Comments By Travis H.

I'm good at investing money. For example, I just took the two dollars that I could have spent on a Powerball ticket, and bought myself a 1/2 gallon tub of butter pecan ice cream. I am now eating the dividends.

Got perfect scores for my permit test, then got a chance to drive. It was terrifying and exciting. And I kept stalling out when coming to a stop. So much to remember about what to do with my hands and feet.....At least I didn't hit anyone or anything.

Congrats on passing your permit test! I take mine in two weeks, so I am working through the High Road Training Program when I can. I am learning a lot, but I'm not a great test taker and my greatest fear is blanking out when I get to the real deal. You even got to drive after? How lucky was that! May I ask what you were driving? Was it a Pete? A Mack? Did you drive alone? If I drove alone my first time, I would freak out. Best of luck to you with your schooling. I'm sure you will do great!

https://www.truckingtruth.com/truckers-forum/Topic-12360/Page-1/aced-my-permit-test

I don't know how relevant to your situation this would be, but here is an instruction video from Roadmaster school. In the video an instructor goes over the pretrip inspection. At the very end, she goes over air brakes. I hope this helps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=125nXCUVUXo

So from what I understand by reading the posts in this thread, idling one's truck consumes fuel and battery power, as well as additional wear on the truck. I have learned that idling one's truck cuts out a potential fuel bonus one might otherwise receive, a loss amounting in a few thousand dollars a year in potential income. Lastly, I have learned that trucks with APUs do not draw from the fuel or power source on a truck when one idles, saving their company money and earning themselves the aforementioned bonus.

Forgive me as I still have yet to attend trucking school, have yet to drive professionally for anyone, and only drive for recreation or a means to get to where I need to be that is out of walking distance. But I must ask this. Is there a way to cut down on a truck's energy consumption outside of the ways that I already know of (buying cheaper gas, and picking the shortest route) so that one may receive the fuel and energy saving bonus while not sacrificing one's own comfort?

I am also assuming that one needs to idle one's truck in order to run any appliances (refrigerator, microwave, blender, etc.) I am also aware that preparing one's own food is usually cheaper, saving both time and money. If one wishes to maintain the fuel bonus, one might not be able to keep perishable food inside one's vehicle, lest it spoil. Unless there is another way to power said appliances (like maybe a generator). But even those consume one's own money to buy and repair, take up space in an already cramped environment, and require charging in order to keep generating power. If one keeps to eating only dry or canned foods, I suppose one could make do. One would have to idle just enough to cook one's food, but not idle the whole time as needed when keeping perishable foods in the refrigerator. This would also mean one needs to buy ice and keep it in a cooler of one desires cold beverages (I heard dry ice can help keep beverages cold as well.)

So I suppose what I am trying to get at is this. For those who are able to get their full gas and energy saving bonus and do not have an APU installed on their trucks, how do they manage? I would like to learn as much as I can about saving energy now, so I may maximize my earning potential later. As always, thank you all in advance for any thoughts or replies. They are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the information on orientation with Werner. I intend on working as a Werner driver after finishing school. I begin school on the 18th of January. If it wouldn't offend you to do so, would you please tell me what they are starting you out with in pay by the mile? The recruiter I spoke with said I would average somewhere between $40,000 - $45,000 my first year as an OTR driver, but I have a feeling I was being lied to.

I am hoping to start at around .25 cents a mile and maybe $25,000 my first year. I have read horror stories on the Internet about a new driver for Werner making .09 cents a mile (not a typo - nine cents). I did the math and if I drove 500 miles at .09 cent a mile, I'd make $45 a day and just over $14,500 a year, which is less than what I currently make as a cashier with Wal-Mart. Not that I am trying to get into trucking as a means of "getting rich", but I would at least like to find myself in a better position than what I am now. (Currently in the $18,000 a year range.)

If you get your permit before you leave for school, you can be learning other things while the non-permit people catch up to you.

Your school will be short enough already. Use the time you're paying for wisely.

I was actually wondering the same thing for my situation. Hopefully the CDL permit isn't as expensive as the license. I'm going to visit Roadmaster this week to tour the school and hopefully begin the admissions process, and if getting my CDL permit via the local DMV will benefit me when classes start, I'm all for it. I'm aiming for a January start date with the school by the way.

Congratulations on getting your job back. As a prospective truck driver, I learned a lot from this thread about how one's emotions can get the better of them while out on the job. Thank you for sharing your experience, and I look forward to reading more posts from you soon.

A recruiter for Roadmaster trucking schools called me. She walked me through how new students become truck drivers through their program. She talked about how students receive loans, go through the process of getting their CDL, and then go to a job fair after they graduate where prospective employers interview them. She even told me how employers often pay the loans owed back once the graduated driver becomes employed.

But there's the thing. The whole phone call felt rushed. I told her that I was working retail and how I didn't want to leave my current employer to embark on a new career path until after the holidays. I'm not undecided about becoming a truck driver mind you. I'm just undecided on how I want to go about it. I conveyed this to her as well. She asked if there was any way for me to get weekends off from my current employer so that I could go through some school and get it out of the way. I told her once again that I worked retail, and my employer will not let me have weekends off; especially during the holidays. She told me that she wanted me to call her back by the end of Friday (today) with a decision. This way, she would know "what to do with my file".

What should I do here? I don't want to make Roadmaster believe I'm not serious about a trucking career. And I don't want to burn that bridge to a career if I need to take it. But I am still at the very beginning of my research on which companies and schools to consider. I don't want to jump into a decision on Roadmaster without considering my other options. I certainly don't want to leave my current employer during its busiest time of the year, because that will look bad to companies I want to apply for "You left your last employer during its peak time of the year, how do we know you won't leave us high and dry during ours?" I am afraid of whats going to happen if I just ignore this recruiter entirely because if I finally decide that I need to go through Roadmaster to get my career started, I don't want them to say "We reached out to you before and you brushed us off. How do we know you are serious this time?"

Please help. As always, thanks in advance for any advice. It is greatly appreciated.

I wonder if anyone has driven a tractor trailer down the hill of Lombard St. in San Fran. Can it even be done?

So I'm planning on getting my CDL next year, and hopefully a new job will follow shortly after. I read that one of the barriers of entry into this profession are the Department of Transportation physicals. To my knowledge, I am generally healthy. I'm turning thirty this year, and I have no serious health problems. I've never done drugs, or smoke. I rarely ever drink alcohol. I am a few pounds overweight (my guess is at least sixty). Working as a cashier for eleven years, as well as my hobby of watching television and playing video games has left me with not much arm strength. I know this is a trucker's forum and not a doctor's forum, but I would like to know what I can expect when it comes to these medical physicals, and what measures I can take now to ensure my physical health doesn't prevent me from entering the profession? As always, thanks in advance for any advice.