With 35 years driving I love some of what has been said in all these posts. Personally, for me, what has worked and continues to work is respect. Nah, not that the company respects me, or the next guy over. That I RESPECT me. I get up and put my boots on and come to work to do a job, I give that job everything I have, no hold-backs or excuses. End of the day I wash up, look at the person looking back at me and feel good that today I did my job. Along the way I look behind me and understand that it's ME covering that butt back there, my responsibility,no-one else's.

Maybe I'm nuts but the key for me is I LOVE the job. More than once, ( most all the time) I can't believe that someone pays me to do this. Sure there are up's and down's, welcome to life. Last I saw or heard though, nobody is forcing anyone to do anything. If it ain't right in your mind, change it. If that means leaving to go elsewhere, by all means do it. That thought of "the way it used to be" is so gone. I look at my check at the end of the week, if it looks right for what I did, guess what, I'm loyal to you for another week. If not, guess what? I'll be looking to get my fix ( driving) with someone else.

Want to be successful in trucking? If you're a newbe, ( or not) keep the left door shut,keep your eyes open, recognize that new thing you'll learn every day. Understand that ALL companies ( as they should) operate on a bottom line, you should too. If you don't know, ASK, if you know and someone asks you, help them out and share what you know. Open your eyes when you get up and realize this is YOUR day, you control if it's going to be a good one or not, no-one else does.

Be safe, and have fun. Life, it is suppose to be fun.

great post and very true. sometimes we all fall into it is someone else's fault and not my own. Sometimes you just have to sit back take a hard look at yourself and give yourself a swift kick in the pants to get back on track

While I didn't read all the previous posts...the best advice that I can give any Newby is: Don't believe a single thing you hear, believe only half of what you see with your own eyes...and you'll be halfway ok. Always remember....anyone who claims he called the US Marshall and they came and busted a whole warehouse full of ya-hoos is a liar.... The Marshall has better things to do than listen to you whine and complain.

Beyond that, understand this.... Being a Professional Driver is not necessarily an easy job.... Some take to it like a duck to water, while others struggle to make it, and many fail....and many do so in the first year or even 6 months. There is far more to it than wrapping a few fingers around a steering wheel and stomping on a fuel pedal....

One other thing, its a rotten job and sometimes you feel like the job automatically lumps you in with a lot of not so sharp people. But, if you do things the right way you will never be without a job. During the Great Recession I kept right on working. For a few months my paychecks shrank a bit - but I had a job and benefits. Have a little common courtesy and some common sense and you can make it. CSA is a friend to the better drivers. When assigned your truck make sure your shop gives you doubles for every bulb on the tractor and trailer. Lights that work are the easiest thing YOU can do to avoid getting pulled around back for a Level 1.

Nothing worth having comes easy.

After reading this post I must chime in here. I dont know if I agree with everything said here for newbies or as in my case, a driver who got out for 13 years and decided to get back in(due to economic reasons). I have had 4 jobs in the last 10 months! The first one was a seasonal job and part time but it got me back in to trucking. The second job was a good one and I personally screwed it up by complaining about a warehouse wroker at Publix in Jacksonville (lazy ass checker) and it would up getting me fired from my job. The company did not even ask me my side opf the story they just said clear out your truck.

The third job was for an owner operator type with 3 tractors, I should have known better, but I trusted him and he royally screwed me with not paying for dead head miles (never mentioned that on interview) and also had to run with a broken trailer and load 3 more loads on it! My air ride suspension was damaged when both shocks broke and one of them punctured an air bag and was leaking when pressurised. Dispatch told me to keep on trucken even though I was worried about getting caught at a scale and shut down, they did not care. I quit that job as soon as I got back in to terminal.

My 4 th job I was told ny the owner that they paid .36 cents per mile loaded and empty. My first check was .34 loaded and .22 empty. Totally ripping me off and he stated that he never had that discussion with me, a total lie. So I quit that job, I was not going to run for nothing.

Finally, job #5! Maybe the magic charm, its with a national comapny with a good reputation and I start tomorrow running OTR regional. Pay was ok not the greatest but they said they have dedicated lanes and lots of miles. After speaking with some of there own drivers, they all saiad good things about the company.

I guess my whole point is that sometimes its not "YOU" the driver, it really is the "COMPANY" thats bad. yes you should do your homework, but when you are desperate for a job and have bills to pay these things sometimes can not be done. I was not about to give up, I am old school and actually enjoy driving trucks OTR, I dont mind being out there making a living. I do like to be home on weekends and my new job can accommodate that so its a perfect match, I also have the option of staying out longer if I wish more miles. My advice for any drivers who are worried if they had more than a few jobs in a year, just explain why you left each job, most companies will understand, if they don't then they are not worth working for. No one should be pushed around in this industry and you should not be afraid to speak your mind or quit a bad job. I did, and I finally got the job I have been searching for.

Instigator!~

Thank you for this very informative post, Steelhauler. It is something that you half to grasp with time, and hard work... I'll do my best to listen, and learn while I'm with my company.

Learning how to make money driving a truck is more then just taking a load, and driving. Attitude is one key factor yes but also you need to learn the bussiness side of trucking. Know which lanes to run. If you get a load to southern florida in january, and you haul a dry van you will sit waiting on a load. It's better to go to Chicargo in january with a dry van. Also Dry van for a big company is the lowest salary in the industry. Try flatbed, tanker, local grocery delivery all of those pay better. There is so many things you can do to earn another $10,000 a year then you are already earning. If the company has load planners then dont work for them because the dispatcher has no say in the loads you get.

still dreaming mate

What exactly am I dreaming about mate ? I have had many jobs but I found one that I am sticking too. Drive safe brother.