What Do I Need To Do Or Look For When I Get My First Truck.
Topic 13164 | Page 2
I just use my Verizon Galaxy. G-maps is good enough. That's how I get the Satellite photos for the Backing Practice™.
I have a cheap pay as you go phone from Walmart, and I use an app called pdanet to connect my windows 10 laptop to the phone's data connection via bluetooth. Supposedly the laptop can then share the connection with other devices over wifi, but i haven't tried it since I only have the two devices. I could try connecting the phone to the computer's wifi, but I'm afraid if I try it the internet might implode.
Anyway, I just paid $50 for 4gb. I think that should last me at least a couple of months, but i don't try to watch video over it or anything.
Two issues that you need to know, that don't get a lot of attention in school are 5th wheels and tandems.
One thing that some schools don't spend a lot of time teaching, is the drop and hook process, and how to properly check to make sure you have a solid hook to your trailer. The reason for this, is because dropping and hooking a trailer, is not something you will be tested for, when getting your CDL.
Once hooked, learn to do a sharp 90 degree maneuver in both directions, turning right as well as left. This can be especially critical during winter months, when freezing moisture can cause issues getting the jaws to lock properly around the kingpin. A tractor is especially vulnerable when it has been sitting bobtail or has been driven bobtail for any length of time during the icy winter months. Most any mechanic will confirm that more trailers are accidentally dropped during the winter months, than other times of the year.
It's one of those issues that can end your truck driving career, almost as soon as you get started, if you are one of the unfortunate drivers who drop a trailer accidentally. Even if you happen to accidentally drop a trailer in a drop yard or terminal , some companies consider this a firing offense the first time it happens.
As for the trailer tandems , they can come completely out from under the trailer, when the conditions are right, when not locked in properly. Here are a couple videos dealing with these type scenarios, and show how quickly things can go bad, when a driver doesn't know their 5th wheel and trailer tandems, and their proper operation.
Semi smow collision lost tandems
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.
Bobtail:
"Bobtailing" means you are driving a tractor without a trailer attached.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Tandems:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Tandem:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Thanks Dutch i appreciate it.
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