Excited and nervous as hell

[wanderer03]

Tommorrow afternoon, I leave for orientation at Western Express. With the encouragement of friends and family, I am going to give driving an 18 wheel tractor trailer one more go. My friends and family note my success (in the driving part anyway) as a bus driver and say my stress tolerance and mood is far more stable than when I last tried it. I keep telling myself that the tractor trailer is really only going to be 20 feet longer than the longest bus I drove. No big deal, right? LOL! I got this ....

This should be a good opportunity as I'll basically be on the road 5 days and home weekends. I'll be driving in the Northeast Region and the first two weeks I'll be with a trainer to sharpen skills. If I survive 14 days of The Great Northeast, I'll get upgraded to solo, assigned a truck, and I'll be ready to roll. I hope I get one of those nice shiny Freightliner Cascadias with the DD12 Ultrashift automatic transmission. They're sweet! Oh and free directv with HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and the all-important NFL Sunday Ticket. Throw it into drive and roll out.

I know I'll need some work on alley docking. Alley docking is a complex maneuver to get a 53 foot long trailer into a dock door. It's probably the hardest skill for a driver to learn. The second hardest skill is straight-line backing - that I've got nailed down. Truck driving is the easiest hardest job in the world. Pics to follow .... Unless Sportster beats me to the punch.

 

[Catlover614]

Tommorrow afternoon, I leave for orientation at Western Express. With the encouragement of friends and family, I am going to give driving an 18 wheel tractor trailer one more go. My friends and family note my success (in the driving part anyway) as a bus driver and say my stress tolerance and mood is far more stable than when I last tried it. I keep telling myself that the tractor trailer is really only going to be 20 feet longer than the longest bus I drove. No big deal, right? LOL! I got this ....

This should be a good opportunity as I'll basically be on the road 5 days and home weekends. I'll be driving in the Northeast Region and the first two weeks I'll be with a trainer to sharpen skills. If I survive 14 days of The Great Northeast, I'll get upgraded to solo, assigned a truck, and I'll be ready to roll. I hope I get one of those nice shiny Freightliner Cascadias with the DD12 Ultrashift automatic transmission. They're sweet! Oh and free directv with HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and the all-important NFL Sunday Ticket. Throw it into drive and roll out.

I know I'll need some work on alley docking. Alley docking is a complex maneuver to get a 53 foot long trailer into a dock door. It's probably the hardest skill for a driver to learn. The second hardest skill is straight-line backing - that I've got nailed down. Truck driving is the easiest hardest job in the world. Pics to follow .... Unless Sportster beats me to the punch.

Best wishes to you!!!! You've got this!!!!

 

[wanderer03]

Sounds like a pretty good gig so I know you'll do well, especially with that equipment. Backing a 53-foot trailer is actually easier than a shorter one since it won't get away from you as easy. I always had trouble with the shorter ones like a 27 to 35; those are the ones normally used in doubles.

As for posting any pics, are you wanting pics of my surgery or picks of the truck I used to drive? It will be a while for the latter since I should be on the couch with the ice-pack on, which is getting to be a drag . . . UGH!!!

LOL! I was thinking you'd be posting Freightliner Cascadia pics. Didn't you used to drive a KWT600 cabover?

 

[Cali Cat]

Best wishes on beginning your new employment!

 

[wanderer03]

Best wishes on beginning your new employment!

Thank you. I hope it goes okay.

 

[Warmheart]

Umm.. Sportster... Just... Wow! I can't imagine driving such a big rig!

Wanderer, you'll have my best good thoughts and vibes beaming out to you!
I'm in the northeast. Will you be in Massachusetts? (Come for the chowdah!)

 

[wanderer03]

Umm.. Sportster... Just... Wow! I can't imagine driving such a big rig!

Wanderer, you'll have my best good thoughts and vibes beaming out to you!
I'm in the northeast. Will you be in Massachusetts? (Come for the chowdah!)

