18 Wheels & The Truth: What They Don't Teach You in CDL School

Your CDL School Taught You How to Pass the Test. They Didn't Teach You How to Survive the Job. There is a massive difference between steering a truck around a cone in a parking lot and descending a 6% grade in a snowstorm with 80,000 pounds pushing you toward a cliff edge. The schools won't tell you that. The recruiters definitely won't tell you that. But Mac will. Written by a 25-year veteran of the asphalt, 18 Wheels & The Truth is the mentorship you wish you had riding shotgun. This isn't a corporate handbook written by an HR rep who has never slept in a bunk. This is the gritty, unfiltered, grease-under-the-fingernails reality of long-haul trucking. If you are thinking about getting your CDL, or if you are a rookie struggling through your first year, this book is your lifeline. Inside, you'll learn the expensive lessons most drivers learn the hard way: The Paycheck Lie: Why "Cents Per Mile" is a scam and how to calculate what you really make. The Lease-Purchase Trap: How companies turn drivers into indentured servants (and how to avoid it). Trip Planning Secrets: Why your GPS wants to kill you and why the paper atlas is still king. Parking Wars: How to find a safe spot when the ELD clock is ticking down and the truck stops are full. The DOT & Scales: How to pass a Level 1 inspection without getting a fine or an Out-of-Service order. Health & Sanity: Surviving the loneliness, the "Trucker Bod," and the black dog of depression. The road is unforgiving. It doesn't care about your feelings, your schedule, or your bank account. Stop listening to the recruiters selling you a dream of "freedom." Grab this book, learn the truth, and keep the shiny side up.