Tuesday, June 21, I went over Don's to get more firsthand lessons in passing a DOT inspection. For starters, we went over the entire engine again.






This time however I got down and dirty with the trailer and truck, crawling underneath as Don taught me how to inspect brake pads, air lines, u-joints, etc. I soon realized the importance of needing to wear coveralls when doing an inspection. Good thing for me I already own a pair and even have a pair of thermal ones for when the weather turns icy cold. But since It was a hot Carolina day I didn't wear my coveralls and soon regretted it. Besides getting my clothes greasy I got all bitten up by chiggers. That's the first and last time an inspection is performed without overalls.

The main points I took away from today's lesson are "Safety, safety, safety" and never, ever, cut corners no matter what because the one time you do will be the one time that something serious occurs, possibly ruining the career in trucking or worse, killing/injuring a motorist.

I'm taking this career very seriously and view it it as a military operation, with rules and regulations that must be adhered to at all times. Working to my advantage is that people who have known me well have described me as a "rule follower". That is the only way to be successful and survive within this industry, and no matter what anyone else is doing I have promised myself that I will stay within the limits at all times.





Next up: My visit to Carolina Training Academy, Raleigh, NC.