The Learning Curve Is Huge.

There is so much to learn and everyone acts like I should already know it. I guess there's some kind of benevolent act of just automatically already knowing everything out here.

Like when to scale, how to scale, when your dropping trailers where to park. My last job was alot more complicated than this but at least it had adequate training.

With trucking everyone just seems to think I should already know what I'm doing. And it seems like they are offended when they find out I don't know what I'm doing.

Some of the jerks out here have been downright incredulous. At the same time though alot of people have helped me when they see me lost. Good apples and bad apples.

I'm 2/3rds done with my TNT training and am just happy I'll be teaming with someone after this. Some of this is just ridiculous that I have to learn on my own while my trainer sleeps. I understand why he's sleeping he's been driving all day. Sigh, just gotta breathe sometimes and realize that it'll work out.

Harder job than I thought it was gonna be. I keep feeling like I'm gonna mess something up. Just constant worry, yeesh.

Hang in there!

Half the time people think I'm stupid, or something like it, when I say this career is tough to get started in. They think what can be so difficult about being a truck driver? There's plenty of doofuses out there driving trucks.

What I have found is that there are a lot of truck drivers, but there is a core group of good drivers out there, and I can almost guarantee you that they are the ones who have been willing to help you.

You are correct about there being such a vast amount of information you need to pick up on quickly, but trust me, you keep at it with a willingness to lay hold of it all and you'll feel like an old hand at this stuff in a few short months.

I still learn new stuff everyday, and you will too.

I really did think that. I was like man there's some real idiots out here. But it's a bit more complicated than that. Trying to function after driving for 11 hours for five days on the graveyard. Well let's just say backing isn't my biggest concern.

It is a steep curve and a lot of people drive right off of it. A lot of those people that think you should know are also ones just like you and have not learned it yet. As for scaling, keep scaling loads until you have it down where 34k is on the suspension pressure gauge. That is if you have one. With me for instance, I now know that if I am over 70 psi in my suspension, with the tag axle down, that puts me into what is called a DW21 condition and I will need 2 pilot cars, slowdown to 5 mph on 2 lane roads when crossing a bridge and have to centerline those bridges.

Whenever I hear someone is struggling with the amount of information there is to learn I like to remind people that our High Road Training Program covers a ton of information in great detail that most of the schools and Company-Sponsored Training Programs don't cover all that well, including:

• logbook rules
• scaling a tractor trailer
• sliding the 5th wheel for weight adjustment
• calculating fuel burnoff
• positioning trailer tandems for weight distribution
• Cargo Placement And Trailer Overhang

.....and a whole lot more.

The amount of information you have to know is indeed overwhelming. None of it by itself is rocket science but when you look at the quantity as a whole it's really quite extensive.

Also you touched on another aspect of it - all of the undocumented things you have to learn to make it out there. One example we recently talked about here in the forum is conserving your energy for the long days. You want to try to keep your emotions at an even keel and go easy on the music and CB radio. Getting emotional or having that constant noise input both wear you out rather quickly. The schools probably won't teach this but it sure is important to know.

I wrote an article about this called 12 Tips To Help Drivers Stay Awake Longer.

You'll do just fine. Trust me, everyone feels overwhelmed for quite a while in the beginning. The more you learn the fewer rookie mistakes you'll make and the fewer baffling situations you'll come across. It never gets easy, but it gets better with time. There is no shortcut to learning it all. You've just gotta get out there and tough it out.