How much experience should a Truck driver have before considered experienced

By ARealRedneck - Last updated: Saturday, March 21, 2009 - Save & Share - Comments

Does anyone twitter? Well I do, sort of lol. I was reading a conversation this morning among two people I follow. Both I presume are truck drivers, one for sure is. They got into a conversation about “Hauling HazMat”, and who should be allowed to haul it. A question was raised by one, asking how much experience does a truck driver need to be considered an experienced driver?

I for one cannot answer this question. I have only been driving for 14 or something years, and I am still learning. One point was brought up, one said they did not thank student drivers should be allowed to pull hazardous for up to a year. The other said, if that were to happen then how would “new” drivers ever get the experience?

So, I thought I would ask the question. How much experience does a truck driver need to have, before he/she is considered an experienced driver?

I consider myself to be experienced in several aspects of truck driving, but if you were to look at my work record you would see I have many different experiences. Meaning I have pulled all sorts of different type trailers and loads.

I had to agree to one thing that I read on twitter from that conversation. One said they have seen ��new” drivers out drive veterans. Well, I have seen “new” drivers with little or no experience flat out drive veterans of truck driving also.

So, what do you think? How much experience does a truck driver need to be considered an experienced truck driver?

Posted in Thoughts from a trucker • Tags: experienced vs non experienced, hauling hazourdous, how much experience does a truck driver, student truck drivers, training • Top Of Page

Comments to “How much experience should a Truck driver have before considered experienced”

Comment from Bill Gould
Time March 24, 2009 at 8:38 am

I may not be qualified to answer this question either as I’ve only been driving truck now for 37 years. Still learning every day. What I do know, is experience has very little effect on the day to day grind of driving for a living, other than decrease the worry somewhat.
That may not be a good thing, because as worry decreases people start to relax and pay less attention to what they’re doing.
I have always said there are only two main causes of accidents. Inexperience and inattention. All accidents can be traced back to one of these.
What experience does, is prepare you for the unforeseen. If you have experienced a particular situation or something similar in the past you are more likely to react correctly the next time you encounter it, regardless of whether you reacted correctly the first time.
I worked for a company a few years back which got into a government sponsorship program to take new drivers straight out of driving school and have their wages subsidized for the period of a training period. They would go with a trainer for 3 weeks and then be given a truck of their own on the strength of the trainer’s evaluation. Unfortunately not all trainers are equal.
The result of this program was at least one serious accident per week among the new drivers. They had to discontinue the program as they were running out of trucks.
To make a long story short, it all boils down to the individual driver. Some have what it takes to become good drivers, some never will, no matter how much experience. The same holds true for any vocation. But few hold more serious consequences than truck driving or airplane pilot.

Check out the ramblings and opinions of the Grumpy Old Trucker at http://GrumpyOldTrucker.com

Comment from Desiree
Time March 25, 2009 at 7:19 am

I work for a Company like the on mentioned above.
I have only been driving 13 months
I was suprised guys were getting Hazardous Materials Endorsements when they got their CDL Drivers Permits.
Before we had even gone to the driving range.
Well over half of the people who went to my CDL School never made it thru Orientation.
Orientation at my Company alone runs between 80-100 people per week.
The majority of them will not last the 1st year for multiple reasons.
I waited to get Haz Mat for 6 Months, I initially didn’t want it but they said we had to get it.
There are so many Federal Rules & Regulations in handling Haz Mat I feel as a 1st year Student its too much, even if you are a conscientious person.
Some Students are more attentive than others but the ones who seek the most risk straight off the bat generally are more risk taking types who want the extra -pay.
I was suprised again that a former Drug Trafficker could pass the TSA screening.
It had been many years since he was in prison but he made it clear to me his was not finished with that lifestyle.
My co-driving days ended with him wanting to drive on ICE from Bravavdo, he lied to our Company.
ON my 1st Haz Mat Load , even though I passed the test the first time & I know I am a methodical person who takes great pride in doing a good job, I was struck by all the things I was trying to remember at once.
I was still comprehending time & distance, log procedures which are much more in depth for Haz Mat.
The Shipper & Dispatcher did not tell me the load was Haz Mat, it was a long load which made me run out of hours before I could leave California.
I ended up needing trailer repairs, the mechanic tried to unseal the trailer of Flammable Liquids to throw the Tire Carcass inside.
I had parking restrictions in an already difficult State to park.
Most 1st year students who truly care about their job & longevity in it see instantly that this should be a graduated responsibility, such as how some licensing for teens is now being handled.

Comment from Desiree
Time March 25, 2009 at 8:51 am

I wanted to add that the man who administered my Haz Mat Exam & Fingerprints was a former longtime Truck Driver himself.
He pointed out to me the serious consequences the driver is at fault for because of breaks in communication between shippers & dispatchers, load planners etc. which leave the driver responsible.
He told me he would never mess with it again after seeing an experienced driver open his trailer doors that had 2 chemicals I often bought for my pool.
A piece of metal tore the container & the chemicals mixed.
He was killed instantly.
I’ve driven with these chemical often & never knew if they were mixed outside a pool they were this dangerous & I had just aced my test on the first try.
Students work cheaper than experienced drivers.
That’s why Students are preferred carriers of Hazardous Materials.
The TSA & FMCSR are quite complex in their intentions to protect the public but their is an oversight here.
We have many items that may on the surface be classified as Hazardous that don’t seem to awful, but mixed with something else innocuous could be.
It leads to many National Security questions when you examine how poorly the recruitment process of Trucking Students has been conducted.
Just as a normal person it just seems like someone who has proven they can be trusted & that they are a good driver should then be able to haul Hazardous Materials.
Just because someone can pass a TSA screening doesn’t mean they can be trusted.
Some guys went to florida & learned to drive 747’s & no one noticed they didn’t want to learn how to land them.
The current recruitment trends & Hazardous Materials Endorsements procedures leave a lot of questions to me.

Comment from Mikee Hill
Time March 25, 2009 at 10:10 am

As other drivers have mentioned, I do not think its the time you have been a driver or they types of loads you pull or the weight you pull. It comes with how the individual handles the Situation at the tme. I’ve come across old veteran drivers who have given me alot of advise and in return I’ve given them advice as well, this industry US trucker have to help one another out.Alot of GREENHORNS coming out acting like SUPERTRUCKERS, not wanting advise from others

Comment from ARealRedneck
Time March 25, 2009 at 8:13 pm

Thanks, for the comments.

Truck Drivers News

A blog made for truck drivers by a truck driver, to find the latest news about the Industry

Linking Partners

Pictures from the road

Follow us on Twitter

Meta

Contact Admin

Our Catagories

Popular Posts

Spam Blocked

Join here!

Sponsors

Sponsors

How much experience should a Truck driver have before considered experienced