Profile For Tim A.

I've taken my Catahoula on the road. She's never chewed anything unauthorized and never made a mess. But she's definitely an outdoor dog who doesn't like being cooped up. She just looked depressed. Also, as far as dog friendly truck stops? They're filthy! I miss my dog while I'm away but you have to make some big compromises to take one along.

There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube. Some better than others. You might be surprised at how many maneuvers can be done "by the numbers." I agree with another driver, though. The instructor should usually shut up while you're working things out until you're getting too close to danger. Too many "instructors" have no training in training. A good book for ALL trainers would be The 7 Laws of Learning by Richard Godfrey and others. I've taught driver training and scuba with their principles with much success.

There's a big shortage of drivers available. Maybe that had something to do with it. I agree, though. If a company doesn't care enough to take care of their own business, how do the take care of drivers?

It's probably a lot less likely than it used to be. I drove for 20 years before letting my CDL go because I got into construction. In 1986, when I first got my CDL, it was at my company's request and I had to learn everything the hard way. I think most trucks back then had manual slack adjusters. All of mine did. I had no training and there was no YouTube or internet to look things up. I didn't take adjusting my brakes as seriously as I should have until my fire. Going down Grapevine, the driver's side on my 6th axle lit up. By the time I could stop, the wood deck on the back of my trailer was on fire. The fire extinguisher was useless. Luckily, I had a gallon jug of water. That helped. Needless to say, the experience scared the heck out of me. I've never had a brake problem since.