7 Mistakes New Truck Drivers Make in Their First Year

Seven expensive habits new truck drivers pick up in year one, and what to do instead: choosing a carrier, backing, pay, trip planning, health, paperwork, and buying a truck too soon. Chapters 0:00 The 3 a.m. dock 0:38 Exit 1 · The wrong first company 1:43 Exit 2 · Rushing the backing 2:41 Exit 3 · Not understanding your pay 4:08 Exit 4 · No real trip plan 5:22 Exit 5 · Health can't wait 6:31 Exit 6 · Not writing it down 7:55 Exit 7 · Buying a truck too soon 8:52 The short list The pay example is hypothetical (labeled on screen). Sources for every number are in the pinned comment. General information, not legal or financial advice. Narration: Curtis (AI voice clone, used with permission). Music: original composition. FOOTAGE & PHOTO CREDITS (via Wikimedia Commons) All cropped, resized, color-adjusted and animated; some with text/graphics added. "Title" by Creator - source. CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) • "Iowa 80 truck stop" by Beatrice Murch - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=4141995 • "2006-07-24 - Road Trip - Day 1 - United States - Pennsylvania - I80 - Trucks - Sunset" by CGP Grey, www.cgpgrey.com - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=37330030 • By Janusz Sobolewski: "Golden Valley, Arizona" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=180736883 "Rest Area, Washington, USA" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=191093246 "Union Pass, Golden Valley, Arizona" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=180736876 "Volvo 780" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=191303673 • "No Longer Loved" by JOHN LLOYD - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=92261695 • "Arizona sunset with truck" by Marcin Wichary - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=7028067 • "Flying J diesel pumps" by Robert F. W. Whitlock - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=4676819 • "Doctor taking a young woman's blood pressure" by SELF Magazine - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=81631610 • "Peterbilt" by Solar Guard Exclusive Truck Parts - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=110938189 • "Colorful Semi-Trucks" by Thank You (21 Millions+) views - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=109609122 • By Tony Webster: "Cheyenne Travel Center TA Truck Stop" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=68594550 "LCCC CDL Program Truck in Cheyenne Frontier Days Parade - Laramie County Community College" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=160078913 "Rainy Truck Stop — Portage, Indiana" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=39883347 CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) • By Ewkada: "Curtainside-RollingTarp-SemiTrailer - Interstate 5" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=108187933 "Flatbed semi-truck trailer hauling recycling alongside Ford landscaping truck, I-90 westbound, Spokane, WA 2024" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=160237331 "Kenworth K100 - Moses Lake, WA, USA" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=137608660 "Peterbilt 389 - Moses Lake, WA, USA" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=137608984 • "GN Transport backing into 6.5 Av" by Jim.henderson - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=38526660 • "Alaskan Way Viaduct timelapse" (video) by jonknee - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=75667501 CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) • "Twilight at a truck stop in Minnesota" by Andywallxyz - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=162709278 • By DanTD: "I-75 20161 Rest Areas; Multiple Semi-Trailer Trucks-02" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=157000278 "NB Fort Pierce Service Plaza; Shell Gas Station; Diesel Pumps Canopy" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=165260072 • By G. Edward Johnson: "I495 towards i270 spur from bradley blvd" (video) - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=106466957 "Loves gas station Joseph City AZ" - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=193757199 • "Travel Centers of America, Truck Service, US 441, Columbia County" by Mjrmtg - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=182902363 • "Bakersfield, Dashboard Truck Freightliner cascadia at Flying J Travel Plaza" by Pierre André Leclercq - commons.wikimedia.org/?curid=153022750 Also used (public domain or CC0, no attribution required): photos/video by Rsparks3, Thomas Farley, ErgoSum88, U.S. Air Force and USDA.