Truck Driving School, Tuesday, Final Week (trying to drive 55)

Tuesday/Final Week

Sunday night I had my ‘night drive,’ originally scheduled for 6-10pm, then moved up slightly to 5:30pm, then bumped to 4:30pm… I was cooking a baked potato for dinner in the microwave at 4:15 when my phone rang; it was the instructor letting me know he was ready. I shut off the microwave, choked down a sandwich, and ran over to the school. 

We started out taking the route the DOT examiner takes us on, simulated crossing railroad tracks and then pulled off the road, as if we were broken down, so that I could explain where I’d put the warning/reflective triangles, and then headed off down the interstate to the familiar country road where I practiced upshifting and downshifting before getting back on the interstate. Heading away from town, I missed the exit the instructor had told me to take, extending our drive time about 40 mins and sending us through a nice thunderstorm. I was sorry for his sake that I missed the exit, because I know he wanted to get back, but honestly I’m glad I missed the exit because as it turned out we still got back before our four hours had expired, and because we’re on Mountain Standard Time and it gets dark around 8pm, I was able to actually drive in the dark, which I wouldn’t have been able to do if we’d gotten back when he intended for us to. Plus I got to drive in inclement weather; as far as I’m concerned I was much better off for not following directions. Not that I’m going to make a habit of it. 

Yesterday I reviewed for my HAZMAT endorsement test, which I took this morning at the DMV and passed.  Thank you Hazardous Materials Free CDL Practice Tests and High Road Practice Questions: Hazardous Materials!!

Today was quite eventful: first I passed the HAZMAT endorsement test, then I got confirmation that Schneider will hire me (even though I’ve received three pre-hire letters from them, I wasn’t absolutely certain until the recruiter confirmed that there is nothing on their end that will prevent them from hiring me, as long as I pass my CDL exam on Thursday, of course), while also learning that the earliest orientation class they can fit me in will be a week from Monday. I was hoping for this Monday, but oh well. That will give me a week to spend with an old friend in Austin, TX, which I hear is a kick-ass town. It’s a guy I sort of grew up with; we’ve been friends since we were about 8 or 9 yrs. old. Haven’t seen him in 20 years. From Austin it will be just a short hop over to Houston to begin orientation.

This afternoon I had a four hour session driving on the range, where I continued practicing the 90º back as well as off-set backing; at some point, after you get it, it almost becomes boring. There are steps, and as long as you follow the steps, it just become routine. If only I could drive the truck forward as well as backwards, I wouldn’t be sweating the CDL exam in two days. After backing I spent the last hour driving in circles around the range, practicing upshifting and downshifting. I figured out that if I didn’t square off my turns so much I could maintain speed on the curves, and get it up to 6th gear. This allowed me to use the splitter on the gear shift, shifting from the low gears (1-5) to the high gears (6-10). But no higher than 6th gear. So for several laps I practiced shifting from 5th to 6th gear, and back down to 5th. That’s an awkward shift, because both 5th and 6th gear is in the ‘down’ position, and you skip over a gear to get from one to the other. I wasn’t really paying attention to my speed, just to my tachometer, and to what was around me on the range. BIG mistake. HUGE. 

The classroom instructor was in another truck, parked, with a student, showing him I’m-not-sure-what, when he saw me driving at what was apparently a rate of speed much too high for the range, walked towards me so that I stopped, and yelled at me the likes of which I haven’t experienced in many years. I was so embarrassed, my face got white hot from shame, and I apologized profusely. “Where do you think you are, on a racetrack?!” “No sir, no sir I don’t, I’m sorry sir.” It was near quitting time, so about 20 mins. later after I parked the truck and went in to the instructors’ office to turn in the keys, they were all in there and I again apologized for disrespecting him, the range, the school… he was completely calm and told me not to worry about it, just don’t do it again. I wonder if it had been a trucking company CDL school if I would have been kicked out? A friend who was backing on the range said he noticed me drive past and wondered if I thought this was the Indy 500?

He empathized with me a bit however; there is no place to really practice shifting other than the road sessions, which there don’t seem to be enough of. That’s irrelevant, I am aware. I should have been paying attention to how fast I was going, and even if I thought I was in control, it was still too fast for the range. That’s something I should take with me when I begin driving for my company: always pay attention to what you are doing, where you are, and respect the rules of the host, no matter what my needs or intentions are. 

Tomorrow I have a four hour road session in the morning, when I can practice my NASCAR cornering skills legally.

"Hey Pete...that's a great learning experience for you, highly relevant. Most yard speed limits never exceed 15mph (and no drafting or blocking). Swift terminal yard speed limits are 7-8. Very strictly enforced.

You handled it well, owned your mistake and offered an apology. You will make mistakes...this experience and the take-always will help you in the future.

