Female Noob off to School - What's most Important?

Rookie mistakes are rookie mistakes... Anybody who tells you otherwise is full of it.

Simple Rules:

When it doubt, get out- Backing is probably the hardest thing you'll have to do. So get out and look if you're concerned.

Always double-check EVERYTHING when you get back in the cab- Too many people I know have had stuff stolen from inside AND outside their trucks (from Laptops to Pigtails)

Listen to the radio- Get to know where to find local news stations, and keep the CB on if you have one. Traffic reports (and a good atlas) will outdo GPS any day... And you don't want to lose
hours because you're stuck behind some horrific traffic jam/accident/escaped cattle-in-the-road issue.

Be polite- If you're smart, you've found yourself a nice CB rig... Use it. If you see a POPO, call out the MM... If someone asks about a scale being open behind you, let them know. If you're helpful, and you run the same routes over and over, you're bound to make friends. When you make friends, they're much more liable to help YOU out with YOUR questions/comments/issues.

Complacency- The number one killer in your new profession is complacency. If you get TOO comfortable, or too ####y, you're bound to F-up. I just recently found out that I guy I knew from a previous job, who had over twenty years of driving under is belt, was killed. I knew him to be a bit of a hotshot, and I told him as much once. His reply was "Look-e at the rookie, tellin' me what I can't do." Whitnesses claim he died while writing something down (presumably in his log book), because he didn't want to take the time earlier that day (or later, when he stopped for the day)to correct his logs. I've also seen a guy with 13+ years, dump a trailer off the back of his truck at over 20mph, because he didn't want to spend the extra 30 seconds in the rain to double-check that his fifth-wheel was locked on the kingpin.

Logs- Check, double-check, and check again... Stupid fines.

Scaling- The extra $7.50 could save you a LOT of money further down the road.

Pre-trips- (Go back to complacency) Feel free to ask the forum members about the quarter-in-the-gladhand trick... If it happens to you, you will feel REALLY STUPID after you call your dispatcher, and you wait for three hours for a service truck.

Weather/Roads/Hills- All of these things suck: What's important in each of these conditions are knowing your speed, your weight, and your following distance. Once you get the basics down, you can worry about brake fade, tires, jake brake, and gearing (when in doubt, downshift).

I think I've pretty much summed it up... Any additions I may have forgotten, feel free to add on.

 

"If you see a POPO, call out the MM".......
I have learned a lot reading these forums, but THESE acronyms have me stumped, & I bet I am not the only one. I can only speculate on what they stand for....

 

First, I'd like to congratulate you Nydia on deciding to go the school route rather than signing on with a Company based training program.

You've already shown that your brain is working. I've seen both ends of the school (I trained with NETTTS, New England Tractor-Trailer Training School then took what C.R. England mistakenly refers to as a 'refresher' course). Company sponsored driving schools are a farce. They are no better than a puppy mill except for the fact that, at a puppy mill, you DO get puppies.

I was up against some kids that, because I was the 'old man' thought they were gonna rip me a new one. Surprise, kiddies, the 'Old Man' took ALL the awards, Over the Road, Academic, Backing... everything. Yeah, that's right, I got the hat, the shirt, the buckle,... everything.

Here's my advice to you.
Pay attention to your instructors, read your manuals and memorize your pre-trip like it was an oath to live by (it actually is). Understand how things work on your truck, why loosing air will result in brake application (lots of people think it's the air that causes the brakes to apply,... quite the opposite, in fact).
Backing skills require a common sense approach. Remember that your trailer doesn't 'react' as fast as your tractor does. It'll take a good 5-6 feet before the tandems even begin to start turning (unless you are in a cab-over and hardly anyone but a yard jockey uses one anymore). Setup is the key to your success. Pay attention to how the trailer reacts, set your mirrors so you actually have to lean a little towards them to see them (eliminates that blind spot you hear so much about) and take your time. Backing is an idle speed event. You will see drivers backing fast but they are the ones that are NOT professionals. Just because you have a CDL does not make you a professional driver. Most of them aren't (you fill find this out once you get on the road).

Best of luck in your endeavors and remember too... the POSTED speed limit is the MAXIMUM speed you are allowed to do, it's not the required speed. Slow is safe. Stay below the limit and you'll not only conserve fuel but you'll get there safely, on time and without a shifted load.
God bless, drive safe and enjoy the ride.

 

MM = mile marker.

 

WOW!! Sounds like you've already had a lifetime of experiences! Trucking is going to be a piece o' cake, relatively speaking!

 

This can get a little tricky. The school i went to was headquarted in new jersey, where i hail from. The campus i attended was in new castle, de. I got a jersey permit while the de students got a de permit. All of my practice driving was in de (might have hit md for a mile or two) then tested in jersey. We also had some students from pa and md there. Idk maybe there is a recipcory (otter help!) in place to allow this. Out in tx i can see not leaving state on a permit but in the north east the small states its kinda hard.

 

With that Real-Life experience...
...I have a sneaking suspician you'll do well.

 

First forget you are a woman. No crying in truck driving. Always remember you are in a Truck not a car. They turn differently. And in an emergency the first thing you do is drive the truck. Ask for help when you need it. And when I am parked next to you at a truck stop it would be nice if you would clean out my sleeper and make the bunk for me.