Every driver gets stuck in tiny parking lots or on narrow rural roads with seemingly no place to go. Here are my stories of tough times in tight spaces.
Everyone is super nervous when it's time to go solo. Here is some great advice and some crazy stories to help you stay calm and be prepared.
Most people believe they should move on to greener pastures after one year with their first trucking company. That notion is completely false, and here's why...
Many drivers get one year of experience and their self-importance causes their attitude and performance to go South. Here's the trap and how to avoid it.
I went through a lot of difficulties at the start of my trucking career. I hope to show you can still succeed and enjoy this career even after a rough start.
Trucking is radically different than your average lifestyle. Everything is constantly changing and the challenges are huge. Here are some great examples.
Truck drivers must learn to read every sign on the highway. This article will help you understand how many ways signs are critical to truck drivers.
Trucking requires a much higher level of responsibility and self-reliance than most professions out there. You have to make smart decisions and handle things yourself.
Burnout or homesickness can kill a truck driver's motivation. Here are some helpful ways to manage your time and keep yourself motivated out there.
One of the most critical skills a truck driver must have is the ability to evaluate information and make good decisions. Some will even mean life or death.
Forced dispatch means a driver can not refuse a load assignment. Is this fair? Should a driver have that right?
Do you know what it takes to be successful in trucking? Are you willing to compete? Are you capable of performing at a high level? Here is what it takes.
Prudence is critical when it comes to surviving your first year as a truck driver, but it's something many people seem to be lacking. Here's a good example.
Here's one trucker's story about living the highest of highs one day and the lowest of lows the next. Life on the road is a roller coaster ride.
No matter how well a truck driver plans a trip there are countless variables that will stand in your way. This particular week we couldn't catch a break.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
As a rookie truck driver you're going to face enormous challenges and be tested continuously. I learned a great lesson about how tough CDL training can be.
The CB radio is a legendary part of being a trucker. But nothing is funnier than being a rookie and soundling like a nerd amongst the smooth talkers.
Truckers sitting high above the passing traffic glimpse a moment in time of the lives of the people passing below. Here's a fun look at some things I've seen.
Truckers live wherever they happen to be at the moment. Some places have a mysterious past. They're a shadow of their former selves. A ghost town. A relic.
Every truck driver fears a family emergency happening when they're out on the road. It's a helpless feeling, and there's little you can do to prepare.
Life on the road is challenging, and drivers are on tight schedules. But this was one of those days where I made a mistake that made things even worse!
So how does a new driver survive their hectic, stressful, tiring, demanding, and incredibly challenging first 6 months on the job? Here's my advice...
Nothing could be more exciting than climbing behind the wheel of a rig for your first run ever as a professional driver! Here's how it went for me.
After a major mistake on my part, I found out how far a great attitude and hard work can take you, and how great a 'starter company' can treat you after all.
Although I had never planned on driving a semi, I wound up having a great trucking career. Here's a story about the trip where I reached 300,000 miles.
Being a CDL instructor is a very unique experience. I was amazed at how much I learned myself. Here are some of the highlights I picked up along the way.
After four weeks on the road with my student, it was time for him to take his CDL exam. We were both very nervous. Testing day is incredibly stressful.
CDL training will test you in so many ways, and it will go far beyond your ability to drive a truck. It will also test your patience and perseverance.
People wonder what life is like on the road for truckers. Well, you certainly have your good and bad days, and here's what a bad day is like...
I've only been on the road a short time running solo, and I had my first chance to drive through NYC in a big rig, and what a crazy adventure it was!
Being a safe truck driver is never easy. Predicting what might happen next on the highway takes years to learn and is very hard to teach a new driver.
My first ever solo run as a trucker went pretty well, but of course I ran into several issues and learned some good lessons right off the bat.
After two weeks with my trainer, I went home for three days to relax and get ready for my company road test. If I pass, I get my own truck and run solo
I've been on the road with my trainer and there's been a lot of ups and downs. We're learning a ton everyday, but it's not easy for me or my family.
My first few days of my trucking career are off to a great start and I'm out on the road with my trainer. Everything is so new, everything is a first.
After completing orientation with my first trucking company, it was time to head out on the road with a trainer for the first time, and away we went!
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.
After a lot of close calls and important lessons learned, I'm starting to get the feel for driving truck and learning to relax and roll with things.
I finished training and got my first truck. This is the story of my first ever solo run in a big rig, and a tiny rookie mistake that was pretty funny.
