Werner: My experience (in progress)

we just ran McCarran, NV to Secaucus, NJ in 53 hours (with fuel, bathroom and food stops). That was intense. I got some good 90º backing practice last night, took me 3 tries, but I got it. glad to be getting some practice at least. straight back is easy, I do pretty well at 45º backing...but this 90º/alley docking is a real ##### and I'm struggling with it.

I agree with the first part, he thought we could make Wendover, NV (coming from Sidney, NE) because he was out of his hours for the day, and it was pushing it pretty close, and when I pulled over I told him I couldn't go any further, couldn't keep my eyes open. But yes, he blamed me, and I was like, I got plenty of rest, drove as far as I could, but couldn't go any further. Not about to risk an accident or my license for that matter. but he definitely overshot distance/time estimates.

But we talked about it, so now he's underestimating by 30 miles and I just stop at 11:30 pm at the next nearest rest stop or truck stop until he finishes my #### observation time...I'm sitting on 80.96 hours of driving, and he hasn't finished his mandatory 30 hours of observation time so I can get off this #### curfew restriction.

I didn't take his foul mood personal, just made it clear that I wasn't going to put up with him taking it out on me. He understands, and we've been good since, he's in better spirits now, lol.

 

Well, yesterday was a TON of fun!

Left Carrolton, GA, and got into Alabama, driving along in the right lane, a 90's F-150 in the left lane loses its ladder, the silver PTCruiser in the middle lane darts into my lane to avoid it, luckily I saw the ladder come off and immediately hit the brakes knowing that the silver PTCruiser would dart to its right instinctively/knee jerk reaction...I avoided the collision, and helped the PTCruiser avoid what would have been an ugly accident. The driver of the F-150 never even saw his ladder come out and never stopped and surprisingly no other drivers caught up to the F-150 to tell him he lost his ladder. smh.

I felt like I was in a rodeo going through Mississippi...my truck bucked so much from the HORRIBLE roads.

Sat in traffic for an hour near Vicksburg,MS there was a SUV rollover accident on the eastbound side, so why the westbound side was closed/so slow is beyond me, because there's at least 40 yards of grass in between each side. But while sitting there, I noticed a frontage road, and thought about getting off at the exit. My trainer instructed me not to, said it was just better to sit there and wait so I said ok. Then I found out why. Good ole CR England decides to take that Frontage Road...he went down it, then a few minutes later he comes backing up down that same road. Turns out that frontage road dead ends, lol. So in the future, when in doubt, just watch what CR England does, then go from there. The stupidity from their drivers never ceases to amaze me.
[video=youtube_share;uWxEJZ9oiOI]http://youtu.be/uWxEJZ9oiOI[/video]

I did 5 states yesterday. Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Today I'll finish out Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. whoo! we logged some SERIOUS miles this week. after today it will be about 5600 miles in 6 days! Currently sitting on 5,063 since Tuesday night.

Time is FINALLY starting to fly, and my hours and miles are racking up. 1/3 of the way through my required training hours of 275. It's definitely getting easier, starting to get the Qualcomm stuff down. I'm remembering my pre-trip inspection every day. My trainer sometimes forgets he's training and does the pre-trip but I've been on him reminding him "I" am the one that needs to be doing it to develop the habit. I've got fueling protocol down. TripPak stuff has been covered and I got that down. I hope to get a few more snow driving experiences before training ends and I hope at least one of them is driving during snowstorm in the mountains.

 

Had such a good day today, I actually missed my fuel stop, lol. Was too busy gazing at the Arizona desert and mountains and the road, but a fantastic day otherwise. Just about got this qualcomm stuff mastered, gotta work on making my fuel stops and planning for them. I didn't realize there are only certain places we can stop for fuel. Just because it's a Love's, T/A or Pilot/Flying J dont mean it's authorized. I found out about the white book of "Approved Stops". annoying, but ok, I'll play along. Not sure what the difference is between once Flying J to the next, or T/A or Pilot or Love's, but no sense arguing about something that isn't going to change no matter how much I holler about it. But no harm no foul on the missed fuel stop, we got one here in Blythe, CA and had plenty of fuel left to get there.

Just working on putting a full days events together without missing anything or overlooking it.

Qualcomm macro 51 and Login are easy to remember
Pre-trip is easy
then just drive
Fuel Stop (Log on-duty fueling)
30 minute break in first 8 hours (log off duty)
resume driving
Macro 46 for post-trip insp
Change status to Sleeper Berth
approve all logs
finish any paperwork, and trip plan for tomorrow (route and fuel stop).

gotta work on Macro 2, 3 and 40 when picking up trailer, dropping and unloading.

so far so good, I'm picking most of it up quickly. I was a bit slow on the qualcomm at first, he kinda bombarded me with it out of the blue.

