Just got into the trucking profession? Here are some things you need to think about if you’re going to succeed.
1. Communicate
The trucking business is all about relationships. Get to know your colleagues, including your dispatcher and fellow truck drivers. By keeping good lines of communication, you’ll build strong relationships, which could help you get better freight lanes and help you advance your trucking career. Also, be a friend on the road and communicate with your fellow truckers if you go through a construction zone, a slowdown, or see an accident, so the OTR drivers behind you can be prepared.
2. Stay Compliant
Your Driver Fitness Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) score is based on your training, experience, and medical qualifications, so keeping correct logbooks, maintaining your CDL, and retaining a good driving record can help you avoid violations. “Form and manner” and “log not current” violations make up one-fourth of all driver CSA violations, more than any other violation, according to J.J. Keller & Associates, so pay extra attention to your log books to make sure they’re current. If your trucking company requires you to use an electronic logging device (ELD), make sure you read the manual or have a veteran truck driver train you how to use it.
3. Prioritize Safety
Being a truck driver is a big responsibility, so learning the safety rules for truck drivers is important to being successful. Before you start hauling, be sure to do a pre-trip inspection to keep your truck in good working condition. Our blog features many truck tips you can use to be a safe truck driver, including tips to help you drive safe on the road, prepare for a safety audit, keep your tires and breaks in check, and much more.
4. Break a Sweat
When you’re constantly on the move and in a new place every day, it can be a challenge to find a time and a place to work out. But there are plenty of workouts you can do, even in your cab! This post features workouts for OTR drivers that can be done at the truck stop or in your cab with very little or no equipment. How easy is that?
5. Relax
Taking care of yourself goes beyond eating right and exercising. Poor sleep quality and high stress can wreck any truck driver’s day, so be sure you’re getting plenty of restful, regenerating sleep. This way your body can repair itself, get you ready for a new day, and help you stay alert on the road. Being a trucker can have its stressful moments. Managing that stress is also important, so read up on stress tips just for truckers you can use right now.
6. Work Smarter
There are a lot of free resources you can use to make trucking a little easier. When you’re just starting out, it can be tough to find truck loads or freight to haul to keep you moving, so check out NextLOAD.com, a free load board for truckers, you can use today to help you find loads for your truck.
Want to find the best retail fuel prices along your route? TCS, a fuel card for truckers, has a free mobile app anyone can use with a fuel finder that shows you the truck stops with the best fuel prices. Save money by going to the truck stops with the best discount fuel locations near you!
And you can save even more with the free Apex Prescription Discount Card. Save up to 87% on medication for you and your family at more than 63,000 pharmacies nationwide.
With these trucking tips you can make sure you get started on the right foot and avoid having to turn to “truck driving for dummies!” Finding discount programs for truckers that can save you valuable time and money can make the adjustment to being a new truck driver a little easier. When you take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health, you’ll be ready for the journey ahead.
- Trucking is more mental than physical. Managing your own mental state is the secret to trucking success. “It can be a very frustrating and depressing job if you don’t carry the right mindset,” he said. “For some people, being away from the family weeks at a time can quickly become unmanageable.”
- Don’t expect the world right out of the gate. It’s not realistic to expect your dream job right out of trucking school. “The first job you get out of school most likely won’t be the one you stay at for 20 years,” Casanova said. “This first job is where you should be learning about everything you need to be safe and compliant. This first job is where you start building a reputation for yourself as a safe, compliant driver.” Find a “Mr. Right Now” job for your first gig, then look for “Mr. Right” after you’ve gained a little experience.
- It takes about a year to “get it.” Things may feel a little chaotic during the first year, as you struggle to remember all of the sometimes complex rules and regulations of the trucking industry. “To get a good handle on all the rules you need to be familiar with takes about a year,” he said. “The 3 biggest points to focus on are following distance, knowing the Smith System of driving, and trip planning. Remember that 80,000-lb.rigs don’t stop quickly and can’t be turned around as readily as a car when you miss a turn.”
- Year one goal: no accidents. In the midst of that first year, focus on safety. Simply finishing the year accident-free can in itself be a victory. Casanova suggests living the time-tested safety rule: “G.O.A.L. Get Out And Look,” he said. “Anytime you need to back up, you absolutely need to get out of the rig and check out your surroundings to avoid backing accidents.”
- Know your career goals. Know what you have, what you need, and what you want from your career, and have specific set goals. “Decide what you want out of this career,” he said. “Are you looking for maximum income? Is Home time a top priority? What benefits or health insurance do you need to make you happy? Once you’ve got an idea of what you need to be happy, you can research companies efficiently.”
