Drivers who didn't go to school

now that is a term i haven't heard for a while 4x4, now i got to say i miss that old 4x4 hot stick it was a great tranny. southernpride

 

I started this game in pre CDL pre drug test days. Back then Wis only required a chauffers licence and there was no road test. Personaly I think a newb can learn the rope OTJ better in 2 weeks than he could in 2 months of school, but then I'm not a pinhead underwriting insurance or holding office in Washitington...LOL

My first truck was a spring ride cabover with no power steering. But I aint as old as our good friend southernpride.

 

I started this game in pre CDL and pre drug test days. Back then Wis only required a chauffers licence and there was no road test. Personaly I think a newb can learn the ropes OTJ better in 2 weeks than he could in 2 months of school, but then I'm not a pinhead underwriting insurance polocies or drug user holding office in Washitington...LOLMy first truck was a spring ride cabover with no power steering. But I aint nearly as old as our good friend southernpride....(grins pard)

 

I never went to school. I am a 4th generation o/o. My great-grandfather owned trucks back in the day. One of my grandfathers farmed and the other one ranched. My Grandpa that farmed also trucked. He trucked under his own authority and hauled everything that needed trucked for himself and my other grandpa, and also owned a reefer and a flatbed. He trucked about 3/4 of the time and stayed on the farm the rest of the time. My dad hated ranch work and left as soon as he was old enough in a truck. That's pretty much all he's ever done. Still doing it with his own small fleet of 15 trucks. I had lots of guys to turn to when I needed help, advise, or a good swift kick on the pants. It was a great place to learn.

I started by following combines on the farm. My grandpa and dad trained me. They wanted me to be able to maneuver the truck pretty good before I got to drive on the road. I was able to back a grain hopper or a ground load cattle trailer anywhere before I had my driver's license, and that was my Dad and Grandpa's plan. I started around 15 or 16, don't remember, but before I had a driver's license.

One I got a driver's license, and Grandpa and Dad was sure I could back, make turns, and get in and out of things on my own, I was allowed to drive from field to field.

By the time I got my intrastate CDL at 18, I could shift, back, and was overall pretty comfy with the size of the tractor trailer. I hauled grain, cattle, and the occasional flatbed load for my grandfathers.

By the time I drove a truck in traffic, or in a large town or city, I was completely comfortable with the size of the truck and trailer, and only had to worry about learning about the other parts of trucking besides actually driving in traffic.

My Grandpa who was in trucking, helped me to get a job with a buddy of his that owned a small fleet. I had lots of grey haired guys running with me, most of the time. THey had instructions to "kick my ###" when I messed up.

I wouldn't trade my experience for any school. It's why I am kind of a proponent of a graduated CDL. It allowed me to get little parts at a time without being thrown to the wolves all at once right away. I got to ease into it, so to speak.

 

old mans school of hard knocks,,,was my school, started out as a yard jocky,till the old man bought his own,,,,,then started makeing trips with him,thru the south west,an the old man was a little guy 6 foot 4 inch 350 lbs italian,with arms like mogila gorila ,and god forbid it you cherped ,ticked,scratch ground missed a gear while he was in the sleeper,,,,,,nothing was said ,just that big azzhat arm comes out and smacks you in the back of the head,,, trust me ,its a attention getter,all this at the ripe old age of 13 yrs old to 16 yrs old,,,,,but to say the least this is back when there was chauffers lic not cdls,and now that i look back on it and the old man has past yrs ago,,,, i wouldnt trade it for anything in the world,it was the only thing him and i got to do together,as father and son and this was due to him busting his butt to make a liveing for a better life for his family!!!! kinda glad he aint around to see the mess its turned in to now to be a truck driver

 

I'm learning the old school way. I found a local logging outfit who wanted a youngster to learn lowboy work (chips and logs too). I ride to the jobsite with one of the drivers and run a skidder during the day. On Saturdays I've been washing the trucks, which allows me shifting and bobtail practice. The plan is to learn slowly so that by the time I get my license, I will be able to get the job done. I also help out in the shop now and then, learning how to maintain the equipment. The best part is: I'm learning a more challenging part of the industry, in a better way, and getting paid for it. Much better than paying a school 5 grand to teach me the test.

 

I learned to drive when my grandfather stuck me in his old lj mack with a 5x2 250 cummins one afternood when i was bored and told me to have fun running up and down the dirt road by the house did that for about 6 years then at 16 started running my fathers r model mack hauling dozers and dump trailer at 18 went to dmv made an appointment for the test passed the written and driving and away i went at 21 i could go out of state so i went to work for the local sawmill running log truck and flatbed no cdl medical card or any of the bs we have now get pulled over and told to take it home now they would throw ya in jail.

 

schools are for wussies! lol


schools are a more recent thing. Used to be you needed to know someone or just jump in a truck and learn it. My old man taught me

 

When I was 13 I worked on a dairy farm and it was silage season. We were cutting away and one of our truck drivers had to leave. Step Dad who also worked there got pissed cause the truck wasn't moving and yelled at me to get in the truck and and drive. So I did. It was a '91 Volvo straight truck with a 8 speed. Drove that thing during summers threw high school. Now I work for a harvest crew. Hauled my first over sized load 16' 4'' wide with no instruction (one lane roads through construction zones with orange barrels are fun) and pulled doubles 48 ft lead, tandem dolly with 10 foot hitch and 28 foot pup weighed down to 130,000 pounds with no instruction. Did learn the hard way not to go down dead end roads with the doubles though. I practiced through high school and paid 100 or so bucks for my CDL's.