Here We Go.

Arrived at knight terminal this morning. Starting orientation today. Am a bit nervous. Part of the road test is the pre trip I think, and while I've been watching the apex video to brush up, to make sure I don't miss anything, I'm worried I might do just that.

Anyway, hope this all goes well. Just want to do as well as I can and want to make this work.

I will say, the zonar that knight uses is pretty neat. Was watching a video on this last night. Aside from being your log book, and your communication device, it also aids in your pre trip. Knight puts these scanning devices all over your truck and you scan them with the zonar device and it pops up a list of things to inspect, so you are sure not to forget anything. If you find a problem, you can report it right there, and if necessary, take a picture of it with the zonar device and submit it. That comes in handy for documenting damage and stuff when you pick up a new trailer.

Anyway, looking forward to getting this all started.

Congratulations Sambo! It will be hurry up and wait time now - that's just how most orientations go.

We didn't have to do a pre-trip for our road test when I reported to the Gulfport, MS terminal , but I don't know if it is the same at other terminals. I can't remember, are you at the Dallas terminal? Occasionally I will pop in there for service or just to spend the night. Once you get assigned a truck post your truck number in here along with a photo and I will keep an eye out for you. I'm always looking for a chance to meet some of these new drivers we've helped along the way so they can treat me to a nice meal!

Congratulations on getting things going like you did! There will be times when you will question your decisions - just hang in there for the long haul and it will all smooth out as you gain your confidence and skill. It takes some time to build that relationship of trust with your dispatcher , but it is worth the wait.

Thanks, and yes, I'm at the Dallas terminal. And absolutely well get a meal, already told you I'd buy you a nice steak :) and since I'm parking my pickup here, would be really easy.

Congratulations Sambo. Best wishes for success!

Good luck... and remember.. they dont expect you to be perfect and name everything. Do your best... give as much info as you can... it is better to say too much than not enoigh.

I think I did fine on the pre trip, he basically cut me off once we got to the engine compartment, and diverted me to the tire and I explained all that, brake shoes, rim, hub, tread etc. He said that was good enough. I guess I was detailed enough he was comfortable enough that I knew what to look for.

Then we went out on the road. I think I did fine on that, although I have to admit, it was a bit nerve wracking. I'm not used to a truck suspension being that soft, and I'm not used to pulling a box trailer.

I've driven some pretty big stuff but it's been awhile since I've done it. Seeing that trailer lean when you take a corner is a bit off putting. I always take corners real easy, always afraid the trailer will flip. Guess I just have to get used to it. It may be that it just looks worse in the mirror than what it is, but the top of that trailer has such a deflection that it is kind of scary. Some of it is also the fact that the cab of the truck is leaning the other way as well. Makes it look worse. I don't think they will roll that easily or they wouldn't be safe for the road. Still...

Then we get back to the yard, and that's where my trouble begins. You see, I've not had a lot of backing practice. In the oilfield, they teach you to avoid backing if at all possible. I've not had much practice at it.

The instructor tells me to pull around and get 45 degrees and back the trailer into a hole between two other trailers. So I do my approach, and started to back. It's not even a 90 and I couldn't do it, I tried several times, did a few goals, but no joy. There were a line of trucks in front of us so I couldn't do a full pull up.

I started my back and thought I could do this, but I got backed in, and stopped, got out did a pull up, tried about 4 or 5 times. Instructor said I had one more shot at it. I tried once more and still did the get it. I got back in the cab and told him I wasn't going to get it in one more try. He said to just skip it.

He took me around and we did a straight line back, which I did fine on.

He's out right now with other drivers, so I guess we'll know my fate when he gets back.

I'm just so disappointed with myself that I couldn't do this. Going over it in my mind to see what I could have done different. This will be something I will think about for quite awhile.

Congrats Sambo .

I guess everything is OK, I'm still here. Hoping they'll put me with a patient trainer and I can get lots of backing practice.

Also, how stable are most trucks? As I've mentioned before, these trucks seem to lean a lot. Are they fairly easy to roll over under normal circumstances, or are they actually difficult? In other words, you have to be trying?

The bottom line answer is: A. you need to be trying, or B. you're not paying attention when you should be.

Here's two ideas to help you keep the shiny side up:

Drive with No Arms. When you're the driver, you certainly hold onto the wheel. But in a turn, DO NOT use the power of your arms to keep from falling out of your seat*. Hold and control the steering wheel. Don't use your arm muscles when you're going around a curve - keep your elbows limp. If you feel like you might fall out of your seat, you're going too fast so slow down.

In a turn (like a freeway ramp) Your Brake Pedal Is Your Enemy. Do all the slowing before you start the turn. If you press the brakes during a turn, you like triple the chances of rolling. This is high school physics, but I'm not going to do that now. 1. Slow as needed 2. Enter the turn at the right speed 3. You can accelerate as you get out of the turn.

* No, you won't fall out of your seat, but in a turn, the sensation is definitely there.

I still struggle with the leaning sensation sometimes. It definitely gets better with time but at first it feels like you are always taking curves to fast and you are going to fall over!

Just wait until you hit a good strong wind with an empty trailer. I've got a really light load and hit a storm outside Memphis. The wind came out of nowhere and clobbered the trailer. I would swear on anything that the wind picked up that trailer! But when I looked all the tires were still on the ground...

It all feels weird until you reach equilibrium and get your "truck legs".

Remember this: you can take a curve too slow a million times, but you can only take a curve too fast once...