Picking bugs off of you

Well we’re only discussing this right now. I just have reservations on working for a carrier like Warner, Swift or Conway the three pre hires.. Always had my suspicions with the pre hires. Just looking for a way to make this work for us. We have been creative in our finances and have been lucky to qualify for the WIA because of it. Libit gave a number which is great but still need to figure what the final cost would be.

But like I said going to take it one step at a time,, going to get a CDL first and then work on the second step which is learn to drive in the real world not this dream we have.. I’m trying not to ramble, and come across as up tight or a hurry.. because I’m not really,, just want to be driving on my own by summer.. Tic tock..

We’re leaving tonight going to the U.P. ( upper part of MI. ) for a little get away before school so might not post again until I’m in school. Won’t be long and you’ll be going to school too, I’m looking forward to it,,, And you never know you can have your dream too.. Nothing is impossible, may-be just not practical… will look at the link a bit later,,,thanks
　
T.

 

Well first day down at truck driving school. I'm whipped but all in all a good day.

There were five students in our class and had three different instructors during the course of the day. We spent about two hours in the morning in class and watching videos on defensive driving courses. The class was split in two groups, 3 and 2 after class room time.

After that it was out in the cold doing allot of standing with cold feet waiting for our turn to do straight line backing after hooking up the trailer to the tractor.. yes just throw you in the truck and you do it. But as I found out that was the easy part , no shifting.


After lunch was our turn to actually drive out on the streets and found out about shifting. My left leg got a work out. All I can say you really need to relax behind the wheel and may-be tomorrow I will feel more comfortable, I would at least thought there would have been a little more instruction. All us students pretty much were at the same level at grinding gears and missing gears. I will give our instructors credit on patience. How is anyone who has really never driven suppose to know how to shift a 10 speed freightliner that's 70 feet long the first time and feel comfortable. Well our home work is to study the shift pattern.

I can't by help but feel over whelmed a bit with shifting I just hope it gets easier, and most of all my left leg adapts to working the clutch. If I can manage to shift with out having to think about it so intently I know I can possibly become a driver but being my first day I have the jitters and hope that’s normal. I really have even more respect for drivers tonight than I did this morning. I was hoping I would be a natural but it’s the real deal now I’m not.

 

This is just an view of a first week student at truck driver school.

I recommend that you pick up a cdl drivers manual from your state and start reading it. I would check with a local school as to what sections to study and not read any more that you will need to obtain a temporary instruction permit. I highly recommend this because it help you have a idea of things before you start schooling. Just be prepared that the school may not follow it exactly but will gives you a heads up.

I already gave a post about the first day for myself and have been too busy to post since then. This might give you an idea to how intense this might be for some.

Our school said that we got a jump on being able to drive on public roads on the first day but felt it did us good. Just don’t be discourage at how well you do as you will improve. At our school in the practice range we students have been practicing basically three different things. Straight line backing and right hand turns and alley docking.

By far the easiest is pulling forward as all you to do is let off the clutch, no gas pedal is necessary. You are working in a line of traffic cones, you back all the way thru the cones after you have pulled forward. Hench straight line backing. You use your mirrors and use very little steering wheel movements to keep your trailer straight with the lines and cones on the pavement. Watch the trailer and gently correct it, don’t over react the worst you can do is run over the cones.

After you have backed thru the cones you will make an easy turn to the right and go up around where you just came and make a left hand turn to set up for an alley backing dock. Now this has been the hardest for our group of students. My first two attempts I nailed it only because I had the instructor walking besides me telling me what and when to do. The third attempt I didn’t get in in the hole per say but ran over the cones as the instructor allowed me to do it on my own at my request.

After you have attempted to do an alley dock, as most of them will be attempts you pull out and make a right hand turn around to go back and bring it back into the line of cones for the next new-be. However before you bring it back into the line of cones, on the last cone on a RH turn you are attempting to get as close as possible to the last cone on your turn with out touching it. Then a another turn around and back in the line of cones stopping the front of the tractor at a marked line.

