Comments By Dustan J.

I've heard quite a few Harleys that are louder than my Jake brakes, but somehow it makes sense to outlaw Jake brakes in city limits but the Harleys can be so loud. Most places I go through forbid the Jake brakes. Mine are loud, so I just start my downshifting a bit sooner and turn the Jakes off when I see the sign. No big deal. Now, as for going over mountains and Jaking through the canyons, that's a great experience when you have loud Jakes.

I found that I like trucking more than anything else right out of the Army because the good drivers, the successful drivers, don't sugarcoat things. A professional speaks the truth...sometimes tactfully, sometimes not. But, any honesty is better than sugarcoated crap. There really isn't any room for tender feelings in trucking, unless your girl is in your bunk (or whatever your situation may be).

Trucks have to earn money, people have to get paid, and that involves folks in the office who dispatch you to wherever that money can be made. Currently, I'm a company driver. But, I will save the owner money any possible way that I can, like hand washing the truck in my driveway instead of spending that ungodly amount of money at a truck wash facility. I drive the oldest truck in the fleet, and it's fine by me though I don't have the same creature comforts that the newer trucks have. I don't complain about it; I just make it work and enjoy the opportunity that I have.

I also track fuel expenses on my Rand McNally truck GPS as though I am the one spending the money. You don't have to be a record breaker to be decent employee. Ask the right questions, and monetize that truck.

The company really could care less about your personal life like you do. That's a fact. That business operates to make profits, and you have to be on board with that idea. So, take your lumps and learn the lesson presented to you. You might do well to apologize to that DM also, and admit your mistake. If you keep on making everything about you, then you will suffer tremendous humiliation or worse, like killing someone.

It may take a total reframing in your way of thought, but get to the point where you are supporting the organization through your efforts, or accept the idea that you are going to fail. I've seen some truly hardcore people, leaders even, fail miserably because they only cared about themselves and not the team/greater good. Most places, trucking included, have a way of policing themselves in a way that the turds roll away fast enough to make room for those who can produce desired results. This is honesty, and this is experience. Take it however you will.

I don't know about the newer trucks, but maybe the baffles can be modified like in some pre-emissions trucks. I know the jakes are really loud in the '03 Pete that I drive. Could be worth looking into some work on the baffles.

I'm thinking of buying a tractor and leasing on to a company. I'd like to get something that I can scale up for heavy-haul flatbed if needed. So far I've seen a KW that can be scaled up for that, though trucks like that don't last long when they become available. I know that they are like buying a house too....a house that needs lots of upkeep and fuel, that gets scaled a lot and checked by DOT, etc. I've done the belly dump thing before, and don't care for it much. Myself, would look at flatbed and commodities being that I'm in a major agricultural area that never stops needing loads hauled.

Had a guy follow me around, talking nonstop despite my best act of being totally deaf. Eventually I tried words to let him know that I was focused on my upcoming shower and meal, and preferred to chat later....like maybe tomorrow. At some point he discovered that I had barely a year of driving at my ripe old age of 37. Along came the jokes and "old-timer" stories, new-breed drivers, and so on. Finally, I told him that I waited until now to start driving trucks commercially because I had been busy going to combat for 16 years, and that any responsible adult with good driving habits could do well in trucking, and pull the doubles with 40 ton payloads.

I hear a lot of negativity around truck stops. I tend to park at roadside turnouts and rest stops now for the peace and quiet.

People do tend to make snap judgments, and my favorite thing to do is to wear bib overalls and a farmer's hat. They are comfy, rugged, and have lots of little pockets for pens and tire gauges. I guess people just assume that I am on my way to feed the cows. I have caught some funny looks when I dress that way and am seen climbing into the truck that is hooked to a set of hopper-bottom doubles. Good times!

Be sure to take your time to do a full evaluation of their different fleets/departments, weighing the pros and cons of each. Also, build a list of criteria that you want to use for evaluating: equipment, driver support, professionalism (big one for me), etc. Don't sell yourself short. If someone tries to tell you that you should drive for them because you're inexperienced, talk to a different recruiter from that company if you're still interested. I've parked a truck back at a terminal and went home, and that company STILL sends mail asking me to come back. You'll be much happier in finding a good fit. Currently I'm out all week and home on weekends. Not the highest cpm in the industry but it IS a good fit, and the customers and shippers are friendly. The company is small and everyone is professional; everything is directed at making sure that the drivers can run the loads and the equipment is all in good condition. No one wastes your time, and no one gets treated like a piece of garbage. Best of all, someone can speak directly to the owner, which is a huge benefit over a corporate entity any day. Just my preference, but that's an example of what a person might use to seek out the best fit for themselves.

I just got off of the phone with a Covenant recruiter. I discussed the fact that Covenant will pair you up for team driving. Gotta be able to pull doubles for some account and have HAZMAT. I asked about solo positions, and they just don't have many of those positions. Most is team driving. You go onto the website and fill out a survey to pair you up with someone similar. What I have an issue with is regardless of the other driver's music tastes and such, are really the things that matter like professionalism, safety, pulling their own weight, hygeine, etc. Those things matter far more than smoking and music. I'm feeling skeptical at the moment.

I just got my CDL yesterday through a private school in Texas. I didn't know that Roehl had a program to get you your CDL. Anyway, I coordinated an orientation date in Dallas to get hired on. The recruiter mentioned some close quarters driving during the 8 day orientation. At the CDL school here we drove around town in some tight quarters as well as some very narrow roads and construction zones. Basically, the trainer put us through the wringer AND the grinder to get us ready for test day. It's my understanding that Roehl has a top notch trainer system in place to get you ready for solo driving.

I lived a block away from from an egg farm in Phoenix. In the summer time the odor was beyond foul. I can't wrap my imagination around 25,000 lbs of human excrement all over the ground. Sucks for the guys who had to clean that up. Crappy situation.....

I wouldn't mind if my future employer installed a camera that proved my actions. A camera facing me would only tempt me to pick my nose or something. Anyhow, if I don't get a dashcam in my future truck, I will install a GoPro for my own protection. Had one recruiter come into school last week talking about a forward facing camera that was designed to brake the truck in near-miss instances or something to that effect. I thought "Cool, crash protection always helps". Either on this site or other sites I have read references to cameras in trucks being activated for no reason at all and the driver just had to put up with it. Goes back to the nose-picking. Couldn't possibly resist it. I'd last maybe two minutes and then I'd have to do something obnoxious for the camera.