Going Too Slow?

Everything is relative to what you're talking about. All turns are different, all trucks are different in how well they grip. road surfaces are all different in how well you can grip them in the rain. Some corners are banked more or less then others. The load and the load's weight have an effect. Sounds like perhaps you are a little too "cautious" if a trainer is telling you to speed up. There is no way to answer your question about what can a truck handle safely in a turn because there are too many variables.

 

It's up to you and it's all common sense. If you feel your trainer is being a bit ridiculous and not being safe then find another one.

 

Just tell him you were a Prime driver in a previous life, and you have a COMPELLING URGE that you must abide by to slow down!!

 

Stick with what you're comfortable with. You're the one holding the reins, not your mentor. Sorry brothers and sisters, I piss off a lot you from time to time in them mountains.

 

Yes, just drive the speed you are comfortable with. If someone is in a hurry behind you, if there is another lane, they can pass. Don't worry too much about it, you'll get comfortable with your truck the more time you have behind the wheel.

 

My first impulse is to instruct you to tell your trainer to shut it. If you don't feel comfortable at speeds, you don't have to go at his pace. But your story sounds too unrealistic.

1.Can I take nasty curves at 60 without flying off a mountain?

How nasty can a curve be if the posted limit allows you to run 60 mph?

2. This is driving me nuts because I am either freaked out about losing control or getting yelled at for dropping 5mph.

3. I have found myself slowing down often on curves whenever I feel the truck pull or lean from the force of the curve.

Bad thing to do. You slow down before you hit the curve.

I seriously doubt that any trainer could feel a 5 mph drop in a curve. The lateral g's would make it feel as if you were going faster.

You are painting of a really bad trainer...a dangerous trainer. Is he dangerous? Forcing a rookie to hit tight curves at 60mph is dangerous (suicidal IMO). But that cant be the case. If we asked your trainer about your driving, he would say that you take 55 mph curves at 10 mph.

There are 2 sides to this story. Odds are, that your trainer does have experience AND a good driving record. Add in holes in your story and my vote has to swing towards your trainer being correct.

What do you do? Ride out the remaining 4 weeks until you get your own truck and then drive the way you want in peace. Please do everyone a favor and stay on the bigroad.

 

Bakerman & Shed527 both get it....To the OP...never let another driver , mentor , trainer , or anyone else for that matter push you past the limits that YOU think are safe. This is solely left to the individual...period.

 

There is being a reasonable safe driver, then there is being a "little old lady from Pasadena" driver. It's hard to get a sense for what the OP is talking about but I've seen new drivers come up to a dry curve and freak out and slow to half the speed they could safely take it at and if this is the OP, then he/she needs to loosen up a bit and relax. That level of unnecessary, self-inflicted tension will lead to a short, but very stressful driving career.