Good luck and take it easy."    - G-Town

Truck Driving School, Saturday, Week 4 (practicing my over-the-road eating habits)

Saturday/Week 4

I wasn't going to post an entry today, but what the heck. I scored some *bonus* time on the range today, as I hadn't been scheduled but took advantage of an instructor who had to be there anyway to conduct classroom time for several others. I continued to practice my 90º backing and off-sets backing, while also driving the circumference of the range practicing my shifting. I am on the schedule for tomorrow night, from 6-10pm, to knock out my night driving requirement. After that it's four hours on the range Tuesday, four hours on the road Wednesday, four more hours on the range Thursday, and then... the CDL test with the DOT examiner Thursday afternoon, at 1pm. I'm not worried about the pre-trip or the backing, but the road portion of the test makes me nervous. Hopefully after eight more hours of road driving with my instructors I'll feel more confident about it. 

I walked to the Wal*Marts after practicing on the range today for more lunch & dinner food; I've been experimenting with my meals since I've been here and it's worked out great. My hotel room included a refrigerator and microwave; after the first day of class I began using them. Since March 28, with one exception, I've avoided fast food and eating out by shopping at Wal*Mart for my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The meals haven't been real exciting, but I'm not tired of them either. The breakfast and lunch food is what I've been eating all my life anyway: coffee, wheat bread and bananas for breakfast, apple, yogurt, and turkey & cheese sandwich for lunch, and dinner has been one of two options: most frequently, a salad of spinach leaves (sometimes romaine & kelp) with carrots, broccoli, and canned tuna or salmon, topped with chunky blue cheese dressing, smoked almonds, and raisins... and option two: potato nuked in the microwave and topped with salsa. I poke about a bazillion holes in the potato with a fork before nuking it. The raisins add a nice sweetness to my salad. As light as the meals sound, I haven't felt hunger pains throughout the day. 

This is how I intend to eat once I'm driving. Not only is it much healthier than eating out or getting fast food, but much cheaper as well. I do intend on getting a crock-pot also, so that will vary my meals. It'll be nice to rotate in chicken or soup once in a while.

Truck Driving School, Friday, Week 4 (time to listen)

Friday/Week 4

Today I went onto the range brimming with confidence in my backing abilities, and was then served a nice healthy portion of Humble Pie. An instructor got into the cab with me to observe my backing, and sat while I did a nice right-to-left off-set backing; I got backed in with only one pull-up, which I thought was good, but then I somehow screwed up pulling straight out of the lane and straight ahead to get set for my left-to-right backing. When I got to the forward-most boundary, the truck was at a ridiculous angle, not at all conducive to the next maneuver. So the instructor told me to drive around the range again so he could show me how to do the right-to-left. I was confused, because I thought I'd done that pretty well, but followed his instructions and got set up again. On the 2nd go 'round, he gave me instructions and I followed, but ended up having to take 5 or 6 pull-ups to get 'er in. After next doing the left-to-right off-set, which went well, it was time for the 90º backing. I got it in well enough, taking three, maybe four pull-ups, but the instructor didn't like my starting position and tried to coach me on where I should have started the maneuver. Well, because I figured that I'd already figured this out, I didn't listen and kept doing it my way after he left. And I proceeded to screw it up time after time after time. I didn't know what had happened, that suddenly it wasn't working for me... I kept running out of room at the forward boundary, not leaving me any space at all for a pull-up, and actually turning the tractor over the boundary while trying to 'chase the trailer.' After the umpteenth time of not getting it, I went to the instructor to ask him about the starting position he tried to coach me on earlier.

I suppose he had been watching from a distance, because he was ready for me when I came to him. I listened to his instruction, backed it in easily on my first try doing it his way, then a second time, then I screwed it up on my own, prompting another visit and another lesson, and then... EUREKA!! And pretty much every time after that, I got it. Consistently. Before he helped me, I had been having success with the 90, but admit it wasn't comfortable, as I always seemed to get the tractor trailer in an awkward jackknife or extreme angle, but somehow always seemed to pull it out and get it in without any real problems, but I think that must have been beginner's luck, repeatedly. Now I'm getting it backed in, once all the way in with 0 pull-ups, while leaving me with plenty of room at the forward boundary with which to work, while also not swinging the tractor over or even near that boundary. Late in the afternoon as the instructor was walking past, I rolled down the window and told him if he was a woman I'd kiss him, and he just grinned and kept on walking. 

So, let this be a lesson to all you newbies!! When the instructor tries to tell you something, listen! Don't be like me and think, "I got it." If you "got it," the instructor wouldn't be there trying to help you "get it." Especially in the rain. Got it?

