Mistake #4 by @RachelintheOC

Rachel Thompson

Author • Poet • Advocate

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MISTAKE NUMBER FOUR

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Truck drivers have been on the front lines, delivering vital medical supplies to hospitals and essential goods to retail stores. There are more new truckers on the road now than ever before helping transport freight across America. If you’re a rookie truck driver, that doesn’t mean you have to make mistakes like one. In this article, we’ll discuss what pitfalls you can avoid as a newbie trucker and how you can get your trucking career off to a great start.

Common Rookie Truck Driver Mistakes to Avoid

Being overly confident.

Overconfident new truck drivers are much more likely to make serious mistakes and cause accidents that needlessly put themselves and others in danger of injury or even death. For everyone’s sakes, don’t be a know-it-all. The fact is that it will take you many months before you start mastering your tasks in a safe and timely manner. Simply having a CDL doesn’t mean that you’re a reliable, safety-conscious, trustworthy driver—it means you have the potential to become one. While it’s crucial to attend a high-quality CDL driver school, your education has only just begun. The level of skill you acquire primarily depends on your level of training. As you learn the ropes of your first trucking job, humbly acknowledge how much you still don’t know and try to learn as much as possible from your instructors.  Find out the best deals at freightliner truck auction.

Not taking safety practices seriously.

Some of the most common safety violations committed by truck drivers are driving too fast, exceeding mandated weight limits, ignoring standard highway safe practices, and improper vehicle maintenance. Making these mistakes can cause serious injuries to yourself and others, and in a worst-case scenario, death. Start forming sound, safety-conscious habits early on in your trucking career to avoid needless accidents and preserve a clean driving record. The following are just a few safety best practices for rookie truck drivers to keep in mind:

  • Be aware of weather and road conditions at all times, both before and during your trip.
  • A large percentage of truck accidents happen when backing up, so examine delivery docks on foot first to scope out potential obstacles and hazards that you couldn’t otherwise see while driving the truck, such as ditches and posts.
  • Be extra cautious at night, especially when maneuvering in tight areas.
  • Don’t underestimate the time it takes to slow down or stop your truck. Always leave a large enough ‘buffer zone’ of space in front of your vehicle.
  • Pick a lane and stay in it. If you must change lanes, do so very carefully, checking your mirrors and being aware of your blind spots.
  • Drive slower than you think you need to in order to maintain control of your truck and safely navigate corners and ramps.
  • Adhere to weight limits. Overloading your truck can make it difficult to control, maneuver, slow down, or stop.
  • Load and secure your cargo properly. Check load tie-downs throughout your trip to ensure that your cargo stays firmly in place. Loose or poorly loaded cargo can easily get damaged and cause injury.
  • Never skip a truck inspection. A well-maintained truck is a safe truck. Spotting mechanical problems early on can prevent costly repairs and dangerous accidents caused by malfunctioning components.

Not asking for help and listening to the wrong advice.

Don’t belittle the knowledge and years of experience that seasoned drivers have gained throughout their careers. Trucking is a demanding job, both physically and mentally, so you’ll need all the help you can get to successfully adapt to your new lifestyle. Make an effort to befriend experienced drivers in your company, develop a good relationship with your dispatcher, and ask the mechanic a ton of questions whenever you take your truck to the shop for repairs.

But a word of caution: not everyone’s advice will offer productive solutions. Just because someone has been a truck driver for decades doesn’t automatically mean they’re a good example to follow. You’ll need to learn which voices you can trust and how to filter out bad information. Do your homework by comparing the advice you receive with what verified sources say, such as:

 

Having unrealistic expectations.

Rookie drivers need to clear their mind of any romanticized notions about trucking. Entering the industry with the idea that it will be smooth sailing is incredibly unrealistic and you’ll be sorely disappointed and discouraged when you encounter unexpected challenges. Trucking is a dynamic work environment that requires you to be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances. Consider just a few scenarios you’ll most likely face:

  • Ignorant, inconsiderate drivers won’t give you enough room on the road
  • Violent storms will rock your truck during white-knuckle rides
  • Mechanical problems or traffic jams will delay you on your routes
  • Hot and sweaty summer days will leave you exhausted
  • Your dispatcher may suddenly reroute you after you’re already more than halfway to your planned destination
  • You’ll reach a location only to find that the shipper cancelled their load

The majority of these situations are the result of unforeseen circumstances beyond your control and are not the product of intentional mistakes or someone else’s incompetence. The bottom line is this: don’t stress or worry about what you can’t control. Viewing every experience as a learning opportunity will help you to maintain a positive attitude as you navigate the challenges of trucking.

