My turn for orientation at Watkins & Shepard!!

I've now run over Donner pass 4 times and THANKFULLY in decent weather each time. The last time was a bit icey. Along with Black Mountain, The Grape Vine, and many other "passes" like 70 over the Rockies and such, it sits on the top of my list of "hills to NOT MESS WITH"!! Even in nice weather.

Drivers can laugh at me all they want. If I have to go 15 or 20 mph up or down these mountains, so be it!

 

Hey Chris, there are some really good webcams at the top of Donners at the Truckee weigh station. Just google Truckee web cams on I-80, these come in real handy when approaching the pass! There fun to watch too!

A.T. you are doing fine, I was just throwing in a friendly reminder to not let it bite you in the butt! Even the most seasoned drivers need those reminders from time to time! Keeps you in check and keeps the trailer behind you! Don't ever let any other driver influence your driving! All of you guys sound like you landed a pretty good gig for your first driving job and WS sounds like a good "family oriented" outfit. That is a pretty important tool in your driving success. I wish I were out there with you guys it sounds like you are all having a blast. Everyone drive safe!

 

Sorry one more tidbit, with the holidays you guys are going to see an immense in flux of traffic and idiots on the road. (truck stops will be packed with them too!) Just keep in mind that you guys are the professional drivers. Pay extra attention to the ones who are not! It can and will be very frustrating in the next coming week. Drive safe!

 

Keep up the good work! The more practice the better!

I'm off tonight on my first solo run....FINALLY!
I have not had to do any training rides since 1984 and that was just the DMV road test......Geeze i'm glad this past weeks training is over.

 

That's good, a sense of humor.

But I wasn't trying to win a pi$$ing contest.

That day of my last accident...

It was in October in Denver. It had been raining all day.
When I got off work at 6pm it had just begun to snow, and it was rush hour so the roads were busy.

I was on a 4 lane road (2x2) with a 35 mph speed limit.

Traffic was going around 25 mph and the person in front of me signaled a right turn, so I let off the gas. He turned short and hit the curb - and stopped short, right in the lane. I applied my brakes, and the wheels locked. So I let off the brakes and shifted down, which again sent me into a slide. So I went back into Drive and tried lightly pumping my brakes. I slowed a little more before I rear-ended the car.
I couldn't go around the car because the left lane had bumper to bumper traffic.

I thought I was not following too closely, but obviously I was wrong.

It all happened within around 7 or 8 seconds.



My point is this:
No matter how much experience we have, we can make mistakes that involve us in an accident - unless we take stock of the current conditions and respect them to the fullest.

I may have been in a hurry to get home, so maybe I didn't leave enough room for a worst case scenario - which is what happened.
But, it only takes one time lacking to ruin a perfectly good day - or a driving record - and thus, sometimes, a career in trucking.

And in a big rig, things get even uglier. Instead of a fender bender, I could have killed the two people in that car.

 

Good luck EZ! I'm stoked for you! Take it slow man and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask another driver or your DM. Actually I am sure you can get a quick answer on here too! It's going to take some getting used to driving at night if you are doing so. Don't push yourself and try to be a "supertrucker"! Even if you have only driven for an hour and are tired, pullover and either get a nap, coffee, or I have found doing some running around the truck gets your blood pumping. Try not to ride with the heat on in your truck. It can make you tired more easily. Fresh air! Drive safe!

 

He's been driving 27 years lol I'm pretty sure he'll be ok



American Trucker

 

Chompi's no newbie either and has some really great advice AT. Great advice for any level driver IMHO.