Free Online Truck Driver Training

In this lesson of Truck Driver Training I will be giving you an idea of what trucking is like and what it takes to be a Professional Trucker. I will be outlining what the responsibilities of a Professional Trucker are. I will also tell you some of the things to expect so you can make a sound decision if trucking is right for you.

First thing I want you to know in this lesson is that driving truck is not just a job , nor is it just a career. Driving truck (especially long haul) is a new way of life. I want you to be prepared for changing your life in more ways then you think. You will be on the road away from your family and friends for weeks or even months. Your only communication with them will be the phone or the internet. You will miss out on many things like, family reunions, fishing opener, hunting season, birthdays, 4th of July parade etc. You need to keep the wheels moving to keep making money. You spend long hours alone driving an average of 600 miles a day. Sometimes you sit waiting for a load (away from home) for a day or more or resetting your logbook hours to stay compliant with the FMCSA laws.

You will be sleeping in your truck. Truck sleepers range from 3 ft to 8 ft deep by 6-7 feet wide unless you have a custom made sleeper. After awhile that gets pretty darn small. Some have televisions in them. Some have microwaves in them. Ours has a refrigerator built into the interior. The more stuff you put in your sleeper the less room you have for yourself. I t costs alot less then spending the money for a hotel room however at times to unwind getting a room might be a good idea.

You are expected to keep your cool in all types of situations. Cars cut you off on a consistent basis. Road rage is not an option as it doesn’t solve the problem on the contrary, it may cause more problems then it fixes. You may feel better after you get your revenge and cut the offending car off, but in your anger you forgot the other factors involved.  I will get into this in more depth in a later lesson.  Just remember you are a Professional, keep your cool.

You will be expected to drive in several different road conditions and weather conditions. That means when you go out west you will be going through the mountains and if you go east you will have alot of traffic and a mix of both in the middle. You will have to drive through big cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Cleveland and oh yes New york City (get the rope). Then there is the weather.  From September through May you can expect snow in most of the northern states especially the mountain states. You will be expected to chain your truck to go through Donner pass, Cabbage Patch(immigrant pass in Oregon), 4th of  July, Homestake Pass, Lookout Mountain, and so on. You will have to go through road construction and long traffic jams. You will have to fight the tears back when you see a bad traffic accident and chase the thoughts “that could have been me” out of your head.

Living on the road can be very expensive. In my experience it cost and average of $25 a day per person to live if you are a smoker. That amount can be more some days or less others. You will be eating in restaurants or cooking microwave burritos (not a good diet but it fills the empty stomach).  You will be buying your needs in one of the most expensive places in America, “convenience stores” (i.e. truckstops).  You can curve some of the costs by buying most of your needs before you go out on the road and keeping a cooler in your truck. More about saving money on the road in another lesson.

Now from what I have written so far you are probably thinking “Why in the world would I be even considering driving truck”.  With all bad there is good and visa versa. There are many aspects of  being a Professional Truck Driver that keep me in the business. The life of  an American Trucker isn’t all bad.

My favorite reason is that I am free from the bonds of a desk and a boss looking over my shoulder. I am not working on a manufacturing line doing the same tedious task over and over. Everyday is a new adventure. Every load has new challenges, Especially if you aren’t on a regular route.

The People that you meet on the road are real. Some may tell some horrendous stories that you’ll need your hip boots on to listen to but , they are real. What I mean by real is they are good ole down to earth people. Most will accept your 2 cents into there conversation. Almost all drivers are Patriots and love America. Every where you go, everywhere you stop you can meet your new life long friend.

I also love the traveling. The places you  will get to see and go to are awesome. You will be traveling in some of the most breath taking parts of the country. You will have a chance to gamble in Las Vegas one day and thrill yourself on a roller coaster at Magic Mountain the next. One week you will have breakfast in San fransisco overlooking the bay the next week you will be eating a cajon meal in New Orleans. You will be traveling across the prairies of Kansas to the mountains of Washington to the deserts of Arizona and Southern California. You will see more stuff then most people in America ever get to see.

I have to say that is not all the great things the life of a trucker has to offer there is something new everyday. There is pride in being an American Trucker. We move the country. If someone has it on there table it most likely has been on a truck. Even if it grew in your garden it’s seeds or the shovel that it took to dig it up has been in a truck. The cars, trucks, computers, desks ,you name it has been moved in a truck. I am proud to be part of what helps keep America moving.

In closing I would like to say thank you for reading this. I, when writing this, thought about alot of things. Just by writing this has reaffirmed my desire and confirmed that trucking is in my blood.

If there are any Professional Drivers reading this post please feel free to add your pros and cons to the comments below. Also leave your comments and questions I will try to answer all your questions. If I can’t someone else will.

Thanks For Reading,

TruckinPaul