4 Things a New Trucker Should Know |
Posted: October 19, 2018 |
No matter what job one takes the first year is the most difficult one and getting through it could difficult for many and in trucking it’s much more difficult. The first year of your trucking could be the deciding factor if you are going to survive or not. Here are a few things a trucker needs to know in his first year.
New truckers with not much driving experience could get into a lot of troubles like being too late to the work or delivery, getting the vehicle stuck in a route, or worse accidents. These may vary from minor issues which you can shrug off to major ones which would end up in your driving record. So we suggest you to learn as much as possible from your trainer or while at CDL training as you won’t be able to get to learn from someone once you are out of training period. All you will be learning depends on your mistakes after the training.
Most truckers won’t be able to earn much during their initial years and if you are on a paid CDL program then your wages could be much lowers. So if your previous job gives you higher wages then you need to change your lifestyle a lot to meet all the essentials on the trucking wages. However, if you are able to sustain the initial years and get yourself a good amount of experience and reputation you can make it big. Once you are at that point you are basically got your life set as a professional trucker.
Trucking is not a small or simple job where you repeat the same work over and over. Every trip you take would be different from one another, one day it could be pleasant and cool day and the next could be a freezing Iceland. Things like climate, region, and your mood could change drastically. So if you join a community like some online trucker forums or a club in your company or area where truckers meet frequently could help a new trucker a lot. You can listen to what other say or you can make friends in the industry and share the things going in trucking or clear your doubts by asking an experienced trucker.
As a trucker you would be needed to go on long hauls frequently or every once in a while and this could be a tiresome if you are a people person. Sure you could find a lot of people on you stops but for most of the time you would be alone and just getting a leg on the accelerator and hands on steering. So in the first year as a trucker you need to get yourself comfortable on being alone. This way you could get yourself more a habituated for the years you are going to be in the industry. Also as a new trucker you need to get adjusted to the different foods and lifestyle. You may not find the food you need all the time, most of the time you need to eat what you find. If possible, arrange a few things like cooker or induction stove or readymade foods to have as a backup. Overall these are some things I found every trucker in their first year should know and there are still lot more you need to know. So get to know as many as possible and go through and get your hands dirty.
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