Can I Make A Suggestion For The Forum?

Ha! I Know! We need a bigger selection of emoticons! I love the dancing dog! We need more Dog emoticons....

Ha! I Know! We need a bigger selection of emoticons! I love the dancing dog! We need more Dog emoticons....

Oh I agree 100%! I want to find an awesome selection of em.....they crack me up.......

I've considered that but I'm not sure how useful it would actually be. It would be nice to submit a comment that people like, but whether or not it's one people should like is sometimes a different story. You can get one person that goes off on something and suddenly here comes the cavalry! I thought about using it as a rating system of sorts but I'm not sure if it would be effective or not.......

I totally agree with the premise of having it but I'm concerned about cluttering up the forum with things that really aren't helpful. I'm torn on this one.

LOL ... I agree with you on that. On the otherhand, liking someone is also a show of support or encouragement for folks who have real concerns or need encouragement. There are times when I have read what moderators have said, yourself included, and thought to myself... Damn straight! Or totally agreed! Maybe a like button for moderators posts... especially since a lot of times the advice given is really helpful.

Or maybe a Thanks button like the "other" trucking site has.....? A quick way of saying thanks for the advice or encouragement...

Ha! I Know! We need a bigger selection of emoticons! I love the dancing dog! We need more Dog emoticons....

Oh I agree 100%! I want to find an awesome selection of em.....they crack me up.......

See Brett? i would totally LIKE these 2 comments LOL just sayin....

Brett:

I do have a serious suggestion. For people who are preparing for CDL training, and have never set foot in a truck, not mechanically inclined, have little to no knowledge about trucks, and are career changers.... Can you set up a pre-CDL bootcamp or trucking primer? The CDL training materials are excellent! And I have used them myself to pass my permit exam. But I had trouble trying to understand terms and concepts because I had no prior knowledge about trucks. I literally only knew what the tractor and trailer were. I thought the 5th wheel was literally an actual wheel. I think you have the idea. I believe a primer or boot camp would be awesome. Things explaining the stuff that you go into trucking school and the instructors assume you already know and you feel to stupid to ask out loud. Lets face it, ideally instructors aren't supposed to judge you by the questions you ask especially when you genuinely don't know. Supposedly there are no stupid questions. But in today's world of schools churning out students and crowded classrooms, a lot of times that isn't the case and folks (who potentially would have been good drivers) drop out of the program just because they didn't have prior basic trucking knowledge and couldn't keep up with the class. I have a friend who tried to talk me out of trucking because he had a hard time keeping up with class because he felt clueless and was surrounded by gearheads and mechanics, he just gave up on his dream.

I looked every where online and couldn't find a site that has basic info and diagrams of the very basic trucking parts and concepts. And the you tube videos out there, especially about shifting gears can be even more confusing. Stuff like the basic valves and gauges. Straight truck vs Tractor trailer, fifth wheel and other basic parts and terminology of a truck that a layman wouldn't know and what truckers just chalk up to common sense. How to start the truck. How to properly use the clutch. The differences in driving a car vs a truck. What does the inside of a sleeper cabin look like, air brakes vs brakes you find in a car, exercises that help with muscle memory and coordination. What is a 70 hour restart and how to effective use it. How getting paid by the mile, pay for down time and demurrage (???) even works. The practical differences between CDL-A, B, Intrastate restrictions vs Interstate and what it means for your career options. Stuff that is referred to on here and different sites, but a lot of folks new to the industry don't really grasp.

I know there are instructors on this site. What do they expect students to know at a minimum when they walk into school on day 1? When I was in nursing school, before we even started the program we had to learn basic anatomy, physiology and medical terminology so that when we jumped into actual nursing classes, we were all on the same page. No one would expect a person to walk into a Nursing 101 course and understand a word of it unless they had basic knowledge that I referred to. I think something along those lines would be awesome and you would be the first to do it. I still dont know some of the basics, but I passed the exam with 2 wrong on my general knowledge and aced both the air brakes and combined. If it wasnt for wikipedia and google I would have been really lost and I still have questions about the basic physical mechanics of clutching when the truck isn't moving.

