Applied today at American Truck School

Day 4 and week 1 is a wrap. I’ve got a fair amount of pre-trip down. Did my first in-cab today and it went very well. Also got to drive another 10-speed sleeper cab with dry-box trailer today. Overall I’m feeling pretty darn good about it all. I just want to restate that this school has some excellent instructors. BTW, they’re looking to add another instructor if you’re in the market for that type of gig.

 

Week 2 is off to a good start. Learned how to do off-set backing today. Drove both the 6-speed manual daycab with flatbed with synchronized transmission, and the 18-wheeler with sleeper cab with 10-speed non-synchronized transmission. Took the big guy on a short stretch of I-5, which was nowhere as scary as I thought it'd be. Also learned a little trick that helped with my downshifting. Worked more on pre-trip too. Things are starting to come together and make more sense.

 

• Pre-trip and a lot of driving the big rig today. Freeway, industrial area, and in the hills. In the hills was fun but dang my neck hurts from going left, right, left, right on the winding road and watching those mirrors. I'd hate to drive a rig in an area like that without a Jake Brake. Got my DMV test date today, right at the end of my 4th week of school, perfect.

 

More pre-trip today, walk-around and in-cab. More offset backing too. I’m getting there.

 

7 out of 8 hrs today spent inside in the class room doing logs, etc. Normally I would of been bummed being in the class all day, but it's been raining ash all day outside from a local wildfire.

 

3 weeks down, 1 week to go. Dialing in the parallel and alley dock. Got the offset and straight-line dialed in. Just about got the walk-around and in-cab dialed in. Next week will be fine-tuning for the exam.