Product Description

Have you ever thought about driving a big truck?


Have you ever even just wondered what really goes on in the world of eighteen wheelers? Can you be a trucker? It looks interesting, but it must be complicated. How could anyone even begin to maneuver one of those huge monstrosities? Trust me, you can do this! Not only is it possible for almost anyone to successfully navigate into the world of transportation, but you will be helping out a necessary part of the economy and one that is constantly and even desperately in search of drivers. There is no unemployment for a big rig driver. Let me show you how to do it all! Everything you will ever need to know is right here in these pages including how to find some of the most incredible jobs, and many things that you are not supposed to know about. And there are MANY things you are not supposed to know about. So jump on it and learn what it takes to get paid to do what others are willing to pay for the privilege of doing. With me as your tour guide you will be able to get out & see the sights, be on a permanent vacation, & you will learn just what it takes to become happily involved as a "Professional Tourist."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #145327 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 228 pages

About the Author
Steve Richards is a licensed real estate broker, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), former Denver radio announcer, guitarist & composer of many years, private investigator, published author, and even a professional tourist (truck driver). "Everything You Will Ever Need To Know To Start Driving A Big Truck Or How I Became A Professional Tourist" is a definitive compendium of survival and success over evidential adversity in the world of big trucks.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
If you pay attention it is astounding what you can observe. Not long ago, I ran head on into a tornado in the middle of Kansas. While not everyone would want this, I will say it was probably the most exhilarating moment I have ever had while driving.
I was on a two way, two lane highway out in the middle of nowhere when I observed this large funnel cloud drop right out of the sky. While it certainly raises your blood pressure a bit and may even rattle the nerves, I was never in any way in fear of my safety. I had the weather station on the radio, and the emergency voice came on and said, "Go immediately to your tornado shelter! Go immediately to your tornado shelter! Go immediately to your tornado shelter!" On and on it went. However, as I was already in my tornado shelter, there was nothing further for me to do.
I could not turn my 71 feet of tractor trailer around. So, I had the option of either pulling over on the side of the road, or I could keep going and hope to outrun it. No matter what I did, it just kept getting closer and closer. I began to think I was a tornado magnet.
I pulled over in back of a couple other local trucks, grabbed my camera, and hopped out onto the highway. The two drivers ran up to me and yelled in terror, "What do we do? What do we do?" Thinking quickly I held up my camera and said, "Here, take my picture in front of this thing." To my amazement these guys would not touch my happy little Nikon, and instead ran scurrilously down the highway to escape the oncoming peril and certain devastation.

Customer Reviews

Ever thought you'd like to drive a big rig? Read this book.
Everything You Will Ever Need To Know To Start Driving
A Big Truck or How I Became A Professional Tourist
by Steve Richards

Here are revealed the mysteries of the eighteen-wheeler world!

If you have ever thought about driving the big trucks, then this is the book for you. Steve Richards tells it like it is with a strong voice, good judgment and sound advice, served up with a sharp sense of humor. He covers every aspect: company selection, driver training, learning how to drive, miles equal money, log books, weigh stations, CB's, cell phones, Qualcoms, directions, getting loaded/unloaded, wasting time, truck stops, mirrors, chains, hot brakes, DAC reports, protecting your CDL, big blowouts, time management, don't let them cheat you and the best reason to drive a big truck.

Let me give you a sample of Steve's writing from pages 136-137:

"While these tire explosions aren't going to happen often, they will always happen at the most inconvenient moments, that is when you are driving your truck. How unusual.

One of my first blowouts happened on Interstate 15 about fifty miles or so east of Las Vegas. It was summertime and the temperature was well over 100 degrees making the highway into a veritable frying pan on which you could possibly torch a nice T-bone. It was hot! On top of that I had a near capacity load on the order of about forty-five thousand pounds in the trailer. A heavy load and a hot road is a good recipe for a tire to explode. There we go with the poetry again.

As for having the correct tire pressure in my trailer tires I do in fact confess to a certain laziness in that department as I believe do the vast majority of drivers out there. This is clearly visible in the huge number of "gators" littering the highways. I have a reasonable degree of certainty that such practice or lack thereof is more than the norm in the transportation industry. . . .

