Lack of prior driving experience before getting into trucking

I was given a trainee to train about 10 years ago in the same situation as you... it was awful: I really think a year or more of car driving experience is necessary before you learn to drive a truck: just my opinion....

 

i dunno, after 40 years of driving big trucks, and driving cars for decades, i went to the AAA office this past weekend, for a "senior citizens driver awareness class" for a discount on my auto insurance...and was i all screwed up...lol

how many seconds, should you be behind the car in front of you?

we leave at least 1 second for every 10 feet of rig...(so about 70 feet right..??)

so that's what i said ( 7 seconds) to the instructor when he asked, "how far back"?

well he said " 3 seconds when you're in a car".....and I KNOW WHAT YOU DRIVE..!!

the class was dumbfounded by his remark to me....lol...then they laughed after.

and frankly, even in my car, i stay probably about those same 7 seconds....lol

 

This brings up a good point.

Is it fair that someone who hasn't driven at all has a perfect driving record but someone with 25 years behind the wheel has a few tickets and maybe an accident or two, but decades of experience? I mean everyone starts out with a clean slate, that's why I have never found it fair to judge a driver by their accidents and tickets alone. HOW LONG you've been driving should play a HUGE part in it. A 30 year driver with 2 accidents may be a much safer driver than someone of the same age who has driven 10 miles in their lifetime. But on an MVR the second person would have the perfect driving record.

Hard to hit #### when you're never in a car.