Going Over the Road with Knight

As I said earlier, I've been out of the industry for 6 yrs now. At the time I got out, auto-trans were just coming into the industry (US Express went to solely) and had mixed reactions:

1) Added weight to the tractor which meant less load carrying capability.

2) Newbies could be trained faster as shifting is a major hurdle during that time.

3) Those who started out with auto's, and drove for several years, had a tougher time changing jobs and going to manuals.

Btw, the '9-speed' that is talked about is 'officially an '8-speed with a LL' (granny gear). Knight had a mix of both 8 & 10-speeds when I left.....

But if more carriers in the industry go to the ishift , most of the above concerns will go away, and a maintenance savings could be realized (save on clutches, broken gears, etc.)

 

I drove Express (7-10 days out/3 days off) at Knight for the 5 yrs I was with them and had a different tractor (8 and 10-speeds) every time out. Would take me about 2 hrs to get used to the change from previous 8 to new 10 & vice versa, with an occasional fast-acting recovery if a downshift emergency situation arose for the 1st couple of days out!

Btw, when you get some experience 6 mos to 1 yr out, you will learn to float gears and only use the clutch for starting out. ...or a low-rpm shift under heavy load situation to get it out of gear.


But I could have used the ishift during my 2nd week of training in 1998, when carrying a 46K load of rolled aluminum between Maine & New Brunswick to a sardine factory, while on a 2-lane black top road in the boonies suddenly hit an 8% grade----being a newbie (altho my 1st car was a 3-speed on-the-column & owned 3 VW Beetles w/4-on-the-floor during my life), I reverted to ----'riding the clutch!!' Ticked off my 35 yr exp trainer who came out of his shoes! Ended up doing what I should have done to begin with as a newbie---stop & start over. The ishift would have saved me embarrassment (and some life on a clutch) at that time..

 

Before this year all the trucks where still either 8/with a low or 10 speeds. Mostly 3.58 gears but the volvo's with D13 are something lower. Mine runs at 1225 rpm at 58 where as a cummins is up around 1300 at the same speed.

 

What you need to do is get that 1-3 yr experience under your belt. But remember, Knight is another one of those 'starter companies' that will pay minimum for your work and doesnt expect experienced drivers to stay around over time----when you realize that 'fact' move one to a better paying job. They will use YOU, but then YOU use them as a foothold with a clean record, etc.

 

Good luck. Flatbed is a lot of work! Hope you arent 'too old' to handle it...

 

Remember to lift with your legs!

Everybody I know my age has back problems...

Good luck and good 'common sense!' NO SHORT CUTS!