Tips For New Drivers

Be Patient - Be Positive - Be On Time - Be Compliant - Be Safe

These trucking tips will serve new and seasoned drivers for the entire career.  Of course, we get into more detailed and specific information and advice that will help you navigate the trucking lifestyle below.


But first, 2 more tips a lot us drivers take for granted....Proactively take care of your health and nurture your relationships at home.




These trucking tips for new drivers

should help shorten the learning curve and adapting time to the trucker lifestyle.  It will help you be more productive, more safe and earn more money at an early stage in your trucking career.




Get Your Confidence Video

Confidence is important.  It will come with time.  Just focus on doing the job correctly and watch the nervousness go away.  By the way, i was a little nervous at first too.  It's normal to don't feel bad.


Going Solo For the First Time

Safety Reminder Video

Safety is important.  Don't take things for granted.  People will leave trailers unfit for the next guy to pull.  So check your trailers that you pick up and pre-trip your truck. 


Defensive Driving Tips

Consideration For Going O/O Video

If you plan to go O/O learn all you can as company driver.  Don't create expenses.  Save your money.


Should I go Owner Operator?

Your 3 Most Important Assets

  • Don't ever forget to value your time
  • Keep your Family first (based on priorities)
  • Stay on Track

You can't get time back.  Your mind should be focused on safely operating that truck but also if you have a family at home.  You CAN NOT forget that they need your attention at regular intervals.  Sometimes that is hard to new as a new driver, but it's possible.  You have to sacrifice any goofing off for family

Some drivers go crazy with the new freedom and money.  Remember why your out here.  Don't be so attached to material things or if you're single with punaah naah that you get off course and never reach your goal or heaven forbid, lose your family.

More Personal Development Related Videos

Use Trucking As A Tool

Get the most out of trucking.  Use it, don't let it use you.  You have an unique opportunity as a trucker.  You can blow it or make the most out of it.  This is one of my older videos but the message is still so true today.

Use trucking to...


Use These Truck Driver Tips To Your Advantage

We share our tips, insights, and hard learned lessons from experience from life as a trucker. It is broken down into several categories so that you can select specific areas according to what is most important to you at the time of your research.

5 Trucking tips for new drivers


Add Your Tips For New Drivers Here

Share your tips, techniques or good habits that will enable a driver to take his or her trucking skills to the next level.

With our experience over the road we could save the new truckers a lot of pain and suffering by giving them insight from the mistakes we already made or what we learned from observation.

Why keep it to yourself!?! Share that wisdom!

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Reasons Why You Quit Your Trucking Job 
Tell us why you have quit past jobs. Did you quit because of not feeling appreciated? Or because of Dispatch? Or perhaps because of Equipment? What …

where to park my truck? 
My neighborhood won't allow me to park my truck outside my house. Can i park it at a truck stop while on my days off.

Keeping you ALIVE to go home to family  
I have been driving for 15 yrs accident free and 2 million miles... my number one tip ..(PAY ATTENTION AT ALL TIMES ). I promise you will go home everytime …

How to Overcome Highway Hypnosis 
I don't have a tip but I have question. Why do I get heavy eyed when driving even after getting enough sleep? Also, any tips on how to prevent this? …

Road rage never helps 
If a driver cuts you off, remember that you can be the better person by first not doing any thing wrong and second not fighting about it. Being calm …

Dont mix your personal life with your driving job. Keep them separate. 
Dont mix your job with your profession! When you start mixing your personal life with the driving, then the driving job changes. This is often the …

Reving up the engine to pull off is not necessary 
Don't revv up the motor before letting out the clutch to take off. It is a huge sign on your head screaming, "HI! I'M A NEWBY!!" Diesel motors in big trucks …

Speed won't kill you 
Speed won't necessarily kill you... it's the sudden stop that get's ya... i believe your following distance should probably be double what you now use... …

Uncommon way to obtain your Class A CDL for the beginner 
If you're young enough, and definitely want your CDL. There are companies out there in the industrial cleaning field that will help you get a class B. …

Be Very Careful About Who You Go To Work For 
Ask a lot of questions. If you don't get the correct answers, do not drive for them. Interview the company like your life depends on it, because it does!!! …

Free mobile app for truckers - My DAT Trucker Services 
Check out the very helpful mobile app for truckers: ‘My DAT Trucker Services’ App for android, iPhone and blackberry. This Free app shows loads, nearby …

I get home every weekend after switching 5 companies 
This is a great trucking web site keep up the good work. I have been trucking for 3years now and a lot of things that you talk about i can understand. …

I had a job interview at a trucking company today. 
At the interview, I was told about the training program, I have my CDL A Permit with tanker, no hazmat. The training pay is $8/hr. After training, …