Truck Driving School, Thursday, Week 4 (driving backwards better than forwards)

Thursday/Week 4

Back in a truck the past two days... yesterday, driving around town, on the interstate, and to my instructor's favorite rural road, a nice stretch with lazy curves, few cars, and several ascents/descents... the perfect place to practice working up and down the gears. Today: on the range, practicing backing. 

My shifting improved greatly over the previous day, but I still have a long ways to go. I depend on the tachometer, especially with the downshifting. I had many more good sequences of smooth shifting up and down through the gears, but still had several moments where my brain farted, I missed gears, and just got completely lost on which gear I needed to be in. I also may have run up too close to a stop sign on two occasions; if a truck had been making a left turn onto the road I was on, he probably wouldn't have had enough room for his trailer to get by as my nose was stuck too far out. I've got at least two more road sessions (eight hours) remaining, maybe three, so I'll have more chances to redeem myself and develop my road skills.

At this point, I'm not worried about backing at all. Today on the driving range I worked in a different truck than I'd been using; it's a Kenworth with dual stacks, making it difficult to hang your head out the window during the 90º/alley dock backing, but I tried anyway. My weakness remains the right-to-left off-set backing, but I've got four more hours on the range tomorrow and then most of the day Saturday to continue practicing. Saturday's a bonus day on the range; no one's scheduled to drive Saturday, but an instructor will be at the school anyway to hold make-up classes, so I've made it known that I'd like to show up and use the range for additional practice. Well, I'm going to be here anyway, I've got nothing else to do but prepare for my CDL exam, and the trucks and range are available. I'd be stupid not to take advantage of the opportunity. 

The instructors are really cool about letting us practice when we can, when we're not scheduled. As long as we're not keeping them there past quitting time at the end of the day, they're o.k. with us using the range. And when I say "us," I mean "me." It doesn't seem anyone else is too interested in being there except when they're on the schedule. Maybe they don't need extra work. All I know is that next Friday night or Saturday morning, I need to be on the way to my new job, CDL in hand.

"Good stuff Pete. Quick suggestion, start to use your ears to know when it's time to shift. Eventually you won't look at the tach. Keep up the great work."  -  G-Town

"Thank you G-Town; I'm trying, my ears just don't recognize the shift range yet, at least in that Peterbilt. In the Kenworth I was driving on the range today, I could pick it up easier, there was a higher-pitched whine to the engine when it wanted me to shift, but the Peterbilt must have a quieter engine."

Truck Driving School, Monday, Week 4 (I got no rhythm)

Beginning of Week 4

Today was my 4th session driving a truck; the previous three were spent on the range practicing backing, whereas today the Peterbilt's gears were in serious peril as I ground my way around the outskirts of Billings, MT. I never thought I'd say this, but I actually feel more comfortable backing up right now than I do driving forward. As with backing, I expect to get better with practice. The morning started with about 20 laps around the two blocks near the school, as I repeatedly worked up through the gears and then back down before heading out onto the interstate and to a rural country road that featured some nice curves as well as several long ascents and descents. I did well checking the mirrors, bringing the truck to a smooth stop, accelerating from a stop through intersections, handling my first long descent using the jake brake, and keeping good spacing around the truck while on the interstate, but holy cow, my shifting leaves an awful lot to be desired. I got no rhythm! That seems to be the crux of my problem. My left leg isn't working well with my right arm and right leg. I've never had any rhythm; I could never dance well, could never carry a tune, but that's not going to excuse me from learning how to shift in the truck.

I'll be back at it tomorrow afternoon; I imagine my instructor is working on his 5th bottle of Pepto Bismol right now. He has the patience of a saint. He's giving me first-class instruction, I'm just not putting it to good use. Tomorrow I'll do better. A good learning opportunity occurred while I was pre-tripping the tractor & trailer... the outside tire on the rear driver's side trailer tandems was very low, requiring air before we could leave the lot. We pulled an air hose from the tools compartment, connected it to the glad hands, and filled the tire on-the-spot. I don't know what truckers keep as standard equipment in their tool box compartment, but I would think an air hose that reaches all tires on the tractor trailer with the air valve connection on one end and a glad hand connector on the other end should be a standard piece of equipment.

"Happy to be of some motivational help. I wish we could have grabbed a cup of coffee over Easter... I'd love to pick your brain about school but I'm in Ohio. Haha

Keep with it and keep us posted."   -Han Solo Cup

Additional and short feedback, followed by very long-winded reply

"Hey Pete, I'm down here in FL..I'm glad to hear u r doing good with backing skills because am having hard time with the 90 degrees and my offsets r inconsistent...can u tell me what works for u because that might help me out , how u do ur 90 degrees?, and for the offsets do u pull up to boundary line, hard turn the wheel, back up till u see ur trailer V or to second landing gear? walk me thro it"   -Ed T.



