Profile For Old School

Finished off the year with 127k miles total.

Hey Grinch, that's impressive!

I like seeing you guys hitting some good numbers like that.

Russell, when a driver is struggling with accidents, the main thing the company wants evidence of is that the driver is learning from their mistakes. Personal responsibility and situational awareness are keys to success at trucking. The last thing a company wants is a driver who appears to be playing bumper cars with their equipment.

Most companies figure once you've had a couple of minor incidents you'll have it figured out how to avoid another. Three strikes generally gets us thrown out of the game. Your company generously allowed you four in as many months. That's almost unheard of.

All you can do is apply everywhere and hope someone is willing to take their chances with you. It's going to be an application process with a lot of rejections. You've got to resolve to improve your driving and hope someone needs a driver really bad. It's just not a good time to come in begging for mercy, but that's where you stand.

I hope the best for you. Be persistent. Hopefully you can get this thing back on track. It's going to be tough.

I had my whole gang here at the farm. We've had a high time! Merry Christmas to each of you!

Thanks for all you do, and the sacrifices you make daily.

Hello Alex! Welcome to our forum!

Trucking can be a great way to see the country, but I wouldn't count on a lot of "sight seeing." You will be doing a job, and it typically has tight schedules. If you like working long days, like 14 to 16 hours, you could conceivably burn up your 70 hours and have to take 34 hours off. The timing of that break could determine whether you are in an area that holds an interest for you. I've done some sight seeing over the years, but it's hit or miss on when it actually works out right.

I love this career and would encourage anyone like you to give it a shot. It's something you can easily walk away from if it isn't working for you. I say that with a caveat... I highly recommend you make a one year commitment. It honestly takes that much time to understand the career and make an honest attempt at doing it right.

If you have the inclination, I know My New Book would be a big help to you. It's been receiving great reviews, and I'm confident it would help you considerably as you ponder this career change.

NaeNaeInNC hit the nail on the head...

The only way you can impact wether you sit or not, is be efficient, safe, and reliable.

Alejandro, I understand your concerns completely. Everyone going into trucking reads all this garbage online about trucking companies. Then they start believing there are "good" companies and "bad" companies out here. Everyone wants to land at a good company so they can get off to a good start.

It's all a bunch of nonsense.

So much of what is posted about trucking companies is written by people who don't even know what they're doing yet. The name on the door of your truck is meaningless. That name has little to do with your success. I tell a story in My New Book about one of my fellow drivers at Western Express who sat all the time while I was constantly moving. I explain how we approached the job differently and it resulted in completely different outcomes.

You will determine your own level of success at this. The trucking companies want each driver moving. That's how they make money. What happens is they start recognizing the drivers who understand the job and have proven themselves efficient. Those highly productive drivers start gaining priority for loads. The malcontent nonproducers begin getting shorted until they are complaining online about how terrible the company is.

Driver are their best and worst advocates. Take the job at Western Express and prove yourself a champion in a very competitive environment. That's how this game is played. You don't have to be on the best team, but you do have to be the best player. There's a world of opportunity out here, but don't count on it being handed to you. You'll earn every victory, and you'll be improving yourself all along the way.

Very sad news!

Anne was special. She did a lot for this community. She will be missed by many of us.

Thanks Kearsey, for letting us know.

I very seldom give out my phone number. Anne somehow found it online, and would call me occasionally. Usually it was because she was concerned about some conversation going on in the forum. She always thought I could magically straighten something out with a few keystrokes on my computer.

She treated me like I was a superhero. I never understood why she thought I was so capable. She was a charming lady. I'll miss her.

Why do you have to choose between those two?

They are completely different. One involves a lot of manual labor. Are you wanting that kind of work?

Are you brand new at this? I recommend doing OTR first, but I would want you to earn mileage pay. Who is that OTR job with?

I'd be patient and look some more. Why are you feeling rushed?

We live, and learn, and laugh at ourselves in the process.

You identified the problem. You let yourself get distracted. Most experienced truck drivers like to use the same pattern when building or breaking down a set, or just dropping a trailer. I always do the landing gear first, then the fifth wheel, then the lines. I'm sure you have your own system.

Much like you, I've dropped trailers twice. I was extra fortunate that both mine landed on the frame. I basically caught the trailer before it hit the ground. Both times I did the same thing you did - I let myself get distracted in the middle of my routine.

Take note newbies. Get comfortable with a pattern you follow. Strictly adhere to it. Don't get distracted. With big trucks, bad things happen when we're distracted.

Nick, I was hoping we'd hear back from Apex. I can't tell you how many times this same scenario has taken place in here.

I think most drivers want to make more money. Unfortunately, most of us tend to fall for the gimmicks, rather than understanding the principles that can get us there.

I go into all this stuff in my new book. I hope you'll consider reading it. You can get it as an e-book or paperback. Here's a conversation about it that includes a link to the book.

Brett Talks About Old School's New Book

Hello... is anybody here?

I'd love to hear an update!