Common Mistakes New Truck Drivers Should Avoid

New to trucking? Welcome to what will be a challenging, but ultimately rewarding career. As you may already know, being a truck driver takes commitment, hard work, and determination. With such a wide number of truck loads available to drivers, you’re bound to find work anywhere you go. Get the best experience out of your new career and avoid common mistakes new drivers make by keeping these things in mind: 

Prepare for the Challenges Ahead: Trucking is a challenging endeavor. From initial training to first haul, you’re bound to experience a range of emotions and even feelings of regret along the way. Try to keep a good attitude about it. Each challenge is a learning opportunity and a way to make you a better driver.

Have the Right Expectations: Trucking is not all about hitting the highway and enjoying the peace and quiet. There will be days that you’re faced with insurmountable challenges -- from inclement weather to short timelines. There are some great benefits to the job, but they may not be what you think they are.

Don’t Be Complacent:  Overconfident and complacent drivers often struggle the most and make more mistakes. When mistakes happen, you want to approach it with humbleness and rationality. It isn’t the end of the world, but you can learn something from it.

Make Good Decisions: Don’t be a know-it-all. You’ll face a lot of new challenges, many of which will change your lifestyle and way of thinking. Make decisions about your work life that benefit you. That means being smart about searching for available truck loads and companies that care about drivers.

How to Choose a Hopper Trailer in Grain Hauling Jobs

Agriculture is the backbone of our country. As such, it’s essential that shippers in the industry use the right equipment to get grain and other foods from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible. To do so, haulers rely on hopper trailers. These special trailers utilize a rolling tarp that allows for grain and other agricultural products to be loaded in with ease. Since no two hopper models are exactly the same, you’ll want to find the trailer that best meets the requirements of your grain hauling jobs.

Here are five things to keep in mind when choosing the right hopper trailer for your business:

Capacity: Obviously, how much you need hauled plays a big part in the decision-making process. Find a trailer that has the capacity you need for large loads.

Clearance: Plenty of ground clearance is essential for unloading your supply when you’re using a swing hopper. Know the dimensions of your swing hopper before you purchase a trailer.

Suspension: A good suspension system will keep the ride smooth, no matter how heavy the load. Plus, a rigid and sturdy suspension system allows for better maneuverability of the trailer.

Warranty: Trailers have a lot of moving parts, which means a higher chance of something going wrong. Choose a trailer that has a manufacturer’s warranty.

Weight: Many grain hauling jobs require trailers to carry incredibly heavy loads. Have an idea of your load weight before you choose a hopper trailer.

About Dry Bulk Hauling Equipment

Dry bulk materials form the building blocks of many of the products we use or consume daily. The toast you ate at breakfast was made with bread that couldn’t have been baked without ingredients hauled to market by one of the grain transport companies that keep our country fed. They use dry bulk trailers, of course.

It’s the same with pretty much every plastic object you can imagine. All those items start out as tiny plastic pellets that were transported to the factory by a dry bulk truck.

This kind of fundamental service to our industries and manufacturing sector is provided by companies that use the shiny, dry bulk trailers you see on the highways and interstates. Those trailers are used by everyone, from grain transport companies to chemical processors. The design of the trailer makes it very easy for loading and unloading. They have a series of openings at the top for loading each of the hoppers, and a valve at the bottom that allows the product to run out through a pipe for quick and easy unloading.

At Hoploads, we are proud of the role we play in helping connect shippers with haulers so those important dry bulk goods can get where they’re needed safely and securely. It is our pleasure to be one small part of the big picture.