![\"Truck](\"https:\/\/www.classadrivers.com\/become-a-truck-driver\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Gabriella-Truck-300x225.jpg\" "\\"Gabriella")
I took a closer look and realized that it was Phoenix, AZ<\/em>.\u00a0 That\u2019s Arizona, not Arkansas. My first thought: “I’m going where<\/em> now?”<\/p>\n Indiana all the way to Arkansas?\u00a0 For my first OTR truck driving trip?! I almost had a heart attack!<\/p>\n Being from Europe, I didn’t really know the abbreviations for the states when I first started driving.<\/p>\n I had been in the US for a while, but I still was not the best with maps and navigation.<\/p>\n My daughter’s a great navigator, but she wasn’t there because she was still back in New York, and new drivers can’t have guest passengers until after six months of driving anyways.<\/p>\n Whether it was Arkansas or Arizona, I was really excited for my first delivery. But I was nervous too. I wanted to make sure I did everything right and got to where I needed to go without getting lost. I knew if I needed help I could contact either my DBL (Driver\u2019s Business Leader) or my former instructors, so I called my instructor, a bit concerned about the distance. He gave me a quick pep talk about OTR truck driving, so, with newfound confidence, I did my pre-trip, picked up the load, and started rolling west early next morning.<\/p>\n The load was pretty heavy, almost to the maximum of 80,000 pounds. I’ll admit that I most certainly didn’t expect this kind of an assignment for my very first real day on the job, but it was a great opportunity! And at least the weather was cooperative throughout.<\/p>\n I drove about 11 hours the first day until the evening (about 450 miles) and stopped somewhere in Missouri. (That\u2019s MO, for the state abbreviations.) I was dead tired after that first day, and I fell asleep quickly.<\/p>\n The next day, I got up around 5 or 6 a.m., got some more coffee, did my pre-trip, and continued towards my destination.<\/p>\n So I was just driving and driving, changing radio stations, drinking coffee and eventually I reached New Mexico. The radio eventually went away, and there was nothing to be seen for miles but the open road.<\/p>\n Losing the radio in New Mexico wasn\u2019t a big deal, but that portion of the trip was a chore with nothing interesting to hear.<\/p>\n Because I wasn\u2019t familiar with where I could fuel up, I stopped at the gas station every time the gauge went below 1\/2, just to be safe.<\/p>\n I wasn’t proficient with the Qualcomm search functions yet, and I really didn’t want to mess up the navigation by pressing a wrong button. While at the gas station, I asked a driver inside when the radio stations would come back, as it was pretty boring driving in silence. He said it’d be another few hours or so. I eventually learned to appreciate the silence though because the views were beautiful. I had never seen a desert, let alone rock formations like I did on my very first trip.<\/p>\n After driving the truck all day on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, somewhere in Arizona, I called my DBL, to let her know I was not going to be able to make it on time. I didn\u2019t want to be late for my first delivery, but I had a good reason.<\/p>\n When my DBL asked me why I couldn\u2019t make it on time, I told her that I had a team truck but they couldn’t find me a partner so I ended up driving alone. I thought my DBL would have known about this, but she replied “Oh, new drivers aren’t supposed to be sent that far.” I knew it seemed weird that I was sent from Indiana to Arizona! She told me to stand by and changed the appointment time.<\/p>\n I got there the next day, but I had one more obstacle to overcome. Jill (the GPS voice) sent me to the old truck entrance gate at the company. The gate was closed, but I couldn’t see that from the main road. I was now faced with a closed gate on a tiny road with cars parked on each side. There was no way I could turn around.<\/p>\n I asked an employee who I saw walking towards to building to please help me so I can turn around safely, either inside or by backing up to the main road. He replied that he got up at 5 A.M. and that he was in a rush and couldn’t help. I thought, \u201cGreat\u2026 I’ll have to back up all by myself to be able to get to the right entrance.\u201d<\/p>\n Schneider National has a cute acronym, “G.O.A.L.”, which stands for \u201cGet Out And Look,\u201d and that’s just what I did about a dozen times, every three feet or so as I was backing up. I also made sure to pull the air horn completely as I was nearing the main road so that even if someone did not see me, they could hear me.<\/p>\n After much getting out and looking, I was finally able to turn around and go to the correct gate. I had to wait about two hours before they even began unloading me, and then unloading took another two or three hours. My first load was a huge accomplishment!<\/p>\n Before I could celebrate, I had another load to deliver to California, and I had to pick up the load nearby.<\/p>\n I left the next morning. I expected this journey to be much easier: a lighter load, closer destination, and a drop-and-hook instead of a live unload. The hills and winding roads in the West were actually a bit scary.<\/p>\n The roads there were really narrow, and the first time I passed an oncoming truck, I thought we weren’t going to be able to fit next to each other. With experience, I realized that the truck really isn’t as big as it looks. I initially thought I wasn’t going to be able to fit anywhere<\/em>, but that really wasn’t the case.<\/p>\n Another thing I learned is that going really far isn’t much different from going somewhere close. In time, I dropped my second load in California and scored another success.\u00a0 I passed through some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen on my first trip, but I was too nervous to enjoy it too much the first time, being by myself and all.<\/p>\n When I got back to Indianapolis, all of my instructors were waiting for me and cheering as I got back to the fuel island. They all gave me high-fives, hugged me, and congratulated me on my first two weeks of solo driving. I didn’t really have any regrets, as thankfully I didn’t make any major mistakes. Having done this relatively difficult delivery for my very first time, I was so much more confident on the next one, which was only 700 miles. I fell in love with driving even more than I already was before.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n80,000 Pounds and a Ton of Nerves<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
OTR Truck Driving Without the Radio<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Shot](\"https:\/\/www.classadrivers.com\/become-a-truck-driver\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Gabriella-on-the-Road-300x225.jpg\" "\\"View")
Mistaken Destination<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Always Know Your Route<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
My Second Delivery<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Completed My First TWO Deliveries\u00a0 <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n