What are your challenges with driving truck?

[Channel5]

Hi, I'm considering getting my Class 1 to drive truck, but I thought I'd ask other truckers about their experiences with trucking before deciding.

That said, would you be willing to describe an average day in your life as a trucker? From when you arrive on the job to when you're heading back home?

Mainly, I wondering what are you biggest challenges or frustrations with driving truck? I would appreciate you being as specific as possible.

Thanks in advance!

 

[THBatMan8]

Sometimes I forget where I'm going and have to stop and figure it out.

Never happened to me, but sometimes when I woke up from a nap I freaked as I thought I wrecked the truck.

 

[Ike]

I don't agree with hourly pay. Hourly pay is what created the disparity in giving a crap whether a truck gets loaded or not.

Pay everybody across the board for the work they do. If people understand they will make more money if they do more work, they will do....more work.

Piece-work is the ONLY fair way to pay a workforce. It ensures nobody gets to sit around on the dock wasting time and getting paid for it.

Thats a great Idea, Pay wharehouse workers by the load or pallet they load, not the hour. And I agree with everything Rig Jockey said. One of my biggest issues was with these consignees that wanted big truck loads but didnt have the accomodations for them. My .02
Ike

 

[THBatMan8]

Hourly pay for a driver doesn't reduce productivity. The majority of your hourly paid driving jobs are fixed runs, meaning you go to the same places every day and at the same time.

Hourly pay does however reduce stress on the driver. I haven't met a single hourly paid driver that has the "drive it like you stole it" mentality. When you reduce driver stress, you reduce the chances of your drivers getting into an accident or getting a traffic citation.

 

[krelithous]

you got 3 4wheelers in front of you and the one in the right and left lanes move on but the ahole in the middle doesn't know there the gas pedal is and everyones trying to get around em

 

[Duck]

you got 3 4wheelers in front of you and the one in the right and left lanes move on but the ahole in the middle doesn't know there the gas pedal is and everyones trying to get around em

The middle of 3 lanes is a magnet for the stupid & lazy. They don't want to deal with people merging in & out constantly in the right lane so they move one lane to the left. But they also don't want to keep up with traffic because they don't have the mental resources to handle their vehicle any faster, and they get in everybody's way. Then on top of that, they have the nerve to act all offended & butt-hurt when they get tailgated.

Driving slow & then complaining about tailgaters is like banging yourself in the forehead with a hammer and then getting mad at the hammer.

 

[hatchettxx]

Yes, ... very un-American for a Canadian Walmart not to sell grits, LOL.

Aren't grits just ground up corn? If you like grits (which I don't) you're probably better off just getting some corn & grinding it up yourself.
I don't know how exactly you'd just simply "grind up corn" in the average kitchen, ... maybe go out to the garage & get a wood rasp? They probably sell a special tool for making grits down south somewhere. Get a load to hillbilly country & get one. I wonder if a coffee bean grinder would work.

Hillbilly country.................hey

 

[GreenTJ4JC]

Hi, I'm considering getting my Class 1 to drive truck, but I thought I'd ask other truckers about their experiences with trucking before deciding.

That said, would you be willing to describe an average day in your life as a trucker? From when you arrive on the job to when you're heading back home?

Mainly, I wondering what are you biggest challenges or frustrations with driving truck? I would appreciate you being as specific as possible.

Thanks in advance!

Huge, wide-open question. Earning a living in trucking is one of the toughest ways to earn a living I can think of. Big upside is that, by and large, you're not working in a cube somewhere, surrounded by a bunch of gossipers. Down side is you're not working in a cube, but you're still surrounded by gossipers! "Trucking" is a monster-size occupation, and the general term encompasses about a billion different kinds of truck driving-related occupations. Hauling tankers is completely different than hauling a flat bed. Gas tankers are completely different from chemical tankers because you're loading several times a day at a rack, usually not getting paid to load, then dropping at gas stations, where parking is hard, the station's customers are rude to the 'big rig that's in their way,' etc. Chemical tankers often have to be washed between loads, and that's a nightmare of its own. Food grade is a whole different ball game. Then there's road oil. Or dry bulk. And many more. And that's just tankers! Same with flat bed, drop decks, over-size, etc. Vans, reefers, LTL, truckload, lordy there are SO many different trucking jobs all under the umbrella of the generic 'trucking' that it boggles the imagination. Best way to find a good fit? Be very honest with yourself about what you like and don't like. If you don't like going to a strange city every day, then over the road is automatically out. If you must be home daily, then you're limited to local LTL, maybe gas, things of that nature. If you're convinced you want to drive for a living, ask 'why?' Once you have that figured out, you'll stand a much better chance of finding the niche in the industry that best meets your unique personality, and then the inevitable downers that come with every aspect of trucking will be much easier to swallow. If you're in a part of the industry that doesn't fit at all, then every little thing will drive you to the brink of despair, and trucking won't be much fun for you. And life's too short to do something for 60 hours a week that you don't (mostly) like!

