What Speed to Exit a Highway for an Off-Ramp

Your trainer is an a---hole. Those speeds are posted by a weird formula, that basically says it's safe for cars. Both companies I've worked for keep chanting the mantra go half the posted speed. I'll admit that half is a bit much, but I do try to hit the turns about 5 mph less than the posted speed.

 

Thanks, I cannot say I disagree. He spent a lot of time telling me I was overly cautious. I don't feel that is possible while driving a tractor trailer.

 

I think my fave is 118B on 64eb in va. I regularly end up going 15mph in the right lane before being able to get on the ramp there. It's awesome too, most people are still going a bit quickly on the downgrade.

Do what needs to get done to take the curve safely. If someone rear ends you beforehand and your turn signal is on and you're just being safe... well I hope your dot bumper didn't collapse and their airbags work.

 

If the sign is yellow with the black speed limit sign, technically yes, that is a suggested speed limit. I would say highly suggested. If we can handle the truth, it is strenuously suggested (bonus points if anyone knows the movie reference lol)

The white sign with black speed limit is the actual speed limit. Yellow is the suggested and at an offramp or curve, or whereever that yellow speed limit sign may be it has been taught that we go at least 5 below that suggestion.

Only thing we can do is drive to our comfort level and not be intimidated or bullied to drive the way we don't want to. When we hold the CDL we have the power to do what is absolutely right and legal, no one can tell us different.

 

Yes, it was a constant point of contention. I had to drive in the
snow my first week, and I repeatedly asked my trainer to take
over, he kept refusing, till finally I said, you have ten minutes
and I am parking this truck.

 

These exits simply are not built for heavy trucks. This one reason some ramps have damage at the tops. Years ago I had to use the Northbound Ga 17 exit off of I 85 in Georgia. I had several close calls there. I understand why it was made that way. This still don't make it any easier to make that exit.

 

When the sign says my exit is half mile away I slow down to 55. If it is a standard ramp just drop a gear and lightly brake and coast, in gear, to the end, dropping gears as necessary. If it is one of the 25 mph switch back types I slow down so that as I'm exiting the main highway I'm already down to 40. All I have to do is drop one more gear at that point and lightly brake as I go through it. People behind you won't like it but this thing isn't a Honda Civic; using the highway to slow down is a must in some situations.

 

Who are you to make demands? Your trainer has the ability to deal with whatever mistakes you might be making in that snow. Refusal to drive in such a such a situation provided to you by Trainer usually gets you sent home on the slow bus.

 

I am the person driving this seventy foot vehicle that I am inexperienced at which is why I was in training! I think the word train means to teach, not to throw you in the deep end and say good luck.
What the hell do I need a trainer for if he is not going to teach me????

 

You have to learn. If you were feeling in deep then, ask the trainer to give you pointers. This is where you get into people relations. Some trainers are the strong silent type. Others are very command theatrical and some are profane when something needs fixing and so on.

I put my spouse into rush hour Dallas on a friday late afternoon to leave Lancaster after warning her that she is going to be headed towards Raton, but first out of Dallas. She was familiar with Dallas. As a trainer I cannot find out certain things I need to know about spouse behind a 18 wheeler until I see her perform, or not. Part of the exercise is to identify a weakness and if there is not one found during heavy traffic I would watch her carefully and everything around and participate in the training part if there were things not quite smooth as it should be. She did well. I put her into other deep end situations, such as Black Mountain in the east coast was her first downgrade. I figured if she already made it all the way around the Smokey range to get to Black she will run black well enough, and did. I finally found two weaknesses that became operation consideratiions in the future, extreme precision driving a few inches next to a 3 foot drop of a construction without walls and wide open spaces of north central nevada.

Without the knowledge gained I could not teach her how to conquer it. If she sat there in 10 minutes and essentially parked the truck making demands, I would have taken her home. Or any student.

You. Have to reach down inside yourself find a pair and deal with the stress of the deep end. That is how you learn and get good. It's part of training. I don't know any other way to put it except maybe join the Army where the DI will talk to you in a PC manner.