This stuff is still fun for me to do and you may think so too! I did this because I really was intrigued with the loads and how the whole system works - from the product being made, all the way until they reach their final destination. I kept a total of all my driving miles per day/week/month and year. You will be amazed at how many miles you do in a month and at by the end of a year! Then I put that in a notebook.
I was in 20 states, including the one I lived in. I stopped and got postcards for family/friends from each state. That was a fun thing to do for all of us. Sometimes another postcard was sent of the capitol city of the state.
I also did a list of some of the products I hauled, some of which included tires, pudding, dirt, vending machines, tools, pop, bottles and cans to the beverage industry, junk mail to the U.S. Post Office, items for grocery warehouses, shoes, items for your big chain lumber yards, and items for your automotive chains. This is not my complete list and I did not start this right away. In time it will seem like you might have hauled almost everything, and you may have!
When I weighed at a Cat Scale , I started to collect the collector cards that comes with your scale ticket. These are also in a notebook in their plastic holders for collection cards.
You can also take notes in your spare time so that you can write about a certain trip or tell stories to your family and friends about it someday. You will also be surprised at the end of your day that you will find yourself wondering "did that happen today or was it yesterday?" Some days are super busy, and then some are rather quiet and dull.
I also kept all of the articles I found on women drivers and women in trucking. Articles ranging from simple the one page ads all the way up to the longer stories about them. Naturally I have these in a notebook too. You will find these in the trucking magazines at your truckstops.
For whatever your reason may be for entering the trucking world, you might as well make it fun and interesting!
A network of over 1,500 certified truck scales across the U.S. and Canada found primarily at truck stops. CAT scales are by far the most trustworthy scales out there.
In fact, CAT Scale offers an unconditional Guarantee:
“If you get an overweight fine from the state after our scale showed your legal, we will immediately check our scale. If our scale is wrong, we will reimburse you for the fine. If our scale is correct, a representative of CAT Scale Company will appear in court with the driver as a witness”
by Rhonda
Your axle weights have to be legal before entering the highway, but what can a truck driver do if you're not sure and there's no scale at the shipper?
by Rhonda
After 33 years as a woman in the transportation industry it's been amazing to look back at the journey and how far women truck drivers have come.
by Rhonda
As a truck driver you have to be on guard at all times. Even when you're doing everything right you never know when someone will do something crazy.
by Rhonda
An inside look at life on the road from a trucker's perspective.
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You never know when a beautiful day for a drive can suddenly turn ugly, as it did for Rhonda in her big rig on a typical summer day in Wisconsin.
by Becky Prestwich
Being given the opportunity to travel the country with my husband I'm ready to hit the highways and find out what life is all about for the American trucker
by Becky Prestwich
After learning I would be headed out on the road with my husband it was time to see our assigned truck for the first time and start loading in our goodies.
by Becky Prestwich
After just a short time on the road with my husband I've come to realize that everyday life in the trucking industry is like a roller coaster ride.
by Becky Prestwich
After a month of travelling with my husband who is an OTR trucker we're learning to live and work well together. Life on the road takes some getting used to.
by Becky Prestwich
It seems like life on the road throws you one curveball after another sometimes. This winter has been tough, with some parts better off forgotten.
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TruckingTruth was founded by Brett Aquila (that's me!), a 15 year truck driving veteran, in January 2007. After 15 years on the road I wanted to help people understand the trucking industry and everything that came with the career and lifestyle of an over the road trucker. We'll help you make the right choices and prepare for a great start to your trucking career.
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