Training Days On The Road

Yesterday i finally got with my trainer. He drove to Muskogee OK where we were supposed to drop and hook. I was supposed to drive as close as I could to Columbia SC. Well as you have probably experienced there was no trailer so we had to get the trailer we were supposed to drop loaded. We arrived at 4pm and finally got loaded at 130 in the morning. I gues i just got initiated. We got back on the road at 230 am. My.trainer drovr till about 8 then i got in the seat for the first time in three weeks. I did ok but i am rusty on the shifting. My trainer gets a bit loud which i have no problem with since i know im screwing up. He cool patient and doesnt hold it against you for the rest of the day. I drove 300 miles before feeling tired. So here we sit in Lincoln Alabama shutdown for night. Tomorrow we start early for SC.

Mike, sounds like you are doing well. You will build up some endurance for the road as time goes by. I remember running with my "crazy" trainer we ran the wheels off that truck. Much of the time that I was driving he was sleeping. We were running very close to 6,000 mile weeks with three out of our first five loads that literally criss-crossed the country from New York to Los Angeles then back up to the North east corridor, and then right back to California. I remember that I was strictly running on adrenaline. I lost about ten pounds during that time because I just was too tired to eat after I had driven my tail off. I would just crash in the sleeper until my next turn.

Once I started running solo it was still an adrenaline rush. Now days it's nothing for me to run in excess of 3,000 miles, but I have at least figured out how to pace myself and manage my hours so that I can at least get a decent meal every now and then. Keep hanging in there, you are actually getting a good introduction to what it means to "run hard". It will benefit you in the end.

Welcome to the road Mike!

It sounds like you are getting a full taste of what it's like right from the start. Hang in there bud, it can really be trying at first, but it will get better. One day you will be out there doing it all on your own, for now learn as much as you can from your trainer. I had a terrible trainer when I started and I still managed to learn some things from him. The real learning curve will start when there's no one over there in the jump seat to look to when you've got a question.

Thankyou Mr. Old school. As i am laying here at PETRO in Kenly North Carolina i sitting here thinking about how comfortable my bed will he when i fet home. We had a crazy day today. Trainer D got up early to drive through Atlanta then we drove to Columbia to drop and hook then to back to Augusta to do the same but the trailer we have now is loaded of course and we are headed to New Jersey (I hate that place already) I did better on my shifting. Not great but better. At close to the 300 mile mark i started hitting the wall. I was so happy to stop here at the Petro to unwind. They were having a truck show plus i looked around the cool shop they have here. Im off to dream land.

And now you knw the rest of the story.

I didnt do much driving today drove from Nc to just outside of Washington DC. Holy crap where are all those four wheelers coming from and where are they going to be so crowded at 1115 in the morning. Trainer D Drove from washington to jersey he didnt think i was ready and he was right. I was stressimg out in the right seat. Now we are at the Petro in NJ heading to PA in the morning.

And now you know the rest of the story.

Didnt post yesterday because well i didnt drive and was still exhausted. 3 drop and hooks washington DC Traffic and didnt shut down till 130. Today though i drove backroads bypassing washington drove through most of the PA mountains. Wow what an experience my stomach has finally detatchd its self from my butthole. I was exhausting but fun. I stopped at the last sunoco rest area in PA heading toward Ohio. Trainer D said that i did pretty good. We are here in Ohio and will deliver our load in the morning.

Now you know the rest of the story

Sounds like you might have a good trainer that is aware of your limitations at the moment but those will go away. My first time in the mountains was grossing over 100k and I did not have a trainer. It was .... Here are the keys and you need to move this. Talk about a pucker factor since I was over sized too.

Ya hes a cool dude i think he is peeved at me right now because i cant seem to get over the 300 mile or the 6hr wall. I drove from ohio almost to Jersey today on 80. I hope i can get passed my the 3 mi 6 jr wall. Is it normal for newbs to have this problem and what if i dont get over this wall?

Ya hes a cool dude i think he is peeved at me right now because i cant seem to get over the 300 mile or the 6hr wall. I drove from ohio almost to Jersey today on 80. I hope i can get passed my the 3 mi 6 jr wall. Is it normal for newbs to have this problem and what if i dont get over this wall?

Cant may be a better words than dont. Any thoughts.

Cant may be a better words than dont. Any thoughts.

Either you've been drinking or your keyboard is upside down. Or that's simply not English. Not sure......

Yes, it's totally normal for new drivers to fatigue early. You're so overwhelmed by the amount of information you have to process that you wear yourself out with it. Many of the things you're having to concentrate on right now will become second nature before long and you won't spend much time and energy thinking about them. You'll learn to relax more, keep your mind clear, and enjoy the ride. That's when you'll be able to put in longer days.

Just take it one day at a time and don't push yourself beyond your limits. Your trainer might think you're making slow progress, but that's a heck of a lot better than falling asleep and making a fast trip to the bottom of a ravine.

Cant may be a better words than dont. Any thoughts.

Either you've been drinking or your keyboard is upside down. Or that's simply not English. Not sure......

Yes, it's totally normal for new drivers to fatigue early. You're so overwhelmed by the amount of information you have to process that you wear yourself out with it. Many of the things you're having to concentrate on right now will become second nature before long and you won't spend much time and energy thinking about them. You'll learn to relax more, keep your mind clear, and enjoy the ride. That's when you'll be able to put in longer days.

Just take it one day at a time and don't push yourself beyond your limits. Your trainer might think you're making slow progress, but that's a heck of a lot better than falling asleep and making a fast trip to the bottom of a ravine.

The biggest surprise in trucking to me was how physically exhausted being mentally drained made you feel. I kept thinking "Man, I shouldn't be this tired, ask I did was drive." But Brett is right, it'll click for you.