concrete facility.

I am on a special meal plan, I am an athlete, and my nutritionist has me eating healthy snacks every 2 hours so I'm not hungry.

I was able to make 6 of 7 loads on my first solo day.

There was one curveball- I took the road test in a tractor trailer. When I got there they told me I will start in a super tandem (fancy dump truck). I had never driven a dump truck before, I have just hauled containers. I am still figuring out the quirks with these, as I've noticed they feel top heavy. I'm not mad about this- the manager told me I will drive a tractor trailer in a month or sooner if I feel comfortable. I got a clean bill of health from my trainer, who only spent two days with me.

A couple things I noticed: -there is not lot of time to jerk off. This isn't a bad thing, but a new feeling for me. It's back and forth with the loads with an occasional stop at a gas station to pee, get a snack and drink. I also don't **** during the day, so as one can imagine I get some nasty gas by the end of the day and all hell brakes loose when I get home. But at least I can stop and pee, and this was one of my biggest fears. The cab has a camera inside, so I can't go in a bottle

-at the end of the day i feel accomplished. I even stayed later than a few other drivers to clean the truck

-I also feel tired, but not bad. My clinical anxiety has almost disappeared, since I work a full 12 hour shift

****TLDR Here are the questions for local drivers.

1. What do you do to motivate yourself to keep going? On m first solo day, I could feel the motivation and hustle to get the **** done. I made less food stops than the day before

2. Good coolers for a small cab? I find cold drinks wake me up well. I also eat a half a small bag of chips, it's enough to get me going

3. How do you handle post lunch fatigue? I pulled over to sleep for 10min, but couldn't sleep so I kept trucking and drank a Starbucks. I want to improve on this

4. What do you do at the end of the day? When I get home I have mixed feelings. I want a good meal- I usually eat my first real meal of the day, I eat gas station snacks throughout the day. I feel tired, but I still have to workout. When I get a rhythm to the new job, will I be able to workout again after work?

5. Entertainment? I have a 4G phone, and I'm wondering if I should upgrade to 5G. I listen to podcasts, audio books and radio shows. I have yet to get bored

6. What do you do for comfort? The seat don't recline in a dump truck and the ride is rough. My back is sore, so I stretch and workout. I'm thinking of trying a purple seat cushion

7. What are handy items to keep in truck? I got cleaning supplies, air fresheners and put a light sunscreen since the windows aren't tinted and I don't want nasty skin, but I'm enjoying my tan!!

8. Bonus question.. Do the older trucks powered by ISX, 60 series or C15 drive better? My truck has a paccar and it's an auto. It feels gutless and I kept getting passed. My truck is auto, the ones passing me were old, mid 2000's manuals. My goal is to be an owner operator in a year and I want an old school truck with a big engine and a good seat

Thank you