Some Over The Road Questions (living Conditions Electronics Necessities)

Okay, I don't even have my CDL yet. But I have some questions. Probably jumping the gun a little bit but it's something I'm wondering. Most of these are 5 questions in one. I look forward to hearing from you all! Thanks ! (:

1.) What electronics should I take? Would a laptop be any use to me out there? Do most truck stops have wifi? And if they do will it reach to the truck? Should I just invest in a tablet?

2.) I know it will vary drastically truck to truck company to company. But If I want my own music do the radios have the option to connect to phones or iPods? Would I need to make some CDs?

3.) If I'm passing through near family am I aloud to stop? Considering my service times will be met?

4.) I was told by one company I would know my whole route off the bat. Is that true will I know my route in its entirety? When I head out on day 1 will I know what I'll be doing on day 15?

5.) What else should I look into bringing for down time? I know they'll teach me what to do for my up time. But when I have time to me what do I need to have with me?

6.) Is it worth leasing with any company out there? If it's leased who's responsible for repairs and maintenance?

7.) If I'm just a company driver who's responsible for maintenance? (Oil changes tires etc.)

8.)When is it worth it to lease? If ever.

If I get out there and love this career is it Worth it to own my own truck?

I'll try to give some insight. These answers are all pertaining to a company driver and coming from a company driver.

1) Anything that you want for comfort. A laptop to play on and watch movies is great in your downtime. Just remember that if you don't have an apu then you won't be able to run your electronic devices for very long without idling the truck. It is a good idea to charge them as youre driving so you can just use their internal battery power as long as possible. A lot of companies are strict with idling. The big chain truck stops have WiFi but require you to pay for it. You can get a WiFi antenna to extend your range and possibly find free WiFi somewhere though.

2) Each truck I've been in has had an auxiliary jack on the radio that you can connect a phone or iPod to and the truck I'm in now is Bluetooth enabled.

3) As long as you're proving that you have a good work ethic and make your appointment times your DM is not gonna say anything about you stopping in to see family on your route. Just plan your trip accordingly and don't go way out of route to do it.

4) With this one, either the company is talking about a dedicated route or there was a slight misunderstanding. When I'm dispatched on a load I am sent the route info. It is every road and fuel stop from the point I start from to the final destination. Whether it is a 100 mile trip or a 2000 mile trip I know the entire route from the time I leave point A. But as far as knowing your route a week or 2 in advance, the only way I see that happening is with a dedicated route.

5) Something to pass the time if you can't take a nap. Books, magazines, games on your phone/laptop/tablet.

6) For a rookie, a big no. A lease deal is a bad idea right out of the gate. You are responsible for the cost of maintenance.

7) Company trucks are totally maintained by the company. Depending on who you drive for, you'll either go to terminals for routine maintenance or you'll go to a place the company has approved to work on their trucks.

8) Leasing gives you a smaller amount of freedom to select routes and loads. If you're wanting to be an owner op but don't want to go through an independent dealership, you can find a company with a decent buyout plan and once your lease contract is up you pay the balance and the truck is totally yours. But honestly if you're that interested in owning a truck you'll get a MUCH better deal by going through an outside dealership.

I hope these all help and good luck!

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

Dedicated Route:

A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."

Dm:

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.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

They told me that when I went out for my run. That I would know where I'd be for the whole time. So I would know okay, I have to go to Arkansas then Texas then here then here. OR Is it more like go to point A, take load to point B. Wait around to find out what my next point A is.

And once I get my credit up if this is a career I love I would defiantly buy a truck. My uncle had his own truck. Do you get more per mile? But after maintenance and all does it come out to be more money?

I'm sure it varys between company's but I only know what I'm doing for the delivery I'm on. After I drop I put in my depart receiver message on the Qualcomm and my next load will come through.

They told me that when I went out for my run. That I would know where I'd be for the whole time. So I would know okay, I have to go to Arkansas then Texas then here then here. OR Is it more like go to point A, take load to point B. Wait around to find out what my next point A is.

And once I get my credit up if this is a career I love I would defiantly buy a truck. My uncle had his own truck. Do you get more per mile? But after maintenance and all does it come out to be more money?

Its very rare that I don't know what my next load is before I finish the one I'm on and sometimes if its a short run I'll know the next 2. But I think generally that's about as far in advance as you'll know unless you're on a dedicated route. It does vary from company to company though. But I think the reasons for this are probably 1) because of all of the variables involved in this job and 2) not all of the orders are made weeks in advance.

You will make more per mile as owner/op but you are also responsible for fuel and maintenance. There are gonna be months where you come out way ahead and months where you come out in the red. Its all about time and money management. But that should definitely wait until you learn the industry and how thinks work before you jump into it