I’ve been driving an 18-wheeler for 11 years. People always ask “is it hard to drive that thing.” The answer is: yes and no. Once you’re used to driving an 18-wheeler, it’s not hard. But it takes a lot of practice, patience, and paying attention to get good. You know a guy has been trucking a long time when he can blind side it into a hole between two trucks without having to pull up once. For the rest of us, it’s a good idea to have an extra set of eyes watching from outside the truck, go slow, and not worry about looking dumb when you need to make a correction.
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There are a lot of good trucking companies out there. I have known company drivers for US Express, USA Truck, Schneider Trucking, Werner Trucking, and LTL trucking companies like Yellow Freight and Roadway Express that were really knocking back the cash. I personally have worked for Continental Express and Digby Truck Lines and did quite well. But for some drivers, working for someone else just isn’t enough…

The problem for some is that the lure of the open road tricks them into becoming owner operators before they are ready.
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Tags: Trucking Companies, Owner Operators

Driver Networks, LLC, is pleased to announce the start of our latest website: Coopsareopen.com is ready to provide truckers with detailed information on weigh stations, weight regulations, and how the weigh stations handle overweight trucks.

Most owner operators know that sometimes you are caught between running legal and making profits. Sometimes you want to fill up your tank, but will the extra fuel make you over gross? Sometimes you want to haul the extra freight, but what will they do to you at the scale or if you get caught going around?

We do not condone running illegal, but we also know that sometimes the best tool a trucker can have is knowledge of the facts. At Coopsareopen.com you will find the facts on where you can and can’t run and what, exactly, the consequences are. You’ll be surprised at the difference between what you thought was true and what is truly practiced. It’s YOUR decision, and Coopsareopen.com is a tool to help you make the best decision for you, your truck, and your wallet.

So come visit THE authority on weigh stations and trucking industry weight regulations.

Every truck driver knows what a log book is. It’s a grid-style graph they use to keep track of the hours spent driving, working, off duty and in the sleeper birth. It is lovingly referred to as the comic book, funny pages, or cheat sheet.

The rules are confusing. They changed near the end of 2005 and the powers that be in Washington (none of whom, I’m sure have ever driven an 18-wheeler) haven’t decided if these changes are the final draft. We used to be able to drive 10 hours before needing an 8 hour break. Now we can drive 11 hours (not straight, of course) but must take a 10 hour break.

To be quite honest, I don’t know all the details of the new rules, but I’m sure if I’m ever involved in a trucking accident, the lawyers will fill me in.
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1. Eat healthy.
When you’re trucking over America’s roadways, you are limited in you meal choices. I have read that the #1 dinner meal served at truck stops is the chicken fried steak. If you’re trying for a healthier diet, try to avoid that dinner. Opt for the salad bar and choose a low-fat dressing or try just using vinegar if the taste appeals to you. Choose grilled (not fried) chicken or fish with steamed vegetables as a side. In an ideal trucking world, you should look into getting a small refrigerator in your truck and stop often at local grocery stores to stock up on fruits and vegetables. You can use a plug-in cooler (truck stops sell them, as well as stores like Wal-Mart) but they do not stay as cold as an actual refrigerator, so dairy and other items that require cold temperatures will go bad faster. We know of drivers who removed a shelving unit in their company truck and purchased an actual freezer that was about 3 feet tall. They bought a 1,500 watt inverter to power the freezer and a small microwave to heat up the frozen food. They stocked up on low-fat, frozen dinners. When they were at home they cooked chicken and browned ground beef to keep in the freezer. Using a crock pot or the Burton stove, they could use canned beans or broths to make “homemade” chili or low-fat Chicken and dumplings (using canned bread dough for the dumplings).

2. Get into an exercise routine.
Exercise increases your metabolism and releases “feel good” chemicals into your bloodstream. Trucking is a sedentary job- meaning, truckers sit around a lot. They sit when they drive. They sit when they go into the drivers lounge at the truck stop. They sit when they eat. It’s easy to let yourself get into a routine that doesn’t include exercise. You’ve got to get into the habit. You can use a tv/vcr combo or a dvd player and get some exercise tapes- you will have to modify the aerobic or yoga routines for the space in your truck, but something is better than nothing. You can use a jump rope or take a few laps around the truck stop before you start driving for the day. You don’t need to be a runner; a brisk walk will do the job. Believe me, after a few weeks, you’ll feel better and healthier.

3. Take a break.
Try to take some “you” time every day. Read a pleasant book (try to stay away from emotionally charged or depressing stories) or watch a movie. Find a hobby you can take with you on the road- learn to play the harmonica or the banjo, take up bird watching. Collect digital photographs of the tourist attractions you pass–try to visit them if you can get the truck in there. Get a software program–a game or learning software–for your laptop if you have one.

4. Look at the lighter side of things.
Trucking will stress you out if you let it. Try to enjoy yourself instead of getting worked up about things that go on. Make a list of the things that happen to you. If a four-wheeler flips you the bird, don’t try to chase him down and “teach him a lesson.” Instead, mark it on your list and laugh about it. If you’re driving in heavy traffic, make it your goal to count how many times you see a four-wheeler cut somebody off. If you are waiting in a backup caused by an accident, kick back, put your feet up and enjoy some good tunes on the radio. You can get angry or you can get a kick out of it. The choice is up to you, but in the long haul, you’ll be a lot happier if you get a kick out of it.

