What Usual Causes New Drivers To Fail?

Hello everyone. I would like to know in your oponions what is it about become a truck driver that is the hardest for people do learn how to do. Is it actually driving the truck? Is it a lot harder to drive a truck, and some trainers realize this, so they focus their attention on other drivers who seem to be getting a hold of it quicker? Is it the the challenges of actually being a trucker? Like adjusting to life on the road, being away from your family ect? Or maybe something else all together?

That's an excellent question.

For most people, the toughest part about trucking and the reason most people don't stay in it very long is the rigors of life on the road more so than actually being able to drive the truck.

Learning to drive isn't all that hard. At least not the basics. Very, very few people fail out of truck driving school or never get their careers started because they can't develop the driving skills necessary. I mean, if it was that hard, the schools would be several years long, not just several weeks or a couple of months. Most schools nowadays are only 160 hours long. If you can walk off the street and earn a CDL and get hired by a company with just 160 hours of training, it's obviously not rocket science.

But once you hit the road it's a whole different story. The pressure, the stress, the erratic sleep patterns, the risk, the time away from your home & family & friends, the way our society treats truck drivers, and all sorts of other challenges drivers face living on the road - that's the downfall of most people. Once you get out there you quickly face the reality of what it takes to make it in this industry, and it's a tough row to hoe - that's for sure. You have to be one really tough individual, and fiercely independent. You have to be the type that's willing to get the job done safely no matter what it takes. And you have to sacrifice a lot of things most people take for granted in their everyday lives.

But like anything - the pride and sense of accomplishment you feel is equal to the stress and difficulties you faced in achieving your goals. I'm tellin ya - when you pull into that customer's parking lot after make a long run on a tight schedule through all sorts of bad weather and horrible traffic - you know you've done something big. It's an amazing feeling.

And of course the perks of the travelling lifestyle - seeing tons of great scenery, meeting so many interesting people, and spending some down time in places like Vegas, New Orleans, and Miami - the travelling lifestyle is as rich as it is challenging.

It takes time to learn how to handle that rig, learn how the trucking industry works, and adjust to life on the road. That's why I always tell people to stick it out for a year at your first company no matter what. There's going to be times you'll want to quit trucking altogether, or you'll think you've chosen the wrong company. But if you stick it out long enough you'll adapt to the industry and lifestyle, you'll learn how to make your way out there, and you might find it to be the most rewarding thing you've ever done. Then again, you might think it's the dumbest idea you ever had. But you won't know the real answer to that question if you don't stick it out long enough to learn how to thrive and enjoy yourself out there.

Thank you brett, and as awlays thanks for all of the detail you put into your answers. Your answer really put me at ease. I understand that driving on the road can and will be a lot of lonly hours, complimented with extreme stress from bad directions, tight roads, rude and unaware moterists, served with a side of people holding their nose up at you, but thats okay. I can deal with that, am a very easy going person, I adapt and just go with the flow. My biggest concern was actual truck driving school, but you put it in perspective by pointing out that if a lot of people where flunking out of it, that it would be longer than one month. I have a question about what you mean by downtime. I think i will make a new post for that question however. Might be a question a few people considering a career in trucking might want to know.

Justin, Some folks who go into trucking don't realize how far reaching the effects of their choice will be. There can be unexpected ideals of what its like to drive a truck, mess with traffic, fuel, bother with receivers and shippers, bad roads, bad 4 wheelers, bad dispatchers, etc. But I truly believe that the one thing that most folks don't do enough thinking about is what kind of mess they are leaving at home, when they wander off to become a truck driver. Can your spouse deal with the kids, the house, the bills, the repairs, the other family members, during the time your away,( which averages 3 days home after 6 weeks out on the road )?????????????? I have been both OTR , and at home while TSB is OTR. So I see it form both ends of the dubious rainbow. And I'll be honest, the truckers wives that have kids to deal with on their own have got to have a special place in heaven.... Your spouse has to learn to do all the things you did before, PLUS do all of her stuff, PLUS deal with family members who can't shut their mouth, and keep saying " honey I don't know how you do it all, and here he's off touring the great states". WHEN in fact they should show up on a Saturday, kid your spouse out of the house, sending her somewhere to decompress, and they take care of the kids, clean the house and mow the lawn while she's gone !!. You combine the stress she's under with pay checks that are slim the fist year, and the bills that still have to be paid, AND the kids asking when Daddie's gonna be home....Yup...learning to drive truck and goin' OTR is the easy part of this equation..... I have a Tee Shirt that sez THE ONLY THING TOUGHER THAN A TRUCKER IS A TRUCKER'S WIFE....and its the god's honest truth.........

There is so much to being a professional driver, but for me, the reason I didn't hang is realizing that in order to get some loads from point A to point B you have no choice but to spend your entire 11 hours driving, and hope that you can get some sleep.

For me, I don't think I gave myself enough sleep, and instead found myself in TV rooms at truck stops later than usual watching tv and getting out to the truck later than I wanted and only getting 4 hours of sleep before getting back on the road on time. Missing sleep WILL catch up with you, as it did me. I didn't miss loads, but I was dead tired.

Get sleep. That is EXTREMELY important. Gauge whether or not you can drive 11 hours straight unless you're stopping to fuel or relieve yourself. If not you'll end up like me

Hello everyone. I would like to know in your oponions what is it about become a truck driver that is the hardest for people do learn how to do. Is it actually driving the truck? Is it a lot harder to drive a truck, and some trainers realize this, so they focus their attention on other drivers who seem to be getting a hold of it quicker? Is it the the challenges of actually being a trucker? Like adjusting to life on the road, being away from your family ect? Or maybe something else all together?

I think it is the size of the truck and getting use to it, I am use to a car and I know it will be the size of the truck when I get to a class. Right now I take care of a disabled vet, but I am still aceing my practice test, I still have the drive to get my CDL