My Life As A Rookie Driver

Let's see if I got this straight. I decided to become a truck driver for the honor and privilege of seeing the country at 60 m.p.h., plus.

During the time on my own, I got stuck in the mud in a truck stop; ended up driving on a closed road; got lost, and stuck, AGAIN; jumped the king pin, for the first, and HOPEFULLY last time.

I have just one question to ask...was it this BAD for other drivers in their first year? Heck, I'm still in my first month on my own.

Dave

Hi Dave...I did all the above!!.....Stuff happens!

One time after I had been driving for about 6 months, I had a chance to go "home"..(The place I grew up near Albany, NY....I live in Virginia now)...Anyway, I decided to park at my Aunt and Uncles house..When I got to their driveway, I swung wide and ended up sinking knee deep in mud...I didn't realize that the ground would cave in like that...This was in the country..I was stuck for hours waiting on a tow truck...Meanwhile the road is completely closed...I'm lucky I didn't get a ticket and/or get in trouble with my company (Schneider)....but all ended well....so see....Its not just "you"...We all have our tales!!....Good luck!!

One time after I had been driving for about 6 months, I had a chance to go "home"..(The place I grew up near Albany, NY....I live in Virginia now)...Anyway, I decided to park at my Aunt and Uncles house..When I got to their driveway, I swung wide and ended up sinking knee deep in mud...I didn't realize that the ground would cave in like that...This was in the country..I was stuck for hours waiting on a tow truck...Meanwhile the road is completely closed...I'm lucky I didn't get a ticket and/or get in trouble with my company (Schneider)....but all ended well....so see....Its not just "you"...We all have our tales!!....Good luck!!

Did you tell your company you were stuck?

Well, the "good" news is they keep giving me loads, so I guess that is a sign that they are NOT going to fire me. I would hate to think what my previous company would have done.

Dave

Yes...I told them the truth!....They said not to "make a habit" of it, but overall they were good about it...a few years later, I got ran off the road in Ohio by an out of control car and was stuck in a snow bank...and a year or so after that got stuck in a shippers yard in snow in NH....Things happen!....As long as you do your best and TELL THE TRUTH, most people understand...We ALL mess up from time to time....and sometimes, things happen that are unavoidable...like getting stuck in a shippers yard, etc

Ill look later to see if i still have the pics but one yr in indy after a bad snow storm,i bugged my dm to give me a trailer and to get me a load so he did well the place was closed down our trailers were moved and noone changed it in the system well i go to turn aroun and oops soft ground axle deep in mud,snow and ice.

i made some wrong turns,got stuck on a turn.it happens like we say a bad day on the road is better than a good day at the yard,atleast ya know ur makin money.

Ill look later to see if i still have the pics but one yr in indy after a bad snow storm,i bugged my dm to give me a trailer and to get me a load so he did well the place was closed down our trailers were moved and noone changed it in the system well i go to turn aroun and oops soft ground axle deep in mud,snow and ice.

i made some wrong turns,got stuck on a turn.it happens like we say a bad day on the road is better than a good day at the yard,atleast ya know ur makin money.

True, but if I would have just waited 30 minutes and asked a few questions, maybe I would have driven to Memphis in the first place, instead of trying to find an alternate route to 155.

Dave

Yes, it most certainly happens to everyone. There isn't a driver in America that wouldn't be embarrassed to show the world their list of mistakes from their first year on the road. It's one hard lesson after another.

That is yet another reason I always tell people to stick it out with their first company for one full year no matter what. I always say "no matter what" because I lived through it and I know that stuff happens all the time that first year. Sometimes it will get bad enough that a driver will consider quitting trucking altogether. For many drivers that will happen several times that first year.

All you can do is keep learning, keep moving forward, and more than anything just make sure you don't hit anything. You can make a ton of mistakes and they'll quickly be forgotten. But running into something will not be. That's the one big thing you really have to avoid.

My stepmother thinks I made a mistake by becoming a truck driver. She thinks I should quit before I get fired. I look at it this way. If I was going to get fired, I don't think they would have continued to put me on other loads.

Dave

Lol...I don't think theres alot of MIL's that will root for their SIL....go figure..they raised the silly girl that picked em !!! Truckers have such a bad rep, its hard to find anyone who thinks we are anywhere above sub human on the DNA scale. but you would be suprised what "type" and educational background are out on the hiways in a truck. So don't let it get to you. Opinions are like fecal orifices...everyone has one. And given time, maybe she will come around.......BUT....no guarantees, as that would fly in the face of history.