I'm finishing up CDL training with a trainer who screams in tirades and I've had to try to deal with it. But finally, the showdown between us occurred.
You meet a lot of crazy characters in trucking, and my finishing trainer is off the charts. This guys seems more like someone you'd find in a movie.
Becoming a truck driver can be one of the most exciting times in your life. Here's a story about my early days in trucking school and out on the road.
After getting into an accident as a rookie truck driver I made a critical error in judgment that could have cost me dearly, but this time I was lucky.
After tarping a load on a rainy day in a muddy mess of a parking lot I began to question whether or not becoming a truck driving was a mistake.
I haul car fuel on the night shift in Amsterdam. Not many women truck drivers work the night shift and a lot of people want to know if it's dangerous.
My first full solo week of trucking started out well but didn't continue that way for long. I also saw some very strange sites along the way!
After saying goodbye to my trainer, it was time to set out on my first solo run as a truck driver, and what a humbling adventure it turned out to be!
On the road in training driving flatbed was very rough the first couple weeks. My fingers were numb, I ached all over, and the mountains were intimidating
My first six weeks on the road with an incredibly unique trainer were memorable times. But being home for a 'Trucker's Weekend' was not what I expected
The Qualcomm has directions to customers for truck drivers, but oftentimes the directions are wrong and nobody seems to care. Here's what happens.
Donner Pass for truck drivers is one of the notorious places in the country for burned up brakes and fatal wrecks. My first time down was an adventure
An inside look at life on the road from a trucker's perspective.
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.
Life on the road has been difficult for Randy, and having a husband that's an over the road truck driver is horrible. He's due for home time soon.
The boss at my trucking company called and asked if I could deliver some loads overnight. I knew this was going to be a long night on the highway.
Randy and his road trainer returned to the CDL school and took advantage of some down time. There was a crazy DUI incident at the school this week.
I love being a truck driver. I've found as my experience grows, my enjoyment also grows. I'm still a rookie, but the experience I have is paying off.
Truck driver appreciation week has come and gone and we've created some reasons why truck driving is so difficult and should be appreciated.
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?
Some days are tougher than others for truck drivers, especially with the amount of traffic on the roads today. Today was a tough day in trucking.
Truck driving school and changing truck driving jobs often requires a trip by greyhound bus. This is one experience you have to be ready for.
Recently a student truck driver discovered that the trainer was smoking pot in the truck while the student was driving. How should you handle this?
Sometimes trucking trips go very smoothly, and others are incredibly challenging. This is the reality of truck driving. Are you up for the challenge?
It was a sad day driving truck today after finding out some really tough news and being called into work immediately afterwards.
I recently wrote 'Truck Driving: An Office With A View' about the beauty this country holds. But out here on the road it isn't always so beautiful.
One thing I wasn't prepared for as a new truck driver is the sleeping patterns. I knew fatigue was a big issue in trucking, and now I understand why.
Truck drivers spend an enormous amount of time alone away from friends and family which can really take its toll, and spells the end for many drivers.
Truck driving is such a unique job - one that offers so much that you won't find anywhere else. The lifestyle is amazing, and the view is spectacular
My first solo run as a truck driver has been completed, and boy do I have a story to tell. It was eventful and embarrassing, but successful in the end.
Everyone has their own version of what a truck driver looks and acts like. I was even guilty of that. But once I became a driver, that all changed.
After months of research, a month of CDL truck driving school, and 4 months of company training, I'm going on the road as a solo company driver. Wow!
My CDL training is complete. Here is a recap of what training was like on the road, and what it was like to return home to my family.
Truck drivers often have a tough time dealing with dispatch because of misunderstandings. But for new truck drivers it can be even tougher to handle.
In the past few months that I've been truck driving, I've learned one major thing - trucking can destroy you if you let it. So don't.
Backing was a tough issue for me back when I was new to truck driving, and a situation like this one was a nightmare for me!
I am just thrilled to know about the new adventure given to me - blocking 4 lanes of busy highway while trying to back the rig in. What a mess.
There are some nights when you don't want to be driving a truck. Then there are some nights when you wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world.
What separates the best drivers from the rest is handling the toughest situations with ease and staying relaxed. Learning from others is key also.
Home time in trucking is cherished. You don't get home very often, so when you do, you love the opportunity to see everyone again. Here's what I did.
Wow, it's been two months since I hit the road with my trainer. I'll share a few of my thoughts on how to survive your trucking company trainer.
