Comments By JakeBreak

I can definitely relate about sleeping better on the truck and being home more exhausting than being on the road. The old lady usually has a ton of stuff for me to do and hen pecks me to death when I get in.

I am glad to hear I'm not the only one with that problem lol. I like being home with the family, but it's nice being out on the road too. When I'm out I can focus on working n making money when I go home I gotta focus on spending time with everyone while trying to get everything done that she assigned me.

Lol my longest run ever beats that by 1 mile lol. Phoenix AZ, to Vineland NJ. 2,384 miles. That's cool that your company will fly you home for hometime. Mine would either want me to reschedule my hometime or give the load to someone else.

Autos aren't too bad in the mountains. If you are running your Jake's then it won't upshift until you apply pedal again. You will want to learn where your optimal shift points for maintaining speed on a grade vs the economy shift points most companies use. And most importantly learn how to lock it in manual mode.

I started driving because I wanted a career I could support a family on. I was engaged to be married in a year and I was tired of the dead end jobs that were all that was available in my town. I had always wanted to be a driver, I had even tried when I turned 18, but no one would train me because I needed to be 21. Finally got started at 28 and looking back im glad I started that late because I wasn't mature enough to do this job at 21.

As for things I worried about were mainly wether or not I could do it. I had family at home that I had to make sure we're going to be ok with me being gone. I had screwed up just about every decent job I had ever had, hence my maturity comment. Cost was a minor concern, even though I had joined here and knew about the company sponsored training, I still didn't trust it. I didn't know the industry as well as I thought and had some hesitation about signing up with a company.

Now I've been driving for about 7 years, it doesn't feel that long most of the time lol. I've done OTR and local. Been married and divorced. Came back OTR about 2 years ago now and love it even more than I did the first time.

So how did you do it lol? I have never had a truck with a sliding 5th wheel but I did cover it in school and there's a couple threads on here with some tips.

I agree that it won't be legal for drivers anytime soon. Probably not til long after we are all gone. But I will say I agree with banks on this. I would love to see a more accurate test than the current one, because that is the only way I see the current regulations easing up would be if there was a test to accurately determine the last time it was used. If they can make one and you can prove the last time you smoked was on your hometime, then even the insurance companies would have a hard time disputing it.

Is that short cab yours to use all the time or are you having to turn it in at the end of the day and then someone else can drive it

Laura

This is important to know. If you have a small cab, but you gonna stay in it, you can invest in a lunchbox cooker and a cooler. Those should be pretty good to keep you going for awhile. You don't need a ton of space for cooking stuff.

I remember reading this when it was first posted. And to this day it is a sobering reminder of how bad things can go. I also keep the rule of 2s in my mind, because it is pretty accurate.

I agree with most on here. 16 is perfect to start on a farm or private property to drive. Mainly for the reasons Anne mentioned. Kids can master the mechanics and be physically able to do it, but thier brains just haven't matured enough for the mental aspects. All of the split second decisions and preparation for the long stretchs of boredom. I know for a fact that if I had the opportunity, regardless of the fact I have always wanted to be a driver, that I would have screwed up and lost my cdl, if I had started before I was 25.

I was just thinking today, this whole self driving truck thing reminds me of the CNG trucks. Back then everyone was saying CNG was the way to go and soon all the trucks would be powered by CNG. They got enough people interested that they got some stations put in, and even got a couple fleets to buy some trucks. Those fleets don't run those trucks very often anymore and I think they got rid of most of them. I think this self driving thing will be the same way. People are all hyped up for it and when a couple fleets actually try it they will find its more trouble than it's worth and abandon it.