Worried about driving through cities

For me towns made me the most nervous.That's one of the main fears cities and towns for new drivers.Trust me you will overcome it just takes time.

 

The most important advice I can give regarding driving in cities, other than REALLY focusing on trip planning and KNOWING where you need to make your turns, is PATIENCE. Trip planning, using Google Street View in addition to your truck GPS AND writing down your turn by turn directions in BIG letters is essential.

But beyond trip planning you have to be patient AND be willing and able to block traffic. For example, you KNOW you need to make a right turn from a four lane street to a tight two lane street. Stop short of the intersection if the light is red and WAIT for an opportunity to move into the center lane with your tractor and round that turn.

Sometimes you HAVE TO force four wheelers to give way. Several years ago I picked up a heavy load in Oakland. I had that right turn from four lanes to a tight two lane. I waited through three light cycles, with my right turn signal flashing, for the four wheelers in the left turn road to get a clue that I needed that space in their lane to make the turn. THAT wasn't happening.

In the fourth green light I went ahead and button hooked the turn, ending up directly in front of a car. The woman looked up from texting, flustered and out of sorts to see a big truck DIRECTLY in front of her, and proceeded to try to back up.

By now there were at least a dozen cars behind her. One by one they all got the clue and backed up one car length. I proceeded ONE CAR LENGTH straight at the lady and her chain of clueless drivers behind her. Then stopped and waited again untill they backed up more.

Then again.

And again.

And again...

I missed curbing my trailer tires by an inch. I missed the well placed mailbox on the corner by three inches. I missed the line of parked cars on the left by an inch. I kept going straight forward one backup by the four wheelers at a time, clearing the line of cars on the left by inches in order to make sure I cleared the line of cars on the right with my trailer.

Only until I KNEW I could clear that first car on the right did I turn back into my lane. All the while that dozen car backup Choo Choi train was growing. By the time I finally was in my own lane, clear of everything, from the time I initiated the turn, was a good ten minutes.

You think the four wheelers were pissed? Of course they were. THAT doesn't matter. What matters is that YOU don't hit anything or destroy your equipment.

 

Though it probably wasn't an option in this case 3 lefts make a right. I know people that will do 3 right turns to avoid a left turn in a 4 wheeler at times, just the opposite in a big truck.

 

Four wheelers won't pay your ticket or help you get turned around if you miss your exit. Let them wait.

 

Minneapolis is tame as far as Cities go. Wait until you hit DC or NYC during morning rush.

If you test out in a semi truck with a Manual, you will not have a restriction on your license and improve hireability.

HOWEVER if the city is a threat to you, try to have a auto truck your first year out. Those are luxuries to have in the city.

I can tell you stories about city driving. But for you I'll say just one thing.

ALWAYS leave room to stop. Even if the cars constantly fill in that huge space between you and the closest one in front. You will feel like you are constantly being abused slowing down all the time. But you MUST leave room to stop. A semi is not that easy to stop. My last problem in Memphis vs a pickup and a boat trailer that stopped short proved it. I managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat by turning to one side towards the right lane traffic to get inside his outboard motor and transom wall to get that last 4 feet I needed to NOT hit the boat. Otherwise my stop would have been a accident for sure.

One other thought. You are BIG.

Use that size. GENTLY. Be severe.

 

I think what Milby was describing was a panic attack, I had a friend who had something similar. Milby wasn’t even driving a big rig, just the thought of it triggered something. My best advice is to seek some professional help, you can work through it as my friend did. Just needed a bit of therapy to understand what was happening, and what his triggers were. I wouldn’t even begin training until you’ve worked this out. People in all kinds of jobs have had panic attacks, and they’re very real when you’re in the middle of one. It has nothing to do with trip planning, navigation, knowing where other cars and trucks are. I’m told it happens with pilots, more than you would think. They just freeze up, and that can be extremely dangerous.
You can do it! Just might take some work on the couch, and not in the drivers seat!
I wish you good luck.

 

A panic attack? I didn't get that sense at all. They said they hadn't had a lot of city driving experience outside a truck, and a trip to a city in a car made them think about how bad it could be in a truck.

To me, that's a person who thinks ahead and is honest with themselves. Now, if they really were literally disabled by that fear, then you have a point, but I didn't see that in what I read.

 

This is what I responded to:
“I was traveling with the family last weekend and was driving through Minneapolis and I suddenly got very nervous and anxious”, sounds something like a panic attack to me. I do appreciate your comment Farmerbob1 but I was just suggesting that he look into this, before he invests time and money for a driving career.

 

I'm from the Baltimore and DC area. I learned to drive there. The best thing you can do (as was stated many times above) be patient, leave room and don't let anyone rush you! Bad things happen when you get flustered and rush!
And remember as long as you have fuel you're never lost!!!

 

I drove thru Minneapolis with Werner within 5 months of being solo. The most important things for me is, know where you're going (satellite view) take it slow, and make sure you're in the correct lane. Don't wait till the exit comes up yo switch lanes!