Is it hard to learn to drive a truck?

Memorize this word: GOAL. If in doubt, GOAL. Get out and look. GOAL. Say it with me: when I'm backing my truck, I will get out and look. GOAL.

That right there, if everyone actually did it, would eliminate backing accidents, and save mirrors around the world

 

And try to see what is coming before you have to say oh ####.

When you see people exhibit behaviors that are a clue to what they are fixing to do before they actually do it you are already so ruling over the road. Nothing will happen to you. Just stay out of their way. They know not how to deal with you.

 

I'm near Rock springs WY right now. I can look to the west-sw a bit and see the Uintah mountain range in Utah, 70 miles away.... There is still a single swath of snow on the mountians.

My phone just doesn't cut it for a good photo.


I'm not sure which is more crazy. That there is still snow on the mountians, or that I can see it from 70 miles away...

 

No need. I know where that is.

I tend to eye the Bitterroot actually. And the Continental Divide Range not far from there.

Wyoming, Sheridan road. Both of us barefoot on split ice. at 10 for him and 15 for me interlockers in.

 

I grew up in UT and remember visibity was great. Nowadays you can't see very far. Maybe behind the next ridge, but not the one behind that.
Maybe all the wind in WY blows it all south.

 

Just got in from doing 45 minutes of 100 yard box sprints. Gotta keep my gates strong!

 

I owned a Prius. Went for training, got my CDL A and still am in further training because there are still many aspects of trucking to be learned.

 

I have always found these kinds of subjects interesting. Let's look at this job. The average trucker will spend anywhere from 60 % to 90 % of their time out on the open road. With the exception of an occasional cop, scale or some nitwit also out on the road, driving in these conditions is easy. Just maintain your spacing and learn to properly scan. Easy peasy! Very few drivers get into trouble here. The trouble starts when you get off the open road. Now you have to take local things more into consideration. This is where drivers start to get into trouble. One more point. A CMV might travel 4 thousand miles in a week. That same CMV might only travel in reverse maybe 400 feet in that same week. Want to take a guess what gets a driver into trouble the most?

One of my cousins allowed his then 14-year-old daughter to drive his truck. She could operate it well while on the road. Heck, I think she did an OK job. However, my cousin knew better than allow her to actually drive that vehicle once they got off the freeway. Driving is easy. Being a safe driver that can handle all aspects of this job is not. That takes a while.

 

Yes, when you get off the interstate, that's where #### can go wrong. Tight right turns, restricted truck routes, low bridges, stop lights at the bottom of steep hills, constant traffic, narrow roads. Something as simple as missing a turn to a shipper can have you seriously ####ed. If you don't know the area you better pray the GPS doesn't reroute you through a tiny neighborhood. Some roads definitely were not designed with big rigs in mind, but they aren't restricted (yet) so the GPS will think its fine. Virginia is good with that. Sometimes it can take 10+ miles to get turned around. That's why I make sure I study every turn I have to make once I'm off the interstate.

Driving on some of these roads has made more nervous than any back I've had to do. I remember I made a left turn out of a shipper on to a frontage road. It had a weight restriction but by the time you see the sign it's too late. Cant turn around. The entire road was covered in snow AND was hilly. It could barely fit 2 cars, let alone a semi. That was the scariest 15 miles I ever drove. Crawled out of there going 10mph with my flashers on. I thought for sure I was going to end up in a ditch

 

Don't even need to get off the Interstate to get in a bad situation. Just need go straight into Atlanta instead of taking the bypass