- Don’t job hop. Many young people switch jobs frequently in their first year, looking for the next possible big opportunity. As much as it’s not the greatest strategy outside of the trucking industry, it decidedly is not inside it, where time of service matters greatly. “The fewer number of times you change jobs, the more likely you will wind up at a top paying carrier,” he said. “Doing your homework prior to jumping ship is crucial if your goal is working for a top tier carrier at some point.”
- It’s all about attitude. Remember that even with a driver shortage, you are not the hot commodity you think you are. A carrier/driver relationship should be built on mutual benefit. “I don’t believe there is a shortage of drivers. I believe there is a shortage of good drivers. Casanova said. “You want to continue to grow your reputation. By bringing a good attitude, when things get slow, you increase your chances of being a driver that gets taken care of. Be a good driver and reap the rewards.”
7. Find a mentor.
Or, better yet, mentors. Find a few industry veterans to get advice from on the road. You want good solid resources that will help keep you from making common rookie mistakes. “Experienced drivers can be a wealth of knowledge. By finding a few that you trust to tell it to you straight, you stand to gain a lot. As you earn experience you can bounce ‘what ifs’ off of them, to see how they would handle different situations. Keep in mind though, not every experienced driver can be a mentor. You really need to be selective of whom you take advice from.”
- Become Friends with your Dispatcher: Dispatchers are your lifelines to loads, which in turn equals miles and miles directly affect your paycheck. Get to know them, get to know what they like. Pay your dispatcher compliments. My dad always told me you will get farther with a teaspoon of sugar than a gallon of vinegar.
- Make your own Food on the Road: A crock-pot is a great tool for making meals while driving. Simply put your meal in an oven-roasting bag and pour some water around the bag (just a little). It cooks just like at home, saves money, is healthy and makes little to no mess. When done, just throw out the bag.
- Never refuse a load: Refusing a load can leave a bad image of you and your work ethic. By not refusing a load, you show the company that you are valuable and dedicated and will help the company when needed and besides you just never know what kind of load is waiting for you when you get where your going (it might be a 3000 mile load, you never know)
- Make Diet/Exercise Plans: New drivers need to keep a steady diet plan, keep it light on the carbs for 6 days and treat yourself on the 7th. Exercise twice a day for 15 minutes, once before your shift and once during the mid-day break.
- SAFETY FIRST. Always get out and look before backing up. Better to explain why your load was late than to explain why you wrecked your boss’s truck.
- Love your Safety Department: Recognize that your Safety department is always looking out for your best interest. The Safety Department unfortunately is viewed like a police officer. When you need an officer, you love them, when they tell you that you did something wrong they’re horrible people. Always remember that your safety department has nothing to gain by your loss or failure. Your continued success and compliance is what they are most concerned with. They will always be in your corner!
- Explore your Company: Every Company has different divisions that you are able to move through to improve your experience. Certain companies have a different division that requires certain skills, this allows you to change divisions and gain more experience instead of changing jobs (the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence). By doing this you show value and dedication to your new employer. It allows you to stay with your current company, maintain seniority and gain experience valuable to future endeavors.
- Hard work really does payoff: Success is measured by what you put into your job. Do a mediocre job and you’ll get a mediocre return. Strive for more and you’ll get more. Your efforts never go unnoticed in the transportation industry. Every fleet manager, dispatcher, or terminal manager will go the extra mile for that driver that gives 110%. Operations always know whom they can count on for the important jobs or priority promotions.
- Get the Experience you Need: Over the Road (OTR) is the key to fast tract your career as a professional driver. The major carriers want drivers as soon as they are professionally trained, and will give them the OTR experience they need to be successful. Remember; If the Wheels are Turning, YOU are Earning!
- Be Prompt and on Time: Your timeliness will set the tone with you and your carrier, so be on time always. It’s always better to be an hour early than one minute late. Call ahead – advance your pickup with the customer, advance your drop with the receiver. It could mean the difference in you getting to your next load 12 hours early and another load on your paycheck this week. It could also bring you the critical loads that pay more. Run the truck like you were the owner/operator.
Bonus Tip: Get the tech you want to keep entertained
Whether it’s live TV or internet you crave — or both — you can get it all from one place. The experts at Signal Connect have been helping operators like you for 20 years. There’s a reason we’re the only company to ever get DIRECTV’s Dealer of the Year and be a DISH Premier Local Retailer. We know satellite TV like the back of our hands.
It’s not just satellite TV that lights us up, either. You want to stream, shop, and surf. We all do. You want to stay connected during your downtime. But unfortunately, truck stop Wi-Fi can be the worst. It’s slow and congested. You’re better off with your own internet. Signal Connect can help you with a cell phone, booster, or even a hotspot depending on your needs. Give us a call and we’ll go through all the options.
You can reach your Signal Connect rep by calling 888-233-7563, by using the chat button at the lower right of this article, or by filling out the form below.
