The next 5 days you are drilled about company policies, DOT policies, securing your loads, doing the paper work for your company and the DOT. Plus you must within these days also get a physical and DOT JD Truck Training Centre drug screen.
Everything from braking and grabbing gears; to following distance, lane changes, exit ramps and knowing who's around you, truck driving is a thinking man's game. Thinking ahead is the name of the game. Then everything falls into a natural rhythm.
This is very possible. I have met a lot of truckers that didn't go to a Truck driving school. They learned it right at home growing up. They either grew up on a farm, or their dad took them on the road trucking. These guys who grew up on trucking really have the advantage with the experience they learned through the years.
Tracking your trips can be the key factor in making more off of each load you haul. Looking at your daily logs will help you recognize areas of opportunity and help you see where you may be losing money.
First I like to point out the legal side. This is a BIG ONE. Being a truck driver is fun and you can make Hr licence SA a lot, or a ton of money. So what do I mean legal? Because we both know that you need a CDL license to drive... When I say legal we are looking at your MVR (Motor Vehicle Record). Why is this important? If you have 1 too many violations most trucking companies will not hire you. This is what the HR Truck Licence schools do not tell you.
The parallel parks and alley dock are not easy things to do, especially with an 18-wheeler, when you have no experience. So if you're attending trucking school in a state that has maneuver requirements, expect to spend a lot of time in the yard practicing.
When you look at your logs as a tool for trip tracking you will see more profitability. We will look at On-time Service and how it affects other parts of trip planning in part 3 of this series of Trip Planning for Truck Driving School Students. Even though you may still be in truck school, this article and the article to follow will help you develop into a profitable driver.