Profile For Ray A.

Does anyone run seasonal air in their tires. Summer air in the summer and winter air in the winter?

Speechless I never realized this. Thank you for the sage advice. I'll do my time for a year.

I neither want nor need OTR

Ray, I know you've been in here long enough to get an idea of the way we teach folks to go about making a decent start at this career. Also, you've been a pilot, so you understand how important it is to take the proper procedures so that you build yourself a good solid plan and foundation for success, therefore avoiding having problems.

It is all fine and good if the Over The Road lifestyle doesn't appeal to you, I get that, but you still "need it." At least, you need to get a little of it. This is where you will actually learn the basics for success at this job. As you should be painfully aware now, Knight's school, nor any trucking school for that matter, will in no way make you into a successful truck driver. Any recent graduate from truck driving school has one thing that the average guy on the streets doesn't have yet, and that is a CDL. When a greenhorn rookie gets out of truck driving school he has nothing to offer an employer. That newly minted license really means nothing to a prospective employer. It simply means you spent a few hours behind the wheel of an empty truck pretending you were a truck driver, and frankly, probably didn't even pretend all that well. Why do you think 99% of local type driving jobs require one to three years experience. They all seem to think that you need some Over The Road experience!

Knight has a ton of opportunities like you are looking for, right there in Phoenix, but they aren't going to tell you about them. They know painfully well that you are totally unprepared for the rigors of local work. A green horn tuck driver immediately propelled into that type of position is a recipe for disaster. They have years of data to prove just that, and they will not even offer you that type of job yet.

It isn't just an attitude of the trucking profession that says, "Well that sucker hasn't paid his dues yet, so we aren't going to let him in on any of the good stuff until he has put in his time." That is not it at all. There is a progression to developing oneself as a professional driver, and the safest and most productive path to doing that is by going Over The Road first. It is in that environment that you will be eased into all the manifold scenarios that a local type driver will be deluged with every single day. There is a lot to learn about handling that rig out there in all types of weather and road conditions, and the crazy different levels of stress that are brought on by demanding schedules.

I know that there is an occasional driver who manages going straight into a local job with some degree of success, but it is by far a very unusual path to success at this. In fact we have seen a bunch of guys who did this and ended their careers before they even had a chance to make a start of it by having a minor accident, getting released because of it, and then no one wants to touch them. They have no experience to speak of, an accident on their record, and now they are basically black listed because of the way they tried to start it all out.

Don't hamstring yourself by ignoring the proven methods that simply work the best. Knight would be glad to have you on their team, and I can promise you that they have a lot of opportunities that would appeal to you. But, they are going to want you to start as an Over The Road driver. They want that because they know you need that, and will benefit greatly from that experience.

My question is this, I neither want nor need OTR and would prefer local,dedicated or regional out and right back in. Does anyone know of any companies in the Phoenix Az area that I can check into?

Thanks in advance, Ray

Point being that there is a natural evolution to it. Surveillance and privacy will erode more over time and more is coming.

Let's just agree to disagree because this is just the tip of the iceberg as you will see in the next five years.

What do you mean the tip of the iceberg? What freedoms and privacy do you think you have as a truck driver today? They drug test you anytime they like, you get physicals every two years max, they track your every movement in real time, they monitor your engine and controls, they scan your truck with all sorts of advanced equipment every time you go through a scale house, they have company policies that dictate what you can do on your free time sometimes, they can inspect or search your truck anytime without cause, and a million other things.

Not to mention you're already on camera everywhere you go.

Not to mention, aren't you carrying a cell phone in your pocket most of the time? You know, that device with a GPS chip, accelerometer, microphone, photo camera, and video camera all of which can be activated remotely without you knowing it?

Come on, man. Be serious. If you have some illusion that you have any sort of privacy whatsoever at this point then it's clearly that - an illusion. I'm not saying you don't have the right to feel how you like about it. But I am saying don't kid yourself about this whole privacy thing - that's long gone.

Let's just agree to disagree because this is just the tip of the iceberg as you will see in the next five years.

Dan, very well said my friend! Excellent summary of the realities behind the monitoring that truck drivers are subjected to.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Ben Franklin

Interestingly enough, the liberty old Ben was enjoying was earned by countless men who were giving up their freedom, their homes, and leaving their families to live in tents while starving, freezing, and dying of wounds and diseases to fight the wars that gave him that liberty and freedom he so cherished.

Our economy and luxuries today are enjoyed in no small part because of the hard work and sacrifices that truckers make. We're the lifeblood of this economy, quite literally if you will. There's a price to be paid for that. Not only do most truckers leave their home, family, and friends to live on the road and work the equivalent of two full time jobs, but they risk their lives in one of the most dangerous jobs in the nation today.

As Dan pointed out, we're doing dangerous work while surrounded by millions of innocent people every day. You have to expect to be monitored and held accountable for your actions. To discipline someone after the fact is too late. You have to be proactive to make sure drivers are doing their jobs safely.

I'm confident that if you received a phone call that someone you are close to was killed by a truck driver you'd want to know all you could about the accident, including whether or not it could have been prevented. That's the key here - prevention.

You have every right to say you refuse to be monitored while you're working. But you won't be given a dangerous job that puts the lives of innocent people at risk. Some jobs call for people who are willing to go above and beyond the commitments most people would ever consider. You have to decide if you're up to the task or not. Most people are not. There's no shame in that.

Curious why there is no mention of the cameras that people use on their cars being used on the back of trucks?

Sage advice, I am also a pilot and am required to use a checklist every time by the FAA. This is probably why I am still alive.

Remember even when everything goes well with a load something always seems to go wrong. It's how you react to these seemingly endless impediments that really makes a difference. Work through the problem, communicate with the people assigned to help you, and don't be afraid to ask for help. You will make mistakes but try not to make the same mistake over and over. Checklists can be a huge help when first running solo.

Like taking an emergency dump? Bringing a wife along for an overnight? Our freedoms are being eroded in the name of safety, and it is beyond me how people can allow this to happen. What next an automatic suspension for going over 7 mph? Trust me this is just the beginning for alot of people. It will indeed get worse as we give more and more.

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Ben Franklin

So I have been jumping here and there reading this and that (no real beginning or ending in everything I have read so far). I saw in one post that companies may put cams in their trucks, as in the cabs. So far as minuses go this is the worst to me. I would never be able to pick my nose or sing out of tune knowing I am being watched and the idea in itself bothers me. I can deal with the biggest bummer which is not being able to carry my sidearm on the road, but being watched, that's just too creepy.

I actually used this to get all of my endorsements before school but it did not cover everything on the new tests. Nevertheless it still helped me tremendously.

Congratulations. Good luck. Have you seen this? High Road Training Program It's the best study guide for getting your permit and endorsements. And this is our basic starter pack.

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road Training Program

We are here to offer you help, advise and motivation.

Do you just pee in a cup or have to get the hair snipped yet again? Last time they left a bald spot.