{"id":1933,"date":"2017-04-26T09:44:24","date_gmt":"2017-04-26T13:44:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/?p=1933"},"modified":"2019-03-12T16:07:09","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T20:07:09","slug":"5-cdl-student-driver-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/5-cdl-student-driver-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"5 CDL Student Driver Mistakes to Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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Taking the step to enroll in a CDL school can be intimidating. Of course, you don\u2019t want to fail. Many people have great success stories from their days as a trucking student, but some have also faced CDL school failure. To get the most out of your time at driving school, you\u2019ll want to remember these common CDL student driver mistakes and try avoiding them at all costs.<\/p>\n

5 CDL Student Driver Mistakes to Avoid<\/h2>\n

1. Choosing the wrong school<\/h3>\n

Yes, one of the most common CDL student driver mistakes is made before you\u2019re even a student. Choosing the right CDL school<\/a> can be critical in ensuring you receive the best training and education to set you up for success. You\u2019ll want to look at the school\u2019s reputation, cost, and location to start. Then, dig deeper and check out their graduation rates and if they partner with any companies. You can also look into some reviews of instructors and the school in general to get an idea of what to expect during CDL school. A CDL school that is right for another CDL student driver might not be right for you, so make sure you do proper research before choosing the best CDL school for you.<\/p>\n

2. Not fully understanding the career<\/h3>\n

Many CDL student drivers are in school to get a better paying job without fully understanding the career. But, what they don\u2019t realize, is that trucking isn\u2019t just a job \u2013 it\u2019s a lifestyle. Depending on the type of trucking job, you\u2019ll often be away from home for weeks at a time. It seems like common knowledge to most truckers, but some rookies don\u2019t understand it. They also think they\u2019ll be able to just drive locally right away. This isn\u2019t impossible, but most drivers start as an over-the-road (OTR) driver. This means that they will be away from home more often than not.<\/p>\n

This is one of the common CDL student driver mistakes that can also be avoided with some basic research. Do a few Google searches to see what truckers say about the lifestyle or read up on some FAQs about the career. If you know a driver personally, it\u2019d be great to get their opinion on the life of a trucker and their experience with the transition. You can also check out trucker podcasts, including our own Big Rig Banter<\/a> to get a taste of what life on the road is like.<\/p>\n

3. Failing to prepare<\/h3>\n

If you think you can pass CDL school just because you\u2019ve been driving a car for x amount of years, you\u2019re wrong. Download and read through the CDL manual for your state to give yourself a good head start. You can also take CDL practice tests to see just how ready you are for truck driving school. You might be thinking, \u201cisn\u2019t the point of CDL School to teach me these things?\u201d Technically yes, but studying for the CDL<\/a> beforehand doesn\u2019t hurt. Plus, you\u2019re shelling out a good chunk of money, so\u00a0the more information you know about trucking ahead of time the better.<\/p>\n

4. Having a poor work ethic and bad attitude<\/h3>\n

Another common CDL student driver mistake that instructors see is a student coming in with a poor work ethic and bad attitude. Most people don\u2019t realize that there\u2019s more to truck driving than just driving. Truckers are also responsible for planning their trips and completing log books. This isn\u2019t the end of their responsibilities \u2013 they also have to keep up with pre-trip inspections and stay updated on state\/federal regulations.<\/p>\n

If you come to school having a bad attitude, you won\u2019t learn as much as other students. Your purpose is to learn and listen to your instructors, so don\u2019t try to be a know-it-all. No one knows absolutely everything, so focus on learning everything that you can. Take in everything that your instructor tells you and apply it to your driving \u2013 even if you think your way is better.<\/p>\n

5. Leaving your first job too soon<\/h3>\n

While this doesn\u2019t necessarily fall into CDL student driver mistakes, it\u2019s important to know as a student. Your first job out of CDL school might not be the most ideal and you\u2019ll want to quit after a few months. Whether the cause is a lack of miles, bad management, or anything else, don\u2019t quit too soon. The company that hired you most likely spent a lot of resources on your CDL training, and if you quit right away they may think that you are not serious about your driving career. This can then be filed on your DAC report<\/a>. As much as you might hate the company you work for, try to stick it out for a year at a minimum. It\u2019ll greatly help your chances of finding employment with a better company. Plus, your first job out of CDL school will teach you a lot of information so it’s important to dive in completely and learn as much as you can in order to better yourself and your career down the road.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Taking the step to enroll in a CDL school can be intimidating. Of course, you don\u2019t want to fail. Many people have great success stories from their days as a trucking student, but some have also faced CDL school failure. To get the most out of your time at driving school, you\u2019ll want to remember […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[438,442],"tags":[493,496,494,495],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1933"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3831,"href":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933\/revisions\/3831"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}