Switching trucking jobs too soon.

Some trucking newbies reason that since they’re in high demand, they should switch companies if they feel they aren’t getting the pay or treatment they deserve. However, it’s highly recommended that new truck drivers stick with their first job for at least one full year. Why? First of all, you’ll need to prove your worth to dispatch before you can expect to receive great miles, higher pay, and preferred routes. Switching to another trucking company means you’ll have to work from the bottom up all over again. Turnover is expensive for trucking companies, so if you develop a reputation as a job hopper early in your career, you’re going to seriously hurt your prospects in the future.

Secondly, it will take you at least a year to learn your trade, find a healthy work/life balance, determine your personal preferences, understand how the trucking industry works and how your company operates, develop good rapport with your dispatcher, and benefit from on-the-job training. You’ll need to hone your skills in efficient time and fuel management, safety, problem solving, routing, navigation, and communication. So keep an open mind and be willing to make compromises as you tough it out with your first trucking job.

Comments

  1. Oh my god Rachel what an absolute arsehole, I’m so glad the
    worst didn’t happen but it’s such a horrible thing to happen nevertheless. I
    had a similar experience with a fella who tried to drag me into the back of a
    van so I totally know what you mean about the instincts kicking in. They
    deserve to be castrated. x

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  2. Wow! what a piece and I do hope that you get loads of readers to this of both sexes, Women to be warned (sadly) to be on their guard and Men, to be shown that being an arsehole will always make you an arsehole and let's hope this particular one did not go on in life to procreate 

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  3. My stomach was in knots while I read this.  Unfortunately, it happens way more than people know.  Thanks for bringing it to light.  I know it must have been hard to write and share this experience.

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  4. Powerful piece, Rachel. I'm so happy it didn't happen, but despite that, the experience must have scarred you somewhat — sometimes those scars remind us of what we've endured – and hopefully that means it won't happen to us again. 

    Thanks for sharing this, honey. xoxoxeden

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  5. Thx Jen. It was terrifying & surreal. Sorry for your experience also. My overall opinion of men is they're great & fun — this was an isolated incidence for me. Any one person can suck — male or female. Just how it ended up for me that night. 

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  6. Thx Tom. My guy & I discuss this frequently — most men have NO IDEA what it's like to feel the fear a woman feels every day just walking to her car alone in a parking lot or running out for diapers at night when you've run out. Not that we live in fear — but as you said, that guard is always up. 

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  7. xo Jackie. I honestly never thought I would write about it. Probably because, as so many women have felt, besides being beaten up & held against my will (um, hello?), he didn't actually rape me. I willingly entered the room. Was it somehow my fault? 

    Some people still think so. Let's victimize the “victim,” ya know? 

    Though I don't take on that role. I'm a strong, snarky bitch, as you well know. 

    xo

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  9. So happy that you fought and he stopped. I unfortunately had a similar experience but the guy didn't stop and I became a statistic. And sadly we aren't alone – it happens too often. I hope your piece empowers other girls out there to fight back.

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  10. Great post, Rachel. I like how you avoided a bunch of hyperbole that would have turned me off from reading about an already uncomfortable subject, and instead let the facts speak so strongly. I had a similar experience when I was 13 with someone I knew from school. I have a feeling he is much more mentally scarred from the experience than I was.

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  11. This is an excellent post, Rachel. It's hard to write about sensitive topics like rape, and extra difficult when it's something you've experienced. Knowing you, I'm not surprised you fought back, and I hope you serve as a source of inspiration to anyone who might face such an experience in the future.

