Long Overdue Update
Topic 29741 | Page 1
Great update Dave! Each of us understands what you are going through and feeling right now. Truck driving is challenging and rewarding at the same time. Keep it up - It's been enjoyable reading your posts! 
Any update this evening, Dave?
Good morning! Today is test day and I'm a bit nervous. Backing is what's got me nervous, but I have a plan. Just gonna take my time, get out and look several times, and get it done. Then they're going to put me up in a hotel for the weekend with the hopes of finding me a truck on Monday.
If your reading this and you have yet to go out with a trainer, let me give some solid advice....
1 - Always be the 1st one out of the truck to pre trip, pick up, deliver, and any other work that needs to get done.
2 - Take the initiative. Don't wait to be told what to do, see what needs to be done and do it.
3 - You are sleeping in someone else's home. Keep it clean. Take the time to clean the windows, clean the dash and other surfaces, be the one to take out the trash, keep your own personal gear squared away. Be the housekeeper.
4 - Every night when you shut down, and finish the post trip, get out and spend an hour or so in the truck stop. It gives you and your trainer a little personal space.
5 - Your trainer is the boss, no ifs, ands, or buts. They have responsibilities to you, the truck, the public, and the company. That's not to say you have to take abuse, but a sense of humor can go a long way.
With all that said... the experience can be a really good one. My trainer and I spent a lot of nights eating pizza and playing video games. The next morning it was back to work.
Thanks for sharing those thoughts Dave!
It's all great advice.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I passed my skills test!!! Now my FM is trying to find me a truck!!!!!
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
Congratulations!
There has been a plethora of good news on here today.
Outstanding! Nice work!
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Today is my last day out with my trainer. He's been great to work with and I'm gonna miss all the fun we've had. In the last 20 days I've cracked a mirror cover on a narrow toll both in Ohio (don't ask), driven through snow storms, conducted pre trips and drop and hooks in below zero Temps, driven through enough mountains in PA and NY to last a lifetime, been so tired I've gone to sleep without dinner, been a few days without a shower consistently, eaten enough truck stop food to last me for a while, and suffered through a few bad days where I couldn't back this truck through a mile wide opening if someone else was driving. Tomorrow I test out for my own truck. I want my own truck! I love my job!!!
And yes, I want to be a truck driver.
Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.