CFI At Crowder College

Don there is indeed some memorization with pretrip...but there is more to it than that. You need to understand what you are looking at and why...

Here is a reply Errol made to someone inquiring on PTI in the general forum:

The pre-trip has some 118 items, but this is not about memorizing. The things you have to inspect are right in front of you. Yes you will have to learn some new names, but they all have the same answer, like "the steering gear box is firmly attached, with no loose missing bolts or any leaks. The hoses are firmly attached to the gear box, and no cuts, bulges or leaks". Yes, there is some things you must memorize, but it's not all that complicated. Do a search for "pretrip my way must see, Daniel B." It's complete with pictures.

The PTI is extremely important. It can save you time, significantly reduce the likelihood of inspection issues with DOT and has huge implications for safe operation. Look beyond pure memorization and strive to be a student of your trade.

You are doing great so far. Good luck!

G-town, while I am going over my pre-trip, I am learning what to look for and why it is important. The memorization aspect of my comment was more in relation to the testing due to we will have 30 minutes to test out at Crowder. Missouri's test is not timed, if I understand correctly. I have learned quite a bit in the past week.

Don there is indeed some memorization with pretrip...but there is more to it than that. You need to understand what you are looking at and why...

Here is a reply Errol made to someone inquiring on PTI in the general forum:

The pre-trip has some 118 items, but this is not about memorizing. The things you have to inspect are right in front of you. Yes you will have to learn some new names, but they all have the same answer, like "the steering gear box is firmly attached, with no loose missing bolts or any leaks. The hoses are firmly attached to the gear box, and no cuts, bulges or leaks". Yes, there is some things you must memorize, but it's not all that complicated. Do a search for "pretrip my way must see, Daniel B." It's complete with pictures.

The PTI is extremely important. It can save you time, significantly reduce the likelihood of inspection issues with DOT and has huge implications for safe operation. Look beyond pure memorization and strive to be a student of your trade.

You are doing great so far. Good luck!

I understand...completely.

Just information Don, further qualifying other things posted to this thread.

Don, sound like things are progressing nicely. I'm just catching up today, as I arrived in Iowa yesterday for training with CRST, and things are going about a million miles a minute.

I, too, have found myself flummoxed over the attitude or aptitude of some of my peers. I almost want to shake some of them and ask why did they even come here? Mini-vacation?

Anyways, hope things are still going well over there. Out of class for the day and I have to go foraging for some vittles! Take care, brother, and keep on keepin on.

5/7, Day 6.

First thing this am, we watched a video on CAT scales and how to properly scale a truck. After reviewing that, we went to the trucks and learned how to un-coupleing/coupling. That went well for most of the students. We practiced that until lunch. After lunch we did our first road drives on the streets and highway near Crowder College. The three of us in our truck were to complete two runs. I went third and on the first time around, I did well, only missing a gear upshifting after completing the last turn back to the road we started. I was thinking "this is going well."

Not so fast, my friends. As we were coming to the first turn to start my second lap, I heard the instructor say"we're going to come up here and turn left and go to the college." I was thinking to myself, "okay, I don't get to do a second lap, we must be running behind." As we get to the (continuous) turn, I start turning left. The instructor states, "where are you going you have to finish your second time!" I replied about his stating to turn left and go to the college. His reply was "that was after your second time around." Well, I did not hear him state that and I had already committed, so we ended up heading out to the country for a little country driveHe was mentioning the "turns/roads to get back were tight, but we would see how I did." So we saw some farmland for a couple miles, then came the first (left) turn. I did that one without any problem. I got to practice up- and down-shifting one short hills and downgrades and then at the bottom of a downgrade, we came to a T intersection with a concrete "bridge at the bottom to the intersection. "Oh boy, it looked tight." The instructor reiterated my saying so and said "this will be a good test for you." There were uphill grades on the left and right on the road I was turning onto. The concrete barriers were each about one foot high, and a stream flowing underneath them. So I start my turn and no way was I going to make it without the left trailer tandems going on top of those concrete barriers. So I had to stop and the instructor took over. He stated "we may get stuck here", but he was able to get us around the turn and up the hill. He said that was what I was afraid of out here". I apologized to him, but he told me I did not need to and had done very well up to that point.; (he) would have had a difficult time with it." He was probably just saying that so I wouldn't get down on myself. We got back to the college and others had a good laugh about my "getting lost." A fellow student stated, "we were wondering who the idiot was up there who turned the wrong way, hahahaha....." Anyways, I did not hit anything around that tight intersection and had the common sense not to try to finish that turn and end up doing something stupid, so I stopped and told him I couldn't do it. I guess there is a lesson there somewhete. Great day up to that point. Tomorrow we go on a longer run with more highway miles.

Wow! First, I hope to never do anything like that, lol. (But I probably will.) So, second, I can only hope I handle it as cool-headed as you did. And it sounds like it was a learning experience for a few things. Learning it now, without causing any damage, is priceless!

Better days ahead, brother!

If there was no traffic he should have instructed you how to get out of it. Going forward around tight turns is as important a skill as backing. Great job. Keep up the good work.

One thing I learned is confirm the instructions the instructor gives me. I swear he only stated "turn left and go to the college before we got to the turn", but hey, I did have some learning experience with different road types/conditionsActually, the experience was positive for the reasons that I did well on the other narrow turns and the roads we were on. Maybe the instructor was confident that I could perform the turn because he did not tell me to not proceed, and I had been doing well driving. He was calm and we changed seats so he could get us out of the...ahem....situation. These situations may happen during training. I stayed calm, I advised him quickly and he rectified it. Now if I had hit something or caused any damage, he may not have remained so calm. I was more upset with myself at the time because I felt like an idiot.

Wow! First, I hope to never do anything like that, lol. (But I probably will.) So, second, I can only hope I handle it as cool-headed as you did. And it sounds like it was a learning experience for a few things. Learning it now, without causing any damage, is priceless!

Better days ahead, brother!

Big Scott, the road had a hill crest to my left and one to my right. If someone came over the hill to fast, well.....it could have caused an issue for that vehicle(s). I do not think it was a safe place to allow me, a student on his first street/road drive, to try an attempt to get out off, especially since we were in the bottom between two hills.

If there was no traffic he should have instructed you how to get out of it. Going forward around tight turns is as important a skill as backing. Great job. Keep up the good work.

OK. Makes sense. Do you know what he did to get out of it?