My Start with the Big Orange

Day 7, More trip planning this morning, finally I think I've got it! More coupling/pretrip too. Drove this afternoon with a full tanker! Man that thing can slam you! I'm much better at the skip/progressive shifting, only 1 screw up, forgot to flip the spliter down! No big deal, recovered quick. So anyway they say we will go out with our TE's this Thursday or Friday!

 

Day 8 More Classroom stuff and some figuring the amount of product in a tanker, trip planning, paperwork for deliveries, Qualcomm stuff. This afternoon, when pre-tripping truck found a bad tire(low air and had a screw in it) had to wait for the tire change then more driving practicing slowing properly so you don't get slamed as you make turns, starting from a stop in 3 & 4 gear going up hill just using the clutch, no throttle and not rolling back with the tank slamming back and forth! Fun stuff! Shifting down much better to get my speed slowed on short off ramps!

 

Day 9 More classroom stuff this morning, this afternoon drove to Galveston, plus alot of praticing tight turns! Good stuff, 1 more day of practicing then Thursday another driving test. Friday-Saturday are Load-Unload pratice and test!

 

Day 10 A little more classroom stuff, played on the simulator, that was cool! Drove much better today, my Instructor says I'm ready and should do fine, tommorrow is the last road test with a different Instructor, then 2 days of pumping and air on-off training. Next will be on the road with a TE for a few weeks.

 

They say 10 days, its up to the TE on how well he thinks you are doing, we usaully get out about 4-4:30 if you ride in the van then back at the Hotel by around 5. Congrats and good luck to you, just relax you will be fine, they are good instructors and they want you to succeed.