Is this normal for a first drive?

Tomorrow our instructors are taking us out on the road for the very first time. Our instructor said we're going on the interstate first. Is that normal or are they supposed to take us on back roads first?

 

I don't know if it's normal, but that is how my school did it. We jumped right on the interstate, ran about 40 miles, jumped off onto some very lightly traveled four lane highways where we could practice our upshifting and downshifting with very little traffic around, then back to the interstate and back to the school.

We added more back roads, more twisty mountain roads, more industrial parks and more urban traffic as we gained experience and confidence.

That's probably the best way to handle it. You have been puttering around the range at 8MPH for the past week or two, but it's different at highway speeds - dealing with turns, intersections and crossing traffic. Better to get used to the feel of the truck at highway speeds on a nice straight interstate highway then on some local roads where you are cutting corners too sharply and missing your shifts in the middle of intersections. It will all come to you with time. Trust your instructors. And best of luck to you!

 

GOOD GOD......NOOOOOOOO.......!!!

yard FIRST

industrial park SECOND

city streets THIRD


highways......ALMOST NEVER....

here is why...

in the yard, you get familiar with the truck backing up and going forward, at IDLE SPEED...NO SHIFTING, NO FUEL.....


in the industrial park to LEARN how to up/down shift and to make left/right turns

city streets to learn traffic control devices and stopping the truck at city speed limits from 25 to 35 mph. making turns, many of them TIGHT... how to accelerate when the light turns green, following distances, lane control....

highways, almost NEVER because you will not be making turns, and some students "freak out" at highway speeds, the cars cutting you off, and a students chances of taking an exit ramp at TOO HIGH a speed..

highway driving is reserved for about 1 or 2 weeks before graduation, when the student has learned and accomplished city driving and city traffic and city turns....

but NEVER their first time out...!!!!

 

That's how we did it, yard, local then highway...Highway will not build the skills you need once on the highway, local stop and starting with many turns will, IMHO....

However, I wouldn't be too concerned, you probably have to drive thru some local area to get to highway and if you're unsafe(only due to lack of experience), I would hope your instructor deviates from his plan...A good one would...

 

When I was in trucking school,we did straight line backing,shifting etc first then we did city driving.After about week or more of city driving,we did interstate driving.We didn't do much interstate tho,not sure why.

 

i guess it depends where you live and the traffic, in nd you could about play golf on the freeway... well maybe not quite but you get the point.

 

heck my school was 2 weeks. we did backing in yard shifting on side road then Dallas freeway. woo hoo! passed the test with a 93 first time out. luckily I had 10 years before I went to school.

 

the reason why we do not do all that much highway driving is because a student needs shifting, stopping, turning practice...you simply cannot get all of that on a highway. highway driving is pretty much straight down the road, at a steady speed, right..?? how much practice does one need going straight..??

if all schools did a lot of highway driving, then who suffers when he/she cannot make proper turns at the DMV road test that day..???

this is why many schools (mine included) do not do all that much highway....

 

Didn't go to school for my license...but in Stockton, CA at the DMV, you are taken a certain (rather indirect) route to the freeway. By the time you make it to the on-ramp, you have covered L/R turns in town, intersections, lane changes, RR tracks, one way streets, and simulated break down. It's been said that "Once you make it to the freeway, you're doing good." Once on the freeway, we go for a couple miles to the skills site. Once you pass the skills, just make it safely back to the DMV and you're in, as long as your combined total points don't present a failing grade. Once I got back on the road to the DMV from the skills site, the instructor didn't say a word...just scribbled down his grades/notes on the score sheet. Walked away with a pass, first try

Point being with my little story....is that obviously the state thinks you should conquer city driving and basic vehicle handling before attacking the freeway.

 

I'm a bit nervous. Mostly about downshifting. Especially in the real world. I won't have time to sit there and think, ok which gear is next and how do I get there? I'll have to do it quick. This week should be easy in comparison to next week. One of our instructors likes to drive through our downtown area which is hard enough to drive through with a car. Eeek its like learning how to drive for the first time all over again.