Comments By Jason V.

General knowledge is going to be basic things about a combination vehicle. What's the max legal gross weight of a cmv? Safety stuff, vehicle control. Basic stuff though. Not specific training questions like the license test. The CDL manual from your local DMV will literally have EVERYTHING you need to know in it.

First, for the,love of whatever God you believe in, do not get into an automatic!!!! This GREATLY reduces your abilities as a trucker. How many companies would you have to walk away from an amazing offer because they don't have automatics? It's VERY easy to shift. Get 3 paper tubes, one for the clutch, one for brake, one for throttle. Get a plunger, that's the shifter. Get familiar with the Addams Family theme song. The 2 claps are the speed you need to shift. It gets easy with practice. Clutch neutral, clutch gear. Your road speed and RPMs will dictate if you get the gear. Example, at 5mph in a 10-speed, 2nd gear. Shift to 3rd at 9-10mph and 1100 rpms. Do it Addams Family theme speed, you will get the gear. Don't jam the shifter either. Think of the shifter as a fabrige egg. Gentle pressure with your finger tips is PLENTY to,get it,in gear. Light pressure with your Palm is enough to get it out.

No problem. It what we experienced drivers should be doing for new drivers. Yeah, we're gonna make fun of you when you try to park at a truck stop, or a tight back at the receiver. Gotta be thick skinned. Most of the time, we are just messing around. Ths is a job that will beat your mind into submission. Hearing the engine at 1350rpms for hours on end. The tires can sing you to sleep. You get tired. Your dispatcher is having a bad day and you're today's target for BS. Gotta learn to duck a$$ things. Let it go. If you need help, by all means, ask one of us vets, we'll help.

Unfortunately, insulin dependent diabetes is a medical disqualification. Your condition MUST be stable without insulin for a period of time. I forget how long. It's not real long though. There are diabetic drivers out there. So there are ways around it. They are primarily concerned with keeping dangerous drivers,off the road. It's not personal.

My Doctor said the cut off was 130 over 80 if I remember right. You can be on medication but I don't think that changes the numbers you need to meet. I didn't research it or anything because I was under that, so there might be more to the rules than that. I would google D.O.T. medical requirements. Good luck

Anything higher than 130/80 medically disqualifies you to have a valid CDL. This is already a stressful job. Take care of it before you even think of getting a DOT physical done or even picking up a CDL manual at the dmv.

I feel I need to warn,you about Prime. This is from experience as an owner-operator leased to them. Prime staff and drivers may be nice and all, but, the corporate part of Prime literally sees you as little more than a living breathing log book. I had some wiggle room as my own boss, but, my dispatcher had a 100mph pen and my truck, by Prime's rules, was governed at 65mph. If you feel unsafe with a situation, they will try to pressure you into doing whatever it is. Some of their loads are misplanned. Example of this, at Newly Wed Foods, I have a pick on 5/19/2015. The shipper had me scheduled for the day after. Prime vehemently refused to accept responsibility for this mix-up and this lack of culpability ultimately lead to me terminating my contract with them. They charge a huge amount for their lease,program as well. From several of their lease drivers, average payment just for the tractor is $850/wk for a 2015 Cascadia Evolution. $1,050/wk for the Peterbilt 587. Also, if they EVER send you to 8118 Bunkum Rd. Caseyville, IL, DON'T go! It is illegal from a tractor-trailer to be down that road that ISN'T a Henderson truck or the rail company next door to them. $3,000+ fine for it. Those 2 have special permits,from the city to operate on that road. Don't risk it.

Any and all opioids are out of your endocrine system in 3-5 days depending on Use. Hair samples can track years, depending on hair growth. FDOT only says urine test to be legal. Good luck with your pain management. Been there myself. Opioid withdrawal is very painful.

Use dawn dishwash on the squeegee. Everything shrubs off pretty easily. Sitting and waiting does suck, but, use that time to catch up on paperwork, plan the rest of your trip and whatever else needs done. This job is only a little bit about the drive. It's more about being an administrator than anything. Yes, driving is the longest part of the job, but, the paperwork is vitally important. BoL's get you paid. Properly planned trips save time and fuel. Time management is what it's about. If everything is caught up, take a nap! Go to sleeper berth and get some sleep. You're not super trucker.

A undertaking contact with,your tractor or trailer will cause serious damage to either. The deer will 99.999% of the time, die. No avoiding it. DO NOT try to swerve to miss. that can cause a stability issue and an 8' wide cab on a 3' frame is precarious enough. Run bamby right the hell over. Animal suicide is actually pretty common though. On a run today, squirrel ran in front of my driver side steer. Squirrel became street grease. It sucks, but it happens. I've had birds bounce off my tractor, various small animals get plowed under the tires. You don't swerve. Run the critter down.

We had a discussion about this not too long ago. It got pretty intense. Some folks just don't mind it while others refuse to work for a carrier that uses them. They see it as an invasion of their personal space. To each his own. I personally have my own dash cam because it's the smartest investment you can make.

Now as far as this VHS thing goes. I have no clue what that even is so I can't help you with that. Errol was around back when Ox carrages were the main transportation so I'm sure he can help you with any ancient technology like the VHS.

Guess that means I was around for that too. I fondly remember my loony toons VHS. Memories...as for the camera issue, they really are a godsend for the industry. A wise O/O has one. Save your butt if a 4-wheeler decides traffic laws don't apply to them or they want to retire a couple decades early. The fact is, if these cameras are doing what they need to, which is protect the company, they will weed out the dangerous truckers and make sure the safe ones stay on the road. It's that easy. Playing on your phone and you killed someone, that's 100% on you driver. Camera proved it. Got hit by a speeding 4-wheeler? Camera just saved your CDL. The ones who complain about the cameras are the ones who shouldn't be driving a CMV.