"Howdy Ed, I'll answer you as best I can... but I'm still learning too so my answers will be more conceptual than actual step-by-step. The improvement from my 'Day 1 disaster' to my 'Day 2 I got it' came after thinking about what happens when you turn the steering wheel... to the right: rear of the trailer moves to the left, while the front of the tractor swings around to the left. Conversely, when your turn the steering wheel to the left, the opposite happens: rear of trailer moves to the right, front of tractor swings to the right. I actually backed up luggage in my hotel room to help learn this concept. Felt like an idiot, but it helped. Whatever it takes.

With the off-set backing, yes, I begin at the forward boundary of the range. On our range there are markers on the ground that we use. When beginning the maneuver, rotate the steering wheel left or right and turn until the fender mirrors cover the marker, then turn the wheel the other way. I've backed two different trailers, the first was a belly-dump and much shorter trailer, the other was a 53' trailer. The wheel movement is two full turns initially with the longer trailer, one full turn with the belly-dump trailer. After the fender mirrors on the tractor cover the ground markers, four full turns (with the 53' trailer) in the opposite direction. That's two turns to get the wheels straight again, two more turns to turn the wheels. There is a point where the cones behind me disappear in the mirror; that's when I straighten out the wheel and continue backing. It's important to remember that you don't have to turn the wheel to turn the trailer. One of the most common mistakes rookies make, and I'm still making, is to over-steer. My instructor has completed 90º turns while touching the steering wheel half the time.

If you have created an angle with the trailer, it will continue to turn while you are backing up, with the steer wheels straight. Try to plan your move 15 feet out from the rear of the trailer. I haven't spent much time looking at my landing gear. I do look at the side of the trailer to determine when it is straight in line with the alley. Remember, when the nose of your tractor is pointing to the left, and your trailer is behind you, relatively straight, and you need to get in front of it, turn your wheel to the left to get your tractor to swing around to the right to get in front of it. When the nose of your tractor is pointing to the right, turn your wheel clockwise to the right to get the tractor to swing around to the left to get in front of your trailer. When doing the off-set, I will do my pull-ups pretty far forward, as long as I don't go out-of-bounds. Use all of the space you are given. It doesn't have to be a thing of beauty, it just has to get you your CDL.

With the 90º backing, I'm only more vague, and I'm sorry. I eyeball a point where I feel it's necessary to start turning my trailer, and because we're doing 90º backing to the driver's side only, no blind 90º backing, it's always turning the wheel to the right to get the trailer started turning to the left and towards/into the alley. I finally figured out that over-steering creates a lot of problems than seem impossible to get out of, so I try real hard not to. After my initial turn to the right to get the trailer turning left, I let go of the wheel for a minute and let the trailer back up and see where it goes. I'm looking 15 feet behind the trailer and envisioning where that trailer is going to go. The first move I will usually make with the wheel after the initial turn is to straighten the wheels, because remember, if the trailer is already at an angle, driving the tractor back with wheels straightened will continue to turn the trailer.


Those are the basic concepts that once you learn, nothing else other than practice, practice, practice, and more practice, will help. There are numerous replies in this forum where people have gone into great detail about how to back up. I've tried not to do that because (1) I'm still learning, and my left-to-right off-set backing is UGLY, and (2) I'm just not good enough to go into greater detail, and really, who can remember all those details when you're sitting in the cab and actually doing it? Just try to remember what effect your steering wheel is going to have on the tractor and trailer when you turn it. Concentrate on this... if you stop thinking and turn the wheel in the wrong direction and start moving, you will get yourself into a pickle in just a few seconds...

...I hope this helps; certainly, I couldn't have been more discouraged after my first day, but continued practice has enabled me to figure it out and given me confidence. You'll get it. Think about all of the trucks you see on the road... and the tens of thousands you don't see... no one driving those knew how to back up initially, it's not an instinct we're born with, it's something we learn, and with practice, you'll learn too. You got this; just be patient, know in advance of turning that wheel what effect it's going to have on the tractor and trailer, and it'll come to you. If you've got four hours to spend on the range, I'd only get out of that truck to take a pee break. Stay in it and utilize every minute that you've got. I show up early, do the minimum pre-trip to drive the truck before my time even starts, and usually get in and going before my scheduled time. Other guys waste their range time pre-tripping the truck before they get in... No. Practice your pre-trip before or after, but not during your range time. I have watched my instructors and ask them about the minimum, and they just want to be sure there's oil in the truck, fluid levels are o.k., and that's about it. Look around the truck for obstructions... the other day I found a bottle of diesel fuel gel someone had put on the catwalk, and put it back inside the truck, and I will do the brake check on the tractor and trailer, but all that takes about 5 mins. You've got plenty of time to practice and study the pre-trip without using your range time for it.

