As the owner of a trucking company, you will likely hire drivers throughout the course of your business. While many will come with years of experience and knowledge, you may also find you need to hire rookie drivers. With that, it’s important to be familiar with some of the most common mistakes rookie drivers are likely to make so you can implement this knowledge into your training process.
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Be Overconfident
As a new truck driver, you had to pass courses and tests to earn your CDL, which is great, but it’s important to remember that you still lack the experience that will come only with time. For some rookies, the accomplishment of earning their CDL gives them a false sense of confidence. You can avoid this mistake by reminding yourself that the vehicle you’re now driving is a monster compared to any vehicle you have previously driven. You want to be comfortable with stopping, accelerating, making turns, and navigating hills; just be careful not to be overconfident.
Avoid Asking for Help
Humans are very independent creatures, which means that it’s not always easy to ask for help, even when you know you need it. If you’ve started a new job, it’s essential to ask for feedback to ensure you’re performing up to expectations. Where there are areas for improvement, be sure to ask your employer for any advice they might have on the steps you can take to get better. It’s always a wiser idea as a truck driver to ask for clarification on a topic rather than make a mistake because you didn't want to ask for help. Just be careful not to go overboard and ask for help on everything.
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Listen to Advice From Everyone
It’s generally a good idea to ask for advice when you’re unsure about the wisest course of action to take. However, it’s definitely too much of a good thing if you start listening to or asking for advice from everyone around you. If something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. What may sound like a dream job likely has expectations or strings attached, so be sure to ask further clarifying questions. Get to know your fellow drivers to determine which ones are good resources to get advice from. Ultimately, you are the one who makes the decisions for where you’ll go in life, so make sure you have all the facts available to enable you to make an educated choice.
Set Expectations Too High
Expectations are important to set to help you accomplish goals and to help you gauge different situations. If you’re like most people, you’ve probably experienced the let-down that comes from unmet expectations. With that, it’s critical to remember that no job and no experience is perfect, which means that driving a truck isn’t going to be as easy as you might think. Working as a truck driver can definitely be rewarding but it’s also important to think about how well you handle being away from home for long periods of time and whether this will negatively impact your mental health and happiness.
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Minimize the Importance of Safety Practices
While you should be intimately familiar with the rules for operating your semi-truck, it’s vital not to gloss over the other details that you may find unnecessary. Many safety practices were created after an event. Preventing cargo theft is one task that you can assist with by following standard practices to protect your load. Trying to meet deadlines or avoid weather conditions should never be a reason to skip inspecting your truck or checking tie-downs.
Neglecting Self-Care
You may already do a good job of taking care of yourself, but when you become a truck driver, your current habits and practices will need to adapt to your new lifestyle. Sometimes you’ll have to keep driving even when you’re tired. If you are worn down to the point where you’re unable to drive your truck safely, however, it’s important to prioritize rest. You don’t want to be a danger to yourself or those around you simply because you chose to push on when you should have stopped. When you know your limits, you’ll be able to take care of yourself and be the professional truck driver you want to be.
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Be Disorganized
Whether you are a naturally organized person or have to work at it, this is one skill that is vital to your success as a truck driver. There is a lot of paperwork that is involved with driving a semi-truck. From filling out logs and keeping track of receipts to forms that need to be filled out upon delivery and more, you’ll quickly find yourself in a mess if you don’t have an organized system. If you struggle with organization, ask others about the system they use to get an idea of what will work best for you. Being organized will help save time and relieve stress so you can focus on driving your truck.
Lack the Finances to Operate
If you drive for a large company, then you might not need to worry about finances. For owner-operators, however, it’s crucial to understand just how much it costs to keep a truck on the road. At A1 Consulting, we know that the costs associated with a trucking company can quickly become overwhelming, especially when it comes to keeping track of all the paperwork for taxes, payroll, and more. We offer tax services, accounting services, and more to help you do what you love — run your trucking business.
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A1 Consulting is here to provide the assistance and resources you need to keep things running smoothly for your trucking business. Our Top Rated National® trucking insurance experts have a wealth of experience in the trucking industry, which means we can give you the help you need. Contact us today to get started with a free 15-minute consultation.
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