Comments By RedKnight

I am also a big fan of guyjax. Years ago, I detailed my plan to TT and he got my head out of my ass. I was way over my head with it. Straight to the point and honesty is how I like it, and I needed it. He helped me by not sugarcoating his response and let me know just how dumb my idea was and that it wouldn't work.

Some people can't handle him and his answers. But those are the people who won't be able to handle trucking either!

I know, right? He's awesome, and has been a huge asset to me as this change in lifestyle has proceeded. Looks like you have benefited from his advice as well Daniel. Hope I get to where you're at someday. :-)

till, I can tell you there have been times over the last few months, since I was let go from my job, that I had second guesses of going into trucking. But one morning I got up, about 2 months ago, grabbed a cup of coffee, sat down and went on TT, and you had responded to someone on I why you love your trucking job. It was a lengthy response, but it was quite detailed, including all the sites you've experienced and how happy that made you. When I got done reading that, I made up my mind to go for it.

I'm 57, have always been in business (and frankly, except for the money, never loved it), and after getting layed-off, could not get another job. I had a buddy who did the same thing I did, and he got layed off after being with the same company for 20 years. He's been out of work now for over 2 years. I told my wife the day I lost my job this past January, that I would not allow that to happen to me. That I would try to get another job in business, but at the same time, I would research trucking. She now is on board with it 100% and realizes it's the better choice. We have addressed the change in lifestyle and are reading to embrace it. In fact she looks forward to going with me occasionally. Our two daughters have graduated college over that last few years and are living home to save money, so that will help in the transition. Two of my wife's friends, have husbands who both drive OTR dexdxand she has been talking to them about it, and they have helped her a lot.

I drove a company van for a company when I was 19 years old, while I was going to junior college in NJ. Twice a day I would drive up I-287, 90 minutes each way, then when I was done by 1 in the afternoon, I went to junior college classes. I hated school, I was always a C-B student, but when I was driving up that intertstate, watching the big rigs drive by, I thought how awesome it would be to drive a truck. I-287 goes through nice areas, a little mountainous, and I loved being on the road, being outdoors, experiencing all four seasons, taking 10 minute naps in the rest areas. I had a buddy who was driving for Union Carbide at that time and today, he is 61, owns his own rig and still drives OTR 5 days a week. I spoke to him about this decision a couple times, but he's hard to get in touch with. So I have been reading TT forums since January, and I always look for your replies, they are always accurate, to the point with no BS, and as I mentioned, you have been a great influence and very encouraging. I plan to touch base with you as I move forward. Thanks once again, and be safe. And if you are a dad...Happy Fathers Day.

Thank you. Though it no big deal. It's trucking ' s fault. I was only doing my best to explain what trucking means to me as an industry and has allowed me to do while being out here.

Trucking is one of the very few professions that allow for a truly nomadic lifestyle but still allows a connection to the rest of the world. Truth be told I would have been very comfortable on the front of a wagon in a gypsy caravan in the middle ages as I am in a big truck though I prefer a big truck cause it has A/C. ; D I need to start taking more pictures since Brett worked so hard on setting up a photo gallery for us.

I tend to be very 100% sure of myself to one extreme or another. Either I am totally against something or totally for something hence some of the strong opinions I have expressed on the forums. Still trying to temper that some due to the nature on the forums but it's hard to do since on the driver side of trucking there is little gray area for us. It's pretty black and white to us drivers.

I have no problem keeping in contact down the road. I talk with Ernie (Old Salty Dog) pretty much on a weekly basis. It's lucky enough that I can help since I was exactly where he is right now and on the same exact dedicated account he is running for JB Hunt.

Recently had a trip from Portland OR to Las Vegas. No direct route to get there so we took off through the woods. US 93/50/95 through some of this countries most remote areas was in a word....Cool. Natural lakes formed by the mountain valley's. Thousands of acres of land that can't be used due to the low lakes that form up the high when the snow melts and by the time it dries the growing season is more than half over with in those high altitudes. Know what the best part about it was? After 16 years of driving there are still places I have not seen yet.

It's wonderful that after 16 years you're still making new discoveries. And don't change a thing on what you write and how your write it. if your opinions have benefited me, I'm sure they benefited countless other. I'll keep in touch as I progress, thanks again.

I try my best to think of my past and current place in trucking and what I might like to do or not do in the future.

