HOW CAN SOMEONE GET STARTED IN TRUCKING? CAN YOU GIVE ME SOME ADVICE?
Well, I thought long and hard about how to answer this. I can share with you what worked for me, and give you the research tips that will enable you to make an informed decision.
The world of trucking is as diverse and varied as an industry can get.
Here are some questions you will need to ask yourself:
CAN YOU BE FLEXIBLE? Trucking is not a 9-5 job. There are no weekends, no holidays, no sick days. When the wheels are not turning, you are not making money. Though they try to hit it, even your pre-requested time off can’t always be counted on to come through. That makes it hard to be home, or any particular place, at any particular time.
HOW I DECIDED WHICH COMPANY TO DRIVE FOR: This is your most important decision. I went out to the truck stops for several weeks and interviewed individuals about their feelings toward the company they drive for. The drivers are certainly more than happy to tell you their complaints or likes about their company. You can learn alot by listening to them.
I kept notes & looked for recurring trends. Like did a certain company have payroll problems & were there plenty of miles and trips offered to keep drivers busy.
Don’t imagine you can trust the TV commercials, and recruiters. Asking real live working-drivers will give a more realistic view of what a particular company is like. Ask plenty, the more drivers you get to talk to, the less chance you will sign up with a company that has disgruntled drivers.
WHAT KIND OF TRUCK DO YOU WANT TO DRIVE? The trucking industry has several different types of trucks. There are Tankers, Flatbeds, Dry Vans, Drop Decks, and Refrigerated trailers. Each one has their own good and bad points. ASK DRIVERS ABOUT THEIR USUAL WORK DAY.
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO DRIVE? Most companies have dedicated lanes which means they have certain parts of the country they run. Others run all 48 states. Some companies will have both.
WHEN WOULD YOU RATHER BE DRIVING? Well, this is sort of a trick question to see if an answer jumped to your mind. This will likely not be a choice for you, but it is something you must consider as reality.
You will drive during the day. Sometimes you will drive all night. There will be times you have to be at a dock door at 3AM. Or 1130PM. You may pull into a dock, crawl into your bunk for a nap, then be awakened 4 hours later to haul your rig out of the way. You must be able to exist on varying sleep schedules & still be clear-headed & alert.
You will encounter ice storms, blizzards, black ice, high winds, snow, hail, heavy rain all day, or for 3 days straight, & always late afternoon sun blinding you as you drive West. As a trucker, you will be out on the roads under every imaginable condition, as well as holed up somewhere from time to time waiting out blizzards.
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There is no way I can cover all the details of being an over the road trucker, but here is my personal feelings towards trucking and they are my own, and they work for me.
For me, everyday is a vacation. I love to drive. I love the open road. As I look out my windshield, I always have something different in view. I can start my day wearing short sleeves, and by the end of my shift, I am wearing a heavy jacket and gloves!
I have driven through ghost towns on deserted back roads of Kansas. I have driven through the mountains in the winter where I could not go faster than 10 mph because of the ice. I have seen the sun come up on the East coast, and the sun set on the West coast. I have been on remote roads where I did not pass another vehicle for 200 miles!
Trucking and photography go hand in hand for me. I get paid to drive, see the country, and do new things. When I have the time in between loads, or in transit, I try to get out and visit the local towns, or scenic places.
Some places I have driven I just could never put into words. America has more variety in weather conditions and terrain than I ever imagined.
To sum up I must say trucking is not a job, it is a life. I live in my truck. 24/7/365.
I have a HDTV, internet, often hot food, sometimes cold canned rations. My pet, my phone, & my email give me company & keep me in touch with family & friends. I can go down the road fully doing my job while talking & laughing with someone in any part of the country. Sometime I plan on short visits with relatives here & there, stop in for supper or meet them at a truck stop where they drive over to see me. My showers are in the truck stops, so is my Laundromat. (Sometimes, so is my dentist.) It’s just something you have to like in order to live this way.
I hope all I’ve written gives you some pointers & maybe some things to think over as trucking is a job like no other. I’ve heard it said today’s truckers are yesteryears cowboys, living in the saddle, facing the elements, making do, figuring each situation as it presents itself. Except we have a roof at night.
