starting at schneider. Advice??

I find they shift between 1000-1500 but will pull to 1700 of heavy.

I've driven many different transmissions from '73 Mack w/duel shifters, super 10, inverted super10, 8,9,10,13,18 speed so getting used to something is pretty straight forward.

But to the OP (Original Poster). It all comes with experience. LOTS of it. Take your time and like this gentleman said. You're learning another way to add to being professional out here.

Schneider has a few completely idiotic down grades to their equipment as well but I understand that in today's world of needing quick hires, its easier to dumb down equipment in hopes to avoid liability then to educate new drivers (less then 5+ years) or break old, bad habits.

Just adjust and adapt and it will make you better at what you do.

We are all out here doing the same thing. Ask questions and use your common sense to determine if you asked an intelligent driver HAHAHA!!!

Gotta roll!!!!

OH, ANY SCHNEIDER DRIVERS READING THIS........ DONT FORGET TO PLACE YOUR 2016 IFTA, HUT STICKERS ON YOUR TRUCK.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

 

I've heard about this too which is why I have hung on to my truck. I have no cameras or anything on mine.

To the OP, keep us updated on Schneider as I have been seriously considering moving to them from Swift.

 

Sort of. They record for like ten seconds then record over themselves. If an event happens then they camera triggers whomever monitors is and they can go live. They then will also have that 10 seconds before the event took place so they can see what may have led to it.

 

I'm not going to comment on the "slamming" on of breaks in the other post as that's just complete ignorance.

However, to answer your question as to the occupance of the right lane.

To be a professional driver there are many areas of driving in which you need to become proficient.

Driving in the right lane should be one of them in my opinion. I will explain how driving in the right lane can be advantageous as well as how driving in the center lane can be hazardous.

Right lane:

Most of the time you only need advert your attention to one side of your truck and trailer (the driver side). When in heavy traffic with exiting vehicles, it is the lane which will move you the most distance the quickest. And while operating in the right lane you can set your cruise and pretty much forget about it.

As far as your concerns about merging traffic. If you are being professional and looking well ahead as you should be, there is plenty of time to allow more room, close the gap, or switch lanes to allow for merging traffic. The biggest advantage of the right lane? Maintaining the right lane is actually less stressful on a driver. In a high congestion area I will discuss the quickest way to traverse the right lane to maximize proficient driving.
But first, the center or left lane.

As for the center or left lane:

The hazards are these. You know that professional drivers, true professionals, are scarce out on the roads today. In saying that, there are going to be those that want to "keep the hammer down" no matter the conditions or congestion. The biggest saftey concern is this scenario.

You have truck 1 (slower truck) operating at the posted or below the posted speed limit in the center or left lane. You have truck 2 (wanna be super trucker) coming up behind you. You see that there is traffic merging from the on ramp but you have NOT been where you should have been (the right lane) prior to truck 2 approaching or prior to merging traffic.

Do you think truck 2 can see the merging traffic? The answer is NO. What do you think he's going to do first? Move into the 3rd left most lane or the right one? Most times, he's professional enough to know he's not allowed in most cases to be in the left most lane and if his lane change happens at the wrong time he has every chance of hitting that car he did not see.

You being a professional drivers DO CARE ABOUT THIS.

If you had maintained the right lane you could have avoided placing a less professional driver in harms way as you would have allowed plenty of time to see the merging traffic, determined truck 2 approaching speed and most likely been able to change lanes AFTER he passed you without losing any of your speed. Worst case is you would have simply needed to remove your foot from your accelerator or turned off your cruise. Remember, we (as professional drivers) need to be driving for everyone else, not allowing others to dictate our driving and make every rational attempt to negate a potential hazard.

Could arguments be made in rebute to truck 2 driving behavior? YES. Most definitely, but we are all trying to get the load there as quick as possible to make as much money as possible.

This is just one of many scenarios I could use. I hope those who read this get the intended thought invoking theory and remedy for the example here in.

Now to the "maximizing" right lane usage in heavy congestion:

Like I stated previously, the right lane WILL in most cases allow the most distance to be covered in the least amount of time. Here's why.

