Day 10
I got the keys first this morning. I found out that a cold truck is a pain in the behind to shift. Nailed all the exercises right off the bat. Later I went into trial and error mode with my setups. I am starting to get beyond the basics of controlling the trailer. After lunch we went to the classroom for a couple of hours of Lifestyle and finance. Here is where they teach you how to be healthy and not make your self broke on the road. LOTS of good advice. We will probably get on the range full time tomorrow so we can be on the road by Thursday. Some of us are ready, others aren't. Me....I think so.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Day 9
Day 9 -
Well everyone seemed off their rythm for the first hour on the range. But we got into it at did more of the same. More shifting, Up and down, alley dock, driver's side pararel, straight line backing, and now we started blindside pararel. Alley dock I just need a few more times and I will have it. The two pararels I am doing good on. It's just a matter of how well I set up. Straight line backing is no problem. I even did some backing between two trailers. My shifting is getting better. Our intstructor use to drive tankers so he is all about smooth shifting and smooth take-offs and and stops. The companies he worked for don't usuualy hire newbies but on his recomendations they will hire out of his class. Good companies so I am trying to atleast impress this instructor.Now for the fun part. We got a visit from our first recruiter. He was from Covenant. He had some good things to say BUT he was trying to hard to have this "no BS approach". His approach only came off as arrogance to me anyways. Thanks to a thread in this board "Questions to ask recruiters" I made a few that seemed to annoy him. I think my instructors got a kick out of that. well I got get ready for today, I will go into more detail later.
Well everyone seemed off their rythm for the first hour on the range. But we got into it at did more of the same. More shifting, Up and down, alley dock, driver's side pararel, straight line backing, and now we started blindside pararel. Alley dock I just need a few more times and I will have it. The two pararels I am doing good on. It's just a matter of how well I set up. Straight line backing is no problem. I even did some backing between two trailers. My shifting is getting better. Our intstructor use to drive tankers so he is all about smooth shifting and smooth take-offs and and stops. The companies he worked for don't usuualy hire newbies but on his recomendations they will hire out of his class. Good companies so I am trying to atleast impress this instructor.Now for the fun part. We got a visit from our first recruiter. He was from Covenant. He had some good things to say BUT he was trying to hard to have this "no BS approach". His approach only came off as arrogance to me anyways. Thanks to a thread in this board "Questions to ask recruiters" I made a few that seemed to annoy him. I think my instructors got a kick out of that. well I got get ready for today, I will go into more detail later.
Day 8
Day 8.
Started with a different instructor. With everyone whining how much better the International was I volunteered to go in the frieghtliner. It's a good old truck. I will probably stick in this one. Since less people can ride in it I get more time behind the wheel. The instructor with the Frieghtliner lets us do longer laps. BTW ALL the instructors here are seasoned trucking veterans. No newbies training newbies here. We get taught stuff for the "test" world AND the "real" world. The Freightliner shifts smoother and I am getting used to backing it. Today we did the laps around the range. I am getting more comfortable with downshifting. We did more alley docking. I'm nailing it almost everytime now. We started Driver's side pararel parking today. Nailed it both the first and second times. Monday can't come soon enough. Starting next week we will be getting recruiters coming in and we might hit the open road OFF the range. Watch out!!
Started with a different instructor. With everyone whining how much better the International was I volunteered to go in the frieghtliner. It's a good old truck. I will probably stick in this one. Since less people can ride in it I get more time behind the wheel. The instructor with the Frieghtliner lets us do longer laps. BTW ALL the instructors here are seasoned trucking veterans. No newbies training newbies here. We get taught stuff for the "test" world AND the "real" world. The Freightliner shifts smoother and I am getting used to backing it. Today we did the laps around the range. I am getting more comfortable with downshifting. We did more alley docking. I'm nailing it almost everytime now. We started Driver's side pararel parking today. Nailed it both the first and second times. Monday can't come soon enough. Starting next week we will be getting recruiters coming in and we might hit the open road OFF the range. Watch out!!
Day 7
Day 7 -
We started the morning with Pre-trip. The first student that went did real good. It was COLD. Windchill had to be in the teens. During pretrip we found a powersteering leak. A hose was broken. The freightliner drivers got on the range and we had to go back to the class. After standing out in the cold for an hour I was happy to go inside. A mechanic came and took the international and we worked on mapping and miles. A local guy who hand makes these tools came by and sold each student a device called Truckr-Tool. It's a fith wheel pin puller, tire thumper, hammer, chisel and can aid in the tie down straps if needed. It's pretty cool. The teachers used one on their trucks and showed us the tool. seemed pretty handy to have so I got one. After lunch our group got in the Freightliner and practiced more of the same. On our alley dock we get two turns. It never fails, I nail the first one then I botch the second one. I can get the truck in there I just don't understand why yet. Double cluching is now second nature and my downshifting is getting smoother. I am getting to the point that it doesn't matter what truck I am in I will be able to drive it comfortably. Defintely taking my pretrip on the International. Now I am off to get dressed to go for today.
