Well Today Makes It Official, I Have Been Driving For 1 Year Solo!

Hi all! I know I am not around a lot but I just wanted to let y'all know I finally made it to a year solo driving. My best friend told me last week she thought I would have given this up long ago and gone back to doing mortgage loans. I enjoy not being stuck in an office far too much to quit and besides, I have lost and kept off about 40 lbs since I started. Who knew I was wasting money going to the gym to work out and all I had to do was start driving a truck! For many of the new(er) folks here you cannot imagine what a big deal this is as I was encouraged to quit the company sponsored driving school I went to not only once but twice! It was thought I would never be able to pass the backing portion of the driving test and best to go to a program that was longer. Well, I didn't quit and passed all sections on my first try much to everyone's amazement. Have things been perfect with my backing since then? Far from it but I continue to improve daily.

For those of you considering this career I will tell you to first and foremost believe in yourself. My instructors weren't being mean when they encouraged me to quit, but in their experience they just didn't see how I could pass. With a lot of prayer from others and a lot of determination on my part, I was successful.

I did a regional dedicated account for the first 6 months and for the last 6 months I have been on a local dedicated account (with a different company than my original one). I wasn't looking for a local job when I began looking but it was in my mind the best opportunity. I know a lot of new drivers want local positions so they can be home every night with their family but as Old School said in a thread to Mountain Girl, local is one tough gig so be careful what you wish for. You may be home every night but too tired to do anything more than grab a shower, eat something, and hit the rack only to get up the next day and start all over again. Don't forget in the time you have off you will have to figure in commute times too. I haven't watched t.v. or read a book in months and see my friends less than I did when I was running regional and home every weekend. I'm definitely not sorry I took this position but I miss a lot of things about being out on the road and may well return in the near future. There are pros and cons to every position and company in the trucking world, so find which one is the best fit for you regardless of what others think. Best of luck to all of you and be safe out there!

Congratulations and thank you for your encouraging post! I am watching all kinds of utube videos on the 90 deg. alley dock as that is giving everyone headaches, lol. I know I just have to be patient with myself cuz its only been 3 days since I started. The info on the local vs the regional was also an eye opener. I would've never thought that. I'll definitely keep that in mind as I think about my options in the near future. Thanks again and be safe!

Congrats on getting one year in and one year behind you. I applaud your strength and wisdom of not giving up. Not getting into religion here but nothing better then the power of prayer and the confidence that you have in yourself. Now many doors will open and you can breath a little easier. No matter how many months or years a driver has, no matter how many miles you have driven accident free and etc, do not become complacent. Good job,stay safe and have fun.

Well done and good on ya for sticking it out and not giving it up. This industry chews up and spits out drivers every day who think it's just about holding a wheel and heading down the road. Keep up the great work !!!

Woo-HOO! Way ta' go, Jolie!

I knew you'd pull through. I remember when you first started school. Weren't you practicing double-clutching in your room at night in a chair, with an umbrella? I know, 'cause I tried it myself. Interesting information about your regional versus local pros and cons. I'd like to know more.

I admire your perseverance, Girl. You've made a very tough job look pretty darned smooth. Are you sure you don't want to go back to mortgages, realtors, clients, documentation, credit checks, and debt-to-income ratios?

What a great success story you've given everyone! You rock!

-mountain girl

Excellent post and Congratulations!

Congrats on reaching one year of driving! That's awesome!

I know a lot of new drivers want local positions so they can be home every night with their family but as Old School said in a thread to Mountain Girl, local is one tough gig so be careful what you wish for. You may be home every night but too tired to do anything more than grab a shower, eat something, and hit the rack only to get up the next day and start all over again. Don't forget in the time you have off you will have to figure in commute times too. I haven't watched t.v. or read a book in months and see my friends less than I did when I was running regional and home every weekend

The first time I ever had a local gig it took me a few days to realize it was a waste of time. I've never been married and don't have any kids so I had no one I had to see. But I had just bought a house and lived on the road for the better part of like 14 years so I took a local gig thinking I would get to enjoy being home more.

But most local jobs are just like you described. You put in so many hours that you have no life outside of work anyhow. About 12-15 hours of your day are shot from the time you leave your house until you get home. After walking in the door you eat, shower, do a few chores, and go to bed.

I thought regional work (getting home weekends) was the best mix of life on the road and home time. Because no one is doing much of anything during the week anyhow, right? So you get to live the road life, do some travelling during the week, and make almost the same as you would have made running OTR but you get home for a bit each weekend.

So if you have a spouse and kids then you're almost certainly going to look for local work. But if you're just looking to have a normal home life you're probably going to be disappointed with local work. You're not going to make as much as you did on the road, you're not going to live the travelling lifestyle, and you're still not going to have any time to do anything during the week anyhow.

Wow, Jolie, congrats! I am getting close to that milestone too, the first year goes mighty fast, eh?

It's funny that everyone worries about gaining a bunch of weight, and you take off 40 lbs! Ha ha! (I've lost 20 myself)

As for the folks who did not think you would stick with it, it takes mental toughness, that's for sure! A person doesn't really know what they are capable of until they challenge themself. Good job!

Congratulations Jolie!

That's a major accomplishment in this business, and an important goal to reach - I applaud you!

You ladies may get a kick out of what I saw recently while I was stopped for fuel. I pulled up after fueling and then walked around my truck before I entered the building. I noticed this license plate zip tied to the grill of the Freightliner that pulled in to the fuel island behind me.