The right lane is exiting which means the amount of vehicles in this lane are decreasing more so then any other lane. At the same time cars are exiting to the left lane as well, as they believe the right lane is the slowest. If you maintain the right lane, you are in the lane which will end up having the least amount of vehicles per square foot of road way at any given time. More roadway means more space for you even if you can't see it as vehicles are constantly moving back and forth. Also, the vehicles merging left are slowing down the left and/or center lane.

Here is how I traverse a highly congested area with off and on ramps. I assure you this can be done and is done safely. I have over 2+ million accident free miles.

I stay in the right lane, adjust speed and following distance to allow for the vehicles immediately in my path. I stay here (the right lane) until just prior to approaching an entrance ramp. At this point I change lanes to center or left lane until just past the entrance ramp and them move back to the right lane and repeat the process.

I routinely watch as those less professional or less experienced drivers fall further and further behind regardless of how many lane changes they accomplish.

There is an art to being professional and being a driver. This can not be learned in a year a two and definitely will never be learned if your attitude is an "all about me" type attitude.

Every one out there sitting behind the steering wheel of a big truck is a truck driver. The only thing that truly differentiates us from one another is our individual professionalism, individual experience, the make model and color of our trucks, the differences in trailers and the logos on the sides.

We must start helping eachother or trucking will never improve.

 

All I have to say is try driving in the right lane on i95 in Connecticut. Good luck ever getting over 40mph in that lane. There's an off ramp and on ramp every single mile. You'll be sitting in the right lane while 4 wheelers blow by you, cut across your nose and slam on their brakes at the last second for the exit ramp. Then you have to slam on your brakes down to 30 mph, then fight all of the on ramp traffic (just as many cars are entering as are exiting). If you want to be a "professional" and fight that constantly for 50 miles be my guest. I'll stick to the lane of least resistance, which in this case is the middle lane.

There's a time and a place for everything. Sometimes the right lane is best, in this instance hanging out in the right lane is plain stupidity. A professional driver has enough common sense to figure out what is the safest situation.

 

I can assure you I've traveled I95 In NJ, NY, RI, CT for 100,000s of thousands of miles.

I will never tell another how to drive their truck. The original reply was in response for someone who remains in the center lane while driving slower then another driver.

Schools are teaching "the lane of least resistance" and insinuating its the center lane. This is a complete farse and a complete misconception and error in thought by inexperienced drivers.

As far as your experiences in CT. Some advice. If its possible trip plan so that you can drive this part of the I95 corridor in the early morning hours.

There is parking in NJ and parking in further north but as you are probably aware, parking is extremely limited in NY, CT, RI, MASS.

Trip planning is most important in this area if you are seeking a less stressful drive on this highway.

 

I agree that slower vehicles should travel in the right lane in most circumstances but there are flaws in your logic.

The problem with this argument is a) vehicles entering/exiting are slowing, thus requiring the truck to slow to maintain safe following distance; b) exit ramps are usually paired with entrance ramps thus the volume of traffic is a moot point; c) a CMV will require more time to adjust speed which encourages bad decisions by unprofessional drivers (both truck and POV)

The key phrase is "if its possible" - most times a trip plan will be based off of a customers requirements and the driver's HOS. In several areas with heavy merging traffic thru traffic is supposed to stay left (I-294 at the I-90 junction; I-70 Zanesville, OH, I-95 Richmond, VA for starters). Even when not posted there are times to travel in the center lane - it is up to the driver to make the decision based on the unique circumstances they are facing at this moment.

One of the hard parts of training new drivers is getting it through their heads that there is no "Right Answer" to most situations. There are general guidelines, rules of thumb, and accepted practices. You must adjust based on the space, time, and resources available.

 

I had the same problem, I went from driving a newer Cascadia at Schneider to driving for a local company with older Columbia's.

Course now in the local industry were all running automatic so it's not a problem no more

 

What is hiring process with Schneider? Where do u go for oreientation, how long spent with trainer, do they do urine or hair drug screen, can I be home every wkend with this companies?

 

All of these questions have been answered tons of times in these threads...

Use the search function and answers ye shall find...

Roll on...