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  13. I have a friend from college who was raped in a room full of people. No one even noticed. I know…I was there. She didn't fight back. She didn't make a sound.  She was a little drunk, and a lot scared. I'm really glad you fought back and made as much noise as possible. 

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  16. Very powerful, Rachel. A good lesson, too, for all the young women out there. The 'mistakes' you listed above are so true.  Sharing this one as much as I can. <3

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  20. You listed all the mistakes.  He was wrong, DEAd wrong. But we have ways of protecting ourselves too. Excellent post! My daughter was invited to a party, went with friends and was asked to leave at 2 a.m. She was on the phone with me all the way home, walking in the middle of the night, terrified. Always take your own transportation. Good advice. Good post. I am sorry it happened to you.

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  21. Glad you are sharing this Rachel! So many girls, of all ages, find themselves in these situations and then question themselves for causing it to happen because it must somehow be our fault right?? Whether it's a frat party or a parking lot or a good date gone bad, it needs to be talked about and the guilt put on who owns it, the perpetrator. 

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  23. {hugs} Kelly. Too many lessons learned too late. I was raised to know better. I'd even had self-defense training! I guess some of it instinctively paid off that night. It's why my girl (age 12) has been in karate & continues to be. I want it to be instinctive for her. Nobody can protect you better than yourself. 

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  25. I will never understand why some men do things like that. I'm glad that you fought back and were able to escape. I do know that if something like that happened to a woman that I know,I would be in prison for going after the guy.

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  26. Thx Sonia. Always have a buddy who will never leave you. That's so important. No woman should be alone late at night. Have $$ for a cab. My ride left me. At least your girl made it home safe w/ you on the phone. Thank goodness. xo 

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  28. So many guys won't ever own up to being the perpetrator. But if you saw me that night — my torn clothing, my bruised face & body, the skin under my nails — there was no question. (& NOBODY at that party asked if I was ok.) 

    Yet he still told me that Monday in class how much I “wanted it.” 

    There are still guys today who question this article & whether it's my fault. 

    I don't want pity. I want action — don't let this happen to someone you know. 

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  29. I beg to disagree on a couple of points. We did have date rape. When it happened to me, I knew exactly what it was, but I didn't report it. I had been drunk and for the first decade, I blamed myself. I've gotten over it. It did change me then and who knows about now because I only got to now with that incident in my past. As for things being different, I don't agree. I think that we still teach girls to not embrace their sexuality. I think that we still teach boys to act like “rapists”. I say this because of things like the superbowl moment with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. All you read about was her exposed nipple and how it was her idea and yada, yada, yada. Unbelievable that no one involved said, “It looks like forced sex. This isn't a good idea.” It happened in 2004. I am sure that there are more incidents where we still continue to perpetuate the idea that good girls say no when they mean yes. We still need to do better, educate more, and expect better from our purveyors of entertainment which does include video games.

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  30. Thx so much for your comments, Maria. Very insightful. I only meant that I was unaware of the term “date rape” until much later, not that it didn't exist. 

    I agree with much of what you said, particularly about the Superbowl moment. As a feminist & supporter of embracing female sexuality, I strongly believe blaming women for being sexual beings is ridiculous. 

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  33. That is horrific! I have a complete disconnect when it comes to understanding the way someone like that thinks. How can someone possibly think they have the right to do whatever they like to someone else? I don't know. Was it partly the era? Was it an attitude of the times? I don't know that either. But it's things like this that really makes me wonder what's wrong with some parts of the human race.

    What's just as bad is women who lie about rape, use the allegation as a weapon against men. It's not fair to the men who don't do these things and it's not fair to the women who have rape experiences, either lucky escapes like yours, or those who weren't so lucky.

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  34. Thanks for writing this, Rachel. I'm sure it wasn't easy, but it's a topic people need to discuss openly, and more open. I'm glad that you fought as you did, and I'm glad that there were good people there who stepped in.

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  35. Ciara, I agree on all your points. For the most part, my experiences w/ humans has been pretty good :). I don't know that it had anything to do w/ the 80s, to be honest. Crimes against women have been happening for so long & still happen every day. 

    Which, as you pointed out, doesn't mean women don't create scenarios for whatever reason. I can't imagine wanting to create that kind of hell for myself, but I suppose it takes all kinds. 