Overhead the stars are still near.
Well, I thought long and hard about how to answer this. I can share with you what worked for me, and give you the research tips that will enable you to make an informed decision.
The world of trucking is as diverse and varied as an industry can get.
Here are some questions you will need to ask yourself:
CAN YOU BE FLEXIBLE? Trucking is not a 9-5 job. There are no weekends, no holidays, no sick days. When the wheels are not turning, you are not making money. Though they try to hit it, even your pre-requested time off can’t always be counted on to come through. That makes it hard to be home, or any particular place, at any particular time.
HOW I DECIDED WHICH COMPANY TO DRIVE FOR: This is your most important decision. I went out to the truck stops for several weeks and interviewed individuals about their feelings toward the company they drive for. The drivers are certainly more than happy to tell you their complaints or likes about their company. You can learn alot by listening to them.
I kept notes & looked for recurring trends. Like did a certain company have payroll problems & were there plenty of miles and trips offered to keep drivers busy.
Don’t imagine you can trust the TV commercials, and recruiters. Asking real live working-drivers will give a more realistic view of what a particular company is like. Ask plenty, the more drivers you get to talk to, the less chance you will sign up with a company that has disgruntled drivers.
WHAT KIND OF TRUCK DO YOU WANT TO DRIVE? The trucking industry has several different types of trucks. There are Tankers, Flatbeds, Dry Vans, Drop Decks, and Refrigerated trailers. Each one has their own good and bad points. ASK DRIVERS ABOUT THEIR USUAL WORK DAY.
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO DRIVE? Most companies have dedicated lanes which means they have certain parts of the country they run. Others run all 48 states. Some companies will have both.
WHEN WOULD YOU RATHER BE DRIVING? Well, this is sort of a trick question to see if an answer jumped to your mind. This will likely not be a choice for you, but it is something you must consider as reality.
You will drive during the day. Sometimes you will drive all night. There will be times you have to be at a dock door at 3AM. Or 1130PM. You may pull into a dock, crawl into your bunk for a nap, then be awakened 4 hours later to haul your rig out of the way. You must be able to exist on varying sleep schedules & still be clear-headed & alert.
You will encounter ice storms, blizzards, black ice, high winds, snow, hail, heavy rain all day, or for 3 days straight, & always late afternoon sun blinding you as you drive West. As a trucker, you will be out on the roads under every imaginable condition, as well as holed up somewhere from time to time waiting out blizzards.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
There is no way I can cover all the details of being an over the road trucker, but here is my personal feelings towards trucking and they are my own, and they work for me.
For me, everyday is a vacation. I love to drive. I love the open road. As I look out my windshield, I always have something different in view. I can start my day wearing short sleeves, and by the end of my shift, I am wearing a heavy jacket and gloves!
I have driven through ghost towns on deserted back roads of Kansas. I have driven through the mountains in the winter where I could not go faster than 10 mph because of the ice. I have seen the sun come up on the East coast, and the sun set on the West coast. I have been on remote roads where I did not pass another vehicle for 200 miles!
Trucking and photography go hand in hand for me. I get paid to drive, see the country, and do new things. When I have the time in between loads, or in transit, I try to get out and visit the local towns, or scenic places.
Some places I have driven I just could never put into words. America has more variety in weather conditions and terrain than I ever imagined.
To sum up I must say trucking is not a job, it is a life. I live in my truck. 24/7/365.
I have a HDTV, internet, often hot food, sometimes cold canned rations. My pet, my phone, & my email give me company & keep me in touch with family & friends. I can go down the road fully doing my job while talking & laughing with someone in any part of the country. Sometime I plan on short visits with relatives here & there, stop in for supper or meet them at a truck stop where they drive over to see me. My showers are in the truck stops, so is my Laundromat. (Sometimes, so is my dentist.) It’s just something you have to like in order to live this way.
I hope all I’ve written gives you some pointers & maybe some things to think over as trucking is a job like no other. I’ve heard it said today’s truckers are yesteryears cowboys, living in the saddle, facing the elements, making do, figuring each situation as it presents itself. Except we have a roof at night.
Overhead the stars are still near.
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