Thank you, Warmheart. I most certainly will be in Massachussetts at some point! Western Express hauls a lot of water from Poland Spring up in Maine.

 

[wanderer03]

That one is actually small by comparison. The trailer was only 45 feet long and the tractor was small. The one that wanderer03 will be driving will be a lot bigger. However, whereas he'll have all the nice amenities, the one I drove was old school. It had a manual 7-speed transmission and NO power steering. Like I said, it was a beast.

Still, it's a head-rush piloting something that size down the road. When I'd be headed home there would be a flame coming out of the stack, as I'd have the turbo screaming for all it was worth. That was back in 1987.

I know pneumatics basically refer to air but what specifically did you haul? Were they relatively inert gases?

 

[wanderer03]

Anything that could be moved with air. The transmission had a PTO that operated a GMC 8-71 blower (like one on a dragster) that was fixed between the cab and the fifth wheel. I would connect a hose from it to the trailer, start the PTO, and then pressurize the trailer. Depending on what I was hauling would depend on the pressure, which was usually 13 to 15 PSI.

I would hook hoses to the trailer and then open the hoppers so the "product" would start dumping and move along the hose into a silo. I usually hauled flour, ground up corn cobs, or phosphorous:

That sounds like a lot of work! I'll just stick to my 100% no touch drop and hook dry van. LOL! Why work harder than you have to? I'll just be a steering wheel holder. :-D

 

[wanderer03]

It was more work trying to jockey that Freightliner with center-point steering.

Seriously, it was a pain having to drag the hoses out, hook them up, off-load, put everything away, and then go to a place to get the tank cleaned between loads. The worst thing was doing it in the winter. I used to deliver flour up to Azteca Foods in Chicago, which was a pain to begin with, but adding the cold and snow compounded things.

I had to google center-point steering. That would be a lot of work! I'll bet your neck and shoulders would be tired after that. I'd rather full-blown power steering. Seriously, I don't know you old-time truckers used to do it. Just having to deal with two or three tranny shifters would be enough to have me running scared. Today's truckers, i.e. me, are whimpy by comparison. You know I am going to have a fully automatic transmission and DirecTV with DVR and HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and NFL Sunday Ticket. Not to mention that it will probably be a 2015 Cascadia or ProStar+

 

[wanderer03]

Quite true! Truck driving is a real skill. I challenge a 4 wheeler driver to just get in and go. That takes skill and coordination to operate a two-stick. No way in the shady side of hell could I do that!

 

[ChurchTheArtist]

Tommorrow afternoon, I leave for orientation at Western Express. With the encouragement of friends and family, I am going to give driving an 18 wheel tractor trailer one more go. My friends and family note my success (in the driving part anyway) as a bus driver and say my stress tolerance and mood is far more stable than when I last tried it. I keep telling myself that the tractor trailer is really only going to be 20 feet longer than the longest bus I drove. No big deal, right? LOL! I got this ....

This should be a good opportunity as I'll basically be on the road 5 days and home weekends. I'll be driving in the Northeast Region and the first two weeks I'll be with a trainer to sharpen skills. If I survive 14 days of The Great Northeast, I'll get upgraded to solo, assigned a truck, and I'll be ready to roll. I hope I get one of those nice shiny Freightliner Cascadias with the DD12 Ultrashift automatic transmission. They're sweet! Oh and free directv with HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and the all-important NFL Sunday Ticket. Throw it into drive and roll out.

I know I'll need some work on alley docking. Alley docking is a complex maneuver to get a 53 foot long trailer into a dock door. It's probably the hardest skill for a driver to learn. The second hardest skill is straight-line backing - that I've got nailed down. Truck driving is the easiest hardest job in the world. Pics to follow .... Unless Sportster beats me to the punch.

My dad does this same thing but for Schneider. He loves it even though he's out 5 days a week. I think it's been his dream ever since Smoky and the Bandit came out. I hope you do great! Good luck to you and remember to steer clear of all the stupid drivers! There's a lot of them.

If things don't do well, try getting some training at Schneider; it's a great company with great training standards.

