Profile For Brandon Kitts

In Las Vegas your only option is more than likely National Flatbed. Our flatbed and curtainside are the only fleets that go that far west.

Good advice from "the older driver". I hate that term...

One thing this young guy does is unlock the tandems at the same time you break the seal, remove the door lock, and open the doors.

This does three things:

First, if you need to cut the trailer in tight to make the dock approach (as you described), just set the trailer brakes then move the tandems.

Second, it saves you a trip in and out of the cab later. Nearly every shipper and receiver will require tandems to the rear, doors open, and tires chocked before they begin.

Lastly, this is when you do a walk around the area you are about to back in, just like the film you watched during Roehl orientation. Remember?

Some places require that you slide the tandems before leaving the inbound gate. This doesn't mean that you cannot adjust them several times if needed before you get backed into your assigned door.

He referred to himself as an older driver. Lol. He walked up and said "hey young pup let an older driver instill some wisdom on you."

Being new to the world of dryvan I still consider myself a work in progress.

Today I was trying to back into a tight dock with no room for tractor swing. No matter what I did I couldn't make the dock. Finally an older driver came over and offered some advice.

"Your never gonna make that dock with your tandems slid all the way back. Slide them all the way forward until your in the dock then slide them back."

It seems pretty simple but my brain was just not going to that conclusion until he said something. My brain was just thinking of the sign that said slide tandems before docking.

I was very grateful for his input and thanked him. He told me in his 30 years of driving he still learns tips and tricks and tries to pass them on when he can. It just goes to show that you should never stop learning or improving in this career.

I failed the Roehl pyshical aptitude test because my heart rate was 2 BPM over their limit. They sent me after I spent a night in their hotel, they told me I could hang out til after lunch and eat the food they had ordered plus the next day I had a check at home for a full day of orientation. After all that I didnt owe them anything.

Since you were sent home for medical reasons you didn't owe. But if you quit on your own or get let go for being unsafe then you owe the money.

The first day of class you will sign a contract. Until then you don't owe anything. You will be sent to Gary Indiana, Conley Georgia, Marshfield or Appleton Wisconsin for training. Just depends on where they have openings. Just follow the rules and pay attention and you won't have any problems.

Nice!

With you going over to van they aren't making you go out with a trainer are they? A couple days ago you asked about advice pulling a van. In addition to what you were told keep in mind how much of a pain some of these trailers can be. In my experience some trailers you can close the doors on a small hill, others require you to be on completely flat ground.

Nope no going with a trainer. I had one of our reefer guys give me some pointers for the 90 degree alley dock because I had never done the maneuver. I then practiced it. I'm under my first van load at the moment and it feels weird to pull something I didn't secure myself. The best thing so far is that my MPG loaded running 70 mph is better than empty at 65 with a curtain. As a lease operator that means even more money for me.

Today I delivered my last log cabin kit in Norway MI. I'm switching fleets tomorrow and will be pulling dryvan. Although I will miss flatbed my shoulder will not. Lol.

My student watching our truck be unloaded.

A look down the dirt road i came up.

So after a year of flatbed I'm becoming a door swinger due to a previous shoulder injury acting up. Any tips for pulling a van after being used to a flat?

Congratulations!!

Maybe instead of going straight for your own authority, look at companies that offer a lease program. I just started lease at Roehl. It will give you a chance to learn how to run your business before being thrown to the wolves. Roehl's lease program is a walkaway program which means if I find that lease isnt for me I just bring the truck back to the terminal to have lease decals removed and I can go back to being a company driver. With the questions you have asked it appears you need to do a lot more research before deciding on a truck. Good luck with whatever you decide.