Profile For Drew D.

Also, their equipment is top notch and offer Reefer and Flatbed. My truck as a rookie is a Pete with 200k miles. Nice facility and let you keep the truck near home. 7-10 days out with resets at home and consider your home life needs heavily. We also don't touch West coast or East coast.

Not trying to sell you for any other reason than I genuinely love my company.

Doug Andrus is out of Idaho Falls and they are exceptional. For my first company, they have made my experience great and they are very easy to work with and work for. Very family oriented.

Doug Andrus is out of Idaho Falls and they are exceptional. For my first company, they have made my experience great and they are very easy to work with and work for. Very family oriented.

I tried giving the guy a brief synopsis of my limited experience thus far. Even paraphrased it as such in my first response.

Aside from the footwear debacle, I felt like I provided some positive takeaways.

As far as my "snarky" response, I can admit that perhaps that was misdirected. But I stand by my comment of common sense applies. If you are in a flatbed or heavy haul, yeah, make sure you are protected.

But you are in an automatic reefer truck with the cruise control set for the majority of your trip, whats the harm in getting a bit more comfortable? Obviously people take issue with that and it is what it is.

I get that people are passionate about certain key issues like the old floating vs double clutching argument. My CDL school taught exclusively floating, my tester didn't even verify if I could DC (I can) and my company actively discourages double clutching. Yet I had people here tell me how that is more or less blasphemy.

But not to get off topic, I will refrain from posting my experiences in the future as you and other mods have a specific path for which to guide newer drivers. And thats cool. I am a guest here at the end of the day. And I have received valuable help here so I'm not discrediting or discounting that.

But ease up on the barefoot express man. 😂

So then Drew with all of your experience why would you suggest to a pre-rookie to go barefoot? When they were looking for advice on school, employers… precursors and a long way from considering the crux of your initial reply.

I offered examples, factual ones pointing out that your choice of footwear, or lack there-of is not good advice for a greenhorn. Especially the snarky reply offered in response to PackRat and Bruce,

I give people the benefit of the doubt before I block or delete their posts. Still applies to you…

You're fine. Unless you are morbidly obese, your body will have long since metabolized it.

I had this same dilemma back in 2016 when I tried getting a job with AAA. I don't partake under normal circumstances, but found a job a really wanted and it was six months dated from the time I had a few puffs. I worried about the same thing and passed.

It goes without saying that, once you are employed, do not take any chances. If I have so much as a single beer at the lounge, someone else drives. And I do not ingest anything I would want coming up in any kind of test. Because once the clearing house pops you, good luck.

That said, I would be shocked if this one incident came back to haunt you.

So I am going through Roehl for the GYCDL program. I was honest and let my recruiter know, I had eaten an edible while in Oregon visiting my sister in early May. I took My hair follicle and urine test Monday. Its Friday. Am I in the clear? Would they had called by now? My recruiter said no news is good news, but I need confirmation.

I bobtail to cigar lounges and sit and have a couple stogies with good people I will likely never see again.

G-Town, I appreciate all the past advice you have offered. I do, infact, listen intently to advice given here by you and other experienced drivers.

You don't agree with some of my statements and that is also fair. You have probably forgotten more about trucking than I will likely learn.

However, that said, I do not appreciate this idea of being told that adjusting my understanding is "futile." Kind of comes off extremely smug instead of being truly helpful.

I offered my two cents based on my limited experience. But make no mistake, I have spent many years behind the wheel of various tow trucks in very dangerous places. This my be another unpopular opinion here, but I feel being a tow truck operator is vastly more dangerous than long haul trucking. So that said, I know a thing or two about safety and common sense.

We may agree to disagree on one's footwear while inside the cab of a truck, but I am not some green 21 year old fresh out of CDL school with zero prior experience in the workforce in general. Lets just get that right.

I have the utmost respect for the experienced drivers on this forum. If you or any moderators feel my comments are "too radical" and/or violated any community standards than, by all means, lock or delete my posts.

I have yet to be bothered where I park. But as I mentioned above, common sense applies. And sometimes, you don't have a choice (or your choices suck and this is the least suckiest).