From all the reading and resources online, I could tell you about the different trucking companies out there, (and which ones to avoid) what types of positions are available, and how to prepare for the CDL exam, but nothing to bridge that knowledge gap that career-changers and the trucking underinformed may have. I know that I am not the only one in this position. I chose to go into trucking because I have always loved to drive. When I was younger I would hop in my car and drive from Chicago to Merrillville, IN just to relax and get a cup of coffee at Denny's and drive back. It was really relaxing and it was then that I knew I had a love for the road, Now that I have a chance to pursue something I always wanted to do, it would have been cool to have a tool or resource that wouldve given me that basic knowledge, foundation and confidence to enter CDL school and my new chosen profession.

Also, we have a new generation of folks who were raised driving an automatic (myself included) as well as the population shifting to cities and urban areas where we have little to no exposure or experience to trucks and that lifestyle. It doesn't mean we are going to be bad drivers, it just means we have more to learn and have much larger learning curve. if anything I think it gives us the extra confidence to navigate places like NYC once we develop or skills behind the wheel.

Thanks for reading this. If there is something out there like this already exist, please send the link to me because I could really use it. Otherwise, I notice that many of the same questions are repeated over and over again and I am sure that it gets repetitious answering them. Also, many times those questions could be resolved if there was a more basic understanding of the concept they are asking about.

Fin

Just a observation, you say that you have been all over the web looking for info etc. on the career of Tractor Trailer, Have you actually looked throughout this site, to see what it offers and tells you? Truck Driver's Career Guide Bretts book, Anything "Old School has ever posted on here tells anyone, even tinkering with the idea, What trucking is all about! I am guessing that you are suggesting the "I'll hold your hand and guide you along the path" But if you are seriously looking into this "Profession" and need info, this would be the place to look! Key word, "LOOK" I do not mean to dismiss your idea but only to remind that it takes a little effort, especially on this site, to obtain what you seek. JMV (just my view)--------------------

Brett:

.... Can you set up a pre-CDL bootcamp or trucking primer? ... I thought the 5th wheel was literally an actual wheel.

I agree with Mark. I've done lots of things to my own passenger cars, including rebuilding engines. But in the TT CDL materials, I drew a blank at "slack adjusters" and had to hi look then up.

My phone is, the boot camp for beginners can help lots of new people get that understanding they need.

Just a observation, you say that you have been all over the web looking for info etc. on the career of Tractor Trailer, Have you actually looked throughout this site, to see what it offers and tells you? Truck Driver's Career Guide Bretts book, Anything "Old School has ever posted on here tells anyone, even tinkering with the idea, What trucking is all about! I am guessing that you are suggesting the "I'll hold your hand and guide you along the path" But if you are seriously looking into this "Profession" and need info, this would be the place to look! Key word, "LOOK" I do not mean to dismiss your idea but only to remind that it takes a little effort, especially on this site, to obtain what you seek. JMV (just my view)--------------------

I understand where you are coming from. There is PLENTY of info on the profession and trucking lifestyle .... and some of the best info is on this site. I know because I used that info to make my own decision to go to school. What I am saying is completely different. If you are looking into trucking as a profession and want to sign up for school- its because you heard that it good to get into, has an honest decent pay and understand the lifestyle that goes along with it (or at least you should before you sign up for school because is easy to learn about the profession.

