Trucking 101: Recent Episodes
Mellisa Grim
Find and pass along knowledge to new drivers that will make them the safest drivers on the road; and provide a firm stepping stone into a successful career in trucking.
A year in review and where we are headed next. We are going over past episodes and talking about episodes we will be doing next
We will be talking to everyone's favorite dot officer Dale Howard about your rights as a truck driver. We will also be talking about preparing for winter.
Everyone's favorite DOT officer Dale Howard will be on to talk compliance. We will also be talking about the Special Olympics truck convoy.
We will be talking to Don Smith a driver in his second week of truck school about to start training with Schn
Driving for optimal fuel mileage. We'll discuss the best way to drive for the best fuel mileage
Tonight is our monthly compliance show with Everyone's favorite DOT officer Dale Howard! We are talking accountability
We will be talking about reading an Atlas vs google and GPS's. Truck stop apps vs the before. Inverters, dash cams, Bluetooth, audible vs radio Siriusxm scanning and TRANSFLO.
Our monthly compliance show with everyone's favorite DOT officer Dale Howard! This month's topic is pedestrian safety. Also stay tuned for a special announcement about the CMC contest.
Russ Morgan and Stephen Adcock will be educating everyone on maintenance hacks you can do yourself.
Tonight's episode is all about health. Our special guest is Primal Health coach Becky Morgan. She will give advice on how to get or stay healthy on the road.
Tonight's episode is all about health. Our special guest is Primal Health coach Becky Morgan. She will give advice on how to get or stay healthy on the road.
Tonight is our monthly compliance show with retired DOT officer Dale Howard. We will be talking about getting ready for this year's road check and what to expect.
Summer time driving
There will be lots of RV's, fifth wheels, and travel trailers on the road. Most of theese people are inexperienced with those vehicles so give them lots of room. The rest areas and truck stops will be full of people and animals.
Watch your pets and other people's pets
Weight Distribution, pendulum effect, merging, following too closely, driving in tight quarters. Traffic.
Watch your blind spots
Summer time weather flash floods and storms, Don't get complacent, keep an eye on the weather. Keep a set of winter clothes with you you never know what you might drive into. Jerome's story
Be aware people may under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Stay alert.
Russ stories Paramedic/truck
Don't get complacent with maint.
Everything will get hotter,tires brakes and fluids
Stay hydrated, keep water in the truck
Use a cut off pant leg to protect your left arm from the sun
What is your job? Is it just driving? Being a truck driver is so much more than driving.
Your role: Truck Operator/Trailer driver
- Drive to keep yourself safe and everyone around you safe
- Picking up and delivering on time
- Pre-trip/Post-trip
- Basic Maint
- Company Rep, customer service and communication
- Time management is key in all theese things
Fears and Phobias
Sit and wait at shippers and receivers
Experienced drivers with high cpm get less miles vs inexperienced drivers lower cpm get more miles cause they're cheaper
Low miles lots of time Why?
Reasons you don't get miles
- On time delivery and pickup
- Do you turn loads down?
- No relationship
- How much value do you bring to the company
Some weeks freight just sucks
Do your time 6mos to a year
Takes about a year to learn how to play the game
Save money to be ready for your first year
Be resourcful
When should you refuse a load?
When should you change dispatchers?
Shutting down late at night and finding a parking space
Tonight is our monthly compliance show with everyone's favorite DOT officer Dale Howard. We will be talking about HOS and Elogs.
Call in and learn about all the ways you can cook on your truck even as a company driver. Share your recipes
Tonight is a fun one! We'll be sharing our favorite rants and we want you to share yours! So think up a few good rants or just call in.
Getting ready for Spring Compliance Checks. Call in and ask your questions with Everyone's favorite DOT officer Dale Howard! With warm weather comes more inspections we'll talk about getting ready for them and staying compliant and legal. With have our regular hosts Melissa Grim and Russ Morgan and our special guest host Dale Howard. Dale is here to answer your questions and listen to your concerns. Next week we'll talk about driver rants so get your favorite rants ready.
Tonight is all about the future of trucking. What will trucking be like in 20 years? What will your career path like as a new driver. When will autonomous trucks take over? Will autonomous trucking take over? Autonomous trucks are already on the road. What will the process be moving into an autonomous world? Tonight Russ and Melissa will talk about all these questions and take your cal
Tonight we'll talking about planning for the future and driver pay. Your company 401k, financial responsibility, paying bills on the road. We'll also discuss your plans for the future do you want to just drive or become to an owner operator or maybe move into instructing or management. We'll also discuss the proper way you should be paid as a driver. 1099 vs W-
Tonight will be an open discussion on crash mitigation systems. Melissa Grim and her new co-host Russ Morgan will be giving their opinions on crash mitigation systems and we want to hear yours. We'll do our best to answer your questions as well and we want to hear your stories. For of those of you that don't know crash mitigation systems are those such as On Guard mainly they have forward facing radar with assistive breaking. It applys the brakes if the front of the truck gets too close to anything. There have been problems with this system. So we will be talking pros and cons of these
Dealing with other people
-Drivers
-Shippers
-Truck stops
-Mechanics
-Dispatchers.
