Curtains, sick days, batterys, and more. ?'s From a Noob

Curtains: Both

Keep your hands off that brake lever, unless your sliding tandems. The red knob is the trailer brakes..

Safes: up to you, locking cabinets depend on the truck

Jake brakes: switch on the dash and/or steering wheel. Activated when you take your foot off of the accelerator.

Snow tires: heavy enough and if not you have chains, your are required to carry chains in some states.

Anti-idling: your dog has more rights.

Cb: some receivers and shippers use them to tell you to get gone. Good for road condition reports, bear checks etc..

DAC: yes, but doesn't mean it will work

Training: loads are loads. Some short some longer. More to the longer. Technically you are a team..

Sickness: depends on how much time is on the load.. Company only care about getting that load there on time. So don't get sick

Batteries: not very long. That's why people idle ..

 

My answers are in bold.

 

HI! I have some noob questions! I plan on starting CDL school with a private company soon. Here they are..

-Curtains in the sleeper. Do they just separate the sleeper from the rest of the cab or do they go along the windshield/side windows?? I assume it depends on which truck...
Every truck is different. Some will have curtains for both the windshield AND the sleeper, or some just the sleeper.

-Freightliners seem to have a handle for the trailer brakes quite visible. I haven't seen them in other makes. Are they there but just smaller? What's the purpose? Does the yellow push/pull knob do the same thing?
Most trucks have it on the steering column. Some companies order trucks without it to save a penny. The yellow knob is your parking brakes and is not the same thing. You'll see in school.

-Safes. Are they a good idea? Or are some tractor cabinets lockable?
Waste of time really, unless you're running team and don't want your partner to have access. There are many hidey holes in a truck that will work far better than a safe, unless your concern is fire.

-Where's the jake brake switch located?
On the dash if the truck is equipped with one. This is the least of your concerns when learning how to drive.

-Do trucks need snow tires or are they heavy enough to get by without?
Trucks carry chains or cables for terrible weather conditions. Your company will determine if you are allowed to use them. Some will just have you wait it out, rather than put you in dangerous weather. No matter what though, if you don't feel comfortable with your abilities and the weather, wait it out. A service failure IS WAY BETTER than rollover.

-I've heard much about anti-idling laws. Seems like a good idea. However, if you're bedded down for the night somewhere south in August then what? Unlike heat, the a/c can't run on batteries (I assume).
Some states like CA really don't care if its 100 degrees in the sleeper and your trying to get your 10 hrs of rest. Others have sleeper berth exemptions. It's really a hodge podge of local and state laws designed to suck money out of your wallet. Some trucks, depending on the company you choose have APU's which give you A/c in the summer and heat in the winter. The heat doesn't run on batteries either. If you're with a no idle company that doesn't have an APU or other auxiliary heat/cooling devices, you're not going to sleep very well 2 out of4 seasons

-Purpose of CB in the cell phone age. Just to BS back and forth?
Do you know the cell # for the truck in front of you? Can you call home on a CB? The cell phone has nothing to do with the CB. The CB will allow drivers coming the other way to warn you of accidents, back ups, etc. It also allows those traveling the same way to let you know of a problem with your rig (lights out, etc). On top of that, a lot of shippers and receivers use it to let you know it's your turn to unload.

-Can a DAC entry be contested?
It can be contested if untrue.

-During training, do they usually assign shorter runs so that more backing/ loading/ client contact/ etc is exposed to the trainee?
Most companies run the truck as a solo for a couple days working, into a light team and then depending on the company, run you like a team until you test out. It all depends on your trainer's feedback to the dispatcher.

-In the event you're sick enough to make driving unsafe will the company allow you to take it easy and rest for a day or two? Will they send someone for your load?
If you are sick, and I mean puking or unable to drive safely, don't drive. If your dispatcher doesn't get it, safety will. Only YOU can make the determination whether you are well enough to drive safely. if you have the sniffles and try to call out, expect some flack, as you should.

-I understand some trucks have several batterys to heat the cab while he engine is off. With parking lights and heat on how long do these batterys run?
Why would you have your parking lights on? There is no reason to leave your lights on, especially while not idling unless you like service calls. Usually heat is not provided by batteries, it would be provided by a small diesel fired heater that uses battery power to circulate the air with a fan.

Thanks, fellas!

 

Trucks have both curtains.

The yellow button is your tractor brakes and the red button your trailer brakes air supply. The handle you see on the steering column is for the trailer brakes only. It's only good for sliding your axles on the trailer or just set the red button like most do.

I had a little safe in my truck, but keep your money online and use plastic.

Most trucks have a battery bank of 4-6 batteries. They usually last long enough to watch tv 8 hours. Trucks have a low voltage shutdown. Once it gets to about 11.5V the electrical will shut down and usually you have just enough to start the truck back up. Many idle or have an APU that supplies all the power you need and keeps the batteries charged and cooling system warm.

Yes, you can get one free DAC report a year and contest anything on it. That usually consist of did he do it? Yes he did? But you can go on the HireRight website and look under "contact us" and see that info.

Training, you are going to run as a team and means you get the longer runs. That way you get ample drive time. You'll have plenty of opportunity for backing, parking and docking.

A CB is a handy tool for communicating say within 4 miles or so. Many shipper/receivers communicate with you on the CB. Other truckers communicate with you. You don't have their cell numbers, so the CB comes in handy especially for traffic or weather conditions.

If you are sick enough, you can shut down. But don't do it under load if all possible. Don't be a wimp either. Everytime you get the sniffles is not an excuse. I shut down once in 15 years because I broke a tooth and was put on pain meds. I've picked up relays from other sick drivers that had the flu and such. Truck drivers are exposed to alot. So your body builds immunity to alot. You will run across food poisoning more than normal because you eat out more than most. You just pull out the pink stuff and tough it out. I always get a flu shot every year and I'm good to go.

Your tires are all weather and you use chains in the Rocky Mountain states like CO. In the east and midwest, if it gets too bad, you shut down until the roads are plowed and salted. A few storms will shut you down for hours. I have sat in 3' of snow for 2 days before. Another time I had to sit a day in the middle of nowhere where another truck jackknifed and blocked the road. The weather was so bad the law wouldn't even come out there. Those are the days you are glad you keep your truck stocked.

 

Lol, you all type quicker than me.

 

It's yours! You will be issued one during orientation and gracefully charged for it! Some want kingpin locks too! Highly recommend you don't lose it, they are expensive.

Definitely have some unique questions. Most of which I don't think you should be too concerned over. Most of your questions are going to depend on which truck you get issued.

Welcome to the forum and good luck!

 

He's probably referring to the ParkSmart system, which is Freightliner's factory installed "no idle" HVAC system in the Cascadia. It provides both ac (electrically operated compressor) and heat (diesel fired heater that also warms the block). Whether heating or cooling it uses the same factory sleeper ductwork and blower and runs on battery power. Supposed to last at least 10 hrs on cooling and longer when heating, since the ac compressor, which draws the most power, will be off.

I've read some posts that it's not nearly as effective as a regular sleeper ac connected to the engine would be, especially it hot desert climates during the day.

 

Your right about the questions being unique. Kind of refreshing. lol Both companies I've worked for have issued locks and you only had to pay for them if you lost them. These Abloys are expensive, so don't lose one!!!!