Profile For KeepingOn

I've been driving less than a year, but seat adjustment is a big deal to me. :)

I usually have a problem of pedals too close in relationship to steering wheel to far away. If it makes sense,

Yes, makes total sense. What you describe is same problem I have in cars.

but the steering wheel sits much more flat in a truck im guessing? ... I dont recall it being a problem in box trucks and equipment Ive driven because the steering wheel is usually much more horizontal aligned than vertical in a car?

I've only driven one truck (well, numerous trucks but all the same basic model) and the steering wheel is much more adjustable than any car I've driven. I'd give a days pay for more vertical adjustment capability, but overall it is very nice. I can get my seat/pedal distance how I like it and then pivot and slide the steering wheel to whatever feels comfortable.

I wonder if more experienced drivers can say whether different truck makes have any significantly different level of steering wheel adjustment. Like are Freightliners generally the best? Volvo the worst? All about the same? Varies too much based on model year to say? Thanks!

With all these tips, why does it show, "Considering A Career"? Do you drive now?

Lol, I saw that but thought it was just a typical forum "humor title" based on post count, forgot it was something set in Profile creation over a year ago. Fixed now.

Not only yes, but it is better to do it now, especially the HazMat.

You now need a hard card License to do the TSA part of the HazMat (paper temp is not acceptable). If you wait until you pass the CDL Skills Test, then you'll have to wait up to a month or so until you receive your new hard card in the mail (as many DMVs will take your old card instead of hole-punching it), or can use a Passport.

The TSA HazMat process takes a month once started, so at best it is a month delay, and possibly more than two.

Get it done now so you are immediately employable after passing Skills.

Apologies, Turtle, If what I said implied anything concerning you beyond just agreeing with your statement about OP's comments indicating homophobia.

I don't believe I said anything along the lines of homophobia making a person "bad". What you feel is what you feel. What makes someone "good" or "bad" is the actions they take based on those feelings. Can the OP ask for a Trainer change if reasoning is based in homophobia? Most companies would not accept it as many states have outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation to go along with national bans on discrimination based on race, sex, religion, etc. (Meaning the company could get in trouble if it altered how it treated the Trainer due to OP's homophobia.)

What's interesting is how similar situations are treated. I am a hunter and eat meat. What if an ardent vegan was assigned to me and thought my Nosler hat and burger enjoyment were disgusting and asked for a new Trainer? Seems the law supports that. I don't have an answer for why I could be made to feel discriminated against for being a carnivorous hunter, but another guy cannot be discriminated against because he wants to be a girl.

What if the Trainer was black and the Trainee was racist?

I personally don't support the Trainee asking for a new Trainer in any of those three situations, no matter how uncomfortable he is, unless the Trainer actions press upon the Trainee, such as the gay Trainer flirting with the Trainee, the meat eater trying to get the vegan to eat a burger, the black Trainer talking about hating white people.

I doubt myself a lot and don't know if I'm "enough" to get into trucking. I'm kind of always seen as an underdog and don't really feel like I'm good at much,

Just in the structure and flow of your single paragraph, one can tell you have more than enough mental faculties to be a Trucker. Writing is an excellent indicator of intelligence and good writing is frustratingly less common than it should be. This forum has a surprisingly high level from what I've observed. Don't doubt whether you are "enough" from a mental standpoint.

Next steps are to see if you'd enjoy it and then to see if you physically can do it (meaning go to a school and do basic skills training).

To see if you'd enjoy it (and you really have to enjoy it because it becomes so much of your life), the only thing I can suggest if you're not sure is to try it virtually. Go to Steam and buy "Euro Truck Simulator 2" and install it. Then on a day off when can stop anyone from interrupting you, play it all day. Let yourself have a short break every three hours, but otherwise no stopping for like 10 hours. Yeah, it's not the same, but it's a rather good facsimile of many of the fun aspects of driving. If the next day you have any desire to do it again, you might be a Trucker. If you couldn't make it through the first day without wanting to smash your head in, maybe not. Of course if you hate computers or gaming in general, this would be pointless.

Here's the direct link: https:\\store.steampowered.com/app/227300

I don't have nearly the experience of above posters, but I keep my seat as high as possible (as high as I can and still see well).

This might be due to a combination of long legs and back problems. If my hips are below my knees, it hurts to move my feet to the pedals, so I go for a rough 90-degree angle or slightly higher.

Like others suggested, I get my seat close to the pedals so my legs aren't stretched out, and make good use of the lumbar support.

I also change it all around slightly throughout the day so it isn't the exact same position all the time.

I can barely walk after driving a car for hours because no car lets me sit up fully. After a day in the truck, I feel really good...unless it was constant stop and go.