Basically we're talking about not being an idiot. If you are considerate you will have a good experience out on the road.
One big point of contention is experienced drivers "harassing" new drivers. Some examples of "that guy". Not pulling up properly after fueling, parking in no parking spots, Using highway turn arounds
Tonight we will be talking to Dale Howard all about cargo securement. Everything you ever wanted to know about cargo securement. Dale will go over this topic in detail. Call in to listen and ask your questions
Starting as a truck driver in your first year is extremely stressful. It's not just a regular job, it is a completely different lifestyle. We'll talk about ways to reduce stress and deal with stress. A preview is don't take on too much too fast. Make a plan, add time in for delays. Add some extra time on your 10 hr break, a realistic time period is 12 to 14 hours. When you take your break make sure to eat shower and do something relaxing. Also prepare for what you are going to do the next day(reduces stress)
Other tips for dealing with stress are meditation, yoga, deep breathing, and exercise.
Remember if you mess up its ok to start over.
I just finished IC orientation with Schneider National. So we decided to be topical and discuss what to expect when signing on to your first carrier or a new carrier. Well talk about what to bring and how to prepare. Ask questions, don't show up unprepared.
Tonight's show is all about having a plan. Ask yourself, do I want to have this year fly by like all the others having accomplished nothing or do you want to make a plan and have a successful year accomplishing or moving closer to your goals. Even just coming into the industry as a brand new driver it is important to have a plan. You can put yourself on the fast track in your career if you do. Plan your career, your money, and your personal life. Set goals, listen to audiobooks and take online courses.
Tonight we will be talking to Dale Howard all about cargo securement. Everything you ever wanted to know about cargo securement. Dale will go over this topic in detail. Call in to listen and ask your questions
Tonight's show is all about team driving. We'll go over the benefits of team driving. We'll also talk about strategies to make your team driving experience successful. We'll also cover what not to do and traps to avoid. Russ and Becky Morgan will be guest hosting with Melissa Grim tonight
Tonights episode will be all about personal safety, especially women. We will be giving advice and tips on ensuring your personal safety. We will be talking about best practices for personal safety at truck stops and rest areas. We will cover tools we recommend to maintain your safety including guns if your company allows them. Some examples and personal stories
You could call tonight's show live on location! Becky Morgan and Melissa Grim are volunteering at the Iron Man in AZ otherwise known as IMAZ! The goal is volunteer at this years IMAZ so we can participate in next year's IMAZ! For those of you that don't know what an Iron Man is, it is the ultimate triathlon! 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile swim! Since we are here focused on our training we wanted to talk about staying in shape on the road. We'll cover tips and tricks on how to stay active and talk about training for those that are interested. Our special guest tonight will be Kim Cockerham a Lake Placid Iron Man Finisher!
This is our first of a monthly compliance show with special guest host Dale Howard! Everyone's favourite DOT officer Dale Howard will be guest hosting the show tonight and will be covering the importance and details of the daily pre-trip. He will be answering questions as well. Call in with your compliance and HOS questions. You can also call in about any other topic and we'll do our best to answer your questions.
Tonight's show is all about choosing a carrier. We have some excellent guests to help you find your dream job! Matthew Morrison has come up with a great process for choosing a carrier that he is willing to share with you. The major theme of this episode is ask questions and Ask Why to the anwer. When you are looking for a job in the trucking industry the first step is to design your dream job. Sit down in a quiet place with some uniterrupted time and ask yourself these questions before you start looking for a carrier.
Do you like different routes or familiar routes? Why?
Do you enjoy problem solving? Why?
How much money do you want to make?
How much do you want to work?
When and where do you want drive?
What type of trailer do you want to pull?
What type of freight do you want to work with?
What type of schedule do you prefer?
The list goes on and on, another good idea is to list your strengths and weaknesses, buy the book "Standout"; it comes with a code to take a strength assessment test.
Now take all the answers to these questions and describe your dream job. List potential carriers that meet your criteria As big a list as possible, then start going thru the list and look for reasons not to work for a carrier.
Create a carrier short list. When you narrow it down to five stop the process.