You never really know what will happen to your tires. One time I actually found a seven inch long railroad spike sticking out of one of my drive tires. Fortunately I was in close proximity to my home terminal and got it fixed fast. Your tires are of great importance as they are your one connection between your tractor trailer and the highway. Do not take them for granted. Check them frequently and it will pay off. Ignoring them can provide you with dire consequences."

After you have read this book, you'll have a better understanding of the trucking world and if such a life would appeal to you. If you decide to become a truck driver, you can thank Steve Richards for sharing his knowledge and experiences with you by writing him at srric@hotmail.com or PO Box 1111, Fallbrook, CA 92088.

Steve Richards is a busy guy into many things. He's a real estate broker, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, former Denver radio announcer, guitarist & composer, private investigator and published author.

I'm certain Everything You Will Ever Need to Know To Start Driving A Big Truck or How I Became A Professional Tourist will appeal to a wide range of readers-men and women fascinated by the powerful mystique for eighteen wheelers.

Reviewed by Kaye Trout - July 23, 2006 - Copyright

This is the REAL WORLD OF TRUCKING!
I've been driving trucks for a lot of years and the stuff in here is dead on accurate. If you want to avoid getting screwed over when you get into driving you need to read this. There are tons of books out there on just passing your CDL test. That stuff is FREE at your motor vehicle office. You don't have to pay for it.The things in this book are what you WILL have to deal with in starting out as a driver, and even more so once you are really out there all by yourself. It is reality and some of it is pretty incredible. On top of it all, there is some really funny stuff in here. Once you have been driving awhile, it will all make perfect sense. This is real world trucking dudes, plus you learn about some different jobs that you might not ordinarily associate with trucking, and it has the coolest cover of all. If you want to go trucking, this book kills! Check it out!

THINKING ABOUT DRIVING A BIG TRUCK? READ THIS BOOK FIRST!
Clearly this is a tremendous book that covers a huge amount of ground, if you are interested in learning about your potential life as a big rig operator. This is a life that not everyone can deal with, but if you have ever even thought about it, you need to read this book. After you get through this, you will definitely know if you can cut it. There is nothing really hard about driving a big truck. I've been doing it for many years. The hardest part is being able to commit to a different lifestyle. As the author says, it is really about "getting your mind right" and "getting started." As he says, "jump."

This is a mentally stimulating and very positive look at what you will be getting into. There really isn't anything that you need to know, that isn't covered in here, including some really funny stuff about truck stop encounters and such. As someone mentioned previously about "meat and potatoes," I hate to tell you bud, there is no way you will ever learn to drive a truck, shift gears, hook up trailers, deal with bad weather and weigh stations, or most of all back up a rig by reading a book. It doesn't work that way. Someone has to physically teach you how to get through the basics, and then you have to get licensed, and then you have to go out and live it yourself on the highway. The hardest part of it all is the commitment to try something different. It is a very personal choice and it requires some thought. Read this book and you will be able to make the decision. It will make you think about what you are getting into before you actually do it.

This book is written in a narrative form, so you actually get to see everything you will be going through. As this guy states, he has been at this for seven years so far, so this is someone who has probably been through the gamut. Just look at the damn cover of the book and get a glimpse of what you might run into. Having the nerve and presence of mind to stop and take pictures of something like that coming at you is very real and very eye opening. Looks like fun to me. Hell yes!

You will also be able to avoid problems down the road, because you will know what is coming. They won't tell you about all these things in truck school, or at any company you might hook up to. This is a very clear perspective on exactly what you will be getting into, as well as a look at some very different trucking jobs, that most people don't even realize are out there for the taking.

I think there are several million people out there driving the big rigs today, and yet it is still one of the few remaining places that are wide open with tons of unfilled jobs. Some people are born to be truck drivers. They have nowhere else to go. Others do it because they enjoy the crap out of seeing the rest of the country and collecting paychecks for doing it. This book is obviously for the curious and the adventurous, and not just because you have no other choices. If you've been thinking about trying big trucks and if this is for you, you need to read this book. An excellent choice!!!!!