The specific area you are talking about sounds like a flexion issue between the Lumbar-5 and Sacral-1 vertebrae. You can hit youtube for great stretching/strengthening exercises, but it really would be best to get a quick doctor's opinion and referral to either an MRI to rule out a bulging/ruptured disc or a Physical Therapist to show you right exercises for your situation. Your back is just too important, do it right before it gets worse. Before you go see him, figure out if the pain gets worse/better when standing, walking, laying flat, laying on stomach, leaning back, laying on ground with legs supported on a chair at a 90-degree angle, etc. That will help him/her get a proper diagnosis.

If I say one wrong word to him or to my driver manager I could be seen as being homophobic.

Well you are, so...

Why would you say that? He's stating he's uncomfortable with the conduct of this (obviously) highly sexualized individual. That doesn't make him homophobic.

Case in point: Many years ago I drove a van delivering pharmaceuticals. The guy training me for a week was constantly telling dirty jokes (actually reading them to me from a collection he put together), giving details of acts with women he said he'd been with; even boasting on how he cheated on his wife. I had enough and told him to knock it off. He didn't. I reported him to management and he was terminated for sexual harassment.

The OP is asking for advice. The last thing he needs is self-righteous judgment from someone who isn't exposed to it.

Turtle would say that because, while he can't be certain, the original posters comments seem to clearly indicate his issue is with the Trainer's sexual orientation reason behind his behavior. Comments like this:

the in general man trying to be a woman. It’s absolutely disgusting

are pretty indisputable evidence. Your "Case in Point" is probably not relevant to this situation. Your issue was not with what the Trainer was or believed, but entirely with what his actions entailed. If that Trainer was white, black, Muslim, female, gay, straight, or even a Turtle, it wouldn't change anything about your discomfort with those actions.

The original poster just needs to ask himself one question:

If the Trainer were female and wearing those clothes, speaking in that manner, and flirting with others on the CB, would the OP be offended and disgusted or just view the Trainer as a quirky individual?

If the OP would still be offended and find the behavior disgusting, then he has a valid reason for requesting a change and the Trainer is likely guilty of creating a sexually charged/hostile work environment.

If the OP would be okay with said behavior, then his issue is based in homophobia and/or sexual discrimination.

(Personally, I find the Trainer's behavior, as described, to be highly unprofessional. But recognizing we are viewing it via the tint of someone who finds the Trainer disgusting, some of it may not be as severe as indicated. And while cabs are our rolling offices, going OTR makes them our homes too so some leeway needs to be allowed for drivers to be themselves in this "life meets work" environment.)

One thing to keep in mind is that when starting SSRI usage, it is fairly standard to wait two-weeks minimum for initial side effects to stop. These side effects can be nothing or can be significant and dangerous in many work situations. Companies are fairly strict about forcing 2-4 week waiting periods after stopping usage, but seem lax about concerns when starting, which is problematic.

Even if allowed to drive when starting (which is generally wrong, but discuss with your doctor), keep in mind how you feel at first is not a good indicator of how you'll feel after a couple weeks or longer. Meaning, give them time to start working properly and see you are still a safe driver before giving up initially.

It sounds like attorney fees for traffic issues are cheap (going by the $500 and $600 mentioned earlier in the thread) compared to the huge costs I've generally seen in other fields.

$25/month isn't much, but how often are we expecting to need the assistance of an attorney as drivers? Is this something we need to prepare for on a regular basis or more of the "just in case the worst happens" insurance scenario?

(The concepts are simple, but I don't want to get tripped up on the wording, so looking for clarification on this.)

In "Driver's License Classifications - Page 2"...

Part 1.5 says a Class A CDL is for "Combination vehicles - GCWR* of 26,001 or more ..."

Part 1.6 lists seven special endorsements and one restriction that require testing:

C - Charter Bus X - Combination Tank and Hazardous T - Double/Triple Trailers P - Passenger S - School Bus N - Tank H - Hazardous L-Restriction - Air Brakes

But in part 1.7, it lists the optional specialized exams as only: air brakes, combination vehicle, double/triple, hazardous, passenger, school bus, tanker. Charter Bus isn't listed ... I assumed it was just left off as the list wasn't meant to be complete. I also assumed that "combination vehicle" meant the "Combination Tank and Hazardous" special endorsement previously listed in Part 1.6 and not the general "Combination Vehicle" term as used in Part 1.5 for a Class A license.

But then I got confused when the quiz gave this question: "Which written exams must be taken in order to drive a single-trailer combination vehicle exceeding 26,001 pounds equipped with air brakes?" with the correct answer being "General Knowledge, Air Brakes, Combination Vehicles".

So do we assume anytime "combination" is used in a test that it means "combination tank and hazardous"? Or is it that "single-trailer" already implies the CDL Class A description "combination vehicle" so the further use of "combination" after it can only be referring to "combination tank and hazardous" otherwise it would be redundant?

If "combination vehicle" is used on the actual CDL test, do I assumed it means the "combination tank and hazardous" or just a normal tractor-trailer combo?