CDL Drivers

[2.5racer]

Any of you fellas CDL Drivers on here? I am going through a career change, 6 years as a correctional officer and I will be Driving for a Beer Distributing Company. Any advice and or comments would be appreciated.

[roadkill636]

Cdl for 14 years here. Dump truck, end dump,tanker,side delivery, im doing store to store delivery rite now with propane using the same side delivery trailer that beer trucks use. Get use to parking in customers way and them getting pissy at you. Tight turns and the store people not getting to you soon as you like. And random people always asking for free stuff.
Plenty of random drug and alcohol testing, blood psi 140/80 or less dot physical every year or two.
Plenty of lifting and carring them cases in and out of the stores.
Avrage day for me is 12-18 stores and 100-300 miles per day then back to reload the truck for the next day.

[electricjohn]

Legal Blood/alcohol limits cut in half and penalties doubled once you become a CDL carrier in NJ. Not sure if this is the same nation wide.

[FMP]

Who still DNDs?

[Frank Molé]

Legal Blood/alcohol limits cut in half and penalties doubled once you become a CDL carrier in NJ. Not sure if this is the same nation wide.

0 tolerance in N.Y.

[mr fun]

owner/operator with own DOT #'s for the last 21 yrs. got a few positive things left to say about the "profession" these days, and a ton of negitives that have have transpired over the last 10+ plus years. bear in mind, I'm speaking from the aspect of owning and running my own business as opposed to just being tossed a set of keys and told where to drive to. it needs to be understood, this is the single ,,, " LARGEST INDUSTURY IN THE WORLD " play it down as it may make you feel good about yourself, but the reality is, nothing moves without TRUCKS. we're in a pinch right now, as are everyone, but if we were to tighten the parementers concerning revenue vs service, we could cause some serious interruption in day to day life, and belive me, it's not but a nat's ass away from happening. FUN OUT

[mr fun]

0 tolerance in N.Y.

BFD. I can piss pure nitro glycerin. don't need a thing but a few beers and a cig to put me to sleep. the influx of numnuts foreigners that are just happy to be here and live 4 of them in a truck and shicht out of a hole in the floor going down the road are the problem. (seriously, I know mechanics that won't work on their trucks because of the "FUNK" coating all the undercarriage. nasty bastards. fun out

[roadkill636]

I count myself as being lucky not to have to do log book or electro is logs. Never had a tracking device on ANY truck i ever drove or even that new blind spot warning system. I still think a profesional driver needs to KNOW how to drive a big truck and use mirrors. And know how to use the sliding 5th wheel to move axle weight around and lockers in a pinch. But i do love me a hard pulln Jake brake and a good radio.

[CDave]

owner/operator with own DOT #'s for the last 21 yrs. got a few positive things left to say about the "profession" these days, and a ton of negitives that have have transpired over the last 10+ plus years. bear in mind, I'm speaking from the aspect of owning and running my own business as opposed to just being tossed a set of keys and told where to drive to. it needs to be understood, this is the single ,,, " LARGEST INDUSTURY IN THE WORLD " play it down as it may make you feel good about yourself, but the reality is, nothing moves without TRUCKS. we're in a pinch right now, as are everyone, but if we were to tighten the parementers concerning revenue vs service, we could cause some serious interruption in day to day life, and belive me, it's not but a nat's ass away from happening. FUN OUT

That's what happens when the government/politicians stick their nose's in any industry.

[98v21]

2.5 racer congrats on your job and I hope you like it. I worked 2yrs at coke and 5yrs for Budweiser down here before making the switch to a company that delivers strictly for the "golden arches". One thing for sure is the same with any company vehicle. Its a big ass billboard and most people think if you hit them or they hit you that they are gonna own the company. Just drive ahead of yourself and always be mindful of the cars around you and you'll be fine. Good luck to ya

[2.5racer]

2.5 racer congrats on your job and I hope you like it. I worked 2yrs at coke and 5yrs for Budweiser down here before making the switch to a company that delivers strictly for the "golden arches". One thing for sure is the same with any company vehicle. Its a big ass billboard and most people think if you hit them or they hit you that they are gonna own the company. Just drive ahead of yourself and always be mindful of the cars around you and you'll be fine. Good luck to ya

Thanks man!

[1BadAction]

BFD. I can piss pure nitro glycerin.

ROFLMAO - jesus fun I'm dying laughing over here, and for some reason I bet you weren't 0.0 when you posted this either, LOL

[Bobbyclam]

You are going to have many visits with the DOT
aka state n local uniform police.
Hope you font need llogs good luck

[mr fun]

ROFLMAO - jesus fun I'm dying laughing over here, and for some reason I bet you weren't 0.0 when you posted this either, LOL

love coming home and "letting my hair down"

[mr fun]

2.5 racer, it's an honorable profession, if you approach in that way. it can be short lived if you don't take it seriously. I always look back a few years when I was renewing my license and had to take the Hazmat test on a computer in a room of about 200 people and was the only one doing that and thinking to myself probably very few people there could do what I was doing. a friend and fellow driver is a pilot, and says right off the bat, flying a plane is much simpler than doing what we do, and we just run in the city and occasionally go on road runs. I remember the instructor when I started asking "what color was that car you just passed"? you need to constantly aware of your surroundings, and check 3 times before you make a move, I love the convex mirrors, have them on both front fenders, and under each big mirror on the doors, and still get supprised now and again. there's ALOT to be said for not having to worry about the maintenance issues of owning a truck, and as time goes on it sounds better and better, but you do loose your freedom to set your own schedule. congrats and good luck, fun out