You have attended CDL training and school for many weeks or months. You have had difficulty getting along with your trainer when riding in his or her vehicle. You have also felt embarrassed and irritated. You have always desired the independence of having your vehicle and travelling alone. Perhaps you made plans for the truck’s setup, the TV and appliances you would acquire, and you began stocking up on little necessities while travelling.
You are anxious, your stomach is in knots, and you are wondering how this firm can give you the keys to a $200,000 vehicle now that the day has finally here and you are receiving your truck. What are these individuals considering? I still have trouble downshifting, I can scarcely back this thing up, and I am unsure whether I am doing all the Macros correctly.
Most people do not feel ready to do it alone.
If this describes you, you most definitely are not alone. Following months of team training, I attended orientation in September, received my CDL in October, and was then left off at the terminal to upgrade to my truck. I still felt inadequate, so I asked for further assistance with backing. My employer gave me two coaches to work with for a few hours each. Additionally, a friend who is a trainer drove me to a truck stop where I could practise with his vehicle, but nothing seemed to click. Then, on February 14th, I set off on my first load.
Although the package delivery was 100 miles distant, I left 24 hours early and parked outside the customer’s fence. An hour before my meeting, I drove up to the gate in the lone vehicle there to discover a speaker. I pressed the button but received nothing. In a panic, I messaged dispatch to let them know what was happening. I would not be held accountable for messing up the first load in any manner.
I pressed the button again every 10 minutes, but nothing happened. Am I where I should be? A guy approached me after another twenty minutes had passed, and two more messages had to be delivered. He had to come from the other side of the factory to manually open the gate for me since the gate was not functioning correctly. I was fortunate to have lots of space to enter my first dock. Lucky for me, I was the only vehicle in the area.
The tandems then stopped sliding, perhaps due to being frozen. To get the pins to retract, I shook the vehicle, hit them with a hammer, and even put Windex on them. I was so anxious that it took me 15 minutes to reverse into a straight-ahead door with no oncoming traffic or pedestrians. I exhaled in relief as I applied the brakes. I finished! Happy dance!
Before I knew it, my Qualcomm had a pre-plan for my upcoming load. What? Do they understand that I have not completed this load yet? I have time to make a mess of the papers! Qualcomm shouted at me that I was too early to ask for guidance for the subsequent load when I asked for them. Since I had not yet been allocated the next load, it could not provide instructions for that load; instead, it gave me directions to the receiver, where I was now moored. What a mess I made of my mind. I left for the next spot an hour later.
Although it seems like a long time ago, I can still recall the stress and desire to do well that night. Even though the person was lovely and understanding, I can look back and giggle at how much I must have bothered dispatch that evening. Compared to many subsequent loads, that initial one was extremely simple.
It Can Be A Nightmare To Navigate
I often missed turns since some roads were quite dark, and the signs were difficult to see. It was difficult to even follow the company’s recommendations since they said, “I-80 West 90 miles to US 6 West for 20 miles.” The fact that the two motorways join at several locations is not mentioned. Therefore is the 20 miles of I-80 included in the 90 miles or not?
In Nebraska, it was so dark that I kept going around in circles for almost 60 miles while looking for a shipper. I became increasingly uneasy after seeing multiple low-clearance signals and gave up. I told dispatch I would find the location in the morning in a message. I had plenty of time because the appointment was in the afternoon, but I pushed myself to do my best. I had trouble sleeping that night since I knew my fleet manager would contact me the next morning to inquire why I had spent so much time and gas getting lost. He refused.
Early on, I understood the importance of not taking unwarranted risks. It was too risky for me then to try to find my way in the dark, so it made sense to wait until it was light outside. Always choose the option that is least difficult and harmful. If the roadway is too small to turn, park far from other vehicles, and if you are ever unsure about anything, do not do it!
Moving forward might be more difficult than moving backwards.
New drivers often believe that backing up is the issue, but sometimes moving ahead is as well. Due to the lack of service roads in the Northeast, I had never driven on one. I headed oppositely when I pulled out of a truck wash one evening. It was not until two lanes of oncoming traffic were in front of me that I realised I was heading the wrong way! To prevent an accident, I pulled into a parking lot. Mistake! I struggled for 45 minutes to find a way to turn around in the little spot.
I started to get lost all the time, and what does a lady do when she gets lost? She enquires about the route. However, it is also a risky option since well-intentioned people will offer you instructions for automobiles rather than trucks. I approached an MP at Fort Knox for instructions when I got lost, and he gave me information that led me to an 11-foot bridge. I was instructed to turn left at “the first huge county road” by a kind lady in Texas. The main county road was a winding gravel road that seemed more like a driveway.
I point out that you will find yourself in various situations that annoy and frighten you. Just pass safely through them. The brain shifts from fear mode to analytical mode over time. I no longer dread getting into difficult circumstances; instead, I analyse my surroundings and consider several escape routes. Now that I have experience, I can gauge how much space I need to turn. I am skilled at backing up strategically, such as determining if it would be wiser to back up straight for a while before making a turn. To make better selections, I also search for open spaces where I can park temporarily and utilise Google Earth to obtain a satellite picture.
Backing At Its Worst
Some clients are so busy with automobiles, people, and yard dogs that I had to back up carefully and honk my horn often. Even people with decades of expertise required assistance getting through certain doors because they were so narrow.
