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.
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
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