5. Be nice to your dispatcher.
Some dispatchers are nice, competent and courteous. Others are jerks and know-it-all idiots. Whatever type you have, try to be friendly. If you have a nice and/or competent dispatcher, appreciate him or her. If you have the other kind, prepare yourself ahead of time so his or her antics won’t take you by surprise. You don’t have to lower yourself to the level of a dimwit in order to deal with a dimwit. If you have a bad dispatcher, imagine him or her as a chimpanzee wearing a diaper and banging on a pot with a wooden spoon. Images like that ought to make you laugh when you get off the phone instead of wanting to punch someone.

6. Talk to other truckers but don’t let their talk get you down.
Truckers can be terrible whiners. It seems any time you get a group of truckers together, someone is bound to complaining. There are plenty of over-the-road drivers who have a positive outlook, though. Try to find that type of driver to talk with. Don’t get caught up in what I call “sitting on the porch.” I worked for a company that had a nice porch outside the drivers lounge and drivers would sit around talking. All too often the talk turned sour and it seemed the more I sat on the porch, the worse my outlook on my job and my life became. I made a conscious effort to refrain from sitting on the porch, and I was a lot happier because of it. But the same thing happens on the cb radio. When the trucker-tales start to get a little too tall, turn off the cb and find some good music to listen to.

7. Keep your paperwork in order.
Logbooks, freight bills, toll receipts… they can be overwhelming. But it’s worse if you get behind. Be sure to keep your logbook up to date and plan ahead if you think you will be pressed for on-duty time. You never know when the DOT man at a weigh station is going to pick your truck for a paperwork check. This isn’t a problem if you have things in order, but if your logbook is sloppy and your paperwork is disorganized, or if it takes you a long time to get it together before going inside, the DOT man is more likely to take a closer look. And that means he’s more likely to find something wrong…

Try to keep your bills and logs neat. If you have a laptop, try the new software for computerized logbooks- they figure out all the details for you and tell you when you are out of hours- without you having to figure it out. Keep your dash clear of clutter, decide where you things belong and keep them there. You’ll find that you waste less time looking for things when you know where they are to begin with.

All-in-all, trucking is an enjoyable job. People from all walks of life become truckers and a lot of people who don’t ever get into trucking wish they had. These few tips can make the difference between a job you enjoy and a job you merely endure.

Tags: Eat Healthy, Exercise Routine, Truck Drivers, Truck Driving

When you are a trucker, you often find the only place you can count on a sit-down meal is at one of the many truck stops out there. Petro has the Iron Skillet, TA has the Country Pride, Flying J has the Country Market. But the same-old, same-old leaves you longing for more every now and then.

The problem is that a big rig can be 75 feet long or longer. We can’t just pull into a Chili’s parking lot, toot our horns, and say “We’re here.” Our choices are often limited by the size of our vehicles. Over the years, though, I have found quite a few places to park my rig that make my tummy glad.
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There are no secrets when it comes to winter driving. If there’s ice on the road, it’s dangerous. The big truck flying past you at 55 mph when everyone else is crawling along at 15 or 20 mph doesn’t have the inside track on the winter roadways. You’re liable to see him in the median a few miles up the road.

If you’re driving on ice, you won’t know it until you need to stop. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a sedan, a 4-wheel drive or a big rig: brakes are the great equalizer.
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Tags: Winter Driving

In most parts of the USA, traffic patterns are pretty bland. Left turns are left turns. Right turns are right turns. A freeway off ramp has a stop at the end of the ramp and a turn onto the side road. Freeways are for non-stop driving. But if you’re a trucker or if you travel a lot, you know that there are some areas that have some interesting twists on driving patterns.
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Tags: Traffic Patterns, Driving Patterns

Trucking jobs aren’t just about driving. When you think of a job in trucking, you think about riding down the big road, living the American dream, steering and gearing.

But there’s more to trucking that sitting behind the wheel.

There’s regular old freight trucking (dry goods like toilet paper, cereal, packages). But there’s also flatbed trucking (steel coils, pipes), refrigerated trucking–called reefers (temperature sensitive goods like ice cream, frozen dinners, produce), tankers (liquid or gaseous substances like gasoline, milk, and propane), and car hauling.

All of these require special knowledge and training.
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Tags: Trucking Jobs, Freight Trucking, Flatbed Trucking, Refrigerated Trucking, Reefers

There seems to be an obsession with poultry in the trucking industry. No, I’m not talking about chicken fried steak, I’m talking about Chicken Trucks and Chicken Coops and all kinds of other chicken-related terms in the truckers’ vocabulary.

The general public may not know about it, but truckers talk turkey a lot.

Anyone who has ever listened to the CB radio knows that truckers have a language all their own. If a rookie driver or a vacationer dares to tread on the truckers’ territory, he’ll find out quickly that he isn’t one of the flock yet. It’s what you say and how you say it that gives you away.
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Tags: Poultry, CB Radio