After getting my CDL and going on the road with a trainer, my training time is up and there are no job openings right now. I'm going home.
Camaraderie among truck drivers used to be a sacred thing. Understood and appreciated, lived by and upheld. But now, it just doesn't seem the same.
This last trip was rather brutal. It was adventurous, frustrating, difficult, and dangerous at times, and we even saw a few things we wish we hadn't.
Some days you just know are going to be bad. Today was one of them. Its the last of November and there is all sorts of weather heading our way.
Well, it finally happened. My trainer and I are having truck problems. What a mess. It's getting fixed, finally, but here's what we had to deal with.
It takes a lot of trucks to keep America going and the shelves filled. Most of us never consider the shipping and manufacturing that goes into it.
Being in a big rig is just as spiritual as being on the back of a Harley. But the thing that mystifies me the most is the “magic” of just being.
Even though I enjoy what I'm doing there is a down side to trucking. Keeping a relationship going while driving truck is very hard, and often lonely
Truck stops are a trucker's haven, and it's nice to finally kick back and relax when you have the time. But not all are created equal, that's for sure
Just when I thought it was spring time and there would be no more truckin in the snow, man was I wrong! Tire chains, tow trucks, and more adventures!
So what exactly do a truck driver's duties entail when picking up and delivering loads once they arrive at the customer? Here's an example.
Life on the road leads you to so many people and experiences that it's nice to be able to sit down and write to the ones that have left an impression.
It takes a very unique individual to succeed out here and hopefully this will shed a little light on the traits needed to make it in this business.
Since my last trip in the big rig went so well, Karma had to balance itself out. And it didn't waste any time either! This last trip was crazy!
This story is based on my life, my emotions and my experience. I know there are “other halves” out there that will be able to relate.
Wow, my most recent trip was by far the best trip I've had to date. We left California late at night and were 'East Bound and Down' to Pennsylvania!
So the other night, we get a phone call to pick up a 'High Value Load' from a pharmaceutical company. Wow, what an experience a high value load is!
This is a nice little poem by a truck driver's wife with an understanding and appreciation for truck drivers and all they go through.
Being in training as a trucker on the road isn't easy - but when you add mountains and wrong turns into the equation, it can be terrifying!
Personal hygiene for truckers on the road is much different than for those of us living at home, and here's what I've found to be true so far.
After 14 days on the road with my trainer, things have been going really well. Here is some insight into my training so far.
Wow, I can't believe it's been a week since I got on the road with my trainer. This has probably been the quickest week of my life!
Being a brand new driver brings lots of new experiences, and today was my first full day and night in a truckstop in Southern California!
As I said previously, you have to have patience. A sense of humor helps too! There's a lot to know, and a lot of lessons learned already.
Finished up orientation on Friday and by Saturday morning, I already had a trainer waiting for me at the terminal. Finally ready to roll!
After a long day, I made it to the truck stop and I was tired. Little did I know, things during the night were going to get interesting!
The trip to truck driving orientation is always eventful - but not normally this eventful! What a mess - but it turned out interesting.
Life on the road is far more difficult than most people realize, and this letter goes out to all of those who have never been in their shoes.
A lot can go wrong for truck drivers on the road, and sometimes you just have one of those weeks where it all goes wrong!
Truck drivers have a ton of responsibilities when it comes to safety, and patience is key. Here's an example of how quickly things can go wrong.
I've had my share of fun over the years on the road but this story was one of the funniest things I've ever experienced!
Whether a trucking company or bus company does proper maintenance is a great way to determine if it's a good company to work for or not.
Back in 1979, two of us were headed to Conway, Arkansas to pick up two brand new buses. We had no idea what was about to happen.
Of all the years I spent on the road, a handful of places really stood out as a few of my favorite places to eat of all time!
A really funny story about how one truck driver decided to purposely screw up to get a better score on the CDL exam!
Although men are used to the question 'Do you want some company?' - the women just may have to look out for it too! Read on!
I've seen a lot in my 10 years on the road. Some of my favorite memories are of the little things.
A great story about how quickly things can change when you're cruisin the highways. When the worst happens, your training kicks in.
I finished my training period and for the very first time I was out on my own in my own rig. It was scary, but I made it through!
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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.
Becoming A Truck Driver is a dream we've all pondered at some point in our lives. We've all wondered if the adventure and challenges of life on the open road would suit us better than the ordinary day to day lives we've always known. At TruckingTruth we'll help you decide if trucking is right for you and help you get your career off to a great start.
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