 

[wanderer03]

My dad does this same thing but for Schneider. He loves it even though he's out 5 days a week. I think it's been his dream ever since Smoky and the Bandit came out. I hope you do great! Good luck to you and remember to steer clear of all the stupid drivers! There's a lot of them. [emoji14]

If things don't do well, try getting some training at Schneider; it's a great company with great training standards.

Does your dad have an automatic truck or a 10 speed?

 

[Rayner]

I had to google center-point steering. That would be a lot of work! I'll bet your neck and shoulders would be tired after that. I'd rather full-blown power steering. Seriously, I don't know you old-time truckers used to do it. Just having to deal with two or three tranny shifters would be enough to have me running scared. Today's truckers, i.e. me, are whimpy by comparison. You know I am going to have a fully automatic transmission and DirecTV with DVR and HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and NFL Sunday Ticket. Not to mention that it will probably be a 2015 Cascadia or ProStar+

When a trucker is out on the road are hotels and whatnot prearranged?

 

[wanderer03]

When a trucker is out on the road are hotels and whatnot prearranged?

You carry the hotel with you, LOL. The truck has a condo cab with double bunk and closet space.

 

[ChurchTheArtist]

Does your dad have an automatic truck or a 10 speed?

10 speed. What's worse is that he had to learn on one with a burnt clutch.
Often his truck has to go in for service and he has to borrow one so he comes into plenty of headaches.

Tip: NEVER SHIRK your INSPECTIONS! My dad ALWAYS does every inspection before taking a load! He always refuses to take a load that doesn't pass inspection; this protects him and the company even though it is a hassle. He takes pictures of poorly loaded contents too. It will frustrate you to see how many other truckers will get by without safety inspections but if you don't catch it and you take a trailer that's missing pins or isn't secured or has a load that isn't secured... you will be in trouble AND liable!

 

[ChurchTheArtist]

When a trucker is out on the road are hotels and whatnot prearranged?

Hotels? That's cute.

No they shower at gas stations and poop in a plastic toilet that they bought in a Wal-Mart for $45.
It's a glamorous life indeed!
I love my dad!

 

[wanderer03]

10 speed. What's worse is that he had to learn on one with a burnt clutch.
Often his truck has to go in for service and he has to borrow one so he comes into plenty of headaches.

Tip: NEVER SHIRK your INSPECTIONS! My dad ALWAYS does every inspection before taking a load! He always refuses to take a load that doesn't pass inspection; this protects him and the company even though it is a hassle. He takes pictures of poorly loaded contents too. It will frustrate you to see how many other truckers will get by without safety inspections but if you don't catch it and you take a trailer that's missing pins or isn't secured or has a load that isn't secured... you will be in trouble AND liable!

Solid advice! I would be interested in Schneider but I am not good with an unsynchronized transmission. I can do it short distances and in minimal traffic. Western has automatics! [emoji3]

 

[ChurchTheArtist]

This goes for all jobs really but for truckers it's very important:
No superior can penalize you for being safe and thorough with the rules! Even if they lose money because you won't take a load that isn't safe, you stand for what's right, safe and orderly and no one can legally penalize you.

People... innocent people die due to poor truck safety.

And for the rest of you out there: Respect those truck drivers! They can't stop and go like your little Mazda can so don't get in front of them or tailgate them! They need space! Especially liquid loads!!! Liquid loads slosh and can push a truck with locked brakes straight through an intersection with the stored kinetic energy! And if you do something stupid and cause a truck to have even a slight accident... you could cost him his CAREER even though it was your fault! Respect those trucks and give them space!

 

[ChurchTheArtist]

Solid advice! I would be interested in Schneider but I am not good with an unsynchronized transmission. I can do it short distances and in minimal traffic. Western has automatics! [emoji3]

My poor dad... the champ... since he was so good but also the new guy they gave him *lowers hat to chest in respect* Atlanta GA. He has to take loads through those 16 lane highways with some of the most pushy people in the SE states.