
The trucking industry is the lifeblood of America’s economy. In fact, nearly every good consumed in the U.S. is put on a truck at some point. We’ve compiled some trucking stats and facts on the infographic below.





How to Grow Your Hard Earned Money in Trucking
[p]There are at least 3 ways to "grow" one's hard earned money in trucking:[/p]
[p]1. earn more for what you do as a trucker;[/p]
[p]2. earn a second income from the cab of one's truck; and[/p]
[p]3. put your money in an investment that lets it grow while you're driving. [/p]
[p]The majority of truckers are paid by the mile or by the task, meaning that they are trading their time for money.[/p]
[p]There are a lot of "time wasters" associated with trucking, including:
[/p]
<li>detention at shipper and receiver locations;</li>
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<li>waiting for loads;</li>
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<li>road construction; </li>
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<li>bad weather and storms; </li>
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<li>bottlenecks and congestion; </li>
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<li>mechanical breakdowns;</li>
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<li>accidents (both preventable and not preventable); and</li>
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<li>time that the Hours of Service regulations force truckers to wait without getting paid.</li>
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[p]Seek to reduce or eliminate as many of these time wasters as possible.[/p]
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[p]Regarding earning more money for what you do, you can:[/p]
<li>make yourself available to drive during all hours when you legally can drive;</li>
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<li>develop a good relationship with those in your trucking company who assign loads, including your driver manager;</li>
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<li>develop good relationships with mechanics in your trucking company's shop, so that they will perform maintenance or repairs on your truck in a timely manner; </li>
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<li>be friendly with everyone with whom you come in contact, including guards and lumpers; </li>
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<li>work for a trucking company that values your experience and will pay you accordingly; and</li>
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<li>perform with excellence all of the tasks assigned to you, so that you will develop a good reputation and be worthy of getting more miles or being assigned higher paying tasks.</li>
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[p]Seek to pay off all that you owe as you buy things, so that you don't have to pay credit card interest.[/p]
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[p]If you don't have a budget, begin by using our "spending diary" (free download) for a minimum of 30 days so that you track where you are spending money.[/p]
[p]From there, set up a budget, including what you save.[/p]
[p]When the time is right, put your savings into:[/p]
<li>either an interest-bearing account of some kind;</li>
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<li>or investments that are most likely to grow.</li>
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[p]Two ways to save more money as a trucker include:[/p]
<li>preparing and eating as many meals as possible in your truck; and </li>
<li>resisting the urge to spend money on non-critical things. </li>
[p]We provide 35+ free downloads through our site.[/p]
[p]To get them instantly by email, sign up through the form on the page listed below and confirm your subscription:
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<a href="https://www.truck-drivers-money-saving-tips.com/free-downloads.html">https://www.truck-drivers-money-saving-tips.com/free-downloads.html</a>[/p]
[p]On behalf of my husband Mike and me, we wish all professional truck drivers safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.[/p]
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[p][b]By Vicki Simons[/b][/p]
<a href="https://www.truck-drivers-money-saving-tips.com/">https://www.truck-drivers-money-saving-tips.com/</a>
Trucker Terms [p] If you're going to make it in trucking these are the trucker terms you'll want to remember along with some good ole trucking slang you'll hear on the CB radio. [/p]
[h2] Trucker Terms [/h2]
[p] Being a trucker is not only a unique way of life, it also comes with a unique way of communicating that only those in the trucking industry probably can decipher and understand. [/p]
[p] <strong> 10-4 - </strong> acknowledging something
[/p]
[p] <strong> 10-6 - </strong> busy right now
[/p]
[p] <strong> 10-8 - </strong> en route
[/p]
[p] <strong> 20 -</strong> location
