Second Guessing Myself

Hi guys, l don't know how many of you felt this way. Up to the time l got my CDL (last October) l was on a roll. But for health reasons l am still at home.

Yesterday l was up early with two friends on a drive to Pittsburg for a graduation at the Carnegie Mellon University. I drove all the way between 6.30am to 11am. Wondered how many of you were on the same road then.... :-)

Anyhow, at some point l drove through mild to heavy rain and a bit of fog. Mind you, l had never driven on this road before. When we stopped for a break l realized l had been very tense during the drive. And at some point it really hit me. This is what you want to do, only in a big truck and for many miles, with everything that goes with trucking.

I started wondering if l was ready. Would l really manage? Anyone think those thought before starting your trucking career?

I started wondering if l was ready.

Serah, I always maintain that none of us are ready when we decide to start doing this. That is partially the reason that we always advise people to stick with their first job for a full year. It really takes that long to determine if this is going to be something that you can do or not. Those initial weeks are fraught with stress and can easily cause a person to just throw up their hands in defeat. Those are not the times to try and make a decision though.

Would l really manage?

The best time to answer that question is after a year of giving it your best out there. The great thing about the trucking career is that compared to so many other careers it does not cost an arm and a leg to get in. So if you want to throw in the towel after a year you usually could have easily saved back up the money you spent to make a start at it anyways.

Hope you can make a decision. You can never know how good the water is until you just take a plunge.

Old School is right......nobody is prepared for trucking in the beginning. There are so many unknowns, so many skills you haven't acquired yet, and it all takes time to get comfortable with. Almost everyone has reservations in the beginning, and a lot of people are outright terrified.

I think one of the biggest questions you have to ask yourself is whether or not you're looking for challenges and adventures in your life. Most people, in fact, are not. They would prefer a life that is safe, predictable, and easy. The thought of getting up each morning and not knowing what challenges you'll face and what curves life will throw at you is a bit terrifying to most people. Everyone talks a good game, of course. But they usually do it from the safety of their living room or the neighborhood bar. When it's time to head out into the real world and see what you're made of, most people would rather stick to beer and pretzels in front of a football game. And there's nothing in the world wrong with that. But those people wouldn't last long in trucking.

If you're the adventurous type, or even if you weren't before but now you're ready for something exciting and new then trucking will be a lot of fun. It will challenge you every day. It will test your resolve, your patience, and your courage. Some people love the challenge of trying to safely execute something that's inherently dangerous. Others would rather watch those people on TV or hear stories of their adventures from the safety of their own home. You have to decide what type of life you're looking for. If you want safety and predictability then trucking certainly isn't your cup of tea. If you're the type that's always ready for the next adventure then you'll love that aspect of trucking.

Anyhow, at some point l drove through mild to heavy rain and a bit of fog. Mind you, l had never driven on this road before. When we stopped for a break l realized l had been very tense during the drive. And at some point it really hit me. This is what you want to do, only in a big truck and for many miles, with everything that goes with trucking.

I started wondering if l was ready. Would l really manage? Anyone think those thought before starting your trucking career?

Serah, there's always the first time. The first time you drive a truck in traffic, worried if you might bump someone. Working hard to keep that big machine between the lines. After a bit it's not that much of a problem. A bit of experience, and rush hour traffic will be easier. (I don't say it's "fun", but you shouldn't get to tense.)

In my four week training, I had to drive a 30 mile "bridge" on I-10 in Louisiana. My first time. At night. In a thunderstorm. With traffic. The steering wheel has new finger grips from my holding on so tight, but we made it! Since then I've made that trip a few more times, in better conditions.

The tenseness you feel is natural. After a while you'll be more confident. You'll get there!