Update From Dedicated Account

Been awhile since I posted. I've been on a home depot dedicated account for a couple of months, and have been driving 8 months since getting my cdl and ran 48 states for about 6 months. There is a subtle shift of psychology that I've noticed over the past few weeks that makes me think trucking was the right choice for me. Maybe its 'muscle memory' from dropping and hooking so much, combined with starting to actually feel a flow while out on the road even in city traffic, combined with feeling at home while in the sleeper on break. Just feels correct. That said, there are frustrating aspects. Currently sitting at a store waiting for breakdown service. The trailer I hooked up to after a swap and drop has a very bad hub seal leak. Crud pooled deep on the rim, and spun all around the rim as well. Which means the previous driver ignored it. I get it. It sucks to babysit broken equipment bc I don't get paid for that. But really guys. I've had to do this twice in the past few weeks. I've been asked to be permanent on the account and be a trainer. 8 months of driving and I still have some days where I couldnt back into the grand canyon. But looking back its amazing what I've learned in those months. Miles are ok, not great. Some days I run over 600, sometimes in the low 3's. I know its not my performance on loads that is leading to that. Never had a service failure and am friendly with the dispatcher , who I actually see face to face daily when getting load paperwork. Just the nature of the biz I guess. So there it is.

Tesserae, it's good to hear from you! I'm glad to hear that you're still on that dedicated account, I thought it sounded like a really good deal when you first posted about it. It's a shame how a driver can get stuck with another man's problem when he picks up a trailer that the last person didn't report the problems on, but that's the way it is. People are afraid they're gonna get the blame or get written up for issues on equipment so they pass it off on the next driver, but you did the right thing to inspect it and report it before you burn up an axle bearing or even start a tire fire that catches your whole load on fire. Keep up the great job, and keep us posted every now and then.

It's great to hear things are going well for ya out there. That really is a gravy division you're in. Good for you!

I always tell people that I really felt like I hit my stride in trucking somewhere around years 3-5. That first year everyone is just clueless and flustered a lot of the time. The second year you're really starting to get the hang of some of the more important subtleties that make a big difference in your life out there - regarding both your driving skills and other "life on the road" issues.

By your third, fourth, and fifth years you really have gained enough experience that you're starting to understand the difference between being a true seasoned veteran driver and an inexperienced driver. You've learned a ton of little things that when put together make all the difference in the world. Your driving is better, your scheduling is better, and your decision making is better. You've dealt with every imaginable type of weather, traffic, and terrain at that point, and you've dealt with hundreds of customers. You've made a ton of mistakes, experimented a lot, and have developed your own style - your own way of doing things.

It's nice to hear that things are coming together for you, and I can assure you that you'll get a whole lot better in the coming years and hopefully you'll enjoy it even more than you do now!