Good luck, and I apologize for the long-winded reply. Sad fact is, I've got nothing else to do today but help with this! Good luck, I know you'll get it and be fine. Stay in touch, I want to hear about your success!"

Truck Driving School, closing out week 3

End of Week 3

G-Town and Hans Solo Cup, thanks again for your support earlier in the week; it helped calm me down quite a bit. With regard to the backing maneuvers, I spent the week visualizing what the trailer is going to do when I turn the wheel, as well as studying the pre-trip inspection. By Friday morning my confidence was back, and I'm happy... no, elated, to report that I nailed the two off-set backing maneuvers, right-to-left and left-to-right, right off the bat. The remaining 3 1/2 hours I spent practicing my 90-degree backing, which I got before my session had expired. This morning (Saturday) I was back out on the range, started with the off-sets as a warm-up, then continued practicing the 90. My goal is to perform the 90-degree backing with 3 pull-ups... I did two with two pull-ups, two with three, and the others using four or more. Our range is large enough that we have two sets of cones we are practicing with, so two trucks can perform backing maneuvers simultaneously,
without running into each other.  The DOT examiner tests on only one set of cones, the
set I haven't been using. I almost separated my shoulder patting myself on the back at the end of this morning's session, when, after engaging the other set of cones for my first time, the set the DOT examiner tests on, I did my 90 with only two pull-ups. I feel I'm in a really good place now; I have four four-hour sessions scheduled next week, Tue-Wed-Thur-Fri... Tuesday & Wednesday it looks like I'll be going out on the road for the first time, then Thursday & Friday it's back on the range. Saturday one student is scheduled to come in for a make-up class, so I asked the instructor if it would be alright if I showed up and drove on the range, since the school was going to be open anyway. He said 'sure, no problem.' I don't know that I'll necessarily need the extra practice, but it certainly can't hurt. 

Prior to tonight, I hadn't added any entries into this diary, as there really wasn't anything to
report.  I spent the week studying for the pre-trip inspection, as well as watching others
practice backing on the driving range as well as visualizing the backing maneuvers. My classroom time had ended, and when we're not scheduled to be driving, our time is left to us to do with as we please. For me it's rather simple: I'm here for one purpose and one purpose only... to get my CDL. So when I'm not driving I'm studying my pre-trip, either by myself or partnering up with a buddy, and/or observing others on the range, watching and learning from their backing maneuvers. I'd say it's worked out pretty well; I'm confident in my ability to back that rig up, and could pass the pre-trip tomorrow, if need be. And I still have at least eight hours remaining to continue honing my backing skills, as well as a week + a weekend to continue reviewing the pre-trip.

We have four tractor trailer combinations available from which to choose when we drive; I think I surprised the instructors yesterday when I asked for the 53' trailer, as my previous experience (Monday) hadn't gone so well. "Trial by fire," one of them said. I figured if I was going to learn how to back that thing up, I might as well learn it on the longest tractor trailer we have. If I can figure it out on that one, then the others won't be a big deal, and the 53' is the standard size anyway. This morning I got to the school 30 mins early to make sure I could get back into the tractor pulling the 53' trailer. The other combinations in our training fleet are a belly-dump trailer, which I'm not sure of the length, but it is much shorter, and two 48' trailers.

Tomorrow is Easter and I am over 3800 miles from home and without a car... my big plans for the day are to go for a long walk, end up at a coffee shop where I can enjoy a nice cappuccino while reviewing my pre-trip inspection notes, and laundry. My wife reminded me that beginning Monday I'll be able to score some nicely-discounted Easter candy. Cadbury Eggs for 25¢!! Yes, I am that guy who scours the pharmacies and the Wal*Marts looking for the 75% discounts on holiday candy after they've passed!

Feedback to Day 13

Again, responses to my post and my reply:

"Pete...no worries. Everyone experiences the exact same thing. Everyone!

I can write 1000 words on how to back, but it won't help. Like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube, amazingly frustrations and unnatural. Beyond what is obvious, persistence and repetition are the only things that will get it done.

Same with shifting. Pushing the clutch in too far will engage the clutch brake, thus fouling your shift. No more than an inch. Again not what we were taught shifting Dad's Chevy...

Try not to be so hard on yourself. We have all been exactly where you are right now. You'll be fine..."
-  G-Town


"Pete, keep your head up. Like you said, learning is why you're there. You can't be the only student in their history to ever have this issue. And you're probably way harder on yourself than your instructor. I know it's tough but remember to take a breath and repeat yourself: you're learning, you're not the first and won't be the last, and they're not going to let you fail. They gain nothing by throwing their hands up and tossing you to the wolves. It's in their best interest to help you be successful.

