Heading back out, still have my fear....

Twinsburg aint far! it's only like 30 mins on 271 from wiloughby


There is A LOT of good work in Mentor. Mostly dry van and reefer, some tarp box; your distribution area is small and all those guys are paying huge hourly rates at the moment. I just took Twinsburg because it's easier for me to get back and forth to Kent.

 

Epes doesn't team train and we run your area. I have a student now and I'm required to be in the jumpseat only. Our logs have to match his time to mine. Trainer trains newbie drives and they monitor and stay in top of it, as it should be. Any trainer truck that exceeds what a top performer solo op would run you don't get to train anymore because it's clear what's going in in a case like that. We also don't co-ed train.

It's a smaller company. Pretty good gig, good pay and home time and good trainers.

We've also got a lease program a bunch of guys do well with but I'd strongly recommend doing at least 2 years company before you make that leap no matter where you are.

 

So you wanna become a l/o because of the mountains huh.Guess money isn't a real big concern is it?I would suggest staying away from OTR completely.Your company will still give you loads out west and yes you can refuse them,but if you start refusing too many loads,you're going to be put way at the very bottom for loads.I would suggest finding a regional or dedicated driving job.

 

I wouldn't bother with a lease until you fix whatever issues you have with backing.

If you think it's a problem, then it's probably a problem.

The problem with having a fear of mountains is that Cleveland is awfully close to the Alleghenies in PA.
You don't want to have to tell a potential employer you won't go much further East than Youngstown.

As for winter driving,, Girl you're from Cleveland!
You probably get more snow in September than half the country sees all winter.
Lake effect and all that.
Just keep the tractor in front of the trailer and you should be fine.

Good hunting.

 

Mountain driving is not that bad. Just because its winter doesn't mean its always snowing. Check your weather and towns along the route's forcast. You can even check the hourly to see when they are going to get the worst of the weather so you can know the best time to get through there.

Know your truck and how well your jake brake operates. My last truck I could go down any mountain in 8th gear and never touch the foot/service brake. I will actually be turning on the lo,med, and hi jake brake power to get a little more speed. The newer truck I just got a week ago doesn't have that strong of a jake brake so I go down in 7th gear if its a really long grade and very seldom have to touch the service brake except to keep the rpm's in a nice range. Or to not go to far over the suggested truck speed.

You may have a problem with companies taking you serious about giving you a job since you seem to not stay long and the cost to bring someone to orientation isn't cheap. Bad roads scare anybody and the best thing to do if they are that bad is get off of them. I wouldn't suggest a lease either, because you are already paying way to much for a truck, and rather you take that load over the rockies or not. That truck payment is still going to be deducted from your check. Or you can spend your fuel money on going the long way around. They are already paying you bottom of the barrel so that wouldn't be profitable either.

If you have issues backing up. Good luck getting and keeping a local job since you do a lot of backing up, and stuff is time sensitive. When getting in a truck and not knowing how dangerous it is to you and others doesn't scare you. Its time to give it up. I'll take mountain driving over playing in the big city driving on snow and ice. Way to many clowns who are ready to slip and slide underneath your tandems playing speed racer. I hope things work out for you. Just watch out for those lease purchase scams.

 

To me depends on the mountain.Utah piece of cake,Colorado a bit more trechourous but not bad.Donnors Pass,sucks.East coast those are all hills.Idaho not bad.Canada those are some dangerous mountains.

 

Anytime there is bad weather on a mountain it is not good, but if you go down it in the same gear or a gear below the one you went up it. You shouldn't have a problem. Slow and easy and most have suggested truck speed limits so you keep it in that range and you will be fine. Heck I have been on a little road Hwy 7 in Arkansas that made me pucker up way more then Donner or Cabbage ever has. Wait and that one in West Virginia can't think of hwy at the moment. Those little 2 lane mountain passes makes these interstate mountain passes a piece of cake.

 

LOL never thought of it like that before.

 

It's going to take time to feel confident with the fears that you have , I am sure there are a lot of drivers out here that have it and have to work through it, keep at it and it will come naturally, as far as that codriver smoking the brakes, I hope that you would report him to CRST and I can see why you have fear of the mountains with an idiot like that, seems that CRST does not do a good job of training drivers, again your confidence will come with more time......