New drivers coming into the industry have several options when it comes to the type of freight they'd like to haul, but the main contenders are dry van, refrigerated, and flatbed. There are some similarities between them, but some very significant differences that you'll want to understand before making a decision. So we'll discuss how each relate to each other when it comes to pay, home time, available miles, job duties, and the regions of the country you'll be running.

Terminal Rats are miserable drivers who tend to hang around in groups at trucking terminals and truck stops complaining the day away. The problem is that their conspiracy theories and embellished tales of mistreatment and abuse are poisoning the minds of incoming drivers. It's causing new drivers to take the wrong approach and have the wrong attitude toward their new career, derailing their chances of success and happiness in the industry. Let's see if we can understand this vicious cycle and break it before it derails your career.

It's common to hear drivers say you should start your career with one of the major companies but then move on as quickly as possible to better jobs with smaller companies. But is this really true? Are large carriers nothing more than starter companies? Are the best jobs found at smaller companies? We'll examine all different facets of life for a driver at a small company versus a large company, and we'll explore the economics of the industry to see if this notion of starter companies holds true.

Getting paid by the mile, or as a percentage of the gross revenues, has been the norm in the long haul portion of the trucking industry for decades. The normal laws that govern most hourly jobs, like mandatory overtime pay after 40 hours, simply don't apply to long haul truck drivers. Some drivers complain that at times they're being forced to work for free. Is this really the case? Are drivers being taken advantage of? We'll take a look at how mileage pay works and whether or not it's fair to the drivers.

It's inevitable as a commercial driver that you're going to be dealing with law enforcement from time to time. Your truck will get inspected at some point, you may have to cross the border into Canada, and you'll likely get pulled over a time or two along the way. Understanding how law enforcement officers think and knowing how to work with them will help keep the delays you'll experience and the number of tickets you receive to a minimum.

Anyone who considers a career in trucking will wonder if they have what it takes to survive and thrive out there as a trucker. So what does it take to make it in the trucking industry? We'll talk about some traits you should have, or should develop, if you hope to find happiness and success out there as a driver.

Truck driver training has always been done as quickly and inexpensively as possible. Unfortunately this often makes for inadequate training and a frustrating, exhausting experience for new drivers. So why is it done this way? We'll take a look at how training is done, why it's this way, and what you can expect as a new driver.

Sticking with your first company for one full year is one of the core concepts we teach new drivers coming into the industry. But why? What's the big deal? Why not jump around from company to company until you're happy? Well there's a long list of reasons, in fact, and in this podcast we'll go deep into why it's to your advantage as a driver to stick with your first company for at least one full year.

Managing risk is the most important part of the job for OTR truck drivers. Nothing matters more than safety. Knowing your limits means knowing when to shut it down and knowing when to push on. We'll take a look at some of the circumstances you'll face out there and help you understand where to draw the line on safety.

Dispatch will play a critical role in determining the level of happiness and success a driver will experience out on the road. But what exactly does a dispatcher do and why is this relationship so important to a driver? We'll take a look at the role your dispatcher will play and what you can do as a driver to make the most out of this critical relationship.