Impatient Non-Trucker Drivers

This morning about 9 AM, my instructor and I drove the school's well marked STUDENT DRIVER 18-wheeler combination, around Fairbanks, Alaska. It's a relatively small town and we went up a residental hill outside the city limits where I sure admit.... I was driving slowly about 30- 35 mph in a 40. He was allowing me to experience shifting gears on hills (where we were is the steepest hill in Fairbanks)

I've only been on the road for 3 days--doing well, but definitely being cautious on narrow, dog infested country roads.

Apparently, while we were training, a very irrate woman called the school complaining how dare we drive and slow down the "all the vehicles" on the road.

There were "4 whole" cars and a school bus back up behind me--and I did look out my mirror and took note of the cars behind me during the hill. The entire road is 2.8 miles long and then cars can pass.

Wow... just wow. What a b****.

I know it IS very frustrating to get behind a slow moving vehicle, but DUDE...come on show a bit of compassion and patience for a new truck driver. I always do when I see the student driver signs (car or truck).

I wonder what she would have done if a dog sled team appeared...which they do regularly on the roads.

Looks like the Lower-48 mentality is infiltrating the Alaskan ways.

/Rant.

Anyone care to share their experience with irritated, road-rage drivers?

 

I love you.

 

Totally, Dude! Thanks.

Any logical, rational human would make some allowances for a person who is learning to drive. If I were unsafe that would have been a different story.

Obviously, she doesn't fall into the logical, rational camp. Meh...she probably voted for Obama, too (believe it or not there are TONS of Obama supports in Fairbanks, Alaska! WTH?)

OK, sorry... I shouldn't derail my own thread.

 

LOL, DozerCowboy. Yep, I reckon even Fairbanks is more moutanous than FL (a tad bit cooler too, ;o).

Yep, Rich_T, I'm getting the hang of double-clutching, but still lots of room for improvement. Floating is easier, of course, but double clutching is the way they it's done, and I do understand why.

Right now, it's just a matter of practice, at lower speeds in particular: being profficient with what gear I need to downshift to when coming to a stop. I probably do the typcial new-driver thing and don't have the gear shift right where it needs to be as soon as I take it out of gear, and I don't always increase the rpm's enough to match the gear the truck should be when slowing down.

I *know* I need to increase the rpm's 400 rpm's over when downshifting to the next lower gear (for the particular engine), but there's just a lot going on in my little brain right now. I just don't want to hit anything. Slowing down and stepping on the throttle is counter-intuitve, BUT I'm getting 'er!

I actually don't grind too bad, but it sure isn't smooth shifting.

ETA: Well, at this point, I shift very smoothly about 68.7% of the time.