[/p]
[p] <strong> 4-Wheeler -</strong> automobile
[/p]
[p] <strong> APU -</strong> authorized pick-up
[/p]
[p] <strong> Backhaul -</strong> retuning load to home location
[/p]
[p] <strong> Bear Trap - </strong> speed radar trap
[/p]
[p] <strong> <a href="https://truckerpath.com/blog/freight-contracts/">Bill of Lading</a> - </strong> document that details information regarding the goods being hauled by a carrier from a shipper
[/p]
[p] <strong> <a href="https://truckerpath.com/blog/what-is-a-weigh-station/">Chicken Coop</a> - </strong> Weigh Station
[/p]
[p] <strong> Chicken Lights - </strong> Added lights on and around a truck
[/p]
[p] <strong> Chocks -</strong>blocks placed in front and behind wheels to prevent truck from rolling
[/p]
[p] <strong>Cosignee - </strong>person who receives the goods
[/p]
[p] <strong>Cosignor - </strong>person who ships the goods
[/p]
[p] <strong> County Mounty -</strong> - county sheriff
[/p]
[p] <strong> <a href="https://truckerpath.com/blog/what-is-deadhead/">Deadhead -</a></strong> miles driven with no load
[/p]
[p] <strong> Dry Van -</strong>standard enclosed truck trailer
[/p]
[p] <strong> ETA -</strong> estimated time of arrival
[/p]
[p] <strong> Freightshaker -</strong> Freightliner truck
[/p]
[p] <strong> GCW (Gross Combined Weight) - </strong> combined wieght of tractor/trailer and load
[/p]
[p] <strong> Gear Jammer -</strong>speeding driver
[/p]
[p] <strong>Hammer Down -</strong> drive faster
[/p]
[p] <strong> Hopper -</strong> truck that empties load through bottom that opens
[/p]
[p] <strong> HOS -</strong>hours of service
[/p]
[p] <strong> Intermodal -</strong> shipping container freight
[/p]
[p] <strong>Jack-Knife -</strong>when trailer is pushed to the side of the tractor
[/p]
[p] <strong> K-whopper - </strong>Kenworth truck
[/p]
[p] <strong> Kingpin - </strong> pin where the axel wheel pivots
[/p]
[p] <strong> LTL (Less Than Truckload) -</strong> load less than 10,000 lbs.
[/p]
[p] <strong> Motor Carrier -</strong> person or company that is responsible for transporting goods via a commercial motor vehicle
[/p]
[p] <strong>P&D Driver -</strong> pickup and delivery driver locally
[/p]
[p] <strong>Payload - </strong>weight of the load
[/p]
[p] <strong>Peddle Run - </strong>route with lots of deliveries
[/p]
[p] <strong>Pete - </strong> Peterbilt truck
[/p]
[p] <strong>RC (Rate Confirmation) -</strong> the rate shipper or broker agrees to pay carrier to haul a load
[/p]
[p] <strong> Reefer -</strong> refridgerated truck trailer
[/p]
[p] <strong> Shiny Side Up - </strong> top of truck; don't crash or roll over
[/p]
[p] <strong> Sliding Fifth Wheel - </strong> fifth wheel that can be slid back to redistrubute weight on the axels
[/p]
[p] <strong>Trucking Authority -</strong>FMCSA approval to haul loads
[/p]
[p] <strong>Willy Weaver - </strong>drunk driver
[/p]
[h2] Using Trucker Path Along Your Route [/h2]
[p] Now that you know the trucker terms and are talking like a real driver, it's time you use a tool that most truckers rely on to help them save time and money - the <strong>Trucker Path app. </strong> [/p]
[p] Trucker Path is free to download and helps drivers: [/p]
[ul]
[li] Find truck parking with real-time updates [/li]
[li] Browse through the list of amenities a location offers [/li]
[li] Check to see if a weigh station is open or not [/li]
[li] View Walmart locations and know if they allow truck parking [/li]
[li] Compare diesel prices to save on fuel[/li]
[li] Plan their route to show locations along their trip [/li]
[li] Read through fellow drivers reviews of a location [/li]
[li] Find restaurants near truck parking locations and much more! [/li]
[/ul]
[button-green href="https://truckerpath.com/trucker-path-app/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=truckerterms
"]Try Trucker Path Today![/button-green]
[video id="EIs5Rk6xpm4"]
Trucker Spotlight - Dakota Caldwell <em>The Trucker Spotlight series explores the lives of truckers and their journey to make a difference in their industry. We interview different truck drivers to understand some life lessons that make them who they are today. We also learn more about their motivations, and the problems that they encounter on the job. We also tackle how Trucker Path's solutions helped them with what they do. The information that they provide helps inform other people who are looking to delve into the trucking world.</em>
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/10/ts-dakota_caldwell-blog-3.jpg" alt=""]
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Today we are putting the spotlight on <strong>Dakota Caldwell</strong>, a 26-year old trucker and YouTuber, who's been driving for around 2 & 1/2 years now. He used to be a mechanic prior to driving trucks. He always loved driving and knew he wanted a career in driving someday but for some reason, taxi driver always popped in his mind. Let's get to more about Dakota and how's life on the road.
