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One morning this week, I happened to be parked overnight at the Newborn Truck Stop in Tallapoosa, GA. When I awoke to begin my day, I noticed they had a portion of the truck stop roped off to divide space for truck driver training. I watched some of the trainees performing their maneuvers around the cones and obstacles along their path. This brought back many memories for me as I reflected back to my first year driving a truck.
That first year driving was a compilation of nervousness, excitement, adrenalin, determination and a can do attitude. The private carrier I went to work with did not have the type of training that I witnessed on this particular morning. My training however was minimal in comparison to the training offered today at many driver schools. Fortunately, there were many veteran drivers on the road who were eager to correct this rookie driver in his early days. I can still recall how satisfying it was when I successfully backed my trailer into a difficult dock one day without having to do any pull forwards. Even today, it brings a feeling of accomplishment when completing a tight maneuver.
Within the first month of driving a truck, I was driving in downtown Washington D.C. and the Bronx of New York. Back in those days, I felt pretty much alone in the truck to figure things out on my own. There were no cell phones, GPS or QUALCOMM communications. I also did not have a driver mentor along with me. I am envious of today’s new driver with the schooling and support they receive when learning and training for this industry. Fortunately, for me I did have some previous experience driving larger vehicles such as the school bus. None of these however prepared this small town young man from Lancaster County, PA to embark on a journey in a GMC Brigadier to the Bronx of New York. It seemed like the whole world was in one place and on the roads where I needed to maneuver my big truck. I was to deliver a shipment into New York on a hot summer day with no air conditioning in the company truck. The air conditioning wasn’t broke… this truck didn’t have air conditioning. The ride was harsh and the engine was loud. The truck had an AM radio to keep me entertained however I couldn’t hear the radio over the loud truck engine. Even still, I was happy to be trucking…
While I continued to watch the new drivers training in the parking lot, more memories raced through my head. Before I headed into the restaurant for breakfast; I stopped to talk with an instructor who was on the grounds. He shared with me the types of training they provide to their new driver students. We discussed how impressed I was with the training today and how little training I had received years ago. As I finally sat down for breakfast, my thoughts took me back to the advice a seasoned driver gave me long ago…”The day that you quit learning and think you know everything about truck driving is the day you need to hang the keys up on the wall because this is when you will mess up in a big way.” Those words stuck with me and even today after all my years on the road, I can say that I am still learning.