That is basically what we have done out on the practice range the first week. During you practice your instructor will inform you of how you will be graded or points on your driving test at the end of your schooling for your cdl. I myself don’t worry about the points rather on skill.

I have been doing very well with straight line backing and RH turns but lost it on my alley docking until Friday. We really haven’t had an instructor out on the practice range all week, rather just two or three students per truck one practicing and the others as spotters,, some students do better than others so don’t judge by them it took me until Friday not to get afraid to get back in front of the trailer, I know I will have no problem mastering alley docking now. On alley docking don’t worry about hitting the cones when you first try, get used to pulling the tractor back in front of the trailer and then on timing it right.

Now while some students are out on the practice range the others go out on the road with an instructor to practice up shifting and down shifting along with being in traffic. The first two days there were two to three students in the truck with an instructor. The last three days we just go out twice a day with only an instructor. Also make sure your seat is properly adjusted so your not tippy toeing the clutch my leg was sore for three days.

I would like to hit on a couple things the school didn’t address in their rules. Student edict and how it effects some of us. Being that there is not an instructor for every student your bidding for their attention. I had two instances that really bugged me and got one instructor pissed at me. I won’t go in to great details but would like say a couple of things.

When we went out on the road the first day and it was my turn to drive, every one was talking and asking questions. I did poorly witch I think is natural.
On the second day when we went out for road driving The first thing I did and this is something I picked up form brother Mike, after we all climb in to the cab.. I said everybody shut and be quite no talking.
Well I got some dumb founded looks.. I said everyone but you pointing to the instructor.. and this really did help, with everyone talking the day before it was distracting. I did ten times better, I had the instructors complete attention which made me more at ease in an already unfamiliar situation . I returned the favor.

The other is when your practicing pre tips. The instructor gives you sections to do among the group.
When a fellow student is doing his section, I know everyone wants to ask or speak up,, but its his or hers turn don’t interrupt. Now if you have good instructors they will want to answer all your questions as they should but wait until the student is finished. I now understand what my brother meant by keeping your mouth shut, he didn’t mean not to be supportive or reassuring he meant respecting the other students.

I can’t believe the first week is over and the changes in ability, attitude and confidence. Don’t go into this thinking you can slack there is a lot to know and memorize and I’m only in the first week so plan on it consuming a lot of time, so if you want to make it easier plan on it because there is homework, studying if you don’t want to not get left behind. All I can say is listen to the instructors’ stay focused and relax enough to enjoy it at the same time, you can drive a semi with practice, just don’t expect it to be easy your first day or two.

 

Hi lady K
Well I think your doing ok with an 80% on practice test as of now you have time yet I think before you go for T I P. I went to a lot of different school sites and took a lot of practice test off their sites. I just felt by taking the same test over and over it wasn’t going to give me the best chance at knowing the most information.
I don’t know if you can talk out loud in your 11 x 11 room but that really help me remember information while I was studying. I did find out that depending on where the school was located some of the terminology was different.
Also from reading other post on here I learned when taking the state test for T I P and your not sure about the answer use the eliminate the answers you know are wrong first. In our state there isn’t time limit when your taking it and is multiple choice. In Michigan I think there was 25 questions on Air breaks and you could miss five, the same for combinations and the last part was General knowledge at 50 questions and you could miss fifteen questions,, I’m not real positive as it seems like it was eons ago now. Just keep taking the test and you’ll do fine with out a doubt, your right on tract.

 

I will try and recap the week with just the basics. The second week was pretty much like the first week with some differences. During the first week we had morning classes on Defensive driving and during the second week we still had morning classes on log books and route planning.

Now log books were very confusing the first couple of days before it really started to make any sense. But by Friday it all came together. I at least now have a good enough understanding how it plays into dealing with a driver manger and along with route planning. It also started to make sense on some of the negative post you read from new drivers complaining about not getting miles or making money, this really made it clear to me. This job requires time management skills with/for your driver manger and the guide lines of HOS in order to make money.