And as far as driving barefoot in the winter, obviously I wouldn't be doing that in sub 20 degree weather. This is just a cultural disconnect. I don't understand why grown men worry so much about what other grown men are wearing in their own cabs but I digress. The point I made to the gentleman posing the question is to take liberties with comfort where you can find them. We are paid by mile and literally live at our jobs. But that said, common sense is key.

I am a trucking newbie and actually just cleared my 90 days solo with my first company. I will offer some things I picked up on my own that some may disagree with. However, this has been my experience thus far.

-Ensure your wife is 100% all in. And even if she is, expect growing pains. My wife was my #1 fan for getting into trucking but we had some hiccups in the beginning. Expect it.

-Don't get caught up in all the noise you hear from disgruntled "super truckers" that take the job way to seriously. I'm not talking about genuine experienced people looking to help. I'm talking about negativity magnets that spew nothing but vitriol about the industry and those looking to join it.

-This will be super controversial but I don't care: BE COMFORTABLE. I drive in gym shorts and bare feet. The shorts are the only thing that dampens the tailbone pain in conjunction with a cushion because Peterbilt seats suck. And the bare footing is because my feet sweat alot and it feels good on a 10+ hour drive. I also keep a jar of properly humidified cigars next to my seat and enjoy a good smoke while I'm driving. I also have my sleeper setup with high speed internet, XBOX, and plenty of streaming services along with ambient lighting. I took the liberty of making my sleeper/portable apodment into a place I enjoy hanging out in. You will hear many people discuss how drivers who walk around in flip flops and shorts at Truck stops are a "disgrace to the industry" don't listen to those people. Just make sure to dress appropriately for pickups and drop offs. Other than that, do you booboo.

-This job is great if you don't like people and prefer to engage with them mostly on your terms and in bite sizes. I too was from the retail space before I got into emergency roadside. I found the jobs in which I was self accountable and left to my devices, I enjoyed more and did better at. If this describes you, you will do thrive.

-Get a cheap electric leaf blower to blow out your dirty trailers. You will look back on this advice and thank me down the line.

-Forgiveness over permission. I'll give a quick example: I had a broker load leaving NC going to Kentucky after a two day layover in SC. The load literally, no matter how I sliced it, could not be picked up, driven, and delivered the next morning while getting my 10 hour reset in at a truck stop or parking area. I had no idea if this facility had onsite parking. I got there around 2am, they didn't have a gate, so I just parked inside the lot as my appointment was at 8am anyway. I limped my truck to the door without taking myself out of the sleeper and had them unload me. I was barely able to clear 10 hours at the end when I was handed my bills. No one said anything about the parking. But had I asked? Who knows. Could have ended up screwed.

-Trip planning allows you to make your own schedule... Kind of. I usually leave around 3am-4am to start my day so I can get a guaranteed parking spot when I shut down. You will learn to love this flexibility.

Have fun! Enjoy the job and don't do anything unsafe. Also, don't take it so seriously that you make yourself uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, there is no unwritten bi-laws of trucking that says you have to do things a certain way. Make your appointments, deliver on time, drive legal, and don't hit anything. That is basically the gist of it. 😀

Drew, you recommend “forgiveness over permission”. And yes, sometimes I have followed this path. It usually leads to trouble. For example, I have parked for my 10 hr break in certain iffy places just because they were convenient. Then part way through the break, usually while I’m dreaming about a 1000 hp tractor with custom features and great fuel efficiency, I got the dreaded nocturnal knock on the door. I hate the knock on the door in any circumstance. Anticipating the “knock” makes me nervous and at my age, I don’t like to be nervous. So, I have become very judicious about where I park. I don’t want to ask forgiveness from anyone except Jesus, with a few exceptions.

Common sense applies for sure.

Depends on the job Drew… flatbedders and the type of work I do requires work boots. Many companies have footwear policy.

Drop a chain on your barefoot wearing flip flops and your likely sitting in the ER waiting for an X-ray.

I am a trucking newbie and actually just cleared my 90 days solo with my first company. I will offer some things I picked up on my own that some may disagree with. However, this has been my experience thus far.

-Ensure your wife is 100% all in. And even if she is, expect growing pains. My wife was my #1 fan for getting into trucking but we had some hiccups in the beginning. Expect it.