It's interesting you mentioned the shifting as I just asked in another thread how it was similar (or not) to car shifting. Your answer and G-Town's help. So it's similar in that I need to shift and I get the mind-muscle connection but it's much abbreviated compared to my car.

And, if none of my "remember the positive" crap sticks, think about all you've already accomplished here. Would you have ever thought any of that would be possible? Probably not. If you can make it past all those tests, etc, then surely you can figure this backing out and dominate it too."  
-Han Solo Cup

"Hey Pete am also in my third week at Sage, am glad u been very thorough, can u please post the steps they gave u on the study guide for the different maneuvers ( alley dock, parallels & offset) to compare it to ours, i wanna know if it differ from truck to truck or school to school, thanks & good luck!"  -Ed T.

And my reply:  "G-Town and HSC, thank you very much for your words of encouragement. They are much appreciated. I know I can be my own worst critic. My wife appeared to be a little irritated with me for how hard I was being on myself. I studied pre-trip all morning, then was back out at the driving range, watching other drivers' backing, observing how their wheels were turning and how the trailer was reacting. It seems I am not alone in my struggles. I learned from one of the instructors that my next session, Friday, will be spent mostly backing. Four hours to learn off-set and 90-degree. I'll get it; I just need practice.

Ed, we were not given a study guide for any maneuvers. The materials we were given and could keep consist of the FMCSA regulations handbook, the Montana Commercial Driver License Manual, and some stapled papers re: troubleshooting issues with a truck: symptoms, probable causes, and fixes. Nothing to do with driving maneuvers. Which school are you in?"

Truck Driving School, Day 13 (Not only can I not drive 55, I can't drive)

Day 13/Monday, beginning of 3rd week

Well, today marked the day I had been anticipating the most since Day 1 of CDL school, so it pains me to write today's update. In my own estimation, I performed horribly today. My instructor seemed a little surprised when he learned I had never spent any time in the seat of a truck, save for a coupling/uncoupling exercise, and had never backed anything other than a car or straight truck, nothing with a trailer. That's what school is for, right? To learn those sorts of things; so outside to the range we went.

I spent the majority of the time trying to unlearn everything I knew about driving a stick-shift, something I've been doing for over 30 years in a four wheeler. Probably the concept I'm finding hardest to grasp is how little the clutch needs to be activated to change gears, particularly when downshifting. And, according do my instructor today, downshifting is easier than upshifting. Repeatedly I kept pushing the clutch in, way too far. As experienced drivers know, that doesn't allow you to shift quickly and just slows the truck down and below the target RPMs. That was driving forward.

Backing up proved to be even more challenging for me. I picked up straight-line backing fairly quickly, thank goodness. Made very small movements with the steering wheel, something I'd learned from advice gleaned from this site. The off-set backing? Well, I know basics, such as turning the wheel opposite the direction you want the trailer to go, but I just wasn't able to figure out how the trailer is going to react to the movements I was making with the steering wheel. Swinging the trailer back in front of the trailer. Fuhgeddaboudit. I did complete it several times, but not on my own. If the instructor had stepped out and left me to my own devices, I'd probably still be out there, making my 10,000th pull-up.

At this point this entry seems pretty negative, but I'm already doing what I can outside of the truck to make my next session go more favorably. Using my carry-on luggage, I pulled out the telescoping handle, positioned it behind me with my arm extended straight out backwards, my hand gripping the handle, acting as the 5th wheel. And I backed my little suitcase all around my room trying to better understand the tractor-to-trailer relationship. It helps, a little bit. While walking I'm stopping and tapping the ground quickly twice with my left leg while slapping my right leg/side in unison with my right hand, trying to learn or teach my muscles a quicker rhythm that I'll use when shifting. My goal is that when I have my next session on the range, which isn't until Friday, I'm going to surprise my instructor with the biggest improvements he's seen.

me w/George, instructor extraordinaire

Truck Driving School, Days 11 & 12 (wrapping up the classroom)

Days 11 & 12

We came in over the weekend for the last two days of classroom, which I don't think is normally done, but due to the size of our class (8) they needed to wrap up our classroom requirements so they could begin our driving rotation. Looking ahead to next week, I'll take a turn in a truck tomorrow (Monday), Friday, and Saturday. Needless to say, I'm happy to be done with the classroom. Don't get me wrong, I mean, I love powerpoint presentations, but I'm anxious to put to practice what I've been reading about and watching on a tv. Yesterday I actually moved a tractor trailer, while coupling and uncoupling the tractor to the trailer, and performing the air brakes test, and for a few brief moments realized how BIG those things really are. After class I went to the Wal*Marts with another student, and watched a guy drive his custom tractor through the parking lot like it was a sports car, maneuvering through the parking lot and to the front of the store where a promotional trailer was parked, and thought, "man, I am light years away from that!" 

