Comments By Jeremy C.

Jeremy

Since you are bored sitting in the truck, watching flies mate..lol....

How do you like CRST and the concept of team driving? I know you don't completely have the grasp of team driving since you are with your trainer, just overall, in general....

To me, seems like a whole lot of men, in a confined space, crap galore, and all that....

Safe Travels Man.

Well, Chris, it all started when I was a small child and my father refused to take me to the circus... Wait! Wrong question! Okay, hang on...

Team driving.

Well, first the company question... CRST is a huge company. And as such, it sometimes runs as a huge company. The right hand and the left hand don't always know what the other is doing. In other words, some times (administratively) things or information can move slow or even turn out with contradicting results. But the company as a whole has a surprisingly great structure, and if you can stand team driving, there is some awesome potential here. Also, there's the potential for more autonomy than I've read/heard about at some other companies. (I don't want to start listing things just because I hope not to start a contest with anyone else from another company.) But I personally see some serious potential here.

They take care of their drivers and they take care of their equipment.

As for team driving, that is an acquired thing. But its not as crowded as it may seem at first.

First off, you will most often be in the drivers seat (up front by yourself) or in the rack sleeping (in back by yourself.) And with the very thick (canvas, burlap, leather, whatever) curtain pulled closed, you are basically in an isolated, soundproof, climate-controlled zone - by yourself.

Second, you usually aren't going to have a lot of belongings on the truck simply because you don't need them. I'm sure there are people who have tons of crap, but most people I've talked to so far usually end up keeping more cleaning supplies on their truck than personal belongings. Ya just don't need a lot to do this job, and no matter how ya start out, it seems that for almost everyone doing this, sooner or later, your life becomes all about the job - whether due to financial motivation, a sense of duty, or just lacking interest in much else. It really is a lifestyle. (Also, in a Freightliner Cascadia, there is so much damn room! They look deceptively small from the outside.)

Now, who you team with also has a lot to do with how the experience will be (obviously.) But it seems that when even just a few things click between two people, those few things can be just enough to make everything else bearable. I've met teams who are just waiting for one to commit a felonious act against the other one. And I've met teams you would never guess could make it with each other, yet they run hard, safe, and make boatloads of money every week!

Team driving allows for what certain companies can honestly call Expedited shipping. Meaning we can get it there at least twice as fast as anyone else. Twice now in the last few weeks I've run between California and Maryland (that's coast-to-coast for anyone not well-versed in geography) and both trips were around four days or so. A single driver just can't (legally) come close to that.

And because we are able to make time-sensitive runs over great distances, obviously we get better mileage pay and longer-mileage runs than most other dry-van drivers.

As for having someone around all the time, that can have its advantages, too. An extra set of eyes to help with that terribly difficult trailer back-up at 3am in poor lighting. Or a fresh set of ears to help you work out a problem with paperwork or some other logistical issue. And many other things that can help you run and operate more efficiently.

I can see where people would shirk at the idea of teaming. But it's not quite as crowded as some think it is. And it depends more on mindset than space, I guess. If you want to run with a partner who thinks like you and cares little about anything beyond making lots of money... Or was a big appeal of this job the opportunity to (mostly) live and work alone?

For myself, I like running hard toward goals, I like narrow schedules and time-sensitive obligations. I'm no good in occupations that get the job done whenever it's done. Not to imply that solo-driving is any less pressured or regimented than teams. But we do by our nature often have more interesting schedules (in my opinion) than solo drivers.

So, I guess it comes down to goals and mindset. Team driving obviously isn't for everyone. But, then again, neither is trucking.

As for myself, its acceptable for now, and should be awesome soon when me and Shawn (my co-driver and my long lost brother from another mother, lol) finally get our truck.

Hope that sheds some light on things. I know it wasn't really a comprehensive answer, but I didn't want to offer a long response that nobody would read.

Thanks for your service to our great nation, Chris. Look forward to seeing ya out here on the roadways soon. Safe travels, brother!

Everything for a reason, my man! Just because you're not driving for a company doesn't mean you cant find a way to get out and see the same sights we see - maybe even at a better pace, since we are often on such tight schedules.

Not to mention, there are many other things you're now free to do that most of us are not. I won't insult you with a suggestion list. But I will say that now that you've virtually been given the free time...

And not everything worth doing or seeing is dependent on income. This sounds like a great time to bust out that bucket list and see what you can go out and cross off that list. Or make a new list.

I have two college degrees, but I actually have a few more degrees and certs I've always wanted. And many other things that I never learned to any self-satisfactorily level (no certification of degree required.) I can mumble in a few different languages, but I really want to be fluent in at least two or three of those. There's things I want to accomplish and things I want to cook in the kitchen. I have a seriously long list!!!

