New To The Business

Hello everyone! I just graduated truck school and I'm concerned my skills are not good enough yet. I was wondering how good are new drivers expected to be.

Welcome aboard!

Hey, you have nothing to worry about. I can assure you, your skills are terrible - just like all brand new drivers!

Schools teach the minimum you'll need to pass the CDL exam and companies know this. That's how it's always been. It's going to take a few years before you can say you're really good at handling a rig. Even after 15 years out there I worked continuously on getting better at everything - shifting, backing, handling slick roads - all of it. So being straight out of school - everyone is terrible.

Companies generally expect you to be good enough at shifting that you can get the truck rolling and keep it rolling. Everyone grinds gears from time to time - that's no big deal. But you shouldn't be coasting out of gear regularly because you can't get it into gear or stalling it out in intersections and things like that. Backing nobody is good at in the beginning. That's just going to take time.

One of the big things companies want to see is that you can maintain your composure and that you're aware of your surroundings. You can't be panicking under a little pressure or acting highly insecure. They want to see you calm and somewhat confident - at least in your ability to learn. But someone who's really timid or they lock their eyes straight ahead with a white-knuckle grip on the wheel throws red flags. Driving skills are easy enough to teach. It's harder working with someone who has no confidence in themselves and doesn't seem to have the demeanor to handle the pressure.

So go in there and focus on remaining calm and confident. Be humble, listen & learn, and just work on improving your skills every day. As long as you show you have the demeanor to handle the job and a willingness to listen and learn - you'll do just fine.

First, Welcome aboard Nicholas! Thanks for asking what I have been feeling!!!

Brett, thank you for your most encouraging response.

Congrats on graduating! Keep us posted of how the job hunt goes and tell us newbies what you experience, so we know what to expect when we get there. I am going to a company school beginning May 20th, Central Refrigerated! Good luck and keep us updated on your progress!

Thank you for the info brett! prob one if the most helpful things anyone has told me yet! Ill be sure to keep everyone posted. Thanks! Cdl test this sunday. Did great on school final so I'm fairly confident ill pass.

I concur with those before... so just remain positive and keep your eye on the goal, be confident in yourself, and things will just fall into place (eventually! ).

Good luck and keep us "posted"!

God bless and be safe! ~Bigdubber