how many of you prospective new truck drivers REELY know how to read an atlas??

Map reading is useless unless the person has some sense of direction. without knowing which way is north or south or east or west, maps are useless.

The other thing I think map reading should be part of a road test and the written test for a CDL. If we are to be treated like a commercial pilot (elogs, DOT physical, HOS, etc. ...), then we need to start going through the same type of testing. ...... of course I'm kidding ... or am I?

 

Great post!

 

I grew up knowing how to help navigate on family vacations.

was part of my fathers lessons leading up to driving the car.

I've met so many people that have know idea where they actually or how they got there.

GPS said go here and there. so what part of town are you??

north side, west.

got a young couple comes to house for a BBQ, been here 100 times.

still get lost if GPS messes up.

it's only across town, 30 miles, but they have no idea what the town looks like on a map.

or what roads they drove on. blindly follow the GPS.

and of course I don't own one.

dumb phone atlas and a pad of paper. really!

I just can't afford right now. not high on my priority list.

 

The only thing I ever used the Atlas for was to hide loose leaf log sheets from the DOT. That I might try to fix later on. And to find out where I was parked if there was nobody to tell me on Ch 19

 

I sure do. I had an idea before I got into trucking. My school was 22 weeks 600 hours and this was a main topic. From trip planning to just going through the atlas. Glad I went to a true trucking school.

 

Trip planing is optional in theses schools.
They went over the atlas with us for like a hour or so.

Glad I allready knew how read one.

 

yup. There's another place down the road. 4 week CDL program. Lol


i had 12 weeks of class, and 10 weeks of maneuvers and pre-trip before we were eligible for a CDL test.

 

I've talked to several drivers in truck stops that had no clue how to read a road atlas. They were lost & didn't even know what mile markers are.

 

Please tell me your kidding .........

And people wonder why the internet is filled with hate to all trucking companies . Yea some deserve it rightfully , but some of these people are set up for failure from day one ..