We started the morning with Pre-trip. The first student that went did real good. It was COLD. Windchill had to be in the teens. During pretrip we found a powersteering leak. A hose was broken. The freightliner drivers got on the range and we had to go back to the class. After standing out in the cold for an hour I was happy to go inside. A mechanic came and took the international and we worked on mapping and miles. A local guy who hand makes these tools came by and sold each student a device called Truckr-Tool. It's a fith wheel pin puller, tire thumper, hammer, chisel and can aid in the tie down straps if needed. It's pretty cool. The teachers used one on their trucks and showed us the tool. seemed pretty handy to have so I got one. After lunch our group got in the Freightliner and practiced more of the same. On our alley dock we get two turns. It never fails, I nail the first one then I botch the second one. I can get the truck in there I just don't understand why yet. Double cluching is now second nature and my downshifting is getting smoother. I am getting to the point that it doesn't matter what truck I am in I will be able to drive it comfortably. Defintely taking my pretrip on the International. Now I am off to get dressed to go for today.
Day 6
Day 6:
Range time this morning was shifting up, downshifting, and straight backing into a dock after an S turn. This was to teach us to set up good before you even start backing. After lunch we went over pre-trip inspection and did alley dock from the side. It's all how one sets up. There were times it was easy and there were moments I struggled. I wish I had more time behind the wheel but sharing with three others isn't too bad. The other three are in the other truck. I am prefering the International. The clutch seems to be smoother on it. I am actually double clutching on downshifting without thinking about it. I bet everything is easier when it's second nature. One girl didn't know how to drive a standard until now. I say she is better off because she doesn't have the four wheeler bad habits of shifting.One thing I am NOT looking forward to is the Pretrip portion of the test. I had to do it last year for the class B schoolbus test now I get to do it all over again with more stuff to remember than last time. I am wondering when I should take the written for my hazmat. We go to the DOT to test on March 27th and 28th. I wanna time it so I can just put it on my CDL when everything else is done.
Range time this morning was shifting up, downshifting, and straight backing into a dock after an S turn. This was to teach us to set up good before you even start backing. After lunch we went over pre-trip inspection and did alley dock from the side. It's all how one sets up. There were times it was easy and there were moments I struggled. I wish I had more time behind the wheel but sharing with three others isn't too bad. The other three are in the other truck. I am prefering the International. The clutch seems to be smoother on it. I am actually double clutching on downshifting without thinking about it. I bet everything is easier when it's second nature. One girl didn't know how to drive a standard until now. I say she is better off because she doesn't have the four wheeler bad habits of shifting.One thing I am NOT looking forward to is the Pretrip portion of the test. I had to do it last year for the class B schoolbus test now I get to do it all over again with more stuff to remember than last time. I am wondering when I should take the written for my hazmat. We go to the DOT to test on March 27th and 28th. I wanna time it so I can just put it on my CDL when everything else is done.
Day 5
Day 5......nothing! School was cancelled due to snow. Springfield has got about 5 inches of snow. The amounts are worse the further east on I44 you go. Coincidently westbound was backed up due to a jackknifed truck. Oh and those of you traveling on US65 wave hello as you go by the school in Ozark, MO. Until next time....
Day 4
Day 4:
Today the rest of the students who didn't pass their written exams friday redid their tests and came back. Since they passed today everyone is on the same page. Because of this me and two other students got more drive time behind the wheel. We stayed on the range and practiced shifting up, stops and starts, and backing straight line. We went over log books and started the learning process of recording everything on a driver's log book. My instructor says I am doing well just gotta be smoother on the clutch. (still have my four wheeler habits). We have a couple of s turns on the range. I'm doing well on those. On my straightline backing I have to think opposite of my schoolbus. Seeing something long in my mirror backing up is not new but it being "hinged" is. It basically makes everything opposite of what I am used to in steering. If the trailer in the left hand mirror goes one way you steer that direction. In a bus or straight truck it's different. Oh well. I did ok but need a little practice. Today we were dismissed early on account of the sleet and snow. It was 78 degrees yesterday, today it's like 25 degrees. I guess they didn't want a bunch of amatuers playing with 18 wheelers on the ice. LOL
Today the rest of the students who didn't pass their written exams friday redid their tests and came back. Since they passed today everyone is on the same page. Because of this me and two other students got more drive time behind the wheel. We stayed on the range and practiced shifting up, stops and starts, and backing straight line. We went over log books and started the learning process of recording everything on a driver's log book. My instructor says I am doing well just gotta be smoother on the clutch. (still have my four wheeler habits). We have a couple of s turns on the range. I'm doing well on those. On my straightline backing I have to think opposite of my schoolbus. Seeing something long in my mirror backing up is not new but it being "hinged" is. It basically makes everything opposite of what I am used to in steering. If the trailer in the left hand mirror goes one way you steer that direction. In a bus or straight truck it's different. Oh well. I did ok but need a little practice. Today we were dismissed early on account of the sleet and snow. It was 78 degrees yesterday, today it's like 25 degrees. I guess they didn't want a bunch of amatuers playing with 18 wheelers on the ice. LOL
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