Driver Training

How to Hook Up a Semi Trailer Without a High Hook or a Dropped Trailer The most expensive coupling mistake looks fine from the driver’s seat. The kingpin rides up over the fifth wheel jaws instead of into them, the jaws snap shut underneath it, and the trailer sits on the plate held by nothing….

Driving a Truck in Fog Means Driving at a Speed You Can Stop In The mistake behind most fog pileups is simple: a driver holds highway speed because the taillights ahead are still visible. Driving a truck in fog at 55 mph means you need at least 419 feet to stop on dry pavement, by…

Truck Tire Blowout at Highway Speed and the First Minute After the Bang “What do I do if a tire blows on my semi at highway speed?” New drivers ask it in the first week, and the answer is short. In a truck tire blowout you grip the wheel with both hands, stay off the…

Low Clearance Bridges and the Seven Mistakes That Peel a Trailer Roof A lot of drivers who hit low clearance bridges made the real mistake miles earlier, when they let a phone app built for cars pick the road. Say you’re running a loaded reefer into Westchester and the app finds a shortcut on a…

A Day in the Life of a Truck Driver on an OTR Reefer, Hour by Hour “What does a truck driver actually do all day?” Drive, mostly, but the clock decides how much. A day in the life of a truck driver on an OTR reefer means up to 11 hours behind the wheel inside…

Getting Back Into Trucking After a Break Starts With Your CDL Record The most expensive mistake in getting back into trucking happens before the first application goes out. Say you ran OTR for six years, then spent three years off the road. You send five applications on a Monday, and by Wednesday every recruiter who…

What to Pack for OTR, From the Documents to a Four-Week Bag “I start my first OTR run next week and I’ll be out about four weeks. What do I pack?” Less than you think. The answer to what to pack for OTR fits in one duffel, one plastic bin and a small cooler: the…

Becoming a Truck Driver at 50 Works When Your Health and Your Plan Hold Up “I’m 52. Am I too old to get a CDL?” The question usually comes just like that, before anyone pays for CDL school. For anyone seriously considering becoming a truck driver at 50, the answer as of September 2026 is…

How to Chain Up a Semi Truck, a Driver’s Winter Guide Every driver who runs the West learns this sooner or later. The chain law sign lights up, the checkpoint is a mile ahead, and the only question that matters is whether you’ve done this before. Chaining up is not hard, it’s a 15-minute job…

Night Driving Tips for Truck Drivers (A Practical Guide) Every OTR driver ends up running at night sooner or later. The appointment is at 5 a.m., the roads are empty, and the schedule says go. Night miles are real miles, often the smoothest of the week, but they play by different rules, because the biggest…