Profile For worrywort

Hi - Im not even in school yet, but from what I've seen here, I guess everyone has their fears, me as well and I'm working on being more positive and realistic about stuff instead of my negative thoughts turning into a self fulfilling prophecy. I'm afraid of jackknifing one day, but if I constantly worry about that I may some day do the thing I've been thinking about (bad thoughts lead to bad feelings lead to bad actions I guess...) then I'll never get anywhere.

Hi all, I am comfortable driving straight trucks, but for some reason, the big rigs scare me. My fears are specific: getting a red light ticket after the "point of no return" has been reached when the traffic light turns yellow. I also have the fear of truck scales: the cops giving me (and every other driver) the close look, to see what they can write the driver up for. I also have fear of, say, a tire blowing that could cause an accident in which another person (or myself) could be killed or badly injured. The shrinks might call this "social anxiety" or "situational anxiety", or "fear of humiliation" (with cops writing me up), I'm not sure. Surely many of you have had these fears/anxieties as well. Please let me know how you dealt with those thoughts and feelings. Thanks very much.

I really wish I could just reach through my computer screen and get a group hug going...thank you tons for the support and encouragement to you all. I'll def. let yall know how tgings are going...*back to lurking* 😜

I was in IT - I never want to go back, as most IT people I've met at jobs have their head up their bums. I don't care about pay - I want to do something that I'll enjoy rather than going to the same place every day, stuck behind a desk.

Do I wish I could get another job in IT? Somewhat, but I don't think I'd enjoy it as much as being OTR - I'm looking forward to driving, and if I don't at least try, I'll have never known if it was worth leaving IT or not (I'm assuming it is, though!).

Thanks yall - ill refer to this thread often to keep me psyched (hopefully!).

Thanks yall, all good replies - for me - ill probably be goofing off and reading stuff, hopefully!

What do yall do, waiting at the docks?

Go to section on combination vehicles on the high road test. Here i am, cruisin along, thinking ill ace the cdl exam one day (thanks to truckingtruth), and then i started reading about jackknifes. (JackkniVES?)

You probably know where im going with this worry! Im scared to death (as you guys mentioned in my other thread, that fear is a good thing!) ill try to keep that fear, but still remain confident. Makes me almost want to go back into IT, though. 😜

Glad you're ok, OP!

Gross vehicle weight (GVW) - Total weight of a single vehicle plus its load.

Gross combination weight (GCW) - Total weight of a powered unit plus trailer(s) plus the cargo.

Okay guys...What is a 'powered unit'? Is it the same as the 'single vehicle' from the term GVW?

Thank you for that insight. Yeeeeeaaah - I think I'm gonna stick with my original plan to be a trucker - seems like it would be a lot more fun anyway.

Pilot cars are not as easy as it looks. This week we had to shut down 3 lanes for me to make my turn. Well my pilot pulls out and stops in the center lane and holds out a stop sign. Cars blew right by him and I almost got the damn thing with my trailer. I chew him out pretty good for that and told him next time you put that truck in the lane, you have to block it or people will just blow by.

Now picture this, and the reason I almost got that car with my trailer. I pull a steerable beam trailer with a remote in the cab with me. We stop in the right lane and start the motor on the trailer and then as I move forward I steer the trailer to the left. So it ends up with my truck in the right lane and the trailer 2 lanes over to the left.

I told the pilot the next day, I have the right two lanes, you take care of that third lane until I get into it. Unless they want a convertible they are not getting past me... LOL

It is a lot of responsibility to be a pilot car. You not only have to inform the truck what is going on behind them, you have to be alert and ready to protect the load by putting your car in the way. There will be a lot of close calls. You will have to cut people off at times. If the driver turns on their blinker you better notice it so that you can grab that other lane for him/her.

Most states require a certification. There is a lot more equipment than a truck and a few signs with flashing lights that you will need. Georgia and Nevada you will have to get amber light permits.

Not that it is overly difficult, but there is a lot to know and every state is different. Going out on your own with no experience is a recipe for a complete failure.

Look at it from the driver's point of view. In the end it all falls on the shoulders of the driver for whatever happens. If you were the driver would you trust a pilot with absolutely zero experience? Most would just fire you on the spot and call someone else. Then there are those pilots that show up late or are not ready to go when the driver is ready... i.e. they still need to get fuel or pee.

Oversize loads are daylight runs for the most part and as daylight hours get shorter in the winter there is no time to waste waiting for a pilot.