Profile For David John

Always funny for me how Denver can have a tremendous snow fall in the morning and near complete melt by late afternoon...

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Looking for thoughts and pointers on Winter driving.

Having spent many years living in the north east and in Colorado I have experience driving four wheels in snow. I am cautious but comfortable there...

In the truck I am just beginning this adventure and I find myself very cautious. I am sometimes wondering if too much so... With more experience I will hopefully gain tge right balance, though I expect I’ll tend to fall toward the overly cautious side.

In driving snow covered roads in Oregon, fresh snow and packed snow, I droped my speed way down. I have had the experience of observing other trucks driving at or very near the speed limit. In at least one instance I pulled over to let a truck pass... I was nearly unable to return to the road without installing chains. The fresh powder was just thick enough.

Any pointers you experienced winter drivers can provide is greatly appreciated.

I will second (or third) in encouraging all to slow down and use three points of contact.

Make a point of not carrying things in and out with you. Set it down, climb in/out, pick it up.

This is a reminder for me as well.

I am quite the climber, comfortable on ladders and in trees and at times on rock. Climbing in and out of the truck comes easy... but in that I catch myself not being as cautious as I might at times and I must rethink and redouble my effort to slow down.

During training I had an instructor from another group walk over and tell my instructor that he observed me NOT using all three points while climbing down. Initially I was challenged by this as I felt I was being careful. But after quite a bit of reflection I realized I was carrying note cards in and out with me. And I realized that while I was being careful I could be doing more.

This “incident” among others during training, all perhaps minor, came to be points of further reflection and points that constantly come to mind now with the result of my slowing down and taking more time for the sake of safety.

I eventually thanked that other instructor for making the effort to point out my mistake. I explained that it has resulted in my consideration of his point every time I climb in and out.

He then responded by telling me this is of particular concern for him because he once twisted his ankle climbing down. He said he was not being careful enough and didn’t have three points. As a result of his ankle he missed three weeks of work, all unpaid. As a result this is something he watches for in the students. He does not wish for us to have the challenge he once had.

This instructor and others became friends and guides always encouraging me during training.

Am now one of many in the line up...

Thanks for my morning cry. That's beautiful, and ... so many truths. My husband thanks you also, for the extra hug he got this morning.

— Anne A.

Hey, I’ll take an extra hug this morning too. 😉

I thought to also say thanks to you and to ALL of the wives who truly are the support and the foundation that allows the driver to be successful and allows him to successfully accomplish all of the Father and happy/healthy family aspects at home. It has to be difficult to have your Driver away. And it is this support that makes all things work to success and enjoyment. It is a team Success.

Truly success in this is success together.

Wonderful photo.
Color!
and the incredible cloud formations we see out there ...

There is definitely a “pace” when working through rehab.
Push yourself, but listen carefully to physical therapists in setting limits.
Pain in this case can be your body telling you enough, just now.
And pushing too hard can cause setbacks.

Best of luck with your recovery.
Looking forward to the pic... 🙂

Fall is here and with it incredible views. Incredible Fall colors. I am looking forward to views, as these, in the Rockies and incredible views in the East and elsewhere.

An interesting read this morning ...

Have a safe and productive day all!

When God Made Truck Drivers

When the Lord was creating Truck Drivers, He was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said,
"You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And the Lord said,
"Have you read the spec on this order?"

"A truck driver has to be able to drive 10-12 hours per day, through any type of weather, on any type of road, know the highway traffic laws of 48 states and 10 provinces, he has to be ready and able to unload 40,000 lbs of cargo after driving thru the night, sleep in areas of cities and towns that the police refuse to patrol."

"He has to be able to live in his truck 24 hours a day 7 days a week for weeks on end, offer first aid and motorist assistance to his fellow travelers, meet just in time schedules, and still maintain an even and controlled composure when all around him appear to have gone mad."

"He has to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee and half-eaten meals; he has to have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands... no way."

“It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "it's the three pairs of eyes a driver has to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded.
"One pair that sees the herd of deer in the thickets 3 miles away"
"Another pair here in the side of his head for the blind spots that motorists love to hide in;
“and another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at the bleeding victim of a drunk driver that crashed into his ICC bumper at 70MPH and say, " 'You'll be all right ma'am,' when he knows it isn't so."

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."

"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can drive 650 miles a day, without incident and can raise a family of five without ever seeing them, on 30 cents a mile."

The angel circled the model of the truck driver very slowly, "Can it think?", she asked.

"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of every HAZMAT load invented; recite Federal Motor Carrier Regulations rules and regs in its sleep; deliver, pickup, be a father, offer timely advice to strangers, search for missing children, defend a woman's or children's rights, get 8 hours of good rest on the street and raise a family of Law respecting citizens, without ever going home ... and still it keeps its sense of humor. "

"This driver also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with delivery and pickup areas created from scenes painted in hell, coax a lumper to actually work for his money, comfort an accident victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how truck drivers are nothing more than killers on wheels and have no respect for the rights of others while using the nations highways."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the driver. "There's a leak," she pronounced.
"I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"That's not a leak," said the lord, "it's a tear."

"What's the tear for?", asked the angel.

"It's for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the flag, for justice, for the family without its father."

"You're a genius," said the angel.

The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there,"

— Author Unknown

Jeramy, I am enjoying your Maverick thread. Thank you for posting! I also appreciated your comments, to me, elsewhere previously. I too am finding the input and guidance on this site invaluable. A supportive ‘community’. The comparison of all that you are doing, as it parallels my experience, is helpful.

Larry,
The only state I’m aware of that requires additional testing upon transferring an out of state CDL to a different state is Illinois. Other states just require you to go in and pay your fees.
—Rob T.

Rob T., California will require a person to take all written tests when transferring a CDL from another state.

For me this would have involved taking all written tests in Arizona and then returning a couple weeks later and taking all written tests in California. It would have also resulted in paying all licensing fees in both states, within a few weeks.

Fortunately I learned that for a student training to become a CDL-A holder in California, this process, it is possible to obtain a California CDL permit before going to Driver Training School. I took all written tests in California and obtained the California CDL permit.
Then I went to Phoenix Arizona, using my California CDL permit, and completed class and driver training in Arizona. After completing training and passing my driving test I provided my Arizona driving test results (via CSTIMS, a National Database the DMV used to obtain the results) to the California DMV for the purpose of completing my CDL permit / California CDL License transition. The California DMV accepted the driver test results from Arizona. I believe states are required by Federal Mandate to accept driver training/testing results from other states. (Though this is the case, one school explained that some states still do not accept results from elsewhere, Illinois may be one.)

Very enjoyable read (and thread). Thank you G-Town!