Questions About A Trucking Career

just had a few general questions. They don't pertain to anything specific, just some questions I've had since I started looking into this career. 1-air ride seats.. they look like they'd be incredibly bouncy and not comfortable. but at the same time, I would think if you're expecting to drive hundreds of miles every single day, that a comfortable seat would be extremely important.

2-are truck stops generally considered the safest places to stop or not? I don't mean just as far as personal safety (although that's important, too) but also as far as parking, eating, etc.

3-I'm not gonna lie, I'm nervous about taking this leap. I've driven a 16' uhaul truck with a car carrier and I couldn't back that thing to save my life. I turned one way, it went amother. I turned the other way, it still went another. I'm sure I'm not the only person who's ever had backing issues, but maybe not. is it something that I'll get pretty easily once I go to cdl school?

4-I like to shower daily. if I'm not fueling daily, or I'm not in an area with a truck stop, is that possible?

5-do any trucks have a bathroom in them like an RV does? or am I looking at a walk/jog/sprint across a parking lot in the middle of the night if nature calls?

6-dress codes? I generally dress respectably, but comfortably on my off days with my current job. khakis aND a golf shirt or button down while I'm at work. is there any specific way most companies prefer, or is it just a don't look like a slob, but you can dress yourself type thing.

7- lot lizards. this is a concern my wife has. am I gonna be hassled on a daily basis, or is that kind of thing blown way out of proportion? I'm generally a mind my own business kind of guy, so I would think it wouldn't be an issue much, if ever. then again, I'm not a driver yet, so I don't know.

Here goes:
1. Air ride seats:
I want one for my regular car. But they're $600 each. Not bouncy at all. Most like a steadicam mount.

2. Truck stop personal safety:
No real problem. They're made for big trucks to park. Finding truck parking in other places will be an issue.

3. Trick backing nervousness:
The most frustrating thing in CDL school if not in your life. You will get it down just enough to pass the CDL skills test, then you'll get used to it through experience.

4. Showers
Showers could cost $8-$14 each, but you get a loyalty card for each chain. One big fill up will probably get you one free shower, complete sure with a fresh cleaned shower room & fresh towels.

5. Bathroom in a truck?
No. Plan your life accordingly or keep an empty juice bottle handy (not a joke). Personally, I always take the walk, even at 100 yards. (Truck stop parking areas are huge.)

6. Dress code
A few companies might, but generally you wear what's comfortable for you. Some shippers/receivers may require long pants, etc.

7. Lizards
I've been driving for ten months now. In that time, one girl selling magazine subscriptions (for real!), four male panhandlers (vets or gas money), zero approaches or knocks on truck doors by lot lizards.

Any more questions, just keep asking!

I'm not a driver yet but here's what I know from reading these forums and using the high road training program so far.

the air ride seats, I have never used one but they do look comfy. from my understanding you can control the amount of bounce they have.

truck stop safety, this is something I think is going to depend on the stop and the area. most of them seem pretty safe though.

the backing issue... I just came across this in the high road training program tonight... I learned that when you have a trailer you turn left to make the trailer go right and turn right to make it go left and once the trailer has started turning THEN you turn the truck to turn the direction you need to go, but you gotta get the trailer turn process started first. with a single vehicle (the uhaul you used WITHOUT the car trailer for example) you turn right to go right and left to go left.

showers. you can use the credits you earn from fueling or you can pay cash. If I understand correctly you can earn multiple shower credits in a day and you get one for buying like 50 gal of fuel. not sure if you can earn multiple in the same fill up but you could always throw in 50 gal here then another 50 gal at the next place. you should be able to get at least 1 per day though... not sure how far the trucks go on 1 (well tech 2, one on each side) tank of gas but there should be no reason to not fill up at least once a day.

bathroom... not unless you own your truck and have one of those extended sleepers... they make these custom sleepers that are extra long and have showers and stoves and toilets just like an rv... but gosh driving one would be such a pain and it lowers the amount of weight you can haul because of your trucks added weight. remember 80,000 pounds max between cargo, trailer and truck, so if you add an extra 10k lbs to the truck that's 10k less you can haul in cargo which means less loads you can haul. I could not imagine trying to turn a corner or back one of them though.

dress code... some companies have them, most do not. There's certain common sense things though... really should not walk around in sandals, shorts or your sunday best... you drop something on your foot... you're gonna have a bad day. also wearing shorts is gonna get your legs dirtier. sunday best... do I need to explain? I also would not wear white clothing or something that shows dirt easily... I would wear darker colors and blue jeans with at least tennis shoes if not my steel toe boots. the tennis shoes would be good while driving, the boots while doing outside work.

lot lizards... as someone who's not driving yet I don't have any qualifications to answer that question, from the videos I have seen I have heard if you decline their offer they'll usually leave you alone.

Also using a **** bottle... that's just gross... if you have a weak bladder, drop the caffeinated beverages cause that won't help. You could fashion yourself a portable toilet with a 5 gall bucket, toilet seat for comfort, trash bag and kitty litter or sand. they also make stuff that you put in the bag that will absorb your mess like kitty litter does for cats and get rid of any smell... but this is something I would only use in an emergency. but realistically how many highways will you travel on that you need to do this... I'm sure you can find enough truck stops and rest areas, towns with walmarts, etc to stop at to go to the bathroom. but in a emergency you could pull over and use the bucket.