Do It Like Sonny Pruitt
Topic 13023 | Page 5
Not at all surprised. Congratulations! Let us know your final color of choice, and try to keep writing. I think I can speak for most everyone who has been following your dairy; good read, informative and entertaining.
Good luck and safe travels.
This, exactly. Congratulations
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Thank you so much, everyone!
i remember my dad driving cab-overs, i was so small i had to use the front wheel as a ladder to get in, and could walk under the trailer without ducking down. now i maybe starting driving school, because of being indefinitely laid off
Day 3.
More tests passed, combination vehicles, doubles & triples, tankers. More review for the CDL Permit test at the DMV tomorrow.
In general, I just want to say I'm very happy with my driving school. I've read some horror stories about some schools, however this has been a very positive experience so far, no complaints. Well, I say that
Today, we were watching safety videos made in 1989. That's 27 years. For some context, if I was watching a 27 year old movie in class when I was in high school in 1985, that would be a film made in 1958. I dunno, maybe the foundational principals of safety are eternal, never changing.
And, besides, those 1970s cabover's were SWEET!
But, again, that's just nitpicking.
I got a line on a company that's hiring, but they only deliver to the Western 11 states. I'm based in Vegas, so that would be cool. Or would it?
I mean, going OTR is kind of an opportunity of a lifetime, to see more of the USA in one or two years that most people ever see.
But, then, you're really not "seeing" it, are you, you're just driving through it. And seeing truck stops, mostly. So, staying in the Western 11 would be fine.
Or would it? What about getting all that experience of driving through so much different weather and different traffic conditions. I would be far more well rounded if I went for a company that drove through all the lower 48.
But, then, I'd probably get more home time with a local company.
Seriously, I can go back and forth like this all night. I'm a mess.
I'm going to go study for my DMV tests tomorrow, wish me luck.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Combination Vehicle:
A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.
Doubles:
Refers to pulling two trailers at the same time, otherwise known as "pups" or "pup trailers" because they're only about 28 feet long. However there are some states that allow doubles that are each 48 feet in length.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Loved reading this! Thanks for sharing!
Day 12 - 2 Hours of Pre-trip Inspection , 3 hours of practicing for the skills test, then driving the rest of the day.
Can we talk about shifting? I am learning to like it.
When I went into traffic the first time, I was horrified. And shifting sucked donkey's balls. When I hear about Mega-Carriers all going to automatics, I though, "Thank the Heaven's above." But, by the end of today, I'm starting to get more into the rhythm of it.
Release the clutch/allow the truck to get moving/press clutch/get into neutral/release clutch/press clutch/get into the next gear/release clutch/accelerate...
Rinse and repeat. You all know the drill.
I like shifting.
What I never knew is how complicated driving a truck is:
Green light/release the clutch/allow the truck to get moving/press clutch/get into neutral/release clutch/press clutch/get into the next gear/release clutch/accelerate/make sure that guy in the silver sedan doesn't pull out in front of you/press clutch/get into neutral/release clutch/press clutch/try to find the next gear/grind gears/curse/grind gears/curse/look in mirrors/make sure that pedestrian doesn't walk out into the street/press clutch/finally find the right ****ing gear/light turns yellow/brake/brake/press clutch/get into neutral/tap accelerator/press clutch/downshift/release clutch/light turns red/brake/brake/BRAKE/try to smoothly come to a complete stop with adequate distance between your vehicle and the car in front/have some random car pull into that space you just created/curse/brake/press in clutch/come to complete stop/splitter down/place into 3rd (because our student trailer is empty, we don't need to start in the lowest gear)/look in mirrors/monitor intersection/green light/release the clutch/allow the truck to get moving/press clutch/get into neutral/release clutch/press clutch/get into the next gear/release clutch/accelerate/is that cop behind us?/press clutch/get into neutral/release clutch/press clutch/get into the next gear/release clutch/splitter up/look in mirrors/look at gauges/look at road/press clutch/get into neutral/release clutch/press clutch/get into the next gear/release clutch/HOLY ****, THAT GUY JUST PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF US/BRAKE/BRAKE/curse/look in mirrors/press clutch/get into neutral/tap accelerator/press clutch/downshift/release clutch/check mirrors/remind yourself to hug the ones you love when you get home/press clutch/get into neutral/release clutch/press clutch/get into the next gear/release clutch/look at upcoming intersection/how long has the light been green?/check mirrors/hey, that chick walking on the sidewalk is kind of cute/wait, what gear am I in?/do I need to shift up again?/what are my rpms?/dammit, I should have shifted already/make sure that woman in the PT Cruiser doesn't pull out in front of you/check speed/check mirrors/press clutch/get into neutral/release clutch/press clutch/get into the next gear/release clutch/accelerate/uh oh, the light ahead just turned yellow, I just upshifted for nothing/break/break/break/press clutch/get into neutral/tap accelerator/press clutch/downshift/release clutch/light turns red/brake/brake/BRAKE/BRAKEBRAKEBRAKE/try to smoothly come to a complete stop with adequate distance between your vehicle and the car in front/hey, nobody pulled into that space this time/smile and be thankful for small victories.....
That doesn't even cover turns.
Honestly, how do you guys do this every day? I'm exhausted.
I said at the beginning of this diary that "...after decades of bookkeeping and office administration work, I am looking forward to a change...if I can at least look out my window and see an open road and wide expanse of prairie, or mountains, instead of the same lifeless office block, that alone will be an improvement."
I was thinking about this today. At my old office job, I know exactly how this past week would have been. I don't even have to step foot in that office to know what happened. I was there about five years, I know. I know the calls I would have taken, the e-mails I would have sent, the conversations about TV shows I would have had with my co-workers. How do I know? Because that was how every week had been.
Since I've started this adventure in trucking, every day has been different. New experiences, new things to learn, new skills to practice. I got to watch the sunrise as we did our pre-trip practice this morning. My old cubical didn't have any windows. The office didn't have windows.
My new office is going to have really great windows. I'll finally get to see the sun rise and set once is a while. It's all worth it just for that.
Have a good weekend, everyone, I'm going to bed.
watch Youtube videos on shifting, they'll tell you how to float the gears if can't already dude, lol
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
Float The Gears:
An expression used to describe someone who is shifting gears without using the clutch at all. Drivers are taught to "Double Clutch" or press and release the clutch twice for each gear shift. If you're floating gears it means you're simply shifting without using the clutch at all.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.New Reply:
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Not at all surprised. Congratulations! Let us know your final color of choice, and try to keep writing. I think I can speak for most everyone who has been following your dairy; good read, informative and entertaining.
Good luck and safe travels.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated