A Foreword by "TruckerMike" Mike Rogers

There I was, sitting at the same desk I sat at every single day. I was trapped. I hated my job, but I felt I couldn't leave. Seeing as though it was 2008, right during the peak of our economic crash, simply having a job in the first place was a gift. So I was grateful, yet miserable at the same time.

I looked at the clock... 7:30 am. Ok, if I eat lunch at my desk, I should be able to get out of here by 4:30 pm, just in time to get ahead of at least some of the traffic for my long commute home. Might as well get this over with. I made my first sales call of the day, which went fairly well. At least they didn't hang up on me! But just then, I get a call from my boss.

"Hey, Good Morning Mike! Can you come to my desk for a moment? We need to discuss that last phone call you had."

Oh my God. They're listening in on our phone calls now? I've gotta get out of this place!

Well, they didn't give me much of a choice anyhow. After 2 years of working my butt off and generating millions of dollars in sales, I was being laid off. Another corporate employee is being brushed aside with the rest of the clutter. Just another statistic.

But before they ever issued the first unemployment check, I immediately remembered my old childhood dream of becoming a trucker. From a very young age, I was fascinated with trucks. The timing was perfect and I went for it.

Of course the first question I had was "What is it like being a truck driver?"

I think just about everyone asks themselves this question at some point in their life. For some of us, maybe it was just a passing thought we had as a kid pulling around a wagon with our bicycle (I can't possibly be the only one who did that!). Others will seriously consider trucking as a new career. The thought of actually becoming a truck driver is both exciting and scary at the same time. Trucking is such a mystery. What is it really like?

So I began my research. I searched high and low for information about trucking, but the only thing I could find on the internet was biased recruiting information or disgruntled truckers complaining about everything under the sun. There was no middle ground and no place to get credible, honest, unbiased, and reliable information. If only I could get the inside scoop, like maybe from a 15-year trucking veteran! That's when I finally found this book. So I figured, what the heck? I'll give it a shot.

I read the entire book in one sitting! I started out knowing almost nothing about truck driving, and by the end had a wealth of knowledge about a career in the trucking industry. Everything from what CDL school is like to the management structure of both small and large trucking companies. I knew what to do if I had a poor trainer, how to build a positive relationship with my dispatcher, tricks for earning extra money on the road, and all sorts of wisdom that would have taken me a lot of experience and trial and error to learn on my own.

As soon as I finished reading this book, I wrote Brett an email to tell him how much I enjoyed it. This is the exact email I sent Brett to show my appreciation word for word:

As you can see, I rather enjoyed the book! And thanks to the knowledge I gained, I had a great start to my career. I found a fantastic CDL school to attend, got hired on with a company, had a great experience with my trainer, drove solo with very few issues, and eventually even became a certified CDL Instructor. I was nominated for driver of the month, maintained a perfect safety and service record, formed a fantastic relationship with my dispatcher, and more importantly, had an absolute blast out there driving a big rig. I was able to do all of that because of the great head start this book gave me. It should be called "The Rookie Trucker's Bible".

When Brett told me recently that he wanted to make this book absolutely free for everyone, I was totally floored. This is an incredible resource that will help you get your career off to a great start. You'll be armed with very powerful and useful knowledge of how the industry works and how to slingshot yourself into a successful career as a trucker. Consider yourself lucky that you found this book. It's the most brutally honest, yet informative and entertaining book about trucking you'll find anywhere. Period.

Enjoy the read, have fun, and get ready for a wild ride. Truck driving is one hell of a journey.

Mike Rogers (TruckerMike)