The format of the classroom yesterday and today was the same as it has been: videos, really awesome powerpoint, two quizzes. Yesterday we broke early for lunch, sat through one class afterwards, then spent the rest of the afternoon practicing our pre-trip on the trucks. Today was even shorter; we finished up before noon, and due to a nice wintry mix of snow and rain, called it a day. I was happy for the short day, as I had several weeks' worth of laundry to do. I did my shopping yesterday at Wally World, so I'm hoping this afternoon there's a ballgame on the picture box.

Truck Driving School, Days 9 & 10, or, "I'm not getting a real cowboy hat"

Days 9 & 10

Classroom training: almost over, thank heavens! I'm not going to bore you with the details of each chapter we covered; I'll just say there are 36 chapters in our textbook, and by the end of Sunday's session we'll have finished the book. The format has been pretty much the same: watch a video or two related to chapter-specific material, view an amazing powerpoint presentation summarizing the key points of the chapter, answer the quiz at the end of each chapter, than complete a separate quiz handed out by the instructor. All quizzes have and promise to be open-book. We grade our own quizzes, then hand them in so that the instructor may record our scores. What I don't understand is why I'm seeing papers turned in with "-2," or "-4," even "-5..." we grade our own quizzes, we used PENCILS THAT HAVE ERASERS to take the quizzes, so everyone should be getting 100's, right?? 

The videos are pretty dated, but the information is still very relevant. While great changes have been made in truck technology, the principles of driving and safety remain the same today as existed 30 years ago. We ended our classroom session early today, allowing us about an hour-and-a-half to go out to the trucks that weren't being driven to practice our pre-trip inspection. Next week I'll be on the driving range for three days, with three days unscheduled; those three unscheduled days means I'll be at the school practicing my trip-trip on parked trucks. 

Monday I'm finally getting into a truck; I have been looking very forward to that for a long time now. Instead of reading about and watching videos on shifting, I'm going to actually do it. I'm very excited. I will also get to begin backing; all of the tips and advice I've been reading about backing I'll finally get to put to use. Small movements of the wheel. Turn towards the trailer. Monday can't get here soon enough.

I've been staying in this hotel now for nearly two weeks, and finally last night opened the directory to see what was in it. I found pages of ads in the rear, including one for a sharp-looking shop that made and sold custom cowboy hats, Rand Hats. Never having owned a real cowboy hat, and wanting something eventually that will be waterproof as well as keep the sun off my bald head, AND living in Montana for almost five weeks, I thought I'd look into a cowboy hat. I found one on their website that I really liked, but needed to contact them as prices were excluded from their online catalog. I received a reply today and, YIKES, it seems I won't be getting a real cowboy hat after all. I'm sure they're a good investment, quality is superb (beaver pelt/fur), but it's just very hard for me to justify spending close to $800 for a hat. And they don't recommend wearing them in the dead of summer, as they are hand-made using fur; the lady who responded to me admitted that even they wear straw in the summer!

Truck Driving School, Days 7 & 8 (useless training and recruiters)

Days 7 & 8

The past two days have both been spent in the classroom, covering chapters in our textbook, Delmar's Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver Training, practicing pre-planning loads, receiving an independent instruction on how to use electronic onboard recording devices, and sitting through presentations by recruiters from two different companies.

In covering chapters in our textbook, we are being shown videos, some on Youtube that are contemporary as well as others that were originally VHS learning videos produced in the 80's that have been copied onto DVD's, as well as some really nice powerpoint presentations that augment the learning. We then complete several quizzes on the material covered in the chapters, and move on. I did not see the point of the presentation by a gentleman this afternoon on using the 'electronic onboard recording devices,' or EOBR, or e-logs, as it is not likely that the company I work for will be using the exact same device; I know that the company that hires me will include training on their EOBR system in orientation or while I am training with the driver trainer. I kept one eye on his 'presentation' while I continued my practice trip planning. The best part about his spiel was when he quit talking about whatever EOBR device he was there to talk about and instead shared stories and advice learned from his 25 years of experience driving a truck. 

The recruiters could not have been more different. The first pair represented a local food delivery service, similar to Sysco... the young man was their transportation manager, in charge of the drivers, and his accomplice was a young lady who was the company recruiter. He inexplicably spoke 95% of the time... and he was not very polished. When they were finished, I didn't see why anyone would want to go work for their company. It was local work, and 100% driver unload. He did not make it sound appealing at all, and was unclear as to how long it would take after starting to move up to a full-time driver position. The second company recruiter represented Werner, and clearly brought his "A" game. There were students who had previously expressed zero interest in going OTR asking questions and re-thinking their plans of finding local jobs. I have been forthright about my desire to drive tankers for Schneider, but found out more about Werner today than I had learned on my own. Our instructor even admitted that he had to leave the room because the recruiter's pitch was making him wistful about returning to OTR. This evening I have composed a list of questions for the folks at Schneider, and will see how their answers compare to the benefits Werner is offering. 