We do not often visit grocery shops, but when I first visited New England, it was so crowded that I had to do a blindside 90-degree alley dock. I was afraid, and it took me forever. Despite an employee’s best efforts to direct me, I continued going outside to look. I then sent a message to dispatch stating that I would never return there and that they may fire me for it if they so desired.
After some time, the anxiety and dread pass, and the “I have to make this happen” problem solver returns. Nobody else can assist you with it. There are instances when yard dogs or other drivers may assist you in steering the trailer into a door. But there are also many instances in which you must decide on your own.
I would be lying if I claimed I never wept when putting on the brakes. In my first two months, I did a lot of it. I have visited many of the same customers since and am now perplexed about how I could have been so angry. Those challenging clients have softened. And as annoyed as I was at first, it is now a nice tool to evaluate my achievements. Consider this. I can now enter the same clients I once thought impossible with ease. That implies a significant improvement in my talents, which gives me daily confidence.
What is The Best Aspect About Going Solo?
You get weary of being told what to do, where to keep your belongings, and sharing a rolling closet with a stranger after spending weeks or months travelling with a trainer. You may now do it alone and enjoy your newfound independence. You do not need anybody else’s approval to sleep nude, leave rubbish on the ground, arrange your belongings, or make mistakes all day.
I felt considerably more at ease after jogging alone than when working with a trainer. When I made a mistake, no one was there to be disappointed in me or to make sarcastic remarks like, “Why are you grinding my gears?” I could shift correctly since I had the expertise from grinding through all the gears. I could take such detours without anybody objecting and telling me I should not have done it. Thanks, Captain Obvious; I know.
Making mistakes is the finest part about going solo.
Yes, you did read it right. Although a trainer may educate you for hours, certain errors must be learned by doing. For instance, inexperienced reefer drivers may neglect to fill the tank before visiting a client. Some clients are picky and may ask the driver to leave if the tank is not full. Just picture having to drive 20 miles to a truck stop, then 20 miles back to the client after arriving early. You are now running behind schedule! My fleet manager chuckled and said, “It happens to everyone, but it only occurs once. I was afraid he might lose his cool. The driver picks it up immediately. Because of Old School’s articles on travel preparation, I was fortunate to arrive at that destination an hour early. But if I had not discovered this webpage, I would have most likely arrived late that day. And maybe the response from my Fleet Manager would have been different.
A Fantastic Story
I delivered to a client yesterday, but the cargo I picked up was not ready. I unhitched my trailer and moved down the street to a neighbouring parking spot. How did I discover the existence of the lot? Because an accident on I-270 in Columbus, Ohio, more than two years ago caused the roadway to be closed. When my time ran out, I left the road behind a group of other trucks. Surely they were aware of their destination? The trucks began to reverse into hotels and fast-food restaurants parking spaces. Much too little for me to attempt.
Later, I saw a sign for an industrial park, which meant trucks! Eureka! My problems are resolved since industrial parks often include parking, even only on the side of the road. Nope. Several security officers and drivers informed me that only parking was available in the corner dirt lot. But there was a sign prohibiting parking for trucks there. I arrived after business hours, and there was nowhere to park. So I took a chance. I parked, sighing, and got ready to deal with the cops should they show up.
As soon as I rolled over in bed, I heard a sound that did not sound nice. I saw the trailer burying itself in the gravel in the driver’s side mirror. The top corner of the trailer, through the 46 000 pounds of beer, leaned much to the left. I broke down in tears and tried to find a way to notify my Fleet Manager. The trailer may slide if they do not pull me. At best, this would be an error on my part, and at worst, I would be dismissed, perhaps damaging my new job.
“If my career is dying, it is going to die my way,” I said, channelling my inner Jersey Girl. I put the vehicle in drive, engaged my differentials, and made a sharp right. Even though the trailer jiggled a bit, I escaped the sinkhole. I took a few deep breaths before driving gently down the street and, luckily, discovering a hotel with a large parking lot on the other side.
I spent about an hour checking the vehicle and trailer before the trip but found nothing. When my heart eventually calmed down, I was able to sleep. I was driving past some construction the next morning when a tyre slammed into a small pothole. The Qualcomm message “Trailer tyre pressure is low, please pull over when safe and inspect the tyres” flew out as various alarms beeped. I searched but came up empty. Because of this, I almost overturned the trailer and bounced the tyres into a sinkhole without any alarms. However, the truck began to scream when it hit a minor drop in a construction zone. I laughed at it.
But because of that predicament, I am now aware of a fantastic 24/7 parking lot that just so happens to be near a client.
Crazy Things Will Happen
The truth is that bizarre things will happen. Remain composed, find a solution, and take note of your blunders. Years of experience will not stop the crazy stuff from happening, but you will be better equipped to remain composed and deal with it appropriately. When you are brand-new, one thing you may do is phone a seasoned driver for guidance. I advise everyone to become friends with the company’s drivers. Get their contact information, and note the times of day they like to drive. If you take the time to meet individuals, starting your 24-hour hotline is not difficult. It is best to swallow your pride sometimes and accept help.
Good luck, safe travels, and keep in mind that you most certainly are not alone!