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  36. For a long time I didn't even remember what had happened to me, that's how “good” I had become at pushing it aside in my mind.  I was 19 years old when I was raped and I had believed him when he said I deserved it.  It has taken many years for me to unlearn what I had been told by him.  It is amazing how the voice of one person will influence your thought patterns even when it is the most irrational.  We have taken many steps in the right direction in speaking out against crimes against women.  Unfortunately, there is still a long way to go.  As long as we allow people and/or media to perpetuate the myth that women “ask for it” or want something when they come forward — no matter how long it has been since the incident ha taken place — victims will continue to hesitate to speak up.  It's time to turn the lights on. 

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  37. Oh honey. {{massive hugs}} It takes such guts to share. Silencing those voices, that pathetically still exist in our society today, even within our own circle of friends, family, or online, is sometimes our biggest hurdle to sharing our pain. 

    I'm so proud of you. I love you, my sister. 

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  38. thank you so much for writing about this experience, it is violence and it is an attack. im glad you fought and he didn't end up getting everything he wanted, but Im sorry it affected you then and affected you after…

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  39. A difficult subject.  It breaks my heart to read how common this is.  Like you, I'm a fighter, and I learned at 14 that even when they have a huge advantage in size and age and strength, sometimes a rapist will back down when you fight.

    The problem is, when they do back down, there's no evidence.  Nothing but your word against his.  And you know he'll try again, and succeed, with some other woman who won't fight back.  I wish there was a solution.

    But I'd like to present a gentle argument against your post:  you list your “mistakes”.  I know you mean it in the sense of “things I could have done differently to protect myself”, but in the big picture, you didn't make any “mistakes”.  You went to a party and had a conversation with a guy.  That's not a mistake, that's a normal human behaviour, and you had (and have) a right to do that in safety.  Hell, you should be able to go to a party buck-naked in safety. 

    Nobody “deserves” to be attacked.  Even if we're flirting.  Even if we're drunk.  No matter what we're wearing (or not wearing).  Telling ourselves we should have known better is just another way we assume responsibility for an attack.  You were fine.  HE should have known better.

    I wish society and the legal system would agree with that.  And until that happens, the “responsibility” to protect ourselves just comes with the plumbing.  I was hoping I'd see those attitudes change in my lifetime, but I'm pushing 50 and the changes haven't been that noticeable so far.  We've got a long way to go.

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  40. I love you Rachel & I applaud your bravery for sharing this story. For everyone who has commented & had a similar experience, I'm sorry. 

    I'm a healer & 90% of my clients in Australia are women. In the US it's 75% (?). I work with a lot of victims of abuse: cult, violence, sexual, emotional. This continual cycle of abuse is an habitual vibration/frequency that is active in consciousness. Men & women are born vibrating at perpetrator & victim.
    I'm not an excuse guy,  I've been victim & aggressor. I'm responsible. I have the power to choose & to act or not. Consider this though.

    There's a photo on my father's wall of a young man who died in a single vehicle car accident one metre from where his father died in a single vehicle car accident. Both men were drink driving. The young man is vibrating at, I will die drunk while driving a car. He's also vibrating at the location.

    This isn't DNA or genes. This is consciousness. Our environment creates our behaviour. In the womb our children are aware of what's happening around them. Our energy fields, consciousness stores information. A drunk parent's behaviour is imprinting onto the unborn child. Potentially, the child will grow up to be an alcoholic, or be attracted to a partner who is an alcoholic. 

    Without healing these patterns of abuse – rapes – will continue. It's the sins of our fathers. Here's another thing to consider: whether we do something or think about it with intention, the affect, in our energy fields, is the same. This is why I love you. I really do. By loving you, & meaning it, I'm not being my father or his father or … keep going back for generations. To stop this we need to heal victims & abusers. 

    I have 2 daughters who were sexually abused by their mother. Why I was attracted to a woman who would do this? I was emotionally scarred as a teenager – with sexual incidents – my father has been abused, his father was abused, the grandfather was abused & a abuser. Have I done enough to stop this cycle? I hope so. The cycle of rape is the same.

