Profile For Joseph I.

Do not believe what you see on TV, the "Highway thru Hell" is just a highway. Remember all reality TV is TV not reality. One thing I saw a while back is one of those Carvana car dispensaries I guess you call them. I had seen them on commercials but not in real life and was not sure there were even real but they are. As for not exciting but cool I really like bridges and some that I have crossed the Mississippi on have been very neat in there design. No UFO's or Bigfoot yet but I will keep my eyes open.

Guam is a USA territory so I would assume it would be fine. Also check with Veterans Association as they have made changes to try and make it easier to get a CDL depending on what you did in the military. Good luck

No it will not keep your batteries charged. It is only an engine block heater. If you have an inverter some have another plug in you can use to use off truck 120 to power your inverter or in truck comforts that require electricity.

Check around I used my regular doctor but a lot of chiropractors will do CDL physicals if you do not have a regular one. Also a lot of companies will reimburse you if needed.

For me dealing with deliveries where the GPS does not even believe there are roads yet is not a problem since I really only use it to get me to general area. First thing is to make a phone call when out about 30 minutes to an hour to let them know when to expect me and find out how the best wat in area is. Also roads and road design is pretty straight forward and a little common sense will get you to where you need to go.

As far as terminals I think that might depend on the area you will be working. The best I believe about terminals is I think you can use them as a place to park your truck for a break, which would be nice to be able to schedule ahead of time knowing where your stop might be. I work for a small company that travels North/South thru the mid USA. Basically the I35 corridor staying away from the East and West coast and have little problem with parking but I do not believe that is the same on the coasts. I think it would be tough on a married couple to split up for training time, depending on the length of time they train you. I know it would not have worked well in my marriage. Good luck.

24 hour period has nothing to do with it. If you only have to drive say 6 hours in a day and then stop. You can take your 10 hour off duty and then restart with a full clock again.

I was told when I first started that once you start your clock (On Duty/Drive) you have 14 hours of which 11 is the most that can be On Duty or driving and sometime within the first 8 hours of driving but after 3 hours you must take a 30 minute rest break. After you are On Duty or driving for your 11 or whatever you are doing that day you must go for 10 hours straight of Off Duty /Sleeper Berth to reset your clock. That is the simplest way to handle 90 percent of all you will ever need for HOS rules and all you need in the beginning. At least until there are rule changes.

While there will always be a few places where a manual will be used and even desirable in a few years it will be very hard to find any company that runs any manual transmissions at all. At least in the OTR community. I drove a manual all my life until 6 months ago, I would not want to go back especially for OTR driving. In my farm trucks or feed truck I think I would still rather have a manual though.

If it were me I like your 1 strap over each and I would add 1 or 2 straps around the back to help keep load from sliding back. Also did you need to put them all in a single row for weight? I would have considered 1 then 2 then 1 coming back from the front with them instead of 1 single row. Everything kind of helps hold everything else in place. And yes it is far different than a flatbed, sometimes easier sometimes a pain because of needing air bags and such. My biggest complaint is we do a lot of drop and hook to trailers already sealed and unless you were to go and have the place reopen and reseal the trailer you do not know how they are secured until you are either stopped for a check or at destination if a live unload. I have learned to open first back door carefully and off to the side when unsure of how load is loaded. And if load is loaded all the way back to the doors then sometimes there are no straps or bars.

I find my dispatcher give me hours that shipper is open and actual hours different quite often. I will check with google maps which for a lot of places gives open hours, which does not always mean hours that they load or unload, and if hours differ between the 2 I will call ahead to double check. I find mostly the problem comes from the logistics firms as the shipping papers have incorrect hours on them. Sometimes it is as simple as time changes between where shipper, logistics and dispatch are many times different.

As I understand it there is more money in team driving or at least the potential. For me I do not think I would like it unless someday my son or daughter would be interested in driving. If I had to go through 6 weeks of driving with a trainer I do not believe I ever would have been interested in trucking at all. I know for many it is better or they feel the only way. I had 30 years experience driving trucks and everything else on the farm where I guess learning to do things on my own was a necessity. I had no OTR experience when I got my CDL but road with a "trainer" 1/2 of a day and drove with a trainer 2nd half of the day through the Twin Cities then back home. The next day I was in my own truck and followed trainer to Muskogee, OK from NC Iowa and was then on my own after that. Also I do not believe anyone else would care for my taste in radio while driving. Good luck on whatever works well for you.

If I am in a new area I usually look for a place where they have the tall gas and diesel price signs you can see from a distance. I also wish they had a truck parking available or no truck parking signs at the exit.

It sounds a lot like playing Pokémon Go I think it is called. It was big for a short time my kids played and were going around looking for Pokémon but it died out like all other games when the next new game came along.

I am curious what law you actually broke, since you did not go around a road block the sign said road closed 1.5 miles ahead which to me means it is open for 1.5 miles but when it says local traffic only that means you cannot get all the way through.

He is probably right about the actual bulbs but is that not a sealed lens and if so if you actually have water in it I would have it replaced.

In wet conditions I am more careful about using the jake but most of the time wet conditions do not lead to jackknifing if tires are good and not about worn down. Main thing in wet or icy is be going slower before getting into tight downhill situations. Stick your auto in manual and ride down the hill in lower gear.

I can tell you my own situation. I am located in NC Iowa and work for a company that I am home every weekend and a lot of nights during the week I can park the truck in my own yard. I had no CDL experience when I started 6 months ago, I was a farmer and had 30+ years semi experience but without CDL. So I was hired but was probationary due to insurance and no prior CDL driving experience. I have received 1 raise so far and my take home after taxes and insurance with dental and vision for me and my 2 children is between $600 and $800 per week. It will keep going up down the road but that is where I am at right now.

It sounds as though you would like the one that pays less but better hours. In truth you will get used to hours if they are steady pretty quickly. As for the stay away from local and smaller companies and go with a big company I disagree. If you have found what you like I would never go to one of those big companies. Not that there is anything wrong with them but in reality small and locally owned companies are what the trucking industry is built on and if you find a good one they will stick with you better than the big ones where you are just a number.

My thoughts are everyone should get over for a stalled vehicle or flashing lights when possible and everyone should expect that if they are the vehicle on the side of the road that no one will get over. I see far to many truck drivers stalled along side of road come around the front of their vehicle as though they are in a parking lot rather than on a bust road.