mistakes that let everyone know youre a rookie

I'm guilty of trying to pass a truck who's governed at .2mph less than me on a four lane interstate. I don't do that anymore

 

I just figure that's a steering wheel holder's trait, not necessarily a rooky thing. Glad to hear you learned from it.

 

Trying to take off with the landing gear still down....what a hideous noise that makes. No hiding that

Being super excited about nailing that blind side 90 degree alley dock with all the other drivers watching....until you realize you forgot to open your doors first lol...that's why they are smiling, not because your awesome...because they are laughing at you!

 

Yeah, I'm guilty of backing into a tight bay or two and forgot to open my doors first. I chalk it up to when I was in CDL school. We never opened our doors before we practiced backing. So old habits (bad) habits are hard to break.

Then there's pulling away from the dock without removing the chock first. Now I hang a strand of ribbon from my visor whenever I'm waiting... and waiting... to get loaded or unloaded. I use it as a reminder that the chock is back there. That way I never forget to remover it before I pull out. It's especially important since some chocks (the metal ones) will flat your tandem if you run them over. Believe me, I know this for a fact.

 

Sliding the trailer tandems all the way forward in anticipation of backing into a tight dock, leaving them unlocked while waiting in the street for a door assignment, then having to drive around the block to let another truck through - forgetting that the tandems are still unlocked. At the first brake application, the tandems hit the rear of the trailer hard enough to knock all three of the rear clearance lights out of their sockets and onto the road.

 

this is good stuff, guys thanks

 

1) Mixing the brake lines to the trailer and wondering why the trailer brakes won't release.

2) Pulling a trailer labeled "CR England"

3) Getting lost, and instead of stopping to get your bearings you continue until you hit a low bridge

4) Following the GPS like it's a God

5) putting DEF into the fuel tank

 

Having a trailer that automatically dumps its airbags when you set its parking brake.... has gotten me twice.
Once by being backed into a dock that had concrete wheel ramps, when I tried to pull out, the bags hadnt raised tne trailer yet, and the trailer bumper was hooked over the back edge of the ramp.
The second time was in a truckstop. I had gotten into the habit of dumping the trailer air, and waiting for it to settle before setting the tractor brakes. I also have the habit of releasing the trailer brakes before my morning walk around so I can hear any leaks..... combine that with forgetting to set the tractor brakes one night...... and you find me running back to the cab after walking halfway down the trailer, when I realized the mistake........had to back up 30 feet back into the parking spot to finish my checks.....opps.

I think ALL of us drivers in limited trucks have been guilty of trying to pass someone going .2mph slower than us at least once or twice... lol.

Lastly, pulling into a driveway and several hundred feet around the REALLY tight side of a building to make a delivery.... and then having the reciever say "man you must be a hell of a good driver, no one else is willing to bring a 53ft trailer back here, because the only way out is to back up around the three sharp and VERY tight blind turns you made getting back here. If you had called ahead we would have just unloaded you in the street "..... took me over two hours to get outta there.

 

I'm a recent graduate. And I called the fuel gas and my instructor told me don't ever call it gas it's fuel everyone will know your new to driving if you call it gas.