What I am saying is learning more about actual driving before you start CDL school for those who have little knowledge about how a truck operates or the lingo that is used in the industry. Like the basic parts of a truck. The different kind of trailers. The different types of transmissions. Double clutch vs Floating. All the stuff that gives you confidence when you walk into the first day of class feeling like you know some truck driving basics. Even with CDL test prep, some of the terms in there to the newbie with no prior knowledge can be confusing to understand. (I.E. explaining the difference between a CDL A and B. Yes the definition is there. But to understand that definition, you need to know the different types of vehicles. Some newbies (myself included) had to google this and learn about the different trailers and that Class B means you can drive a bus etc. That isn't explained in the General Knowledge portion of the IL CDL study guide. It is assumed you just know this stuff. There is no one set place to find all this info, like a glossary to refer too. (I had to use https://www.cdlschool.com/decideyourCdl.php to get further clarification on this- thank goodness for google). Doesn't need to be a whole book, but a simple page or 2 of trucking basics would suffice so that everyone is on the same page for the 1st day of class. And I know there are people out there like myself who are not gear heads who could benefit from such a thing.

To many of you I know I sound like an idiot for suggesting this. So let me reiterate I am already in school with my permit and passed the did very well on the tests getting only 2 wrong (thanks to this site). What I am saying is that if there was a reference sheet or page for me to review while preparing to go to school and going through CDL prep on here, it would have made learning easier. Just because you don't know this stuff firsthand doesn't mean you necessarily are going to be a bad driver. It just means you need to learn more and study harder or do more research. There is no one set place to find this kind of information for new students that i know of.

I hope this makes sense. Like I said, I know people who dropped out of CDL programs who have clean driving records and backgrounds because they just felt lost in a completely new industry that was foreign to them, but knew they could love. And when I toured schools before I chose the one I decided on (part of WIA Illinois requirements), some students felt overwhelmed as well, I referred one of them to this site and hopefully it helped.

Brett:

.... Can you set up a pre-CDL bootcamp or trucking primer? ... I thought the 5th wheel was literally an actual wheel.

I agree with Mark. I've done lots of things to my own passenger cars, including rebuilding engines. But in the TT CDL materials, I drew a blank at "slack adjusters" and had to hi look then up.

My phone is, the boot camp for beginners can help lots of new people get that understanding they need.

I also agree with Mark. There is an old saying "You don't know what you don't know"... So if a newbie doesn't know what he/she should know, how do they know they should look it up? Even on a site such as this, there is SO MUCH good information and golden nuggets, a person would literally have to read pretty much everything ever written to ensure he gets all the great knowledge that is available here. That would be a huge effort and could easily overwhelm anybody looking to get into a new career. I like the idea of a primer that gives and overview, vocabulary, glossary, etc, whatever you want to call it and part of the course could include links for targeted searches or suggestions on searching the forums for more info for those who want to dig deeper.

Brett:

.... Can you set up a pre-CDL bootcamp or trucking primer? ... I thought the 5th wheel was literally an actual wheel.

I agree with Mark. I've done lots of things to my own passenger cars, including rebuilding engines. But in the TT CDL materials, I drew a blank at "slack adjusters" and had to hi look then up.

My phone is, the boot camp for beginners can help lots of new people get that understanding they need.

I also agree with Mark. There is an old saying "You don't know what you don't know"... So if a newbie doesn't know what he/she should know, how do they know they should look it up? Even on a site such as this, there is SO MUCH good information and golden nuggets, a person would literally have to read pretty much everything ever written to ensure he gets all the great knowledge that is available here. That would be a huge effort and could easily overwhelm anybody looking to get into a new career. I like the idea of a primer that gives and overview, vocabulary, glossary, etc, whatever you want to call it and part of the course could include links for targeted searches or suggestions on searching the forums for more info for those who want to dig deeper.

Woo Hoo! What ya know? I just noticed that was my 100th post on TT I've lurked and particiapated in many forums on different subjects over the past 20+ years, don't think I've ever been motivated to particiate so much as I am at this wonderful site. Although, I'm not a subject matter expert I am very much interested in Trucking and love to share what little I do know with those looking for help. This is a great place and I love the welcome atmosphere that Brett and the other moderators have cultivated where everybody can share and not feel they are going to be judged or unfairly criticized for what they have to say. I just wanted to take this moment to celebrate my small milestone and thank everybody here, especially Brett, for creating such an awesome site. :)