Way back there when you were a newbie....were newbies better drivers?

I've been driving since 1988 when I got out of the USMC and a short stint in construction.. A O/O trained me but didn't do that BS of "knocking me in the back of the head", & rapping my knuckels with a ratchet handle... those sound more like fairy tails.. No one ever learned anything by having it beat into them. I was shown by example, and patience.

What's missing today from training is the customs and curtesies that have been kicked to the curb. Trainers today tell students to "TURN OFF THAT CB" you'll be distracted backing in and driving around a truck stop.. Why?? In earlier years, channel 19 was reserved as the "business" channel". Sure drivers chewed the fat, telled jokes, fought, and lied their tails off.. but did it on other channels when asked to do so to keep 19 clear for the most part.. We understood the need to have a channel open for communication. Backing instructions, directions, mechanical trouble, ect.. If it was going to take a while we took it to another channel.. Way too simple.. TODAY... It's everyone for themselves and screw your neighbor.

WHy don't we police ourselves anymore?? We used to yell at each other if anyone attempted to pass us on the right.. Or failed to give us a blink, blink on the lights after passing.. Slower traffic kept RIGHT... Not drove down the center lane foot on the dash holding up faster traffic.. We WATCHED OUR MIRRORS.. if a faster truck came up behind us we pulled to the right and let him pass.. knowing he was heavier, faster, had more HP or whatever than us... If the rolls were reversed on the next hill he would do the same for me.. say he got boxed in and lost the advantage.. Today..NO WAY.. MAybe we should all go back to driving 290 Cummins, 300 small cams, ect.. we all would appreciate it a whole lot more when someone got out of our way when we were trying to pull a hill!

Back in the past you could always find someone to run with.. you would just yell on the CB.. someone would pipe up going the same direction wanting companionship to keep them awake and help push them, they would do the same for you.. (tell jokes, stories, stop eat together, have coffee, wake each other up.. for days and maybe not even know that persons real name for days just their CB handle...LOL

Were those days better, in many ways yes.. The trucks sure wern't.. the motors were small, the heat barely worked.. A/C was a option few had that I drove.. Cruise was a throttle screw or a stick.. No walk in sleepers.. I once had a crawl through sleeper in a 1974 Pete. (They knock the back window out of a day cab and that is how you get in the sleeper.. by crawling in through the hole where the window used to be) No power steering, no front brakes, No air ride, we had a compression release lever to shut down the engine. If you let it back in to soon the engine would run backwards... Those were the days...

 

I heard that story somewhere before...but i didn't pay no never mind...there were two gorgeous women, a bald headed trucker jabberin, and me...sitting quietly watching Cat roll her eyes and pat your bald head!

Outside of that...I concur with your findings and theory!

 

We did talk about that over coffee the other day didn't we?
She does that patting thing a lot...'Cause I'm so pretty!

 

Defensive driving is not being taught any more since it takes time for the school and the only reason the school is there is to get you a CDL.

Way back when there were only a couple of schools and most companies did there own training. They would take a very experienced driver and make him a driver trainer and he or she (shes were very limited then) did their best to pass on what they knew. Everyone knew that you were trained by so-and -so and that made a big difference. If was like showing their knowledge to the world and of course if something happened everyone would come back and say Joe (or whoever) trained him.

Trucking schools became a big business and they have streamlined the course in what they only need to teach to get the CDL. Then since there's such a large pool of drivers the low life companies don't care if you're trained or not because they have no problem replacing you. I guess it's cheaper that way until there's a huge lawsuit the companies have to pay because of training things will remain the same. It's up to the driver to take pride in what he's doing and being the best professional he can be. He should be better the next day from the day before.

 

Nothings changed, they are just as bad now as they were back 14-20 years ago.......

 

I started driving in the late 70's and like so many others here a Driver with years of experience taught me. I drove with him a year and a few months before I went out on my own. I didn't believe then and do not believe now that you can learn to drive a truck in a few weeks(spent 30+ years and was still learning when I retired) it takes experience!! I believe drivers were better trained years ago simply because the experienced drivers recognized that a stupid rookie mistake could cost another driver his life, therefore you better know how to drive and drive well. I must admit here that I take a lot of pride in being able to drive a truck. Not many could and even fewer would if given a choice at another line of work. In the 70's if you made a mistake 10 drivers would tell you what you did wrong, in the 80's 5 drivers would tell you what you did wrong, in the 90's the companies started telling you what you were doing wrong and its been down hill ever since. For the new guys who go thru the company driving schools I feel for you. You will really never get to experience having a teacher who had over 4.5 million miles without an accident show you what driving a rig was really like and the pride you felt because you recognized just how good he was and all he wanted was for you to be as good as you could be. Yeah I think the guys who learned before the CDL Mills and Schools were better trained. I know I was.

 

Distraction??? Yeah I guess just like the steering wheel it gets in the way.

 

And turn signal lever...many a French Cuff has been snagged on that durn thing!

 

The windshield wipers are a distraction to. Especially when they go back and forth across the windshield in the rain. The shift lever is a distraction. Unbelievable!!

 

Don't forget all the other cars and trucks on the road...don't they realize this is our #### highway!