What's the Biggest challenge for rookie drivers?

[DIESEL BEAST]

I start orientation Nov.26 and training Dec.2. I'm going with a flatbed companyCT (Coastal Transport). Its a regional job that runs the SE. In addittion, they have Mack autoshifts. In school I only drove manuals.

What are some challenges or helpful tips that I should be informed of before hitting the road? Especially training during the winter months.

[worldisnotenough]

beware of drivers that promise the world and have driver/recruiter on the side of their truck! If it sounds like a sales job, it probably is!

[steelhauler2007]

Listen to everything your trainer tells.Being new and on a flatbed you need to be careful and take your time as far as securing your load and tarping.Flatbed is a different part of trucking than dryvan or reefer.Different customers (which are usually glad to see you as opposed to grocery warehouses).To me flatbedding is fun.Have done it for about years and love it.Good luck and always asked questions.The only dumb question is the one you didn't ask.

[Double R]

What are some challenges or helpful tips that I should be informed of before hitting the road? Especially training during the winter months.

No load is worth risking your life. Do not let anyone talk you into driving in unsafe conditions. If you do not feel safe driving on ice and snow, PARK IT! You are the driver of the truck and have final say so. Don't risk it, it is not worth it.
Same holds try about HOS. If you cannot run the load legal, either decline it or inform dispatch and see if they can change the appointment. Don't let them talk you into running "hot books". Learn to stay NO and mean it. And do it over the qualcom so you have a written record of it.
Like others have said, ask questions. No matter how stupid you think it is, ask it. Don't be afraid to ask other drivers for help. There still are drivers out there that will help a new driver.

[Chasing Daylight]

The single best thing you can do, IMO, is work hard on trip planning. It gets easier once you get to know your way around, but at first it will get you in trouble if you aren't real careful.

If you base everything on expected mileage, you'll find yourself running out of hours nowhere near a place to park for the night. Make a point of getting to know where the truckstops, rest areas and other reasonable parking places are on your route. Buy a Truck stop guide, or at least pick up a list of locations from the major truck stop chains.

Also bear in mind that if you drive or are on duty 11 hours a day, you will burn up your 70 real quick and be stranded on a restart. It's not always possible, but if you can hold yourself to 8 3/4 hours of on duty time per day, you will never exceed your 70 hour limit. If you run harder, you have the 34 hour restart option (for now, that is currently being battled out in court and may disappear.) But you have to plan your trips so that you don't get stuck out of hours in the middle of a run. If you screw up your trip planning, and run out of hours (14 or 70) mid trip, your going to be tempted to break the rules. Best way to avoid that is to plan ahead.

[worldisnotenough]

very good advice. also never trust a gps 100%. always check against rand Mcnally and remember your eyes are better than anything! Unless you are real tired.

[DIESEL BEAST]

Thanks to everyone who gave me some helpful reminders and good input.

[Malaki86]

One of the hardest things I had to get used to was the being gone for weeks at a time. When you're used to spending every day with your family and friends, it's a major change to only see them for a day or 2 every few weeks.

[Skywalker]

One of the biggest hurdles for new and even less experienced drivers is: Being big enough to admit that they don't know it all.

Followed by being too full of pride or whatever to "ask for help"....instead many will screw up and blame someone else.

Followed by being foolish enough to follow the bad examples and emulate the less desirable traits of the yahoos out on the road.

Followed by being foolish enough to think "its all about you", and you are the only person on the planet with somewhere to go or be. Doing stupid, rude, and inconsiderate crap like not pulling forward off the fuel island when done, or leaving the truck forward of the fuel island....then wandering off and going to lunch for about 45 minutes to an hour. Only an "*******" does that, but it seems there are more of them around nowadays.

I could go on and on and on....but I won't.

As a new driver...you need to remember, just like us experienced drivers... WE DO NOT OWN THE ROAD, and we need to be decent and respectful as well as polite in traffic. We are the PROFESSIONALS, and we need to act like it. 8)

[worldisnotenough]

Also if you get to an open parking lot at a truck stop or whatever and park in the pull through. Pull all the way forward so that the rear of your trailer clears the line so that when you wake up and it is night you don't find out that because you didn't pull forward 2 more feet another driver was not able to park which means he could be driving tired! Oh and don't drive tired. And never disagree with Skywalker because you don't want him to slap you with his limp sword!

[Skywalker]

Also if you get to an open parking lot at a truck stop or whatever and park in the pull through. Pull all the way forward so that the rear of your trailer clears the line so that when you wake up and it is night you don't find out that because you didn't pull forward 2 more feet another driver was not able to park which means he could be driving tired! Oh and don't drive tired. And never disagree with Skywalker because you don't want him to slap you with his limp sword!

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

You have accepted your training well, Grasshopper!! 8)

[Graymist]

If I may slip in a few words edgeways....something that really pisses me off is truck drivers who tailgate, even when you're in the granny lane ; the chief offenders being gravel trucks. Do not resort to this practice, and if you're at the receiving end, do not get flustered....just stay calm, and drive as you normally would, at, or slightly below the speed limit, subject to your truck's capability.

[rvrjr7]

one thing about rookies actually most of us is getting lost in a major city and comming up to roads that say no trucks or low bridges. I remember when I first started driving, I at times would get so fustrated cause of how some of the signs are in the northeast and end up driving around for a while trying to figure out how to get turned around. If you get a gps make sure its for trucks like truck co pilot 9 and set it for 53 ft trailers and national network and that should keep you out of trouble but like the one person said use your atlas