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<h3><strong>What made you decide to be a trucker?</strong></h3>
I have always loved big trucks and my high school girlfriend's dad is really the one that made it seem like it be a good idea and thought id like it.
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<h3><strong>In the years that you have been driving, what are the significant changes that you've
noticed in the trucking industry?</strong></h3>
Honestly, since I've started driving, I haven't seen much change.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/10/ts-dakota_caldwell-blog-1.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>What made you decide to put up your Youtube channel?</strong></h3>
I wanted to show people what it was like out here - WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE - and not what I used to watch on Youtube because that was always misleading. They never showed the things I wanted to see that I knew other people would want to see.
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<h3><strong>Any times when you get lonely while driving? How do you deal with it?</strong></h3>
The first thing you lose as a trucker is your sanity. Once thats out of the way, the real danger comes. You begin to love the solitude and everything really comes into perspective and you see the rest of the world from the outside in. But yes, there are lonely times but you get past it when you see that pay check.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/10/ts-dakota_caldwell-blog-2.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>As a trucker, what are the current struggles in this COVID19 pandemic?</strong></h3>
I haven't had any. I really adapted well I think. Sometimes, no shower and no hot food but that happens anyway in trucking. And with the roads empty when everyone was home, I turned more miles than ever. Also when everyone came back out, I've seen more wrecks in one day than I have in my entire life. Everyone forgot how to drive.
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<h3><strong>What's your favorite Truck Brand / Model?</strong></h3>
389 Peterbilt all day.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/10/ts-dakota_caldwell-blog-4.jpg" alt=""]
<h3><strong>Aside from being a trucker, any other things you dream of doing?</strong></h3>
Being one of those tower climber. That looks fun and you still get to travel.
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<h3><strong>What's the best truck stop for you?</strong></h3>
TA. I find them to be the best. Besides of course chrome shops lol.
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<h3><strong>What are your pet peeves while driving/trucking?</strong></h3>
62 mph trucks in the center lane, drivers on their phone, and drivers doing a dirty 30 (30 min break on the fuel island).
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<h3><strong>We're glad that you use the Trucker Path app on your day to day trucking. What features do you enjoy the most?</strong></h3>
What I like most about <a href="http://www.truckerpath.com">Trucker Path</a> is finding truck stops and seeing the driver reviews. Helps find a good place to shut'er down for the night.
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<h3><strong>What are some tips that you would like to share for aspiring truckers?</strong></h3>
Look, listen, think, get out, and look. Take your time but never be late and use common sense. It will take you a long way out here.
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<h3><strong>Where can people watch your videos on Youtube?</strong></h3>
They can view my videos on my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8vDkn66ecBiH0-Id70YXow">Youtube Channel, Life Behind The Wheel</a>.
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4IcXV4KrDRg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Hope you guys enjoy!
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<h4>By Aldous Aldwin</h4>
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