Checklist for when dispatched as a New Driver

You should create your own checklist. Keep your trainer's phone number handy & ask him any question you have. Dispatchers are not drivers & know nothing about how to drive.

Always call both customers & confirm the pickup & delivery appointments. ALWAYS.

Get a signature & name on every Bill of Lading (BOL). After you deliver & get signatures your BOL is a POD or Proof of Delivery.

Double check you have set both tractor & trailer brakes (red & yellow knobs on dash) TWICE before getting out of driver seat.

Don't hit anything at any time for any reason. It's your job to look & know what is behind your trailer & on every side at all times.

Telling a cop "I was following my GPS instructions" does NOT prevent you from getting a ticket.

 

Yes there is. But it won't help you. Your at swift. You get a beat up truck or a new one. Carry emergency food, and water. Drive safely don't worry about others. Check your road rage.

 

Whatever you need to be comfortable, even if you are "stuck" somewhere (or "camping" at a shipper/receiver). For me that was food, drinks, laptop, etc.[0]

I kept a mix of refrigerated and non, as well as some dry/canned goods. I had a microwave and an Instant Pot, which was very versatile for cooking many different things (although in reality, I rarely found the time/energy, because I was a hard runner).

I also practiced what I called "opportunistic scavenging" which meant I would look around wherever I was, or where I was going, and prioritize the following:

1. A great little mom and pop restaurant (or hole in the wall) that I could either get the truck into or walk across from some truck parking.

2. Other common / fast food places (if I was more in a hurry). Including at my fuel stop.

3. A Walmart (Or Sam's Club, or ALDI[1]) to get groceries. Usually when I would stop for the night though (often combined, or alternating nights with, a shower).

4. If all else failed, I always tried to keep a decent amount of food in the truck.

This way I kept some variety in what I ate, tried to eat as healthy as possible (while balancing time), etc. I probably had weeks worth of food in the truck but that's kind of how we shop at home as well. That way I could keep running.

Besides food, I also liked to keep spare gloves, tools, etc. but I did flatbed. I also had many different ways to navigate, from the company provided ELD (truck nav), to Google Maps on a tablet[2], to offline maps (OsmAnd), and finally, a spiral bound laminated up-to-date old school truck atlas.

Good luck out there! Take your time and keep your head, it's not a race. Speed will come with experience.


[0] I'm pretty big on keeping lists anyway. That way, when I do get to Walmart (or Amazon) I remember what I need to purchase/order.

[1] Be careful, most ALDI are very tight, and you cannot get a truck around the back! Look for ones across from Walmarts or where you can otherwise park next to, or across from it somehow, and then walk over.

[2] Definitely NOT truck navigation! You need to learn to read between the lines, stay on bigger roads, etc. But satellite and traffic views are very helpful. I would always plan my ingress and egress from the shipper/receiver with the former, and keep an eye on the latter not only when I set out, but along the way as well.

 

Sam's Club:

 

Chap stick. Seriously though you will figure all that out as you go. Some people need 9000 items to go down the road. Some need 10.
The old timer at this one gig I had could be out for weeks with a medium size duffle bag.

 

I had parked at a Love's one afternoon, there was a truck parked to my right.
As I was sitting in my bunk I heard a crash.

Another truck had parked in the row across from us. He forgot to set his brakes and went back to the sleeper to get his shower stuff ready.
There was a slight incline and his truck rolled right into the truck next to me.
Serious damage to both trucks.

 

I got clothes, tools, food, fluids for the truck, flashlight, phone and tablet. There's my checklist lol

 

If nothing else, as soon as you can get a good truck GPS. I like the Rand units, others like Garmin.
But the GPS that Swift provides on the tablet is very basic and very limited. It is basically point A to point B. No options to find any stops along your route that you might need. And you will need that.

Although it does come in handy sometimes when my Rand does not know an address or the proper routing, as sometimes happens. It is nice to have two options to cross check against each other.

 

I'm the medium size duffle kind . I'll add things as time goes and leave some things at home. Everyone has different options on what they think they need. But if you want all the comforts of home , you'd best stay there.