Truck Driver Questions And Answers
Every once in awhile, we’re going to be doing a question and answer session on our blog. This will help you (the readers) get answers to some of your questions that do not necessarily need an entire article dedicated to them. Here are some of the questions we got from social media and email responses at random. Enjoy!
What’s the difference between an Over The Road Truck Driver (OTR)and a local driver?
Well the biggest difference is the amount of time that you are at home honestly. The OTR driver can go anywhere, at any-time and usually is out for 2-4 weeks. What most consider being local will be home anywhere from every night to every other night and will generally stay within the state they live or drive less than 300 miles away.
Why do semi trucks go so slow up hills?
This is one of my favorites. It is simple we cannot go any faster. A Big Rig has a huge engine, that much is true. However, that huge engine still isn’t enough to pull 80,000 lbs. up that hill any faster than sometimes 20 mph. Think of yourself walking up the stairs with nothing in your arms. Then think of yourself walking up your stairs carrying something that weighs 100 lbs., this 100 lb. object will slow your pace up the stairs quite a bit. This is the same for semi trucks.
Do you like being a truck driver?
I really do. It has good and bad days just like anything else. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else right now. Well, besides helping other truck drivers. Truck driving careers are rewarding, you can feel like you have accomplished something everyday. I really feel like that I’m helping people. This is whether they want to acknowledge this or not. And personally, I enjoy the reaction I get from my kids when we talk about it. It’s a career where your kids are truly proud to say their dad is a truck driver.
Why do truckers try to pass other truckers on a hill?
Passing another truck driver is always a choice. I personally don’t like to pass other trucks unless I have a pretty clear path behind us. I do not want to create a hazard to oncoming traffic by sticking my big rig out there. However, just like there are some bad car drivers out there, there’s also truck drivers that have picked up some bad habits. This is where you see them cutting off cars to keep their momentum up the hill. I certainly don’t appreciate being behind two trucks racing up a hill side by side and I could understand how frustrating this would be to someone in their personal vehicle.
What do truck drivers do when they aren’t driving?
Every single truck driver out there would like to be at home when their not driving. Obviously, this isn’t the case most of the time. So, I would say most of the time we aren’t driving, we’re resting. Either sleeping, kicking back and watching TV, reading, listening to the radio or talking on the phone with our loved ones. We spend most of our down time in and around truck stops. We generally look for a place that has a bathroom, shower and a place to eat. If it has a nice TV lounge, that is definitely a bonus!
What is the best truck driving school out there?
I don’t think there’s certainly a best one to go to. I know that there’s a big discussion about the lack of training you get in truck driving school. I guess the answer to this question would be, the one that you don’t pay out the nose for and teaches you the basic skills to operate the truck. I am a fan of the community or tech college route because you can generally pay as you go, it’s not that expensive and you will attend the classes for a longer period of time.
Why do truckers haul butt down a hill, pass you and then slow down and get in your way going up the other side?
Going down a hill too fast is a dangerous behavior. This will cause you to burn your brakes out really quickly thus making your a rolling death machine. They might even start their truck on fire from the unnecessary friction on their brakes. I see this all too often. As far as them slowing down, well if they were going 80 down the hill and then on the flat ground they are going 62, that means that their truck is governed. They are possibly breaking their companies speed rules and you could consider calling that “How is my driving” sticker if they have one.
I enjoyed going over the questions that were submitted via social media and email. If you have any other questions for next time, please be sure to use the “contact us” link or use the comments section on this post. I do enjoy seeing other people’s points of view. It really makes you stop and think about how your actions in a truck impact the people around you. As always let us know what you think and be safe out there!
