6 Month Update

Life on the road is definitely not what I expected. It's awesome! Im going through areas that would normally be on my wish list to visit in my personal vehicle. Yet I have had numerous violations and hick-ups while learning the ropes. (I still have to be trained for the winter driving coming up)

When I first started driving I was running 450-500 mi days and now currently run 580-675 mi a day. I've locked up my brakes 2 or 3x's already in heavy traffic with 78K gross (thank you Atlanta, Omaha & Vegas). Got pulled into a scale house In southwestern Washington on the 5 freeway and was given a written warning about my steering wheel knob and told to remove it immediately. I do not run pre pass in the truck I'm assigned :(. I have not put the knob back on since then. Im learning of places to avoid, to return to and also to be cautious with.

Omaha...interstate construction and rush hour combined are ridiculous. i-90 across the Salt Flats is best done at night when theres no traffic or blistering sun. Night time driving has 95% of the scale houses closed. (much better for me)

Got stuck recently in a flash flood while trying to turn around in Hutchinson, Mn. Luckily there was a good samaritan who also worked at the local bus barn who offered to pull me out. I was thankfully empty at the time! The front half of my cab inside got soaked (on the floor) because I was beyond drenched...almost felt like i was made of water instead. (chuckling lightly at the after thought there) I found out that with the company I drive the truck with says that if I would have gotten pulled out by a wrecker that I would be on the line with Safety explaining why I got stuck and then getting wrote up on a violation in return! I was extremely lucky!

[My boss leases his trucks to another company and we technically drive for them]

Went down Parleys Summit in the wrong gear and thankfully used stabbed braking (with full jakes on) to drop a gear while at 74K gross. Took a detour to save time and try to avoid a nasty traffic mess on i-24 and i-75 interchange and ended up scratching the **** outta the top half of my sleeper and my bosses shinny new white reefer that I was pulling. 1/2 thick tree branches are like nails on a chalk board. Didn't puncture anything but wasn't in any serious trouble.

Found out the longer I keep the a/c off the farther I can run. Made it from Albert Lea, Mn to Casper, Wy with 40 gal to spare. Or I run from Dalton, Ga to Omaha, Ne on a full tank with 15 gal to spare. I ran from Billings, Mt to Sioux Falls, Sd on 11 hrs exactly.

Im quite sure that more updates will come as it gets closer to winter time.

I just don't log on much while I'm out on the road. Still fine tuning everything as I drive. Stay safe drivers

That was an interesting rundown Joshua.

I've locked up my brakes 2 or 3x's already in heavy traffic with 78K gross (thank you Atlanta, Omaha & Vegas)

I think following distance is your problem, not the cities you're driving through. I don't think I locked up my brakes three times in 15 years. Keep more distance in front of you and watch further ahead.

Found out the longer I keep the a/c off the farther I can run

Just keep in mind that if you're not comfortable while driving you're going to wear down more quickly. So you might save fuel but you're going to be less alert and possibly have to stop more frequently. You're pushing into a bit of a gray area here so be super careful about that. It's important that you're alert and comfortable behind the wheel.

But yap, everything you're going through is par for the course as a rookie driver. The learning curve is steep that first year and you've already accumulated a long list of lessons learned. Good stuff.

Stay safe!