-Don't get caught up in all the noise you hear from disgruntled "super truckers" that take the job way to seriously. I'm not talking about genuine experienced people looking to help. I'm talking about negativity magnets that spew nothing but vitriol about the industry and those looking to join it.

-This will be super controversial but I don't care: BE COMFORTABLE. I drive in gym shorts and bare feet. The shorts are the only thing that dampens the tailbone pain in conjunction with a cushion because Peterbilt seats suck. And the bare footing is because my feet sweat alot and it feels good on a 10+ hour drive. I also keep a jar of properly humidified cigars next to my seat and enjoy a good smoke while I'm driving. I also have my sleeper setup with high speed internet, XBOX, and plenty of streaming services along with ambient lighting. I took the liberty of making my sleeper/portable apodment into a place I enjoy hanging out in. You will hear many people discuss how drivers who walk around in flip flops and shorts at Truck stops are a "disgrace to the industry" don't listen to those people. Just make sure to dress appropriately for pickups and drop offs. Other than that, do you booboo.

-This job is great if you don't like people and prefer to engage with them mostly on your terms and in bite sizes. I too was from the retail space before I got into emergency roadside. I found the jobs in which I was self accountable and left to my devices, I enjoyed more and did better at. If this describes you, you will do thrive.

-Get a cheap electric leaf blower to blow out your dirty trailers. You will look back on this advice and thank me down the line.

-Forgiveness over permission. I'll give a quick example: I had a broker load leaving NC going to Kentucky after a two day layover in SC. The load literally, no matter how I sliced it, could not be picked up, driven, and delivered the next morning while getting my 10 hour reset in at a truck stop or parking area. I had no idea if this facility had onsite parking. I got there around 2am, they didn't have a gate, so I just parked inside the lot as my appointment was at 8am anyway. I limped my truck to the door without taking myself out of the sleeper and had them unload me. I was barely able to clear 10 hours at the end when I was handed my bills. No one said anything about the parking. But had I asked? Who knows. Could have ended up screwed.

-Trip planning allows you to make your own schedule... Kind of. I usually leave around 3am-4am to start my day so I can get a guaranteed parking spot when I shut down. You will learn to love this flexibility.

Have fun! Enjoy the job and don't do anything unsafe. Also, don't take it so seriously that you make yourself uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, there is no unwritten bi-laws of trucking that says you have to do things a certain way. Make your appointments, deliver on time, drive legal, and don't hit anything. That is basically the gist of it. 😀

I am a trucking newbie and actually just cleared my 90 days solo with my first company. I will offer some things I picked up on my own that some may disagree with. However, this has been my experience thus far.

-Ensure your wife is 100% all in. And even if she is, expect growing pains. My wife was my #1 fan for getting into trucking but we had some hiccups in the beginning. Expect it.

-Don't get caught up in all the noise you hear from disgruntled "super truckers" that take the job way to seriously. I'm not talking about genuine experienced people looking to help. I'm talking about negativity magnets that spew nothing but vitriol about the industry and those looking to join it.

-This will be super controversial but I don't care: BE COMFORTABLE. I drive in gym shorts and bare feet. The shorts are the only thing that dampens the tailbone pain in conjunction with a cushion because Peterbilt seats suck. And the bare footing is because my feet sweat alot and it feels good on a 10+ hour drive. I also keep a jar of properly humidified cigars next to my seat and enjoy a good smoke while I'm driving. I also have my sleeper setup with high speed internet, XBOX, and plenty of streaming services along with ambient lighting. I took the liberty of making my sleeper/portable apodment into a place I enjoy hanging out in. You will hear many people discuss how drivers who walk around in flip flops and shorts at Truck stops are a "disgrace to the industry" don't listen to those people. Just make sure to dress appropriately for pickups and drop offs. Other than that, do you booboo.

-This job is great if you don't like people and prefer to engage with them mostly on your terms and in bite sizes. I too was from the retail space before I got into emergency roadside. I found the jobs in which I was self accountable and left to my devices, I enjoyed more and did better at. If this describes you, you will do thrive.

-Get a cheap electric leaf blower to blow out your dirty trailers. You will look back on this advice and thank me down the line.