Probably the most appealing aspect of driving for Werner is that they are not concerned that I don't have a 'home address' near one of their facilities; they allow their new-hires to list the assigned terminal as the home address. I can select any terminal in the country of my choosing, and they will get me there, on their dime. In order to work for Schneider, as well as many other companies I have applied to, I first need to provide a home address near their terminal before they will consider me. And to do that, I need to get myself there, an expense I will be responsible for. That in itself is not a deal-breaker, but I just like that a company (Werner) is doing whatever is necessary to get you into their company, whereas with Schneider and many other companies, I feel like I am begging them to go work for them. 

I realize my diary contains much more than just the specifics of what we cover on a day-to-day basis, but I feel my thought process throughout this experience should be shared as well, as it's all part of the show. If you're still with me, thanks for reading, see you tomorrow. And drive safe.

Feedback to Day 6 (sometimes I listen!)

Again, the title of the post is self-explanatory, so I'll just lay it out to be read...

"Pete...effective trip-planning can save you so much time and aggravation on the back end. May not compute at the moment, but it will.

Many of the routes I take, burned into memory, repetition and practice will over time reduce your trip-planning effort.

Good luck!"  -  G-Town

And, my reply:
"G-Town, I could not agree with you more; I just hope I can reduce the time spent trip planning from hours to minutes! I've already gotten much faster at it, just practicing the past two days. We received a practice load to practice pre-planning on, and from the outset it seemed a bit outrageous: drive 2001 miles in 53 hours, NOT using the sleeper. I played the game and pre-planned it, but of course came in 14 hrs past the deadline. While tutoring a student again last night who is not quite getting it, I thought I had a 'genius moment' and had beaten the system, by planning the trip out as a 'team.' I was really happy with myself, thought I had thought out-of-the-box, finishing the trip as a team in 37 hrs, crushing the goal. Nope. Our hypothetical truck wasn't equipped with a sleeper, and our instructor informed me that DOT regs wouldn't allow for the other driver to sleep in the other seat, that it had to be in a sleeper compartment. So there was no way to win; the instructor appreciated my efforts, said I was thinking like a trucker, but in the end my solution was still a no-go. It wasn't an exercise in complete futility; it was still good practice pre-planning, but I would have appreciated the opportunity to have done it successfully! I didn't like it that failure was the only option. Even if it was just practice."

Truck Driving School, Day 6 (trip planning)

Day 6

Today turned out to be much more challenging than I had anticipated. The two chapters we covered in the classroom were 'Hours Of Service' and 'Trip Planning;' while I had spent countless hours studying the HOS chapters found in The High Road Training Program, I had not spent any time 'trip planning.' The text covered all of the reasons for the HOS rules & regulations, as well as the economical & efficiency benefits of proper trip planning, and we then got to put our knowledge to practice by planning trips using a load as it might appear coming through the Qualcomm or whatever instrument is being used to capture new loads. This is where it got really fun.

The scenarios were not all that complicated... each trip we planned exhausted our 70hr week, and a 34hr reset was ordered before we were to begin planning our next load, so we did not have to rely on working with 'recap' hours to make the deliveries on time. Also, the 8/2 split sleeper birth was not covered in the class, so I felt if I had used that rule in my planning, which really wasn't necessary to deliver the hypothetical loads on time, it would have been perceived as 'showing off,' so I stuck to the concepts that the instructor taught to the whole class. 

My only real concern with today's lessons was the length of time it took me to pre-plan the trip; in one case I spent close to two hours performing the trip planning. I mentioned my concern to the instructor, that I was afraid I might spend two hours pre-planning a load when I should be driving, but he calmed me down saying that I'll soon learn the routes and that this was my first crack at it, that it'll take a fraction of the time in real life compared to the effort I'm putting into it right now. 

The High Road training paid off big time, as I was able to begin my trip planning immediately, while the others were still trying to grasp the concept of spending 10 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth after they had driven for 11 hours (remember, the 8/2 split sleeper berth had not been covered, even though that is an alternative to spending 10 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth). One of the students staying in the same hotel as I asked if I wouldn't mind giving him some help with all of it, so tonight we spent about 2 1/2 hrs. in my room working through the most involved trip we were given, me helping him to understand the concepts found in the Hours Of Service. I was more than happy to help; I feel as though I'm getting these small opportunities to 'pay it forward' in helping others understand what we're being taught, which I'm grateful to do, as I've been fortunate to learn from the experience and wisdom of Brett, the moderators, and everyone else who contributes their time this site.