AJ's Truck Driving Journey
Topic 5059 | Page 4
In regard to the soreness and double clutching .. don't worry, eventually you will be able to float the gears , once you're out of school and on your own. Just keep in mind a lot of companies don't advise it, but most drivers do it anyhow. Keep up the good work brother!
Thanks, brother :)
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.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Double Clutching:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
I was frazzled yesterday and too beat to update.
Monday we started OTR driving in the Morning , then back to the yard for more backing in the afternoon.
Same plan for today.
My double clutching got much better right off the bat today OTR. Enough so, the instructor ran me back into town for about a hours worth of right hand turns. One was uphill , at a light! I was learning in hurry!! lol
The backing is progressing nicely. I'm just keeping a great attitude and loving the challenge. After the morning OTR and 3 hours or so of backing, my knee was complaining badly !! lol ...
I took that opportunity to go over to one of the cruiser rigs and go over my Pre-Trip routine.
A GREAT DAY !!!
BTW .. the knee is fine after a few ibuprofen and I'm ready to hit the sack, wake up and do it again !!!
Oh, and pre-hire updates.
Averitt Werner Roehl Stevens
Until we meet again....
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.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Double Clutching:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Wow, a pre hire from Averitt already, nice. I didnt getva pre hire from them, just a conditional (make it thru orientation and training) hire a few days after school was completed.
You are progressing nicely AJ.
Pre Hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Wow, a pre hire from Averitt already, nice. I didnt getva pre hire from them, just a conditional (make it thru orientation and training) hire a few days after school was completed.
You are progressing nicely AJ.
Thanks, brotha' man ...
I fell behind in the backing, having never backed any type of trailer up before. I finally abandoned the "bottom of steering wheel" technique in favor of using the top, since all the other backing maneuvers instruct from the top. It was too difficult to change or morph theories in the middle of an offset or alley backing maneuver. So the trick ( I have to have a trick to say to myself as I'm backing! ) is, "Turn the wheel to where there is too much trailer" . The instructor let me go back a level to straight backing for an hour or so just to pound this method home. I think I have a better technique now.
Like I said previously, the forward driving and double clutching is progressing well. I'm getting a little better each day and that is all you can ask of yourself.
I'm looking forward to the days activities and will try to squeeze in a few company phone calls somehow !! lol
Looking forward to another rewarding day. :)
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Double Clutching:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Pre Hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
OK .... a bit of a setback today :)
New OTR truck, new trainer... couldn't shift this tranny worth a da#$#%# ! lol I forgot my sunglasses... started getting a headache from the glare. It was the hottest day of the fall when we got back to the range for backing.
I am still far from a natural on backing. I'm getting better at the offset . Straight line is mastered well. Alley docking tomorrow. I'm running about a day behind the leaders who have backed consumer type trailers all their lives... They have a huge advantage are are like ducks in water.
Same truck and trainer, I believe. ....
Will not forget sunglasses tomorrow and pray I shift a bit better.
Not discouraged , just feeling a bit of pressure again....
This was a mulligan day...
Until tomorrow..
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.
DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
You got it. Just keep telling yourself that they are training you to pass the test and nothing else. The backing and other skills will be sharpened when you hit the real world road in a big rig.
Fyi, I couldn`t shift worth a s**t until the last few days of school and even then, well, lets just say I was good enough to be dangerous.
Over two years later, my shifting is still improving... It's easy to make it too technical when learning it for the first time, and it's too early to really have a natural feel for it. It wasn't until I was driving solo and didn't have the pressure of someone watching me that I was able to relax and try different things and learn what worked best. I will still miss a gear going up or down hill sometimes. And, going from one truck to a another with a different gear ratio can throw you off if you're going by the speedometer to determine which gear you need to be in. For instance, I have always downshifted in to 6th on a 10-spd at about 25 mph. Well, the trucks I have been driving the last couple week have a different gear ratio, and it took some time before I realized I needed to be down to about 20 in the different trucks.
I don't want to confuse newer drivers!
But, here are a couple universal tips that may help when learning shifting early on:
1) If you miss the gear when upshifting, you usually only have to lightly tap the accelerator, then slip it in gear. The slightest raise of RPM's is usually all that's necessary. As a new driver, I always revved the engine too much which meant I couldn't get it into gear until they dropped back down. As a student, this meant I might coast (move in neutral farther than the length of the truck). A lot of pressure on students!
2) Downshifting, if you miss the gear, usually you can slip it back into the higher gear, with or without a tap of the accelerator. The exception to this is if you are decelerating rapidly, going up hill for instance, then you can rev it a little (or a lot, depending on how fast you're decelerating) and put it in the next lower gear.
3) When you're downshifting, you don't have to put a lot of pressure on the shifter to feel where it wants to go in, but when you do feel it, get it in there. I usually start to put it in gear as the rpm's are climbing, but if I miss it I can feel where I should have put it in, and then catch it as the rpm's come back down. If I DON'T feel that "GAP" where it needs to go in, I will tap the accelerator again a little harder. Twice is usually the most it takes to get it in gear.
4) There is usually a delayed reaction between what the actual rpm's are and what the tachometer says. If you are having trouble using 1500 for a reference, try 1400. If it's a "quick" engine you may want to put it in a 1300. Sometimes it might need just a little more rpm's as well.
5) As you are learning, get the "feel" of the process, which means you will rely less on the exact readout on the gauges, and learn how the transmission wants to be shifted.
6) Upshifting can be a very natural process, just let off the accelerator, and double-clutch it in (if you're a student). Don't worry about what the tachometer says. You have to be going very slow trying to get into a high gear to not be able to upshift easily.
Veterans correct me if I'm wrong.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Wow, this thread is an awesome read for me. I start school the13th and I'm super nervous. More because of all the negative input on the school I'm going to be attending, CR England. But reading all these post on how the days go in school is such a relief to get an "inside" look. Thank you so much for creating this thread👌👍😎
Wow, this thread is an awesome read for me. I start school the13th and I'm super nervous. More because of all the negative input on the school I'm going to be attending, CR England. But reading all these post on how the days go in school is such a relief to get an "inside" look. Thank you so much for creating this thread👌👍😎
CR England will give you an environment to get the job done, but it's all up to you. Which school are you going to? I went to the Richmond, IN., location, and there was a lot to complain about, but we got the job done.
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In regard to the soreness and double clutching .. don't worry, eventually you will be able to float the gears , once you're out of school and on your own. Just keep in mind a lot of companies don't advise it, but most drivers do it anyhow. Keep up the good work brother!
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.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Double Clutching:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.