Contact these carriers and talk to recruiting. Ask for details, pay scale, home time, pet policy.
Make a carrier comparison checklist, compare pay, mileage, deadhead, multistop, load/unload.
Outline operation: Local, regional, 48 state, hometime
Go to one of there terminals, sit in the drivers lounge and talk to drivers, new and veteran. Ask what they like and dislike about the company and ask them why?
When we first considered becoming truck drivers we only considered pulling vans. The reason that is all we considered is because that is all we knew. We want to give those considering being a truck driver some information on your choices. We will be talking about vans, reefers, logging, dry bulk, and intermodal. We will also cover open deck which includes flat bed, step deck, double drop, and oversize. A couple other segments are heavy haul, curtainside trailers, and conestogas. There is also LTL and day drivers. We have some great guests who are experts in their segment of the industry. Hopefully after the show you will be able to make an informed decision about which segment you want to work in.
Tonight's show is all about training. We'll have Edward Prince, William Helper, and Becky Morgan on the show to give you some tips, tricks, and advice on how to survive training. We'll talk about what to bring, what to expect and what you should expect to learn. We'll also talk about what to do if you are not getting everything you think you should get from your trainer. Edward and Becky are former trainers and William is currently a trainer.
Tonight's episode is all about training. We are going in depth with being a trainer and potentially becoming a trainer, and the responsibilities involved in both Here are some things you need to know before you decide to become a trainer:
Proper communication skills, can you be clear, concise, and direct. Proper tact, correcting without hurting. Ask yourself, do I have the ability to read people and decide if they have what it takes or more importantly if they absolutely do not have what it takes. Don't be afraid to trust your instincts and get a bad driver off your truck. We'll be sharing some personal stories on this front.
Don't just look at training in terms of money. Somone is trying to learn from you. You are responsible for your trainee. If they get off your truck and haven't learned what they need and fail, that is on you. Trainees are on your truck for a short period of time and you need to pass on a lot of info in that time. You have one job: Prepare them to go out on their own and succeed. "You're mission should you choose to accept it..."
Our special guest tonight will be William Hepler, Edward Prince, Russ Morgan and Becky Morga
Tonight we are going back to basics. We are going to expand on some basic concepts; beginning with truck stops. If you want more on this topic go to letstruck.com/audioroad and listen to Trucking as a lifestyle: Tips and Suggestions Parts one and two. We are covering the same topic tonight in more detail. Truck stops are a driver's whole world when we're out on the road. We park, fuel, shower and sometimes eat at truck stops. The first thing I learned about as a trainee was loyalty cards and now most truckstops have apps linked to their loyalty cards. We'll also be talking about the weigh my truck app that CAT has and a few good "Don't be that guy" stories. Be ready for a story about a goat as well!
Tonight is all about winter driving! Our special guest is everyone's favorite DOT officer Dale Howard! He will educate us on everything we ever wanted to know about surviving winter and making it to spring unscathed. We'll talk about chaining up. How to decide when and when not to drive. How to keep your fuel from gelling and your airlines from freezing, and much more. We'll also be taking your questions on this topic or anything else you want to talk about.
Tonight Melissa and I will welcome a special guest host, Becky Morgan. She has a lot of great tips and tricks for living on and organizing your truck. If you follow her advice you will be able to make your truck your home away from home. A preview of some of her advice: Use a jewlry organizer to hold and protect your fuses and light bulbs, Get in a routine to make it easy like a habit, a messy truck is a red flag to the DOT (Dash or door window). If you cut corners if your truck your cutting corners in your job. Think of washing your company truck like cleaning the apartment that you are renting. Lastly give yourself a chance to to adjust to life on the truck. The best comparison to trucking over the road is camping; if you like camping you'll love trucking. As always we'll be taking your questions, tips, and suggestions.
Since safety is a major emphasis of this podcast, tonight's episode will focus on Load Securement in a van trailer. Dale Howard will again join us for his unique perspective as a Transport Officer. We will examine a real-life scenario that happened this week to Rick and Melissa. We will explain what went wrong and how to ensure that the likelihood of recurrence is minimized. We will also share tips and tricks for various types of loads, including vans, flatbeds, step decks, and other unique loads.
Trucking 101 on Audio Road with Rick and Melissa Grim - Guest host Jason Derksen.
Tonight we will talk to Dale Howard about Brake Safety Week 2016 - What it is and what we need to know.
We will discuss tips and ideas about the small things that we can do to help make us safer on the road. We will talk about Passing trucks, what to do with vehicles on the shoulder, and other great tips on how to stay safe. Will take questions, provide answers, and listen to your tips of things you do on a daily basis to stay safe. We will discuss how to make these safety practices become habits in your daily driving.
