Nervousness

Tomorrow 7-18-17 I will be riding/driving a truck for the first time. ( class B straight truck. ) any tips to calm my nervous ? Also I never operated a lift gate before and I'm nervous about that as well. I will be with a trainer. Just don't want to mess up on anything

Hey Bryan.

For starters, the best thing you can do is go into it with an open mind. We often see people get started with their training having certain expectations about the way the training should be done or how things should be handled. Unfortunately, when things are done completely different than what they expected, they start thinking they're with the wrong company or they have a bad trainer or whatever. So clear your mind, listen and learn, and just try to relax and go with the flow.

You can't learn everything in a day or a week, or even a few months for that matter. Driving for a living is a lot more complex than people expect. You're going to feel like a knucklehead at times and it's going to be a bit overwhelming once in a while. Again, just relax, try to take it all in stride, and go with the flow.

Just try to keep yourself on an even keel. Have as much fun as you can and try to enjoy it, but don't let yourself get down if you make a mistake or things aren't going your way. Expect that to happen sometimes and just keep moving forward, no big deal.

The only real goal you should have right now is real simple - don't hit anything. Seriously, that should be your clear focus at all times. Anytime you're in a tight spot go super slow. Anytime you're backing up, keep getting out to look at what's behind you. Just take your time and focus on not putting a scratch on that truck. You'll learn the finer points of driving over time.

We've all been there and we know how you feel. Keep thinking positive, be easy to get along with, do your very best, and be patient with yourself. Again, you're not going to learn this in a few days or a few weeks. It takes time.

Finally, if you happen to get a jerk or two as trainers, just try to be easy going and remember it won't be long until you're on your own and you won't have to deal with them anymore. There are a lot of fragile egos in the driving business. Some of these guys get a big head and become impatient jerks when they're training a new guy. Hopefully that won't happen, but if it does, don't let it get you down. Keep smiling, keep being nice, and listen and learn all you can.

Check back in and let us know how it goes! Best of luck to ya!

Just don't want to mess up on anything

You WILL mess up on something , and probably a lot. That is what learning is all about. If this was easy, we wouldn't need trainers. Why do you think training takes so long? Cause a lot of this is trial and error.

My trainee kept apologizing for messing up. Now I tell her all the things not to do..."you know how I know? Cause I did it and screwed up. I'm hoping you will learn from my mistakes." Lucky for her, she has a trainer who screwed up a lot as a rookie. Plenty of info and warning for her lol

Good luck and breathe. We have all been there...the trainer too.

Im glad i read this it was much needed.