What important skills of truck driving did you learn after your first year of trucking?

I learned all roads lead to Jabroni street.

 

At least without OJ floating around...

 

Thank you for insulting me.

I guess the people who answer my calls to the police departments are psychic.

 

I do not mean to run you down in any way, I just think you’re way in over your head and that trucking may not be for you!
I’ve driven all my life and I’m still learning something new everyday, however all the threads you start are basic stuff that was learned in the first six months of driving.

 

I have driven over a million miles without a preventable accident. My employers have all loved having me drive for them. That's what matters to me.

You are so insignificant to me that I don't care about what you think.

 

That kinda hurt, I may just take my bat and ball and go home

 

Let me unlearn you some of the things you "learned"...
#1 is called "skinnying up" your trailer. You ONLY want to do it when you absolutely have to. Why? The more you move your tandems and fifth wheel the more you are likely to have problems in the future. Its a lot easier to back up if your stuff is always in the same place and you know how your rig is going to react.
#2 if you cant see down the tracks or have a haz mat load, yes. Otherwise all you are doing is making it harder on every other truck driver in the world because everyone you encounter doing this will think all truck drivers are complete newbies.
#3 trolley valves? You mean the Johnson bar?
#4 red button doesnt deploy the pins on a manual trailer. Doesnt ensure you have no damage to the trailer rails. Doesnt mean the pins are actually seated correctly. ALWAYS check your pins.
#5 not true. There are some states where it is, but not "most" by a long shot. If you ever run through Minneapolis and you ARENT in that 3rd lane, you are an accident waiting to happen. Check the laws in the states you are going to run through.
#6, see number 1. Also, the longer the trailer, the easier it is to back up. Want proof? Drag a set of doubles around for a few years and tell me the difference between putting a pup on a door vs a 53 footer.
#7 dont buttonhook. Thats something they HAVE to teach you in school that you should never do after you pass the test.
#8 look for leaks EVERYWHERE. Esp on the ground.
#9 if you are loaded this is true. But the number of times you need to slide your 5th wheel are few and far between. Cant remember the last time I slid my 5th wheel. I dont think I have at all on my current truck (which is 5 years old).

If you have been out there as long as you say, I cant believe you would say this stuff...
40+ years experience. 39 years without a chargeable (thats 4 million miles). 25 years without an accident of any kind. 20+ years without a ticket. Owner operator for 8 years. CDL instructor for 3 years in case you are wondering.

 

But but but... think of all the yellow cars and motorcycles you probably backed over without even knowing!!

 

Whenever I hook to a new trailer, I always automatically slide the tandems all the way forward. This is an intelligent thing to do to get around obstacles. I will only slide the tandems backward if I have a heavy load and the tandems are overweight, and I will only slide the tandems backward as far as necessary to get the tandems below 34,000 lbs.

I have heard numerous trainers and safety officers and truckers with 40+ years of experience say that a trucker should stop at ALL railroad tracks that don't have warning lights or a gate arm.

I think Johnson bar is another name for trolley valve. I am not 100% sure though.

I knew all of that. I was only writing about trailers with a button to retract trailer tandem pins. I do always check my pins.

You might be right that most states have 3rd lane laws. I don't know for sure.

What are you smoking? EVERYONE will buttonhook a right hand turn onto a narrow city street if they are pulling a 53' trailer. The only alternative is to jug handle the turn. If you jug handle the right hand turn, a car might think you are changing lanes and try to pass you on the right while you are turning to the right.

What do other people here have to say about knightcrawler's advice to not buttonhook a right hand turn on a city street?

@tscottme
@Hammer166 what do you think about Knightcrawler's advice to not buttonhook a right hand turn onto a narrow street?[/Quote]