Can I get some sympathy here?

They shouldn't have docked ya for that. Fire trucks are a good reason to hit the curb if you have to, I have driven part way into the ditch to let emergency vehicles by. Lives being saved is more important then not hitting the curb or going into the ditch. The examiner is obviously a complete mental case not to recognize this. You took a failure, so those firemen could do their jobs. I say good job to you and I praise you for letting them by in a timely manner, who knows maybe because you did what it took to get out of the way it changed the outcome of the fire for the better.

 

Heh I do that to my husband all the time. But he asked for it. The braggard proclaimed I'd NEVER see him forgetting to check his splitter. Mwahahahah. He does it to me back though, and I will admit he gets me every #### time.

 

Ohhh! that's gotta bite!

But the others are correct - in the real world, you WILL bang curbs. The important thing is to not take out any signs, posts, or pee-destrians in the process. In the past two weeks, I've had to hit a curb on average of once a day. I've also backed vehicles off the stop line (an Ambulance in Minneapolis was the most fun. Not running code? Yer just another car. Backup! Hit the curb 5 times for that delivery - had to drive through a residential neighborhood to get to the receiver... ugh, what a mess. Definitely a job for a straight truck, not a 70 foot long dreadnaught! Top it off, it was my first blind-side back. Ever)

So, young lady, we'll see you on the road shortly, or else!

 

I would've slapped his hand. beings that 13's are my fav tranny i've had several occasions where i've overlooked putting the splitter where it goes because I was paying attention to something else related to the truck. come to think of it, I do it fairly frequently on the 8 speeds we've got in our rolloff trucks...

right now i'm in hell tho, my assigned truck has a 13 speed, but it's down needing a clutch right now so i'm stuck in another truck and it's a freakin' 5 speed, with a hi/lo splitter. I keep catching myself putting it in low (sooooo not needed.)

 

Hehehe! Are they still MAKING those things, or are you driving an antique?

Hey Storyteller! You did the right thing, no matter the outcome! Your examiner was a (your explitive here)!

 

Not to brag or anything but in the 8 months I've been OTR I've driven 95,000 miles and by my count I've only hit the curb 3 times in those 95k mi. All three times I knew I was going to hit it and eased over it. (two out of three were negotiating circles) Circles are a lot of fun with tractor trailers even more fun than the hairpin jug handles in Jersey.


And I've driven NYC, Jersey and downtown in about 30 major cities. It can be done without hitting curbs you just have to watch carefully and set up your turns properly.

 

They weren't surprises - and I did ease over them. yeah, I COULD have avoided most of them, but it would have taken a lot of back and fill.

Going into, and coming out of the business complex, though - there was zero choice. Place was flatly built for nothing bigger than a 24 foot straight truck.

 

it's in a mack. we've got I wanna say 4 trucks with them in them. talk about dogs....

 

Make sure there are not any fires before you take off.

Man, that luck sucks.