    I didn't mean to hijack this post. I'm hurting for everyone who has shared their story. I admire your bravery. I love you.

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  42. I agree completely w/ your comments, Diane. I SHOULD have been able to do all that. In an ideal world, that WOULD be true. I don't believe in any way I deserved it. But thoughts had nothing to do with actions that night. 

    We do have a long way to go. Thanks for reading and visiting. xo

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  43. I think I said this wrong.  I didn't mean to say you should have done this or that.  I didn't mean to imply that the blame lies with us for living with what we haven't been able to change.  I meant to criticize society's attitudes, not yours.  This is an excellent post, and I admire your courage. 

    Sigh.  You'd think I'd be better with words.  Sorry if I sounded like a jerk.  :-/

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  44. Wow, Simon. You didn't hijack. You're amazing. The level of abuse so many of us share is astounding. I'm so sorry for your experiences. I'm also blown away by how you've harnessed all that to help & heal others. 

    Thanks for your explanations about consciousness, environment, and energy. No matter what people believe, behaviors occur and eventually they'll look for answers. 

    I don't feel brave. I just feel honest. But thank you for your lovely words. I love you back. 

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  45. How awful.I also had a similar experience but instead of fighting back like you did I became numb to what was happening. The guy didn't know the meaning of the word no and when I ran into him a couple years ago he had the nerve to say it was consensual.

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  48. Wow. Rachel, I don't even know where to begin. I am so sorry for your experience. I know you're able to help other women as a result but it sucks! And you didn't deserve it in the least. Thanks for speaking out and being an inspiration to so many people. 

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  50. I'm incredibly sorry you had to endure that. While reading your post, I broke out in a cold sweat. I have a 17 year old daughter headed off to college next year. I hope she never finds herself in that situation, but if she does, that she has the presence of mind to react the way you did. She's a loving and trusting soul. I had her read this post and it shook her a little. Hearing warnings from dad are so much white noise. Hearing them from you had more impact. Thank you for your bravery.

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  51. Thank you Paul for your comments & for sharing it with your sweet girl. That's my hope–that women of all ages will read this and be careful. Nothing more than that. {hugs} to you both

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  52. Rachel, we men are smelly, hairy and aggressive; these attributes helped us survive long ago but are no longer needed. Unfortunately, there are many men who still follow the “might makes right” MO and I'm sorry that you, among many women I've known, had to live this experience. I can't imagine behaving like that douchebag and firmly believe that the path to change is in each man's hands. We must all do our best to raise our children and influence the children of others to see women as equal partners in a brave new reality. Thanks again for sharing these personal stories.

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  53. This is the kind of stuff that scares the shit out of me. I have a one year old girl, and I've written about it on my site, and people tell me not to worry about it yet because she's so young, but it's not that easy to avoid thinking about. At the end of your story you mention you didn't realize the impact of it all until later. I'm curious, what was the impact? Did you mean that anything can happen at any time, or that you should always fight, or the impact would be that your daughter could face this sometime in the future, or something else. Just wondering.

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  54. I will post the next piece about how it affected me. I won't leave you hanging, I promise Craig. 

    You can't live in fear of what MAY happen, but you can teach your daughter to be self-aware & to learn self-defense. Mine is in karate (as many young kids are now). It's no guarantee, but it's…insurance. There's more to my history than just this incident. She knows why it's important to protect herself. Come back tomorrow for part II. 🙂 xo

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  55. Thank you for sharing, Rachel. It is not always easy writing, not to mention posting personal pieces. This hit a chord for me and unlike you I'm not brave enough to visit that place. I'm sure there are hundreds of others that you don't even realized you have touched and helped. 

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  56. When I was about 18 or so, I  remember stopping by a house  that this cute guy from high school was painting. It was light out, middle of the day. I sat and down an he started to go for me. I started yelling, “stop it!' and thankfully there was another guy there who came down the stairs and yelled at him to knock it off.  I was lucky.

    Thank you for sharing your story. They say that it's not the strangers we need to be wary of when it comes to sexual abuse,it's those living in our homes and who we see on a daily basis.

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