KLLM worth going to?

I applied at KLLM and never heard anything. Left a message for recruiting and still haven't heard from them...Seems like a decent outfit...

 

RT -
Thanks for the enlighting me. I start Orientation on Tuesday in Atlanta . I'm ready to get that done and get on the road with my trainer. If you have any words of wisdom regarding the orientation and test drive please feel free to reply.

Thanks,
Sparkyhd

 

Same here on that last end...I'll be headin down to Atl the 18th.

Actually me and at least two other students from my class are headin' there then...

 

Take your time

Use your mirrors - both when turning (to watch the rear of your trailer) and scanning them as you drive down the road.

Do not panic if you lose a gear - just keep trying until you find one. In the upper range (6-10) a good general rule of thumb is to look and see where the needle on your speedometer is sitting...which number it is closest to (15, 25, 35, 45 or 55)... and add those two numbers together (ie: 35...3 + 5 = 8....try for 8th gear...if 8th doesn't work and you are below 35 then try 7th gear... above then try 9th...etc...). Lower range just takes some practice.

Approach intersections where you are instructed to turn...slowly. Give yourself a moment to think about how you are going to need to set up to make the turn. When in doubt or if I can't get a good visual of the corner before I get to it, I automatically set up to buttonhook it. Better to take it too wide and p*ss off the 4-wheelers than not wide enough and p*ss off the hand that feeds me (and possibly the utility company if I take out a pole, or the fire and water departments if I take out a hydrant, etc.).

Probability of getting your chops busted for being TOO cautious = very low to non-existent
Probability of getting your chops busted for not being careful enough and causing an accident = 100%

Do not shift over railroad tracks or in the middle of a turn on your test drive.

Do NOT stop on top of railroad tracks....ever. You think the stopping distance in a big truck sucks? Try driving a train. By the time you see something on the tracks...all you can do is try to slow down as much as possible for damage control and then sit back and watch the collision.

Wear your seatbelt

Turn on your headlights

Make sure your mirrors are properly adjusted BEFORE you move the truck an inch

When backing....GET OUT AND LOOK before you back...if you have any doubts AS you are backing...stop, set your brakes and GO LOOK.

Hope something in here helps!

RT

 

OK...I had to share this...

I'm up in Niagra Falls, NY. picking up from one of your typical craptastic hazmat shipper/receiver facilities. No parking, barely room to turn around in your own skin, etc.
So I pull in, check in and am told it will be 2-3 hours before they can load me and that I will need to go back out the gate and park out front (and that was a whole OTHER incident in which I ended up having to threaten to pepper spray an incredibly hostile individual....). He then tells me that my options are:

1) Back up the way I came in and through the gate (in retrospect this is what I should have done...)

2) There was an area "in back" where I "might" be able to turn around - "but it's kinda tight".

3) OR...I could follow this little road all the way around the plant and be able to come around and just merrily drive out the gate.

Let me just say...the "easiest option" is not always what it seems....

I opt for #3 and I follow the road...

Now for those who have not had the pleasure of visiting some of these hazmat facilities....lucky you. This one had pipe racks, metal drums, dumpsters, asundry unknown objects, temporary buildings, etc. lining this little road.
I get to the first turn and barely wiggle my way through it....it's tight...but I make it. I get about 50 feet further up the road and....

There is a freakin' tanker truck parked back there. No driver in sight...and this road is so narrow that there is absolutely NO WAY two trucks can pass back there...not even on a straightaway.

.....oh cr*p.....

I BARELY wiggled back up in there going *forward*....and now....I'm going to have to back up out of there.

I still have less than no idea of how I did it but by some miracle of God....or possibly plain dumb luck...I managed to extract myself and back ALL THE WAY back down to where I started...where I managed to turn my truck around and get back out the gate.

So...I got on Google Earth and pulled up the satellite image of this place so I could see if I could figure out how I did it. I have illustrated it for you all...

Fat Green Line = my truck (front to the left)
Red outlines = pipe racks
Blue = dumpster
Yellow Dot = utility pole
White outlines = buildings

I had to back out, down through the corner to the right and then all the way down. If you look at the highway to the right- you can get an idea of the width of the road I was stuck on.

So, have a look...and if YOU figure out how the h*ll I got out of there...please let me know....

RT

 

Hey there... I go to NYC at least three times a week- back into- down- across- reverse - all kind of crap situations- makes you a better driver.
If you can move forward thru it- you can move backwards thru it!