Cartersville 6/9 class

Here we go on week two! We're doing a trip to Albany, GA today. I hope I manage not to give Greg a heart attack.

 

Day 6

Today was a really long day of driving. We had to be at Cartersville at 5:30 am to get through Atlanta before rush hour. We made our way down to the Albany terminal to drop a trailer full of trailer parts. Greg had us go the direct route down there and a completely different way back. I caught the last leg of the trip, from Newnan back to Cartersville.

I had tried during the weekend to practice shifting with a plunger (as the shifter) and a roll of toilet paper as the clutch. It apparently wasn't a lot of help. I'm still too slow with shifting, downshifting in particular. It just seems like even though I know what I want my arm and leg to do, my brain sends the wrong signal. I know it can only come with practice, but I seriously worry that if I don't improve really really soon then this will all have been for nothing. I really wish the driving group was four people instead of five so that I could get more time every day to do this. I do not feel alone, though... There is one other guy in our group that has the same problem.

Tomorrow we are going into Alabama via the mountains. I'm not going to lie... I'm pretty apprehensive about it.

After school it took more than an hour for my ride to get there. Tonight, my ride was my father, who actually picked me up so we (and my sisters) could go out to eat for a late Father's Day dinner. He works at the ambulance service I'm a part timer at and wasn't off all weekend.

 

Day 7

This day, we drove from Cartersville, Georgia to Fort Payne, Alabama. It was very hilly and very curvy.

My leg of the journey was from Lafayette, Georgia, to Fort Payne. I went up (and down) the back side of Lookout Mountain. There were some very tight turns and i got to be the first to use the Jake brakes. I think I only stalled the truck once, and it was at a flat intersection - not going up or down a hill.

I got plenty of practice shifting today. I'm still not where I'd like to be with it, but I think I made great strides. Tomorrow there will be even more shifting, as we are doing evening city driving. We'll be in my home turf of Cobb County well as Woodstock, Georgia. I've already warned friends and family to stay off the roads tomorrow night. Unlike this last three days of school, we will receive no assistance from the instructor in what gears to be in, since we have to be independent.

 

The oldest of the training trucks lacks A/C, even though it has a certain charm.