Surviving Your First Year as a Commercial Truck Driver in South Carolina

You’ve earned your CDL and are facing your first year as a commercial truck driver in South Carolina. The first thing you will have to understand is that your first year will be tough because you don’t yet have the skills that make life on the road easier. The challenges ahead will be getting proficient at driving your truck, coping with the job at your first trucking company, and dealing with the trucking lifestyle with its long hours and time away from home.

So take your first year as a challenge and apply yourself. After that, things will get better. Here are three tips on getting through this period:

Don’t Be Too Choosy with the First Job

It’s important to start working as soon as you can. Think of your first year as a commercial truck driver in South Carolina as a continuation of your trucking education where the classroom is the real world. Accumulate as much driving experience as you can. Your skills will improve and you will enjoy the work more. In addition, the money you make increases with your experience.

The first job won’t likely be one that you will stay with for the long-term, but the experience gained will set you up for better paying jobs in the future. It’s important to stay with that first job for at least a year because leaving it sooner will make other companies disinclined to hire you.

Take Your Time

By this we mean to do things carefully and to use the basics you’ve learned such as doing your pre-trip inspection, or getting out of your truck and carefully looking an area over before backing to a shipping dock. The same goes with locating an address. Take the time to check your GPS, your map, and to call the shipper for directions to his loading dock. While learning from your mistakes as a commercial truck driver in South Carolina is valuable, it’s far better to avoid mistakes altogether by being careful.

Keep a Good Attitude

Success with any challenge comes down to attitude. The first year won’t be easy but the right attitude will change negatives into positives. Your skills will improve, and your prospects will improve which means better pay in the years ahead as you transition into your trucking career.

For information on affordable commercial truck insurance in South Carolina, contact us today at J.E.B. Insurance Services, LLC.