Tonight we answer a question about split breaks. Dale Howard will be helping us out on that one. We will also be talking about bad driving habits. Following to closley, speeding, speeding in a construction zone, weaving back and forth, distracted driving, chronic and aggressive lane changing, not getting over of slowing down for vehicles on the side of the road, not paying attention in a rest area especially a small one. We will also talk about the best time to become a trainer. We will give you some things to think about before you make the decision. Some resources from tonight's show are the book Traffic, you can find that on audible.com. Also check out Mythbusters season 16 episode 6 on HULU.
Tonight we will be finishing up with trip planning. Seth Jackson is coming on to give everyone some tips on trip planning as a solo driver. We'll also talk about some useful apps you can use to plan where you want to park. Trucker's path is a great app that tells you where all the good truck parking areas are and how much parking is available. It requires participation to work well so if you are going to use it, make sure you contribute. TA/Petro app tells you the parking situation at all those truck stops. It is the only truck stop app that tracks how many parking spaces are available. There is also the MyPilot app and the Loves app. The main topic tonight is the fun side of trucking. There are a lot of perks and opportunities for fun when you are driving a truck around the country. Our target audience is brand new drivers in the industry. We also hope to be able to reach people who are considering truck driving as a career. This part of the show is for them. Becky will talk about riding roller coasters at Magic Mountain. Russ will be sharing a story. Melissa will be sharing a story, and Rick will be talking about all the great things that happened to him during his first year. You can find our group on Facebook at Trucking101 on Audioroad. The quote that we think sums up our entire mission is from Larry Winget- "Love what you do enough to become excellent at it; otherwise you don't"
Trip Planning important things to do: Look up your pickup and destination on Google. Make sure you get a streetview if you can. If your company doesn't provide directions, call the shipper and receiver and ask.
Trip Planning Questions to Answer:
How many hours do you have?
How much time do you have to deliver?
Did you map your route?
Did you check the weather on your route?
Where are you parking tonight? (Remember the days are getting shorter. Parking availability will fill up sooner)
Do you have a backup?
Check to see if you can park at the shipper/receiver
Can you reserve a space if you need to?
We will be talking about planning for problems without relying on technology
Other things to check when picking up and dropping off your load
Make sure the delivery address on your papework matches the info on your qualcomm
Write down all the trip info in case of a electrical qulich. Also your customer will need the info when you check in.
Would be a good idea to have a notebook that you keep your trip info in
Double check trailer number and seal number on the paperwork and trailer to make sure they match.
Do a thorough pretrip on the trailer
BE ON TIME
Tonight is our first live show! We will be talking about our mission our previous and episodes and the other members of our group will chime in as well. Our mission: To find and pass along knowledge to new drivers that will make them the safest drivers on the road; and provide a firm stepping stone into a successful career. Our target audience is new drivers, specifically drivers that are within their first year of driving a truck. Think of this as military boot camp. We are looking for new people that know almost nothing about the trucking industry and are willing to learn. If you are listening to this podcast and you are an experienced driver or owner/operator, "Fantastic". We would like you to steer new drivers looking for help our way. Tell them about this podcast, about the Facebook page, Trucking 101 on Audio Road, and tell them about lets truck. There is now a Let's Truck group available and eager to help new drivers. We know very well that "you can't fix stupid". We are not looking to reign in the stupid drivers, we are looking for smart bright drivers that need help and are willing to learn.
On today's show we will talk about making a plan for the future. In order to achieve anything significant in life or in your career you need to set a goal to do so. There is a specific structure to follow in order to successfully achieve a goal. S.M.A.R.T. which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time bound. One of the most important aspects to goal setting is having a strong why. If you are not emotionallly connected to your goal you reduce your chances of achieving it. About 90% of all plans fail because they are not properly executed. Our guest tonight will be Rebecca Suzanne, Seth Jackson, Russ Morgan, and Becky Morgan. They will be sharing some things they achieved through proper goal setting. If you learn nothing else from this podcast, learn that in order to achieve anything you must at the very least write it down.
Trucking stories about the first year of trucking from the real drivers. Live from the CMC. Drivers share experiences from their first year in trucking and the lessons they learned from those experiences. We discuss the right way to become an Owner/Operator and the importance of patience and learning. Melissa Grim, Rick Grim, Russ Morgan, Becky Morgan, Jason Derksen, Joe Kasal, Rebecca Suzanne, Seth Jackson
Today's episode is all about lease purchases. You're going to hear a lot about lease purchases in your first year and after. This podcast will be split into three segments: Reasons not to sign a lease purchase, ways to make a lease purchase successful and an alternative way to become an owner operator. Our special guests tonight will be Edward Prince and Matthew Morrison. Both have a lot of experience with lease purchases. The main thing to remember when considering a lease purchase is to ask yourself why? Ask yourself, "Why do I want to sign a lease purchase?" We will talk about knowing your numbers, treating trucking like a business and Dave Ramsey's book "Total Money Makeover" We will also talk about mistakes that most drivers make.
