I Might Have Talked Myself Out Of This...

How do you deal with the DOT? Or better yet, what did obstacles did you overcome to get your CDL.

The more I get myself ready for school the more potential "issues" I come across.

For instance I'm concerned about: Safety as a woman. Learning to drive a big ole truck...and back it. Not hating my trainer or having them hate me. Crazy drivers. Moving out of state. Getting miles.

But the biggest to me is the DOT. It seems like they can make things escalate drastically.

Maybe it is just my nerves that's making that the scapegoat.

I want to be brief but my mind is all over the place.

Help?

I'm a woman and rarely feel "unsafe". We have plenty of women here who are awesome drivers. Be aware.of your surroundings and be smart.

As for DOT? In 1.5 years I have yet to meet one in depth. They smile and wave me by, one asked me what I was hauling, and border patrol asked me if I was American.

The obstacles you need to conqueror:

1). Fear and defeat attitude. You CAN do this. I did, and so can you.

2). Stop reading negative reviews or stories by morons.

3) concentrate on the task at hand and take one step at a time. Its overwhelming, so first study the High Road Training to help get your permit. Watch pretrip videos. Do research about the lifestyle.

This site is awesome to start!!

Check out these links.

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road Training Program

Paid CDL Training Programs

You may be interested in this video:

VIDEO: How does a weigh station work?

DOT is nothing to be concerned about. As long as all your ducks are in a row, your truck and trailer has been well maintained, you are within the legal weight limit, and you aren't breaking any laws (SPEEDING!!!), then you should have nothing to worry about even if you get inspected.

As for your other issues: Learning to drive and back: we all started somewhere. We all used to suck at even making simple left turns. Some of us STILL suck and will ALWAYS suck at backing. It takes a lot of patience, believe me.

Trainer: you can always ask for a different trainer, but keep an open mind. They'd probably be just as stressed as you would be. I have control issues so I couldn't even imagine being a trainer myself. Even bad trainers can teach you something, remember, you don't know s**t.

Crazy drivers: I come from a small town in Iowa. The biggest city I ever drove in before trucking was Des Moines. When I was in training at Schneider, I was pretty much learning how to drive a truck in Chicago of all places. It got extremely stressful on me and probably my trainer knowing that I was driving haha! But now, but city traffic and crazy drivers are just one of those things. You get used to it and learn to predict what idiots are gonna do before they know they're doing it.

Moving out of state: There are multitudes of trucking companies out there, a lot of them have terminals in multiple parts of the country. There should be no reason for you to worry about moving out of state.

Getting miles: One word, communication. Once you feel comfortable behind the wheel and feel like stretching your legs a little bit, just ask you dispatcher (politely) for more miles. If you are doing your absolute best to be a reliable driver (Not refusing loads, getting to your deliveries on time, not breaking anything), then they'll do what they can. Don't badger them though. Freight can be a very fickle thing in certain areas.

Keep your head held high! There will be countless times where you doubt yourself, thinking you can't do this, you'll never get the hang of backing. I've been there, we all have at one point or another. I was even to the point where I was looking for CDL jobs that didn't involve a trailer locally while I was on my last day with my trainer. It takes time for certain things to click, may take you a few weeks, may even take you a year. Just remember the end goal, whatever that may be for you. You can do this! I believe in you, rainy believes in you, others who read your post but don't comment believe in you! Deep down, you believe in you too.

Aww thank you everybody. I guess I'd better hit the High Road books again so I can knock this permit out.

I'm not so worried about moving out of town as I am tying up loose ends before I go. Pretty overwhelming. Now I have to wait about another month for school because of things not lining up.

You're not alone with your nerves and long list of to-do's before you can get going. Believe me. I imagine myself trying to back in at a truck stop with a crowd of seasoned truck drivers slapping their knees and laughing at me while my abusive, serial killer trainer glares at me with disapproval.

But you know what scares me more? The thought of working on the phone in an office, or going back to the classroom and dealing with admin and parents and kids biting my ankles and spewing the F word like Linda Blair (I did special ed.) Not to mention I'm headed towards retirement in a cardboard box if I don't do something. I've always thought truck driving looked like fun. Difficult, but fun. See, I went from nervous back to excited again. I go back and forth.

We have advantages being women. Those seasoned veterans are much more likely to get out to guide you than slap their knees and laugh. Seriously.

I still suck at backing and know it. But, I do get it in the doors. Takes a little longer than others but I get it in.

Be sure to tie up all those loose ends. That way when you get on the road you dontbhave the distractions of home.

You can do this!! When I first started, I just had to take one day at a time and not worry about what the next week or month would bring. Some days, it's one maneuver at a time instead of a whole day! As far as stressing over a trainer's disapproval...just do your absolute best each day to learn. That's all they can ask of you, and if you show them you are there to really learn the trade, the rest will sort itself out. One thing that has helped me feel safer being out here solo is having a porta potty on my truck. LOL It may sound crazy, but I feel so much better knowing I can park at rest areas or even on an on ramp in a real pinch and not have to worry about getting out of the truck after dark. When it comes to the guys out here, I have been cussed at a couple of times over the CB, but I just reach up and turn it off. Have had lots of times where guys have gotten out of their truck to help me back into a dock or parking spot. Like Rainy said, don't read the negative crap out there. Most of it is BS anyway.

Now don't y'all laugh at my copy paste skills :) Thank you Errol V for the video suggestion.

Rainy D. Experienced Driver Posts: 2812

The obstacles you need to conqueror:

1). Fear and defeat attitude. You CAN do this. I did, and so can you.

Unholychaos Rookie Solo Driver Posts: 142

Just remember the end goal, whatever that may be for you. You can do this! I believe in you, rainy believes in you, others who read your post but don't comment believe in you! Deep down, you believe in you too.

Lynn H. Preparing For School Posts: 30

You're not alone with your nerves and long list of to-do's before you can get going.

Rainy D. Experienced Driver Posts: 2812

Be sure to tie up all those loose ends. That way when you get on the road you dontbhave the distractions of home.

Kat Rookie Solo Driver Posts: 305

You can do this!! When I first started, I just had to take one day at a time and not worry about what the next week or month would bring.

This thread has been such a big help to me. I'm going to print it out with some of my favorite parts highlighted. And I'm going to keep it in my truck until I finish training.

***And yes I will have a porta potty/camping toilet as soon as I can.