We also have been doing pre trips honing in our memorization skills. Now in our group we kind of have knowledgeable younger fellow who's father is a trucker . What our school has us doing is pairing up with another student and practicing doing pre trips on a tractor & trailer that is indoors. And that is pretty nice to be inside here in Michigan this time of year for and hour, hour half while the other group is on the practice range. This other fellow and myself were the first to be able to practice with out the group or an instructor around. I will tell you what he was surprised that I knew every thing word for word. When he went after me he was stumbling reciting it even tho he was more knowledgeable. I had spent four hours over the weekend practicing. I laid the outline sheet that you can use during the state pre trip test and the printed information you have to memorize on the kitchen island. I would walk around the island going down the list reciting out loud until I got it and move down to the next item.
I won't debate on the importance on doing complete pre trips in the real world but your going to have to able to recite it if your going to pass the state test. I know I asked my brother how often he pulled on his slack adjusters, he responded "never", you get to know your truck is all he told me. Also never have I seen any one here at the school whether an instructor or student pull on one either, I might just try when no one is looking just to see if it's a myth that they move an inch.

You basically practice the three items all week, straight line backing, alley docking and right hand turns on the practice range. You also do the trailer hook ups and trailer unhooking at the beginning and end of day. We have been using day cabs tractors or sleeper tractors for range and road driving.

I will admit I'm kind of getting board with the repetitive maneuvers. I had a rough day with alley docks during the middle of the week I just couldn't get in the box right on all day and has to do with student edict and I was mulling over in my head about log books and HOS ( hours of service ). Ok the edict.. The other students would want to see how every one is scoring on getting in the box on alley docking. What was happening with me is some would stand in the box while I was backing in or cutting across the box as backing in and just threw my timing off.

The other is one guy would take ten minutes to do the straight backing, alley dock and right had turn, now he was pretty good too and didn't need to take that long,. It usually took the rest of us four minutes to do the maneuvers and you also add up the four minutes it took him to get in the truck and two minutes to adjust his seat, it got annoying. He said he was timing himself on how long he could make it last, he got better about taking so long on the maneuvers but still the yakking and not being ready when his turn.
It just some people are paying good money and need the practice as a couple us voiced about it. We all learn at different speeds but stay out of the box, be ready when it's your turn.

We still go out on the road one maybe two times a day with just an instructor for up shifting, down shifting and learning how to drive in traffic.
For the most part no one really is that excited about getting trained with a trainer when hiring in with a carrier, nothing against trainers it just being with someone you don't know for so long. So during the week my attitude changed a couple times up and down, one I realized the logs being complicated then the light bulb went off and I got it. Two was at the beginning of the week being overwhelmed with everything going on in traffic driving and then you start shifting with out thinking, not to say you might not grind a gear. The last week is coming and there is no classes in the mornings any more so it will be all practice on the range and road driving, road driving is where I'm needing more practice with controlling the truck with paying attention my surroundings and timing traffic, shifting just comes along better every time your out. Every one's view, opinions are different as people but so far this has been an positive experience for me.

 

Three weeks in
The last week was pretty much the same as the second week, allot of practice on the range practicing the maneuvers and road driving.

The third weeks is now over and the truck driving school is complete. Today the class tested out with the state inspectors. I am not one hundred percent clear if everyone in the class passed although I am pretty sure everyone did.

During the third week everyone in the class had pretty much had orientations set up with the carriers they choose including myself. I can tell you it is a relief to have passed and have this step over with. A couple of first and second weeks students in some conversations seemed to have the normal doubts we experienced . We could only reassure them that is what most of us third week students went thru and by the third week their doubts should diminish. It’s now time for the next step and prepare for orientation process.

I understand being employed might present new problems and issues of life on the road. First year might be full of poo learning and paying dues but the bottom line is to be a safe driver accident free on time and the wheels moving. Decide to wait until we really know how this is going to effect our lives before we make a commitment to be a O/O.

I am satisfied with the school as I have the CDL in hand and rushed out the door, they did their job. Next