I wasn't trying to be sarcastic, just concerned. At my age I have found individual personalities differ. Just because I had to go to a driving school, doesn't necessarily mean I'm a novice either. Some of us have been out of it for a while and now coming back because situations change. I think Maverick would be a great company to drive for. All the threads I've read and the drivers answers to questions I have posted. Have been helpful. If Maverick does gives me the opportunity to join the rest of the best. I'll be happy and proud. But I wasn't trying to be a hot shot, loud mouth or obnoxious. If anything I posted upset you or anyone on here, I apologize. So that said, what is the check ride like and what do they usually make you do. Thanks
I remember when Autocar, was the only truck with an auto. Maybe there were others but that's the one I remember.
Ha! I'm probably the last person you'd need to apologize to and in this case none are needed. I too am on the "OTR v2.0" track, and will start orientation on Sunday. I've been lucky being able to get some annual seat time evaluating high tech truck stuff. (Including AMTs) Good luck, and see you down the road. PS, Allison had autos behind Detroit VT92s in the early '70's (Monfort was running a test fleet in KW K100's.) At about that time Cat had a 12 spd. semi-auto, but I don't know if anybody was using it OTR.
I remember Monfort. I was leased on to Anderson trucking in St. Cloud, MN. 3 of us were delivering crane parts from Manitowoc headed to LaHarve, France. We were to late to go out onto the docks at Dundalk terminals so had to wait until the next morning to enter. While we were in line waiting, all of these cop cars, ambulance and fire trucks came shooting around us and headed out onto the docks. Word was, a Monfort truck had been setting there for 3 days. When they opened the back of the trailer they found the driver way forward in the "temperature controlled trailer", hanging from a meat hook. Monfort, 3 or 4 guys to a truck sometimes. I never knew they ran autos though. I'll look forward to meeting you if I get lucky. Now how about the check ride? Is it like any other check ride?
Whoops. Forgot. Good luck on your Sunday start. If you don't mind, let me know how it goes. Again, good luck.
You'll do fine. I also ALWAYS manually shift mine in an effort to feather the throttle and to keep the rpms low. Easy peasy.
Where it has to be nice is in city stop and go traffic. The mountains I can definitely understand the shifting with a retarder. I wonder though, if the auto is similar to a cars transmission. It would have to react the same way in the mountains. A lot of braking, or does the retarder work the same either way?
I remember the Monfort Express trucks. Them and the bull haulers had the left lane all to themselves on I-80. The bears left them alone
The only time I remember seeing a patrol car around them was either in a ditch or at a scale being gone through. I am not even sure some of the drivers had class A licenses.
Monfort ran three guys to a truck, one was at home while the other two drove. All of their runs were generally out of Greely, CO full and deadhead back, so after every run, one would jump off and the third guy would jump in. As long as fuel was cheap, it was a decent model. The tricolor paint jobs earned Monfort's fleet the "Circus Wagon" nickname, but when you looked up close, the trucks were actually pretty plain. (Steel wheels, minimal chrome, base KW interior etc.) Not claiming to be the Shupe Bros. historian, but I used to run the East Coast running swinging beef out of Omaha for Midwest Seaboard (their nickname was the Monfort Stompers since we ran the same Cat motors but had all 13spds.) and we used to frequently run together to the same consignees. Their trucks actually weren't that fast (5 over - the big hole - was blocked off.) but they could run 70+ all day. Since they were deadheading half the time, they seemed a lot faster than they really were. Keeping up with 'em going back west across PA was impossible.