-Forgiveness over permission. I'll give a quick example: I had a broker load leaving NC going to Kentucky after a two day layover in SC. The load literally, no matter how I sliced it, could not be picked up, driven, and delivered the next morning while getting my 10 hour reset in at a truck stop or parking area. I had no idea if this facility had onsite parking. I got there around 2am, they didn't have a gate, so I just parked inside the lot as my appointment was at 8am anyway. I limped my truck to the door without taking myself out of the sleeper and had them unload me. I was barely able to clear 10 hours at the end when I was handed my bills. No one said anything about the parking. But had I asked? Who knows. Could have ended up screwed.

-Trip planning allows you to make your own schedule... Kind of. I usually leave around 3am-4am to start my day so I can get a guaranteed parking spot when I shut down. You will learn to love this flexibility.

Have fun! Enjoy the job and don't do anything unsafe. Also, don't take it so seriously that you make yourself uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, there is no unwritten bi-laws of trucking that says you have to do things a certain way. Make your appointments, deliver on time, drive legal, and don't hit anything. That is basically the gist of it. 😀

Doug Andrus out of Idaho Falls, ID.

Had six weeks of solid training (240 hours behind the wheel) all done on a 13 speed.

Highly recommend them as a company if you are looking to break into the industry. They have been very good to me.

I work with Doug Andrus and they are absolutely fantastic. Granted, they are my first CDL/OTR job, but you go out for 7-10 days and they get your resets at home. However, if you want to stay out more, you just let your DM know.

I will be out going on 3 weeks now by the time I get home. I will be taking 3-4 days off and then back out.

I think you need to make your needs known, and if the company you are with isn't a match, look elsewhere. Just my two cents. But I am also a rookie trucker myself.

All excellent advice.

And G-town, you will be happy to know I use Trucker Path app on every new facility I pick up and drop at. I spend a good deal of time trip planning and mapping out best entry points, seeing what the facility offers (overnight parking for example), and most importantly, location in relation to busy city centers and layout of doors.

That app has saved my life quite a few times as my Garmin isn't always accurate or up to date on locations. So I use google, TPA, and my Garmin to setup a full trip from start to finish. It definitely helps me pre-plan how I will attack my entry/setup as well. You can clearly see in most cases how and where you will have to setup, back, and possibly blindside.

Thanks again for all the helpful tips here. I will definitely keep practicing on these backs! :)

Thanks G-town and everyone else for that matter. I really appreciate you guys not being judgmental about this topic. My goal is to be safe AND effective.

And yeah, that frozen side of King Soopers was fun. I did a pickup at Cargill in Charlotte last week that was super tight and nailed it on one try. I just want to get more consistent but I understand that it will take time.

Practice, practice and more practice. It’s the best teacher by far! Although our friend Moe backs only when necessary, if you really want to improve, don’t miss an opportunity for additional reps.

About the 6-9 month point of experience, things will get easier and smoother. In the meantime, take your time, GOAL before you commit to a setup and avoid the temptation to over-steer when making adjustments (smaller is better).

I’m of the Turtle School of thought when it comes to backing… all feel. But keep in mind… repetitions, hundreds of them is what it takes to get to that point.

Good luck.

Yeah I would literally kill to have a workshop day where I just sit with someone experienced at teaching good setup habits. Once I get a solid setup, I am fine. I don't have trouble once I get my truck into the spot without getting too close to the truck on my sight side. I also sometimes over angle to where I no longer have enough room to chase the tractor without posing a risk of popping something with the front of my tractor. I am like RIGHT THERE when it comes to getting it right. It is just annoying because I use to back cars up in tight spaces all the time in my old tow truck. So I know how to back. It is just trying to find those sweet spot setups that allow me to follow the trailer into said space. I just backed into a spot last night with my tandems all the way back at the IWI-King Soopers frozen warehouse in Denver. They don't have a ton of room on the east side of the building for catching up to the trailer so I had to do a crazy 90 degree turn that took a few attempts.