Why I blow by Louisiana weigh stations 
You can blow by Louisiana weigh scales. They never chase.

stay to yourself and be true/respect 
dont talk too much. dont give free information about yourself. If your boss ask questions be brief and short. answer questions with out being a smartass. …

Be Careful With GPS Navigation Systems but Especially Truckers 
For new truck drivers this may come as a shock to you (or it may not) but anyway, you can't take your GPS 100 percent on face value for it's directions. …

When You Stop to Get Fuel Do a Walk Around Not rated yet
No matter if you're company driver or owner operator, you should be sure to do walk arounds and inspections on your truck and trailer when you stop to …

A Fail on This Post Trip Will Cost Me The Question is How Much Not rated yet
I am scheduled to deliver this load at 0700 but because I didn't catch something on the post trip Friday I might not make it. If I do make it I will …

5 Trucking Tips for Beginner Truckers With Video Not rated yet
1. Get out of the truck every 3 hours. Prolonged sitting has been shown to have adverse effects on the body. 2. Take your food with you on the …

Never Get Too Comfortable With Trucking Not rated yet
So the natural progression is to become comfortable as you gain experience. Just like you no longer experience any type of uneasiness when driving your …

Don't Get Too Comfortable - Rookies arent the only ones who makes mistakes. Not rated yet
Sometimes along with experience comes errors. Hopefully this little reminder will help you to avoid this one for some time. Share this …

Get all of your endorsements Not rated yet
Get all the endorsements, even if you think you won't need them. Endorsements are money in the bank. A new cdl grad with tanker/hazmat endorsement can …

Look ahead..... Trucking is like a game of Chess Not rated yet
Always... Look ahead. Pretend trucking is a chess game. You are always anticipating your opponent's next move. Pretty soon it will seem as if …

My Backing Up Tips from 39 years of driving Not rated yet
I have been driving for 39 years, and have over 3 million miles. I have from the very beginning always turned my 4-way turn signals on and honk the horn …

Click here to write your own.

chain up and mountain driving Not rated yet
I am a Canadian driver from Alberta with experience from the oil patch and OTR with mountain driving. I cannot tell you the pain staking days I see drivers …

Be a Professional Driver On the Road and Off Not rated yet
This simply means you are not on the block with your homies. Show some home training. Don't be cursing, talking about sex, drugs, or gossiping negatively …

Click here to write your own.

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.

I was impressed to receive an email from a Don a driver from Canada that specifically asked about tips for new drivers that would save the company money and make him an overall better driver. Tips that save the company or driver time or money without compromising safety is good for the company and driver. Here's why saving the company money is also good for the driver too. If the company saves money it more profitable which means it's a more solid company.

A more solid company means they are like to stay in business. A more profitable company means they might one day get a clue and pass some of that profit down to the drivers as a raise or bonus. On the other hand if a company goes out of business because of its employees not being reliable, responsible or not caring about how they take care of the the equipment or customers that company may never have time to offer the driver any more pay or benefits and it may even end up going under which means the drivers and stock holder lose out. Most people don't think about all of that but it's a good thing that you do! It will make you a better steward of your job.


In any event, these newbie driver tips will help prepare a driver for being an owner operator also so might as well get in good habit forming mode now. Here are some Tips for new drivers to help save company money and be more profitable - Accelerate and Decelerate smoothly at low RPM range. Don't reeve the engine.
- When unhooking trailer don't pull on the black air hoses, grip the metal glad handle only.


- When backing under trailer make sure the trailer is up high enough so that it glides over the 5th wheel instead of hitting it square. That will cause excessive wear
- Do your own simple repair jobs like replacing light bulbs that are in easy reach. Also have duct tape, screw driver and pliers or adjustable wrench with you in the truck.


The other day I bought turn signal light bulbs for the truck instead of going into the shop where it would have been half an hour minimum charge. Plus it would have burned up 2 hours of my time putting me way late delivery my next stop. The company will often reimburse for such items if you turn in the receipt.

- Also pay close attention to your surroundings. If you don't think that you are somewhere you supposed to be stop and ask or call people again to get directions. Sometimes a person will say left when they should have said right or they may even send you down a street that big trucks are not allowed on. Just got through talking to Keith and here are some good tips that he threw in.


-Go up and down hills in the green range of the RPMs. In other words don't overwork the engine.
-Don't idle when you don't have to. (Fueling, etc) -Use the cruise control as much as possible under normal driving conditions.


Now Brenda doesn't mean whatever, whatever! LOL. Not literally speaking.  If they ask you to things that jeopardize the safety of you or others don't do it. But sometimes there are things that we simply don't want to do or places we don't want to go.  <br>GO.<br> They don't know you, and you are expendable, go.



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