Congratulations, you passed your CDL A test and have your first job as a professional truck driver!
Now, you get to spend anywhere from a few weeks to a set amount of miles learning from a company trainer. Before you share the cab, you should know what to expect with a driver trainer.
1. Fundamentals of driving
Obtaining your Class A CDL license is no joke. You learn quite a bit of important information in a condensed amount of time. Once you actually hit the road, there is so much more to learn in real-time. You'll need to completely understand maneuvering, shifting, backing, dropping and hooking and pretriping.
2. Tricks of the trade
As a professional truck driver, there will be some things you pick up the longer you drive. Your trainer will be able to teach you the tricks of the trade such as; sliding tandems, trip planning and bill of ladings.
3. Communicating with operations
Communication is one of the hardest aspects of any job. It can even be more difficult when you only see your co-workers once a week or less. Your truck driver trainer will be able to teach you the best times to communicate with your fleet manager, what form of communication is best and what he or she needs to know versus what he or she does not need to know.
Appreciate your time with your truck driver trainer. Use this time to your advantage and ask any and every question. He or she is there to help you discover what life is really like as a truck driver.