Only reason I knew what I did and what I said in the ABF paragraph is i am current in a long process of dealing with them and new contract that have been approved by the Union that Werner is on the ground floor of. I recently went through double and triples training and after pulling a set of doubles around Omaha NE I know for a fact that doubles are much easier to control and maneuver in tight places that a 53 foot trailer could not even dream of doing.

But anyway I figured anyone could have told you about Schneider or US Express but I had a little info about a Company that someone who has not dealt with them would not have.

At my age, I don't have time for BS, and your info always tells it like it is, and I really respect that.

I try my best to think of my past and current place in trucking and what I might like to do or not do in the future.

Only reason I knew what I did and what I said in the ABF paragraph is i am current in a long process of dealing with them and new contract that have been approved by the Union that Werner is on the ground floor of. I recently went through double and triples training and after pulling a set of doubles around Omaha NE I know for a fact that doubles are much easier to control and maneuver in tight places that a 53 foot trailer could not even dream of doing.

But anyway I figured anyone could have told you about Schneider or US Express but I had a little info about a Company that someone who has not dealt with them would not have.

Still, I can tell you there have been times over the last few months, since I was let go from my job, that I had second guesses of going into trucking. But one morning I got up, about 2 months ago, grabbed a cup of coffee, sat down and went on TT, and you had responded to someone on I why you love your trucking job. It was a lengthy response, but it was quite detailed, including all the sites you've experienced and how happy that made you. When I got done reading that, I made up my mind to go for it.

I'm 57, have always been in business (and frankly, except for the money, never loved it), and after getting layed-off, could not get another job. I had a buddy who did the same thing I did, and he got layed off after being with the same company for 20 years. He's been out of work now for over 2 years. I told my wife the day I lost my job this past January, that I would not allow that to happen to me. That I would try to get another job in business, but at the same time, I would research trucking. She now is on board with it 100% and realizes it's the better choice. We have addressed the change in lifestyle and are reading to embrace it. In fact she looks forward to going with me occasionally. Our two daughters have graduated college over that last few years and are living home to save money, so that will help in the transition. Two of my wife's friends, have husbands who both drive OTR dexdxand she has been talking to them about it, and they have helped her a lot.

I drove a company van for a company when I was 19 years old, while I was going to junior college in NJ. Twice a day I would drive up I-287, 90 minutes each way, then when I was done by 1 in the afternoon, I went to junior college classes. I hated school, I was always a C-B student, but when I was driving up that intertstate, watching the big rigs drive by, I thought how awesome it would be to drive a truck. I-287 goes through nice areas, a little mountainous, and I loved being on the road, being outdoors, experiencing all four seasons, taking 10 minute naps in the rest areas. I had a buddy who was driving for Union Carbide at that time and today, he is 61, owns his own rig and still drives OTR 5 days a week. I spoke to him about this decision a couple times, but he's hard to get in touch with. So I have been reading TT forums since January, and I always look for your replies, they are always accurate, to the point with no BS, and as I mentioned, you have been a great influence and very encouraging. I plan to touch base with you as I move forward. Thanks once again, and be safe. And if you are a dad...Happy Fathers Day.

As many know ABF is a union based company and the the union part is not that hard to get on to. It's the actual driving part. In order to get on there as a driver you have to have had doubles and triples training and also have logged actual doubles and triples miles on a log book. Without proof of either you will find it very difficult to drive for ABF.

Now Schneider or US Express either of those companies are great to start out with. If it were me I would lean more towards Schneider due to the variety of different fleets they have. But either company is a solid choice to start with.

Guy, once again, thanks very much. My first choice has always been Schneider and you just confirmed it for me. Can't tell you how much help I've gotten from reading you on this website. Thanks again.

After unsuccessfully taking my Class A examination 3 other times since graduating from CDL School on 3-21-2014, today I finally passed it on my fourth attempt. I guess perseverance finally paid off?!!? I have a job interview this coming Friday with Northern refrigerated out of Turlock, California. Wish me luck guys and girls. Thanks again for all the support.

Congrats, good luck and God bless V. As a fellow newbie, it's good to hear from guys like you to keep me encouraged.

