Tractor-trailer operators are an integral part of the world's economy. Without them, grocery stores would go unstocked, retail businesses would offer no products for sale, manufacturers of all sorts would be unable to deliver products to consumers. Even though most truck drivers are not directly responsible for loading and unloading trailers, they do have full responsibility for safely transporting goods on time.
Trucking Essentials
An owner operator is a self-employed truck driver who operates his/her own small business to transport goods for customers. He or she is free to haul goods on their own or enter into a lease agreement to dedicate their equipment to one customer.
As an owner operator, you can have a lucrative career as long as you are hard-working, have realistic expectations, and work on building strong relationships. Here are a few tips we have gathered to help you be successful in your career:
Commercial trucks are already at greater risk for an accident, but winter weather increases that risk even more. Knowing how to prepare for a winter trip, and how to handle icy conditions, will keep your truck drivers safe through the coldest months of the year.
Before Truckers Hit the Road
It's important to know what to do in the event of a big rig breakdown. As a professional driver, you'll undoubtedly experience a mechanical failure or a breakdown, sooner or later.
Breakdowns are usually unpredictable and always guaranteed to be annoying. However, they are a fact of life in a trucking career.
There are several things to keep in mind to handle an equipment failure 'like a pro'.
As a truck driver, the best way to handle your dispatcher, is to understand what his job involves.
The dispatcher's job is to effectively manage the flow of the freight from point A to point B. They attempt to minimize the truck's empty miles and maximize the company's profits. That's the dispatcher's job and what they are paid to do.
Years ago in the trucking industry, dispatchers were well seasoned, experienced ex-truck drivers. They understood the trucking industry.
A DOT inspection can cause stress for even the calmest and coolest of truckers.
First of all, there shouldn't be a reason to fear DOT inspections, if you're doing your job as a truck driver and following the rules which govern the trucking industry.
DOT officers are like any other professional group out there. There's good ones and bad ones. Their mandate is safety and compliance. In most cases, they're just doing their job.
Like most oilfield jobs, dump trucking can be a very dangerous gig if not performed correctly. Don't believe me? Do yourself a favor and type in the words 'dump truck accidents' in the Google search box. Hell, I'll even do it for you.
Being on the road for days and weeks at a time can become quite lonely. That's why many owner-operators choose to have a co-pilot, and not of the human variety. There are many benefits to having a 'truck pet' both for you and your pet. Here are a few things to keep in mind when trucking with animal companions.
Picture this. Every time you hunt for a new load as an owner operator or independent trucking company, you have to deal with load brokers. However, it never fails that something goes awry with your commercial truck and trailer loads. The load broker might have failed to share some important information, or you may have been misunderstood by the broker. In the end, you want to resolve this issue so you can move on. Here are some tricks of the trade to help you work with your freight brokers.
Let's face it; long hauls are boring after about the first 10 or 20 miles! Your tires make that humming sound against the road, which doesn't exactly add to whatever music you are playing. Most of the scenery on long hauls is the same, especially if you've driven the haul before, you've seen all there is to see. These two potentially deadly combinations, the 'white noise' of the tires and nothing visually exciting to keep your attention (unless you like road kill, and if you do, don't tell me), contribute to road fatigue, which is what causes the peepers to droop.