Profile For Amy P.

Speaking for myself, I don't have an issue. Learning to manage your time is one of the more tricky things to master when you start, but once you do, you will have it down. The rules state that after 14 hours on duty, you have to take a 10 hour break. After 70 hours, you have to take 34 hours. There are work-arounds that will keep you rolling more if you want, but there's nothing wrong with a nice routine wherein you get a sound sleep each night. If a driver is constantly fatigued, they're not managing their time properly.

I'm with Mercy, here. Start fresh with family. His company already let him down, and another 15 years with them will only ruin his inner peace even more. Go find your inner peace, the both of ya.

Remember to turn the wheel towards your problem when you back. Too close on the driver's side? Turn the wheel left. Too close to the cone on the passenger side? Turn the wheel right. Can't turn anymore? Use a pull up. A pull up is a point, hitting the cone is two. the line the cone was on is two more. Eat the pull up point before you hit a cone. The biggest mistake I've seen folks make doing a 90* Alley is cutting the wheel while they are moving and using up all their maneuvering room. Stop, turn, then go. There are a couple of ways to get it in there, some folk straight back to within six feet, then jackknife one way then jack it back the other and they're in. Others start into the 45* from the get-go and keep it banana-shaped the whole way until that final cut to straighten it out. Both work, but what I said before goes for either method. Turn to your problem, but not while you're moving.

I think the question is goofy, but for what it's worth, A is the 'truest' one. Sometimes you don't have a helper, and sometimes you have to back in bent from the passenger side. Then it's even more dangerous...

I know a guy who had long hair who went with JB Hunt. He told them up front that he had gone Clean and Sober three years before, but that his hair might paint him in a bad light. He was hired. So there's that...

I don't think they can take away my birthday.

Heck, if they do, you can have a few of mine. I'm eyeballing 50 and would be more than happy to toss a few your way.

Hang in there, Ernie! My Dad had it and they caught it early enough that he kicked its ass permanently. Keep your priorities straight, do as the docs say, and be patient with the recovery. You'll be back on the road the exact day your were meant to be.

Fantastic! Give 'em heck.

I remember one time seeing a postcard at a rest stop that was just a black rectangle. On the back of it it said, "Indiana at night." I laughed hard, because outside of the cities, that is completely true.

The way I keep myself from being bored during uneventful times is with music, books on tape, and an almost cinematic imagination. I avoid talk radio like the plague. Seems to me as it's designed to get blood pressure boiling and that's not a good place for me to be in while hauling. The last thing the world needs is me sitting on 80,000lbs with a bad case of righteous indignation towards my fellow Americans.

As others said, if it really gets too tedious, then it's time to pull over and get out of the seat. I don't know how that will translate to "truckers in space," but it seems to be a general rule that the folks drawn to this job tend to deal well with solitude. However, if you're looking for characterizations, some of us tend to morph into near compulsive talkers when we finally do get around folks. Not me tho. Nu uh. Not at all.

Keep your eyes on the prize, John G.

Downshifting in a 10 spd is a matter of touch, sight and hearing. Think about what gear you are in, where you want to go, and then look at your rpms. Rpms too high? Brake to drop it faster. Downshift around 10-1200rpms, and gas it up to around 15-1700rpms to get in into the next lower gear. Let's go back to the good old double -clutch technique. So it's clutch, gas, clutch to downshift. The sweet spot can be different depending on the individual truck, but that's the usual rule of thumb. The most important part is to know where you are and where you are going before you start the maneuver. Heading down to fifth? Flip that switch down, clutch-rev-clutch. Still slowing down and can't get it into fifth? Rev again and try for fourth, you might be slowing too much for fifth. Think you're going too fast? Break, rev, shift. And don't be prissy with that gas pedal. Stomp it if you need to. Get it revving at 1700rpms, with your foot off the clutch, and then put it into gear. Don't have time to downshift? Don't try. Just break carefully. Better to come to a complete stop in a high gear than end up lost in neutral and panicked. Being in control is better than being smooth. If you visualize what needs to be done, you will know when you need to flip that switch and go hunt fifth gear. It will become second nature, but you have to allow yourself the chance to learn.