Finally In School

Hey Rug,

Glad to see all is well.......you will be out of the Internationals next week, and then you will be training on the range in some new Volvo day cabs. They are like 2 years old, and only leave the property to be fueled. They turn very tight, and are easy to do manuvers........but tend to give a false sense of security, as backing with a typical fleet truck with a sleeper is a whole different ball game. Thats why they will get you into that Freightshaker that Western Express donated (Detroit 60 ser./Super 10). Have fun!!

 

Good morning Rug Trucker,
Sounds like you're pumped about your school and your future. I noticed in your profile that you're 52 yo but have 8 years of prior trucking experience. I'm 55 and have no prior experience in trucking. I start a commercial driving school next summer at a local junior college and am concerned about how my age will affect my hireability. Any thoughts?

 

Oldnewbiewannabe: I am 59 and concerned about the same issue. I was going to attend a training school and hope to get a job offer but I think I have decided to try to go to a company training school. I hope it will be easier to get an offer that way. I live in KC MO and looking at companies that have a terminal close so if I need to park my truck there I can. I live in a neighborhhod that will not allow trucks park on the street.

Rug Trucker: Keep us informed how it is going. BTW what school/company are you attending?

 

I think in previous years, companies loved to hire people in your age group with a good working history & Driving record......but in this day and age where even the training companies have their truck's filled up, it will be super tough for any new driver to find a quality company. In an industry that relies so much on the enconomy, trucking will be the first to recover........but as in previous years, when the economy does recover, it takes months for the industry to get back up to speed, as everyone has closed their company schools, and discouraged many people from going into this industry. The next phase of this period, is a mass closing of private driving schools as the industry develops a surplus of students, and no trucks to put them in.....I would say we are not far from this point right now. If it were not for all the turn over in new drivers (not what people think it is) we would be like many industries in the us and not hiring at this point. The good news is, this is not going to last long..........but the FMCSA is taking this slow time to change a whole host of rules applying to new drivers ( and drivers & companies in general) and this industry will re-emerge much higher regulated.

 

If you have a good work history and driving record and can pass a DOT physical, your age will actually be an advantage over some young kid that just got out of HS and hasn't been driving that long, with little or no work history. Us 50 somethings are more responsible and dependable...atleast we're supposed to be Best of luck to you Rug Trucker. I assume you used to haul carpet?

 

Rug,

All I can say is......"Clutch go to neutral.......Clutch go to gear"!!! lol

In the real world your all done with "high revving" It will kill your mileage and your fleet will be all over your butt. This week they will talk more about "keeping it in the middle of the range" many schools dont talk about this, and you will have a leg up in your company test drive.......in fact most of these companies will train you to really go through the gears on the low end very fast, barely getting in the middle. It's refferred to as progressive shifting, and they will cover this when you get comfortable with the double clutching (required for testing). You talk about about floating gears, I learned this by mistake (my trainer was a stickler for double clutching all 8 weeks!!, and required in my final test drive by the safety dept) I just found when you listen to the engine, and get off of the fuel pedal......it was easy to pull into neutral, and with the proper road speed it would just about fall into the next gear. That cat engine in the Pete is a powerhouse compared to the typical Detroit 60 Ser. engine you will find in the most fleet trucks, so when you get out of school and get into a feet truck with a load, you will have to catch those gears much faster then your currently shifting.

 

Hey Rug,
Glad to hear you got into a class and it's going well for you.

Double clutching is a pain int the ###. Jonny1 said, "Clutch go to neutral.......Clutch go to gear." If only it was that easy. The thing with using a clutch on these big trucks is that you only have to push it in maybe half an inch, just enough to disengage. If you push it to the floor like you would in a car or pickup, you engage the clutch brake which stops the tranny and you grind the gears. My school didn't teach floating gears, and when I went to the company, they didn't want us floating during training at orientation. But when I got out with the trainer, the first thing he did was show me how to float. I never knew it would be so easy! I just finished my first week out with the trainer and he said I'm doing pretty good so far and that my shifting has greatly improved. I still have problems, but nothing like when I use the clutch.

I wouldn't be concerned about your age too much, as long as you're healthy, can pass the physical, and are in good enough condition to do the job. When I was in orientation, there were a couple guys that were in their fifties and made it thru the process.