 

[wogelsby]

Never happened to me, but sometimes when I woke up from a nap I freaked as I thought I wrecked the truck.

Pulled off on a downhill onramp on I-79 out of Erie headed into Pittsburgh, exhausted. Needed a nap. Left the truck running, remained in the seat and put my head down. BOLTED awake about an hour later gripping the wheel with all my might, foot flat on the brake peddle convinced I was driving asleep. To this day I don't for sure what happened. I just know I made a personal rule, never ever sleep in the chair.

 

[8978]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

 

[Rigjockey]

Pulled off on a downhill onramp on I-79 out of Erie headed into Pittsburgh, exhausted. Needed a nap. Left the truck running, remained in the seat and put my head down. BOLTED awake about an hour later gripping the wheel with all my might, foot flat on the brake peddle convinced I was driving asleep. To this day I don't for sure what happened. I just know I made a personal rule, never ever sleep in the chair.

That is old school trucking. Like lighting a cigarette before sleeping over the wheel. When the smoke burned down and burned your finger jolting you awake.

When I was driving team I had this dream every time. That my legs where out by the shifter and my giant feet where in the way of my co driver shifting. Crazy I know.

 

[THBatMan8]

I drive a daycab, so I have no choice but to sleep by the wheel.

This happened today:

Our DC is a multi level garage. The upper level is where most of the city mail is dispatched out of. There's a half a wall, and you can view the downtown skyline.



Anyway, I took a nap as usual during my lunch break. The building shakes often with trucks, forklifts and whatnot rolling around. When my alarm went off , the building shook, and I see wall in front of me. Without realizing where I was, I freaked, grabbed the wheel as hard as I could and slammed on the brakes. It took me a few seconds to realize I was backed in a dock at the DC.

 

[krelithous]

then theres those roads where you have a half of mile to slow your azz down or get a violation or a ticket

 

[ezrollin]

working 18 hr days, gone 24/7 and high pressure

 

[Dedwarmo]

Hi, I'm considering getting my Class 1 to drive truck, but I thought I'd ask other truckers about their experiences with trucking before deciding.

That said, would you be willing to describe an average day in your life as a trucker? From when you arrive on the job to when you're heading back home?

Mainly, I wondering what are you biggest challenges or frustrations with driving truck? I would appreciate you being as specific as possible.

Thanks in advance!

The trucking lifestyle varies from driver to driver.

I don't know how many drivers do it like me, but I live in my truck 24/7 for about 27 days out of the month. When I take time off work I stay in a motel or stay at a friend's house. I get my mail at a UPS Store which is also the address on my driver license.

My meals consist mostly of Campbell's Chunky soup, Pop Tarts, fruit cups, pudding cups, beans and wieners, Quarter Pounders Deluxe and gallon jugs of water.

If you put at least 50 gallons of fuel in your truck the truck stop will give you a free shower.

I don't use a lot of electronic devices and when the temperature is above 20°F I usually shut my truck off when I park for the night. I prefer to sleep in a bed that doesn't vibrate.

I've been lucky. Most of my runs allow me to get a solid eight hours of sleep each night. No naps necessary. When I can do it, I stop about 5 pm and take a 30 minute walk, eat and to go to sleep. I get up at 3 a.m. and start all over again.

 

[8978]

Sounds like your in money saving mode. Are you saving for something?

 

[Dedwarmo]

Early Retirement. Seriously. No kids and no wife.

 

[8978]

Your goal is to be a slacker? Way to go!!!! lol