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Trucking Tips For New Drivers

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These trucking tips for new drivers should help you start with a few shortcuts to make life as a trucker more productive. In formation will be added to this page on a continuous basis so be sure to check back often.

Truck Stop Tips
Defensive Driving Tips
Healthy Trucker Tips
Winter Driving Tips
Dating and Relationship Tips

New Trucker Tips

I was impressed to receive an email from a Don a driver from Canada that specifically asked how 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 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.

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. Tips for new drivers to help save company money and equipment

- Accelerate and Decelerate smoothly at low RPM range. Don't reeve the engine. - When unhooking trailer don't pull on the black hose grip the metal glad handle- When backing under trailer make sure the trailer is up high enough so that it glide over the 5th wheel instead of hitting- Do your own simple repair jobs like replace light bulbs. 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.

Add your tips for newbies at the bottom of this page

Don't trust people directions 100%.
You still need to pay attention because people sometimes forget your not driving a car

Got Good Tips For New Drivers? Help a Driver Out

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!