My point is, this should only be one dream among many. Due to my age, or some other arbitrary circumstances, some of my dreams really are beyond reach. But just because I can't hit a few ports doesn't mean I'm gonna scuttle the whole damn ship. There's still a world full of stuff waiting on me (you, too!)

So, take this opportunity and run with it! Because that's just what it is. And by all means, hang around here, too. You've got a lot of life experience and who knows how much more knowledge... No telling who you might be able to help with what.

Regardless of all else, just make the most out of this opportunity!

Wishing ya all the best!

I'm not a Schneider driver, and you may want to check with them about this....

But I know the RoadPro portable stove works great, runs on 12v (lighter plug), and only costs about $30.

Example: https://www.amazon.com/RoadPro-12-Volt-Portable-Stove-Black/dp/B00030DLEE/

They sell them at most truck stops. But more importantly, they sell the little tin foil pans that go in to it at most truck stops and at Walmart.

Hope that suggestion helps!

I'm no expert, not even well-versed in Freight-Shakers, yet. So, dont take safety advice from me by any means! I'm not recommending or endorsing this, just sharing what my trainer's setup looks like.

Dash mount on a 2018 Cascadia... Uniden 880 and a PowerDrive 750W. Both have worked flawlessly for the five weeks I've been on this truck. And he claims it's been set this way for about a year.

Again, not offering advice or endorsement here, just showing ya what one setup that I know about looks like.

Choose wisely...

Chris, that must have been a Euro thing... I'm rarely ever lost. I dont always know where "here" is, but I usually know just where I'm at. 😁

Though, admittedly some times that does require a clinical diagnosis!

Okay, okay... I've been staring out a truck window looking at a Pilot parking lot for a few hours. My next load doesn't pick-up until 3am and it's only about 18 miles away. And bad humor is a common side-effect of such boring activity!

Maybe I should I get out and take a walk... 🙄

My second time out...

I need to make a wide right turn. As I'm coming up to it, a car is headed up the street, coming on my right. I see them and try to slow down, hoping they'll just clear the intersection by the time I get there.

Nope!

So, as I'm rolling up I commit the cardinal sin of trying to wave them through as I'm approaching my turning point.

The yellow line is supposed to be me and the red line the car... But editing a photo on my phone just doesn't allow for great dimensions!

And the turn I was supposed to make... (Again, sorry for horrible art work.)

So, I tried to slow down and let them go and I tried to wave them through...

Still nothing. The car just sits there.

I end up going right up on the curb as I turn. Game over, try again later, please!

As I pass, I see the driver sitting there with a big ****-eatimg grin on his face. He gives me a mock salute as I pass him and then speeds off.

What I never mentioned in my training diary about any of this is that the local residents in Cedar Rapids all know who CRST is. And those that live nearby have a really big dislike of the company because of all the company drivers coming through at all hours and all of the student drivers who are out seven days a week.

And what I just experienced was a game some of the locals like to play with students. See, a few of them know what will make us fail a test. And while they don't seem to go out of their way to mess with us, they also don't pass up an opportunity, either.

What a feeling to have almost passed your road test and then get failed 50 feet from parking the truck because of some local yahoo!?!?

Not comparing your results with mine, just saying that I know what it feels like to get so close and then fail for that day.

A new day is coming, brother...
And it shall be yours!

Honestly, certain things are a newbies right of passage. you must experience certain things yourself to learn from them...

Spoken like a true trainer! Hopefully there are not too many of these lessons. I am quite content to learn from others mistakes.

Looking forward to the article!

I should have also said AND SLOW DOWN!

Obviously!

I do tend to slow down in high winds.

Also, when passing other trucks on narrow roads (like 54 thru Kansas) I noticed that other guys were hugging that white line when we crossed each other. I started doing that as well and realized a very significant reduction in (blowback, reflection, windstream, draft, whatever it's called) as our trucks passed each other on the road.

If you got any more tips, keep 'em coming! Rookie CDL Jedi here is soaking up all the info I can get!

I know its little consolation, but just a few months back road trip took me three times...

The good news is, no matter how many times it takes ya, soon as you pass you'll have the same CDL as the rest of us!

After three times, I know just how much it sucks to not nail it in the first try.

Just keep your eyes on the prize, cause you've already overcame a lot to get this far, and there's only one thing left to conquer before you get the prize! 👍

Don't over think.

I'm not making light of your advice... But this seems to be a recurring piece of advice I get, lol.