Thanks to all who responded to my request for help in backing, sincerely appreciate it. I printed each one out and took notes. Wanted to touch base once more on another subject. I have been pre-hired by Schneider National, and wanted to ask all you present and former Schneider driver's about your experiences with them. I reviewed them on this site months ago, and many of ThinksTooMuch's messages and decided to go with them. Just wanted to get some more feedback while I have time before I commit. I have also been pre-hired by US Express, and ABF also wants to hire me, but they told me to start out I would be a casual employee meaning I would be on call to work at the terminal (loading and unloading trailers) for about 2 months before I could become a regular employee. My instructor at school knew of one guy who worked for ABF a year, he loaded and unloaded at the terminal and they never did give him a chance to drive, so he left. Thanks in advance.

I have found that setting up for your backing maneuver is the key to easy backing. You know that the trailer isn't going to respond right away to the wheel because first the tractor has to turn in order for the trailer to follow. To me 90 degree dock backing is the most nerve racking. When I'm pulling up to the dock, I get as close as I can to the dock (or trucks that are parked on each side of your dock) and then just as I pass the dock, start swinging the truck away from the dock and get my trailer in a position so when my tandems get there, the trailer is now at more of a 45 degree angle to my dock. Thus less wheel turning to get into position. I look out my driver door window and watch the path my tandems are rolling as I'm starting my back up maneuver. Look at the ground around your tandems as your backing as there usually are tire tracks there from previous trucks backing in especially on concrete slabs in front of the docking bay. Bottom line is getting your trailer into position at less than a 90 degree angle from your dock is key. This would be a whole lot easier with a diagram I know but hopefully you get my drift. =) Remember, you get better each time you back in!

Thanks for taking the time to explain this Terry, I sincerely appreciate it. I'm printing yours and all the others out and will study all before my next session. Thanks again and stay safe.

It takes time to develop an instinct for where the trailer will end up if you do X with the wheel. As you progress through the maneuvers you will learn, you will eventually realize that all backing is based on the straight line back. That means you need to master it quickly or you will run into more and more trouble as you move into the lane change, parallel park, 90 degree park, and 45 degree park.

The two biggest mistakes us newbies make when backing are turning the wheel in the wrong direction and over correcting. What I had to drill into my head is that turning the wheel in any direction will make the trailer turn in the opposite direction. Once that became something I knew without having to think about it, backing got much easier. Learning to not over correct is something that happens with time. Eventually you realize that it isn't necessary to turn that wheel so much to get the desired result. Yes, there are instances when you have to turn the wheel hard and fast to the right or left, but that's usually after you've already positioned the trailer to go where it needs to go and you are focused on parking the tractor.

Like others have pointed out, make small corrections. If you see the trailer starting to drift, turn your wheel a quarter turn in the direction of the drift and hold it there until the trailer responds. The truck will move ten feet before you see that happen. Then, when the drift has been corrected, go back to a straight wheel and hold it there until you see the trailer starting to drift again.

Also, don't be afraid of how fast the truck is backing up. Remember that you are on a closed course. These trucks do not go very fast at all when they're idling and in gear. It just seems like they are because you are not used to such a large vehicle. Let the clutch all the way out and plant your feet on the floor. You will have plenty of time to push the clutch in and step on the brake, should you need to.

Lastly, relax. I know the truck seems huge to you right now, but that will subside as you spend more time behind the wheel. Work on developing your sense of depth and distance while you are backing. Experiment with the wheel (turn it this way or that way) while looking in your mirrors. You will eventually begin to develop that instinct for knowing not only what the trailer is going to do, but also for where it will end up.

Rico, thanks for taking the time to provide great details and hints. The instructor did tell me I was over correcting and also to relax. I can't tell you ow much better I feel when I hear from guys like you and the others on this site. Thanks again and be safe.

One thing that I always found helpful was what Ernie said. It's small corrections. Let the trailer do the work. Going at it slowly gives you more time to make corrections in which way is going, plus it allows you to get the tractor back in front of the trailer faster (straighten out). Something I did at the range during the straight line back (after I mastered straight line ;) ) was to go backwards but purposely turned the wheel each direction to get used to which way the trailer would move. These weren't big movements mind you but it helped get my mind around which way the wheel should go to make the trailer go a certain way. I told my instructor I did this and he was fine with it because I was progressing fast enough. If you can, give it a shot. Good luck!

And yes it gets easier

Thanks heavy, I will try what you and Ernie have suggested. I really appreciate your help.