Comments By Calkansan

I watch for spray from tires of other vehicles. If spray, probably no ice. No spray, ice. Drive safe speed for conditions. Roadway will be little warmer than air temp due to friction from tires and warmth of day. I also walk up to the street exit at truck stop to see road. Just a few suggestions.

Remember; failure is an event, not a character trait. Focus on your accomplishments and try to build on them. It will happen for you. Good luck.

Wind. I had to take everything again so I could add hazmat. I took all tests, class A, C, & M1 including endorsements, for $39.00 in April 2017. Price might have changed since then. Good luck.

Easy. Always slide tandems toward the problem.

Master your clock. Master trip planning. Communication with your DM. Nothing pays more than cents per mile (CPM). When the wheels are turning, you make the most. By mastering your clock, you use a majority of your clock driving. Communication so when you get that 3 day, 500 mile load, you can offer alternative plans to keep running. Top tier drivers want to deliver early or T call at yard to keep running. If you don't communicate with DM, how will they know what you want. A real life example; I had to drop current load at receiver 2 miles away from yard, then take empty to shipper (30 miles) and PU preloaded trailer for next load. Instead doing it on 1 day, I had enough time on clock to drop current load in yard, take empty to shipper, PU preloaded and drop in yard. Hook up to original trailer and take 10 hour break. Next day, deliver original load, drop empty in yard, hook up to new load and go. This saved me 2 hours of clock. That's an extra 120 miles on that days shift. Planning and implementing these little things can make big differences in pay.

Never carry on the job. Not worth it. On the other hand, a good can of wasp spray and an iron 5th wheel puller does inflict decent body damage.

G & P does dry van. Not sure about reefer. Mostly southeast and some Texas. Check out YouTube, Trucker Jim and Red Viking Trucker channels. They drive for G&P. Seems like they are home every weekend. Hope this helps.

I was a trainer for awhile. 3 things I think are important. 1) find out what your students expectations are of this industry. Dispel any myths. Some questions I was asked; a) $100,000 my first year possible? b) 34hr resets every week? When you find out their expectations are reasonable, help them achieve their goals. When the student becomes successful, they gain confidence. Point out when they are successful. 2) Figure out how they learn. Are they a visual learner or audio, combination of both. Find out fast and teach them that way. Then all time will be productive. 3) lastly, be serious but make it fun. Tell your stories and stupid mistakes you made. It will help them relax. Their stress level is high already.

Good luck

I pulled reefer for 2 years. My average trip was E Washington to Bedford or Foggelsville, pa. PU and hop to west coast IE. Philly to cincy, cincy to SLC, SLC to Portland then rinse and repeat. My first run after I soloed was Portland to Savanah, Georgia. 2800 miles in 7 days. :) You want to see the country, pull reefer. Good luck.

When I was new, I practiced in the yard on the course when it was free. On the road, I would take my 30 around 10-12 noon. I would do 3 or 4 backs before I parked at a truck stop. Pick areas where there are few obstacles. Use a hat or gloves on the ground to mark lanes. Practice different backing exercises. It is always stressful when you are new. Try to tune it out. Remember, successful backing is to not hit anything. It is not a race to get it parked. And always, GOAL as many times as necessary. With time, you will back the truck better than in your car. ;)