I guess ultimately, I do get the truck where I want it eventually. And I am over protecting of not doing any damage. I consider my situational awareness to be solid due to my past life operating a tow truck. I just think I would really benefit from having an experienced trainer work with me for a couple hours. I really feel like I am probably doing something minor that is causing me issues. I also get maybe back a small number of times per week due to being OTR. I don't bump nearly as many docks as LTL or local drivers. I very rarely have problems at shipper/receivers. My main issue is truck stops. I purposely try to end my day between 2pm - 4pm to ensure I have ample selection wherever I stop for the night. But I know that eventually, I will have to get good at this. I've been on the job but a couple of months now. So I am still very green. But I don't want that to be an excuse.

In addition to the great advice others have offered on here, I’m going to take a wild guess (sorry didn’t read all the comments so maybe you already said this) that part of your struggle is when you come in too close to the truck on the sight side your trailer overhang gets you into trouble. If that’s the case the problem isn’t that you’re coming in too close to the truck on your sight side but rather that you’re too close to the spot when you initially drive by it for your setup. It depends on where your tandems are but if your tandems are pretty far forward you need some distance from the spot when initially driving past it. If your tandems are further back or all the way back you want to be closer to the spot when driving past it. It took me a while to learn this. Either way with the proper setup it’s actual better to be as close as possible to the truck on your sight side (when backing up not during setup) because it lowers the risk of striking the truck on your blind side.

Hopefully that makes sense. I always have a hard time trying to describe backing without being able to demonstrate

Yeah I drive a Pete with a large sleeper. My trainer also mentioned Pete's having a different turn radius. I will just keep practicing. Everyone has been very helpful.

This is the exact setup I use. If the path is narrower, I move my first cut almost a full truck length further from my spot. Also, until you get it dialed in, I was taught to full stop before making the big changes.

Pull past my spot. Stop. Crank full right, and then move. Stop. Crank full left, and then move. This gives more control in my opinion.

Also, worth noting, I struggle backing in a Pete, but nail it in the Freightliner. I think the turning radius is significantly different enough that I never got my setup just right.

There are many factors that will affect your setup, and each factor will have its own effect. But here is something you can try that may help you gain more consistency in your backs.

Come in about 6 ft away from the row of trucks you want to park in. You are pointing to 9 o'clock. Roll 1 truck past your spot, when your door is even with the driver side of that next truck, stop and turn hard right until you are at 12 o'clock. Stop and turn hard left until you are at 9 o'clock again. Straighten wheels, reverse until your rear tandem axle hits the imaginary line extending out from the line in your space. Hard left to follow it in the hole.

This setup and execution will get you very close. Obviously you'll have to fine-tune your approach, depending on outside factors.

I'm more of a gut feel kind of backer, preferring not to use any kind of pre-planned setup. But I understand that doesn't work for everybody.

It's better to come in close to the sight side as you do, instead of the opposite. I teach everybody to never try perfectly centering your trailer in the hole every time. That's a recipe for an accident. Come in close to the sight side and use a pull up to adjust after you're in the hole.

I found my sweetspot to be between 3am - 4am start time. This gets me at a truck stop between 2pm - 4pm at the latest. Guaranteed parking and the day seems to go by faster. I'm not a fan of mid day driving. Early morning or graveyard is king in my opinion.

Yes, I was sitting in Sidney at the Love's parking lot and didn't receive and signal. One of a handful of places. Mobile Hotspot still worked as a backup though. But yeah, Nebraska kind of sucks for internet.

I have a T-Mobile internet gateway on my truck. The only place I got sure won't get signal is Nebraska. The phone reps have zero clue that they are now marketed for RV use, and still think they are geo locked. I had to go in store to get one. As of right now, it's $50/mo unlimited using the $5 autopay discount.

How do you get your Xbox to work? Doesn't it require Internet to work correctly? Do you have a TV?

TV with a bunch of streaming services, Gaming laptop, Xbox, Switch lite. Waiting on my Steam Deck.

T-mobile has this killer new 5G home internet modem that is unlimited and FAST! I was initially looking for more hotshot and the Tmoe salesman wouldn't shut up about this thing. He gave me a 14 day free cancelation if I didn't like it and man, I have to say, almost every single place I have been has had really great speed. I was actually just sitting in the swamp of Delhi, LA waiting on a load from the Americold and had a consistent 300/mbps connection. I can download full games, play shooters, MMOs, and other various things on my XBOX and run other streaming services perfectly.

