Trans Am Still

If you are backing in to pick up a trailer I read that you should be able to see the trailer equally in both mirrors which sounds right but as you are doing this can you see the 5th wheel where it is going to mate up to the trailer as far as the height or do you need to get out and look at it ?

If you fill up both tanks how many miles can you drive before you need fuel again ? (Average)

Do TA drivers put on chains or wait until the roads are clear ?

Are the KW trucks pretty quiet on the inside going at max gov speed ? I heard it was really quiet like a
new car but thought I would ask again. Since my wife will be traveling with me it would be nice to talk without screaming

How long do you have to stay out to get 3 days home time and how long for 4 days home time ?

Thanks in advance for any info , I am sure I will have more questions haha

 

No, you can not see the 5th wheel. You are trained to get out and look to see how it will match up. After some experience, most drivers can just tell from inside the cab if it will be ok. You have about 10'' leeway. You approach the trailer slowly, know when the 5th wheel should come to the trailer edge, if you don't hear a thud but instead the sound of the 5th wheel sliding under, you know you are ok. In all cases you get out after and inspect that the 5th wheel is properly locked in with the trailer (should be the first thing that you do).

The trucks have a practical range around 1,000 miles , 1200+ if you like to live with stress. Your fuel solution will call for you to fuel after around 650-700. That is just a pall park, there are a lot of variables that go into what a trucks range is and what a fuel solution will be. It is rare I go more than 850 miles between fuels, but it does happen.

TA has a no chain policy, roads are clear or we shut down. It is the reason we don't drive in the Rockies, etc. Can not use chains even if you want buy them yourself.

It depends on the road surface, more so than the road surface effects the noise in a car. In all cases, for sure not quiet like a new car but you can have a conversation with screaming. Quiet maybe like a '74 Ford Pinto.

1 week out = 1 day home time. Max of 4 days. I think that is true, I am not a big home time driver.

 

Quiet like a 1974 Pinto , Oh No !!! They are the one's that exploded right ??? Lol

Thanks for the quick reply and great info.

 

^I don't know, get in one with Ralph Nader and see if it is quiet enough to have a conversation about it.

 

The guy that has the video's I was talking about drives a KW T-680 and seems really quiet and when he speaks he seems to not be raising his voice.

So probably not too bad.

 

Got to Ingles and the guy at check in told me guards may ask me to leave after a few hours so I figured I better just go to truck stop. A new one in Marion, I know I went in stupid direction now I have to climb hat hill, off of exit 81 nothing to brag about but a few less miles to drive back.

dennisroc the chances of getting a T-680 here as company are slim. Most likely will get a T-660 or T-700. Both are quiet enough to talk in while going down the road. I agree with everything passport wrote. We use smaller fuel tanks these days I used to have 150 gallon tanks before and you could go a real long ways before you had to fuel again.

Be safe out there

 

Yeah, there is a typo in my post above, I meant to write "for sure not quiet like a new car but you can have a conversation without screaming. Quiet maybe like a '74 Ford Pinto.

"Quiet like a new car" is a very high standard, the trucks are not like that, I wanted to come up with a comparison to let you know it is not to that high standard of a modern, new car ... just a bit lower, like an older model car, 15% less, something like that.

I think the technology in these trucks is really quite amazing, once you get it up to highway speeds, stretched out and everything is tight, stable RPMs, amazing how quiet, efficient and capable they are at handling the huge weight and stresses they are under.

 

Currently in effingham,il at petro doing my break. I have 696 miles left before my final. It's due at 6:30 am on tuesday in philly.

 

In door getting unloaded. About 200 miles from the house. Can't wait to get home. I am almost willing to unload this myself. Ok not really I will let Capstone do it. LOL