Starting To Get Tough

I think the freightliners look good in black and grey especially. I'm driving one now with my trainer, I like them but am hoping to get lucky with a peterbilt but any truck will be like a trophy to me. Really appreciate this site, great group of people and perspectives

Let me guess your hoping to get lucky and get one of the old school long nose petes'? Probably not going to happen since they don't make them anymore and since they get some of the worst fuel mileage most companies are turning away from Petes and KWs altogether.

No not the older models, we have the newer models in our fleet. I wouldn't mind a 587 haha, ill happily take whatever I get though

Not only do Petes and KWs get the worst fuel mileage but they are also a pain to backup and can be very small on the inside. The newer "condo style" pete's and KWs are not bad (KW 700 or Petes 387) but the rest are very small inside.

Bucs, which company are you with.

Not only do Petes and KWs get the worst fuel mileage but they are also a pain to backup and can be very small on the inside. The newer "condo style" pete's and KWs are not bad (KW 700 or Petes 387) but the rest are very small inside.

Yeah I noticed some cabs are pretty narrow up front

Bucs, which company are you with.

I'm also with Central, out of the Fontana terminal

The long nose Petes are really old school. But they had some serious drawbacks for the reality of driving otr. They were heavy= hauling less freight they had serious wind resistance= hurts fuel mileage it takes 40 acres to turn them around= thus the song . I learned to drive otr in one. TSB had to put rookie sticks on it so I would know where the fenders were. The nose was so long, that cars would swing back infront of me after passing, and they would disappear. Take advantage of whatever truck your issued, and enjoy the adventure !!!!!! Hand in there, rookies....you'll make it thru, and get your own trucks !!!

Having gone through military basic training, I reckon if I can get through that, I can deal with a driver trainer/mentor for a few weeks. Living in the same room as forty or fifty people that complain about how bad they have it, while being barked at and abused by the DI, taught me what is possible to endure from other folks. All but a couple I went through it with made it, so hang in there, you can do it. Keep that solo truck in your sights.

D.I.?!?! Hello my fellow brother, and Semper Fi. I can see where your coming from being with 40-50 other recruits. But the difference here to is we were not cooped up in a truck for days on in. (I would have killed our Bulldog if that was the case). But I can also see the similarities. Testing your patience, integrity, guile, resolve, your ability to adapt and overcome.

All in all, Driver training should be a piece of cake for a couple of old bulldogs such as us. (Im only 30 but feel 60). When did you serve? Who do you drive for?

DRILL INSTRUCTOR......I think....

Bucks, I've been with central for 8 months now and I'm sorry to tell you but there's only a 2% chance you'll get a Peterbilt. They use those trucks for lease operators. It's just another way they rope us into leasing, by holding back peterbilts to company drivers.

I'm driving a Peterbilt right now but it's a recovery and only for 4 days then I get my Freightliner back. It's in the shop for a week and they don't want to pay a hotel for a week. And I got to tell you that a Peterbilt might look awesome, but a Freightliner is a lot easier on you - especially as a rookie.

The turning on the Pete's are awful! The cabs are much smaller than a freightliners. I can do stretches in my frieghtliner but not on this Pete. I'm usually very confident (but careful!!!) when backing up. But with this thing I take every precaution. You just can't see everything as well as you can with other trucks.

You'll probably get a Freightliner that's a 2012. Just pray you don't get a international, Centrals internationals are usually kinda old since they stopped buying them.

The bottom line is, when you're at a shipper or receiver and the dock demands that you maneuver your truck and trailer like a snake just to barely get it in there - it doesn't matter how cool your truck looks. It matters on how well your truck can turn and how well you can back up. Believe me, I'm on the 587 as I type this and the backing is twice harder. You don't want to deal with the added challenges when you're on your first month.

Bucks, I've been with central for 8 months now and I'm sorry to tell you but there's only a 2% chance you'll get a Peterbilt. They use those trucks for lease operators. It's just another way they rope us into leasing, by holding back peterbilts to company drivers.

I'm driving a Peterbilt right now but it's a recovery and only for 4 days then I get my Freightliner back. It's in the shop for a week and they don't want to pay a hotel for a week. And I got to tell you that a Peterbilt might look awesome, but a Freightliner is a lot easier on you - especially as a rookie.

The turning on the Pete's are awful! The cabs are much smaller than a freightliners. I can do stretches in my frieghtliner but not on this Pete. I'm usually very confident (but careful!!!) when backing up. But with this thing I take every precaution. You just can't see everything as well as you can with other trucks.

You'll probably get a Freightliner that's a 2012. Just pray you don't get a international, Centrals internationals are usually kinda old since they stopped buying them.

The bottom line is, when you're at a shipper or receiver and the dock demands that you maneuver your truck and trailer like a snake just to barely get it in there - it doesn't matter how cool your truck looks. It matters on how well your truck can turn and how well you can back up. Believe me, I'm on the 587 as I type this and the backing is twice harder. You don't want to deal with the added challenges when you're on your first month.

Daniel thanks man, good looking on that info. Drove a Volvo and international during school and I have to say the freightliner felt much easier to drive from the get go. I was at headquarters in Utah a couple days ago and they had a gang of internationals lined upto be taken out of the fleet. I heard we're sticking to volvos, freightliners, n Pete's, heard through the grape vine so who knows. Yeah I'm not even thinking about leasing, so no worries there. As I've been learning more n more about the truck,the comfortability has grown on me above all else. My name is Nelson by the way, hopefully ill be able to catch u face to face sooner or later. Thanks again everybody. Be safe out there