This little device was a gamer changer for sure.

But to answer your initial question, I do all of the above I mentioned, and bobtail to cigar lounges that may be close to the truck stop. If there isn't a lounge, I will pull out my chair, find a nice spot, put on some music, and smoke a nice stogie and gather my thoughts for the day.

All in all, I love the life even though im pretty new to it.

How do you get your Xbox to work? Doesn't it require Internet to work correctly? Do you have a TV?

TV with a bunch of streaming services, Gaming laptop, Xbox, Switch lite. Waiting on my Steam Deck.

That makes alot of sense. I'll try it. Thank you very much.

There are many factors that will affect your setup, and each factor will have its own effect. But here is something you can try that may help you gain more consistency in your backs.

Come in about 6 ft away from the row of trucks you want to park in. You are pointing to 9 o'clock. Roll 1 truck past your spot, when your door is even with the driver side of that next truck, stop and turn hard right until you are at 12 o'clock. Stop and turn hard left until you are at 9 o'clock again. Straighten wheels, reverse until your rear tandem axle hits the imaginary line extending out from the line in your space. Hard left to follow it in the hole.

This setup and execution will get you very close. Obviously you'll have to fine-tune your approach, depending on outside factors.

I'm more of a gut feel kind of backer, preferring not to use any kind of pre-planned setup. But I understand that doesn't work for everybody.

It's better to come in close to the sight side as you do, instead of the opposite. I teach everybody to never try perfectly centering your trailer in the hole every time. That's a recipe for an accident. Come in close to the sight side and use a pull up to adjust after you're in the hole.

Thanks man,

Yeah I can get into many stops and typically plan my day so that I have "low hanging fruit" as I typically start between 3am - 4am at the latest unless my appointment demands otherwise. I am just trying to get this last bit of know-how dialed in.

I obviously use common sense and do as many pull throughs and straight backs as possible. This goes for shippers/receivers as well.

Drew,

For backing, the best rule is don’t do it if you don’t have to. I’m with Marten transport and that is actually one of the best advices safety gave us. If you really struggle with backing at truck stops (many are designed too tight) then try to find a clean pull through or straight back. There’s nothing wrong with looking for the low hanging fruit, I’ve been driving close to 18 months now and I still look for clean pull throughs etc, especially after a long day when I’m dog tired. I’ll tell you that TA, Kwik Trips (MN And WI mainly) and SAPP Bros (midwest in WY, NB and KS mainly) are all great truck stops and typically designed better than Pilot and some Loves. Ironically I am seeing improvements on some of the newer truck stops from the last two I mentioned, perhaps insurance companies were getting on them who knows?

Often times however rule #1 isn’t practical, I’ll typically go 1.5 trucks past my intended spot for a setup and try to straight back it if I can. If I can’t straight back it then I’ll pull past my chosen space turn the wheel left to put some bend in the trailer and 90 it inside. Provided you have enough space in front of you as you swing you should be able to make pull ups as needed to get the bend out etc and safely work it in there.

The only thing I didn’t read from your post was GOALing (get out and look) you should be doing that anytime you get in a tight spot at a truck stop or receiver, for me even the simple act of getting out walking around and getting a quick mental refresh helps me get my mind in the right place.

I always like to have a list of truck stops handy near where I pick up or deliver as some are easier than others to navigate.

Hope that helps man, be safe out there

Hey all,

Been solo for a few months now and things are going very well.

The only thing I am inconsistent on is backing. Particularly at truck stops.

I understand how the trailer reacts and which way to turn the wheel etc.

My issues come from my setups. I feel like I either overshoot or undershoot my spot and I end up overcompensating with too much angle.

I also find myself getting alittle too close to the truck on my sight side. Once I do this, I struggle with correcting this situation to where I put enough gap between my sight truck without sending my DOT bumper into the blindside truck door.

I have been told to turn off to 12 oclock after you pass your spot and 1 truck and I have been told 2 trucks. The advice I have gotten has been helpful, but I am struggling to get that perfect setup that allows for a nice smooth back.

Any tips and help would be greatly appreciated as this is my Achilles heel at the moment.