Today's episode is all about working with law enorcement. Our special guest today is Dale Howard a retired DOT officer turned owner operator. Dale spent his entire career with CMV enforcement in Canada and then decided to go into the driving side of trucking. So once again we have a guest that can give you info on our topic from both perspectives. We will talk about "flying under the radar" so speak. We will cover pre-trips, post trips, weigh stations, road side inspections, and what to do if you get pulled over. We will also talk about carrying firearms in the truck.
Today's show is all about debunking myths of the trucking industry. Our special guest is Edward Prince, who is an owner operator (BCO) at Landstar. Before he was an owner operator, he worked as a driver manager, training coordinator, and training supervisor a major carrier. Where he was also involved in orientation and assigned trucks. Edward is the perfect person to talk about this topic because he can draw from experience on both sides of the qualcomm so to speak. Today we will talk about lunch counter and CB gossip, the driver shortage, training, getting miles and a little about lease purchases.
Today's episode is all about the importance building relationships in trucking. Building relationships is important in every aspect of your life. The simplest way to explain it is "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" This philosophy works the majority of the time. If you try to build a relationship with someone and they don't reciprocate that just tells you they aren't the type of people you want in your life and you should move on. Building relationships is beneficial to both parties.
Having relationships makes you more comfortable in your life. We'll talk about bad relationships versus good relationships. Building relationships isn't easy but it is worth the work.
Today we will be sharing examples of building relationships and the benefits. Our special guests today are Russ and Becky Morgan and Edward Prince.
Today's episode is the second part of last week's episode about the lifestyle of trucking. We will be talking about bathrooms and showering on the road. We will also be talking about professional courtesy. Our guests this week will be Russell Morgan and Jason Derksen. Bathrooms and showering seem simple and they are but we will be talking a lot about the unprofessional things people do involving theese topics.
On today's episode of Trucking 101: Surviving Your First Year, we'll talk about trucking as a lifestyle.
The special guests on this episode are Rebecca Morgan, Russ Morgan, and Edward Prince. We will cover eating, laundry, parking, cooking, entertainment and avoiding lonliness. We'll also talk about bathrooms and showering while on the road.
Trucking is not like any other job. It is not a 9-5 job, we live out on the road. We eat, shower, sleep, cook, do our laundry all while being away from home and on the job. I like to describe trucking as camping. If you are the type of person that loves to camp and travel around with you bed behind you, trucking is the job for you. You can do all that and get paid. We will be giving tips and suggestions and how live your life on a truck.
Todays episode is all about managing finances. We will have two special guests Becky Morgan and Kim Cockerham. We'll be discussing controlling your expenses, cash advances, budgets, and handling bills on the road. We'll also talk about saving, investing and hidden expenses that can blow your budget. We will also discuss the importance of getting out of debt and staying out of debt. Finally we will talk about Dave Ramsey and the Financial Peace University.
Today's show is all about how to get started in the trucking industry. On the show today will be Rick ad Melissa Grim, Jason Derksen, Russ Morgan, and Matthew Morrison.
Jason and Matthew will introduce themselves and talk about getting starting in the industry and choosing a carrier. Russ will talk about what it is like at a company school and as a trainee. We will start show discussing whether or not you really want to be a driver. We will highlight the good and bad in this career so you will have all the info.
This is the first episode of Trucking 101: How to survive your first year. This podcast was the brain child of a mastermind group started by Rick and Melissa Grim. The members of the group are Jason Derksen, Matthew Morrison, Edward Prince, Becky Morgan, and Russ Morgan. We have over 100 years of combined real world driving experience. Our mission is to find and pass along information to make you the safest drivers on the road.
Todays podcast will focus on safety and why it is important. We will go beyond the obvious reasons about why safety is important and focus on why it is important to you and your career. We will also introduce ourselves for the first time. On the show today are Rick, Melissa, Edward, Becky and Russ. Jason and matthew are currently unavailable but you will meet them on the next episode. We'll talk about caring for your equipment, doing a proper pre-trip, driving fast versus not driving fast and keeping safety always in the forefront of your mind. Our facebook page is Trucking 101. Click over to facebook and find and like our page. If you have any questions, comments, or topics that you would like discussed on the show let us know at Trucking 101 on Facebook.