Almost Finished And Struggling

Ok so i am almost done with my 275 hours of training has not been the best exsperance but has not been the wrose. I am having a bit of a struggle with what acualy happens next, I have been training on a target dedicated account. I will say that i can normaly get in and out of the parking lots and thought most of the streets with out running over curbs. I think in the long run it will help me to be a better driver. Right now all I can say is I have no desire to do what I have been doing when I am solo I am ready to be dome and just hope it gets better from here I know their is the next level i Of challenges as far as getting deliveries on time and the like. Gess I am At the point of am I ready and canI do it

You know the battle. And it is one. Just like life. Seeing that you are talking about your mistakes says that you are learning from them too. That is great and half the battle. So, you are almost there and you are feeling it. That's great too.

It is a whole different experience once you are on your own. Remember the first time you bought something with your OWN money? It's going to feel just like that. Like when you are trying to build something and you get it finished. You step back take that long look at it and go, "I did that."

I bet that first day you are out by yourself you will not make 1/4 of the mistakes you think you might. Sure you are going to make them. But, from what you posted I know as I said you will learn from them.

It does get better. The more you do something like this the better you get. Not every person is a natural at things. It's those who aren't and work hard at doing the best that they can, who make extremely good drivers. Looking at it now as not a job, but a profession will help you as well. Keep your spirits up and your attitude up even higher. You're a Truck Driver now and I don't care what anyone says, they are in a seriously upper class of their own. Without us, nothing in this country gets done. We can't be arrogant about it, we must remain humble. But know it still.

Congratulations! Stay strong! Keep Your head up! And keep those wheels on the road.

Be Safe.

Thank you, I hope your right I love driving. I plan on going over the road some one else can dothe dedicated runs for now do not like going down into the cities like you have to do with target, so hopefuly otr Inwill not have to do that as much have had to go into atlanta a few times so not fun at my skill level. I just keep focusing on the little joyes I will have like the silly ass gaxlay CB radio I want for my truck lol. I want this to work out I realy think I could enjoy this life style and career.

Thank you, I hope your right I love driving. I plan on going over the road some one else can dothe dedicated runs for now do not like going down into the cities like you have to do with target, so hopefuly otr Inwill not have to do that as much have had to go into atlanta a few times so not fun at my skill level. I just keep focusing on the little joyes I will have like the silly ass gaxlay CB radio I want for my truck lol. I want this to work out I realy think I could enjoy this life style and career.

Dominic, those dedicated runs are usually for more experienced drivers. That's why whenever you see a recruiting message you'll always see the words "must have X amount of driving experience". These accounts are big customers are are extremely important so they need reliable drivers. But they can also be more challenging too. Which is exactly your case. As a "regular" solo driver you'll be going to places that are more desolate. Most of the time they aren't too challenging. I can tell why you would be frustrated with the Target account.

But just know that you're doing something that a rookie shouldn't be doing. You're driving with the big dogs of the company. So take pride in it for now. Youre right, those runs really arent your skill level. But at the end of the day if you didnt hit anything, then its a good experience and a good learning experience. These difficult driving situations will only help you more in the long run.

My trainer was also on a dedicated account. Though it wasn't as difficult as a Target account. But it was still a challenge.

I completely forgot about that Daniel. You are right. He is doing something most rookies never do. He must have some skills. And they see it. Great job !

You too Daniel!

You got me there!

Thank you both for the kind words, I will not claim skill as much as survival. And I so know this exsperance will help me out in the long run.

I will not claim skill as much as survival.

Dominic, you've got the right attitude. Keep that survival instinct going when you're running solo for that first year and by the end of that year you will realize just how far you've come. All this training at the beginning really only gets us to where we are taking baby steps, we've still got to approach every new day driving with extreme care and caution. Your real education will come from that first year out there running solo. You will learn so much during that time, and your skills will develop so that you'll begin to have some confidence based on your new abilities.

Hang in there. Training isn't always what we think it should be, but if you're trying to improve and learn you will find that you're learning quite a bit even if it isn't the way you thought you should be trained.

Dominic, I had a real nut for a trainer. I couldn't wait to get loose and go solo. But the day they turned me loose into my own truck I remember pulling out of the terminal to go get my first solo load, and a feeling of overwhelming fear hit me wondering if I was really up to the task. Well, you know what? I'm not sure any of us are really ready for that first solo journey, but we all do it, and as long as we stay calm and make sure we don't hit anything then we're a success. It's kind of like when you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you just start each new day with a commitment to being safe and productive, and somehow along the way, almost without you noticing it, you start to realize that you've got this.

Keep us posted if you can on your progress.