Anybody that says driving a truck is easy is a fool

Today on a long steep uphill climb I couldn't get my downshifts in (was all happening to fast slowing to fast for the gear I was trying) and the more I tried the more I goofed up, ended up stopping in the middle of the hill TWICE!!!!! HOW EMBARRASING had about 15 cars behind me, all I'm sure pissed.. Oh well no one said it was easy..

Need to practice that one.......


Bugz

__________________
Ability is what you're capable of doing...
Motivation determines what you do...
Attitude determines how well you do it.

N7YZ

do you care more if 15 people are held up 3 minutes on their way to buy devil dogs, or that you get your CDL. when I had a big line behind me in training I couldnt give 2 sqirts of piss. I was concentrating on learning, maybe that's your problem - concentrate on what you're doing and forget about everything else

First and formost I care about being a safe and curtious driver, I never said it was a problem, only embarrassing..

I think the problem I had was thinking about it TO MUCH....

And yes I do care what people think...

Bugs

__________________
Ability is what you're capable of doing...
Motivation determines what you do...
Attitude determines how well you do it.

N7YZ

Don't sweat it driver. People always complain about slow trucks. The good news is you learned a valuable lesson today. Don't panic when you go to down shift and don't over rev. Remember worse comes to worse stop and put it in gear. It will get easier with practice and experience.

I started driving that way--tried to drive 'politely' for the 4-wheelers since I had been one all my life! I still consider my self to be courteous, dont use engine brakes (even tho muffled) thru small towns at night, etc.; but you will find many, many times when out driving (for REAL!) that you will have to take your right-of-way or use you 'size' to get your job done!! The 4-wheelers WONT like it!!

But...such is life---good luck and concentrate on driving not what other ppl think (but listen to your instructor! ha ha) JAM

For what it's worth, Monday afternoon I picked up a load, and headed for chicago. Just before gettin on the interstate, there is a stop light, then a short hill, then the right turn onto the highway. I have been on this rout hundreds of times, and stopped at the light about a third of them. As I pulled out, somehow, severl gears up from the stop, I missed a shift, and put the truck into too high of a gear. By the time I realized it was happening, I slowed, and couldn;t work down through the gears fast enough to keep my monentum up. Bottom line, i had to stop. hit 2nd and start moving again.

I have been in this tracto for a year, and have been driving since childhood. I don;t know what i did, or how I did it, but it can happen to every one of us at some point. I got on the onramp, started accelerating, and laughed about it.

(Of course, based on my ommentary as it was happening, I can kiss off any remaining chances I had of getting into heaven.....)

God is very, very forgiving driver. We have all had those days.

It probably went well beyond even those limits.....

I do feel better now

Even my instructor said "We all do it"
Bugs

__________________
Ability is what you're capable of doing...
Motivation determines what you do...
Attitude determines how well you do it.

N7YZ

All of us has done stuff that we won't admit too! I will have to make these two stories up so I will have something to say. Sometimes a driver will forget what range he is in when he trys to down shift. Another time I remember a truck in front of me that was 300 lbs shy of 80,000 missing a gear going up a mountain one time. Man I was mad at that truck in front of me!

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My childhood dream of becoming a truck driver turned into a nightmare!