Going down steep grades and night driving

Like it's been said, go down the grade at a speed that's comfortable. Screw the speed limit, other drivers.

 

You drive as slow as necessary to not wreck & ideally to never smoke your brakes. 2 things are certain about newbies, they push the clutch pedal too deep & they rush complicated tasks so people will like them. Both guarantee bad results.

You work on expanding your "comfort zone". Frankly, your comfort isn't to be considered. You practice safely what you can do to eventually include the more difficult tasks. This is a new skill. You shouldn't be comfortable doing it. You need to learn the techniques that allow you to do the difficult things safely.

Practice backing EVERY DAY. Practice route planning & scheduling. Practice getting usable weather info, not just the most dramatic stories from the least observant witnesses. Practice whatever is uncomfortable. Do not ignore the feeling of being uncomfortable & just push through anyway. For each situation say what you should focus on and how you should do it, specifically. It's the vague nature of not knowing what to do that amplifies the anxiety.

Slowly doing the right thing in the right way is much faster than to hurry up & make a big mess. This is a set of skills you see & learn, not a set of stories. I think you are maybe too much in your own head. Whether you are learning brain surgery, knitting, or landing jets in a blizzard each is a series of specific actions & monitoring the info that shows if you are safely proceeding or out of control.

You should also ask your trainer many of these questions. He knows company procedures & is in the truck with you.

 

Some companies & some dispatchers will work with newbies better than others. When you pick an place to work you are walking into their environment & culture. No driver changes the company culture. Ignore people that say all companies are alike. Maybe all the uncaring, no quality companies they worked for were similar. Choose wisely, it can't be done with only online info. Easy to get info isn't valuable. Valuable info isn't easy to get.

 

Good advice from professional drivers. Learn it slow to make it right. That's building a solid skill foundation. With a little luck, common sense and decades of driving you'll be a top hand. Roll easy.

 

You shouldn't expect to learn this job by reading, but by doing. There is a safe way to do everything. Do it the safe way.

 

I've found in my limited experience that getting in a hurry for whatever reason is when you make mistakes. If you're not sure you did it right, stop and check your work. That ain't going anywhere.

 

That's a good question. In Colorado, the posted minimum speed for a semi downhill is 25mph, I think. While 10 mph is a bit over cautious, you should be able to go down most hills loaded at 25.
Remember, the dispatcher, generally, is not your friend. They have a job to do, get the loads delivered. They don't care what time of day, or how desolate, they go home at 5. Comfort zone is a relative term. You'll learn to accept whatever happens, comfort zone or not, elsewise, you won't make it far in this industry.

 

Even Dale Earnhardt didn't start out at Daytona. He had to work his way up slowly. (ironically, he did die there, though).

Just food for thought.

 

What has been said above , being nervous is natural , it is a instinct to keep you alive.
Dispatch is in a chair hundreds of miles away , there thoughts are on the load , not your comfort level. Go as slow as you need if you drive faster than your lights you'll get a surprise someday. Get your mind on what and how to do it and you'll be fine.
Be like a Boy Scout , Be prepared !!!