I did ask him about setting tandems, how to do it, and what lengths, so he went over that with me and had me do it, explained why it needs to be done. so I got that out of the way.

now I gotta start reading the Werner Manual and reciting policies on Alcohol, pet policy, drugs, rider policy, etc.

looking like 3 weeks give or take a few days before I am at my 275 hours and ready to test out for my own truck. I have a good trainer, but ####, he does get on my nerves at times. lol. ready for some peace and quiet at night when I sleep. I don't think I'm doing the team thing. I can't sleep for crap when the truck is bouncing all over the darn road. I may change my mind, who knows. money is a mighty powerful motivator. blah. I dont even want to think about it right now.

he was sleeping, but the BIG BRAKE CHECK when the ladder popped out sure woke him up lol. He came flying up there in a big hurry.

yeah, we are getting kinks out with swap out stops. usually look for a rest area or fuel stop place around 2315 hours.

I pulled into a Flying J this afternoon for bathroom break and lunch, it was half empty, so before lunch I decided to do a little backing practice on my own. Trainer was asleep, and I did a straight back into a spot. Got it in only 2 tries, and my angle was off pretty badly when I first setup (intentionally) and I corrected it rather nicely. Next time, I'll practice a few 90º's in empty spots before I try a few more with truck trailers next to the open spots. That will help build some confidence.

I will say, I'm glad I only have to go through this initial training procedure ONCE! This reminds me of Basic Training in the Army...ugh! Not hard by any means, but incredibly redundant and just as boring most of the time, lol. I feel like a fresh recruit in basic. being grilled about this or that every other 10 minutes.

yeah, we got them knocked out today! Thank GOD! He actually ran out of hours trying to get a load to Atlanta delivered Saturday morning, so he robbed my observation hours since it took his driving hours, BUT he gave it all back today and sat and observed the final amount of hours needed, so I'm content. So no more curfew for me!

 

i know,but you cant get experience if you arent in the seat to begin with. I am not too concerned with time. more like getting the seat time. i am more annoyed by the fact that I do almost all of the long interstate driving and hardly any of the backing, coupling, uncoupling, when we pick up and drop. the interstate driving is the easy part. its all the other stuff I am worried about.

for whatever strange reason, I am soaking most everything up really well. In the classroom, I struggle but not this. It is all just coming so easily. usually within a few days. I wont bomb my test out driving test. Failure is not located in my vocabulary.

i keep asking for the hard stuff. the 90° backing, the 45° backing, the tight spots, tight drop yards, tight dock areas. i ask him to ask his dispatcher for a load going through the mountains when it is snowing so i can get that experience and see whats its like to put chains on and drive in it. instead we keep getting all this southern state crap. any fool can drive in sunny dry weather. challenge me ######!

what blows my mind is he asks me today why I am asking for all this hard stuff and im like because i want to learn NOW so i know what to do later when you arent around. sometimes i feel like im just being used to get him miles and a bigger paycheck.

it also blows my mind that apparently if a student isnt comfortable driving in the snow or heavy rain, the trainers arent required to make the students drive in those conditions.

so instead of exposing them to the experience so they can gain a valuable skillset for future use, Werner just coddles them and says oh we wont force you to drive in that. and everyone wonders why new drivers have so many accidents...because they arent getting the necessary training experiences.

in my opinion every student should be taken out to a big skidpad with their truck and trailer when it snows and demomstrate chaining up, and learning to drive in the snow. then on super cold days ice down the skidpad with water and let them drive on ice. Teach them about using kitty litter underneath the tires when they arent getting traction.

on warm days hose the skidpad down and let them learn about hyrdoplaning. all of that should be mandatory training. they should also get to experience driving with improperly worn tires and bald tires or tires with very little tread on ice, snow and in rain/water. and they should learn how to lose control and regain control on ice, snow and rain/wet surfaces.

im not saying drivers should drive in those conditions but inevitably some day they will end up in that situation and need to know how to drive in those conditions and they wont have the slightest clue what to do or not do and wont have any idea of how to properly drive to get to a safe haven (rest stop/truck stop) and shut it down till conditions improve.

 

got my first post-midnight driving experience in a big truck last nigjt. that was awful. i didnt make it all my 11 hours. barely got to 10 and i was tired. started at 8 pm last night and called it quits at 6 am, just couldnt drive anymore safely. thats going to take some getting used to. prefer driving in the day!

she. I am a "she". not a he.