Comments By Ducky

Yep, what Brett and OS said. England has opportunities, miles and a culture of safety. Sure, it's a training company for those entering the industry and that's a good thing. Heck, it's a great way to learn, earn money, experience OTR, drive nice equipment and get your truckin' legs. It's puzzling to me why 2 people going through the same process experience entirely opposite outcomes.

Recently, my co-driver and I accepted a load we knew would be a challenge because beforehand we had expressed a desire to 34 reset. We had been running off recaps for several days and it just got to the point where it's inevitable. Told we were the only option ATM, and it was a "hot" load, the FM said to pick up ASAP and do our best. We did.

At first, I almost resigned myself to the fact that I was just going to inchworm across the country based on our 70 hour clock, which was both of our dilemmas. With time whittling down I pulled into a TS...it was full of course..so there went the option B I had in my trip plan. Uuughh!

Then it occurred to me...Logs! I called, explained I needed 30 minutes of time, and could they help? Put me on hold for 6 minutes, came back and told me to go off-duty for 10 minutes where I safely could. 10 minutes later, I had an additional 4.25 hours added. That got me to the Joplin 44 with time to spare and actually rollover to my next shift. My partner did the same the next morning, gaining 5 hours. In the end, logs saved the day...load arrived on time, safely in good condition. I avoided a log violation, which driving over your 70 is a big deal on the severity scale. I'm sure my FM and acct. Mgr were thankful as well.

I guess my point is, keep an attitude of "YES, I CAN." Never just accept what seems at first glance as certain defeat. Know that other resources share the same end goal as you. You just need to remember and be humble enough to reach out and express the need for assistance.

I am lucky enough to be on a very sweet dedicated account not even advertised on the company's internal job listings. Failure is not an option. Plus, succeeding is FUN!

Use resources. Take a deep breath and draw up a list of options. Realize that communication with others who can help is crucial.

...and keep the attitude of "Yes, I can!"

Ducky out!

Susan: My truck has 312,600 ...so we are almost twinsies! I'll def ask the shop next time I roll through a terminal.

You guys are the best! Parrothead, Pete, CWS and Rick (congrats on your new title and promotion here) have given me exactly what I needed in response to my question. That's one reason, and there are many, why I love this site and forum. Good honest answers in a non-judgemental atmosphere.

Thanks again so very much.

Duck

So when my regen light comes on, I am typically at an appropriate location where I can spend the 40 min. or so to let it do it's thing. No problem. I have three questions I would appreciate help with.

1. If I can't do the regen where i am, can I (and how far) travel before it's a problem?

2. I thought I read somewhere...or was told... that it should regen while I am driving over a certain speed for certain amount of time. If that's the case, how frequently should I expect the process to alert me while idling?

3.Even when It's not showing an alert to regen while idling for a long period, my idle will crawl up from 600 rpm to 1100 rpm for several or more minutes. What is going on when this happens?

btw...2016 FL cascadia.

Thanks for any insight!

I think what Daniel said about properly configuring your device to suit your needs makes a lot of sense. With the QC you don't really have too much choice but to go with what it routes, especially if you use the dispatch downloaded to it from your company.

In my limited experience using both RM and QC at the same time and comparing both to my own trip planning prior, the QC in many cases chooses the better route overall. The biggest issues I see with the QC is that the UI is not great, and rerouting is very slow. If you go out of route or make a wrong turn and expect this thing to be your saving grace....expect to be disappointed.

That being said, the RM has put me in some very undesirable situations, mostly because I relied on it to be the end-all be-all magical wonder to put me at the exact spot I told it to, LOL. Yeah, not so much! But it sure is useful as an upcoming interchange reminder, weigh stations steep grades, etc.

I'd still choose the properly configured RM as my aid of choice, but am learning that nothing trumps a good pair of eyes, sign reading ability and situational awareness.

Congrats and very much well deserved... The knowledge I've gained from all four of you is immense and has made a BIG difference in where I am today and going forward. This is fantastic news!!

Way to go, Patrick, with your good deed. I'm certain that driver appreciated your help more than he could express at the time. That story also helps me appreciate my trainer even more, even though it felt at times like I was pulling teeth to get the info I was needing to truly understand some of the procedures.

I remember well my first time scaling and the stress I felt. OMG. Got yelled at for popping the brakes on the scale, couldn't find a spot to get my trailer straight behind (and then when I did I was blocking other folks), couldn't get all four pins to retract to save my life, in/out of the cab 8 times trying to get near the hole I marked, still in everyone's way, rinse repeat a few times and finally got it right. A guy inside helped with advice saying he saw me wearing the rubber off my tires circling back to the scale so many times Lol. Ended up needing to slide the fifth wheel to make it legal. Whew!

And your MT story is too funny!

Way to go HetzelMr! Love hearing your progress, sir!

Congrats movingmetal. That is a huge accomplishment. I can understand your frustration as well with the wording on the tests. The High Road Program I am guilty of trying to speed through as well. But damn it works. And the CDL practice tests...love those.

I recall sitting in front of screen at the DPS and seeing the first question appear...MORTIFIED! It wasn't even close to what thought might be asked! That's when I knew I took the course too quickly and failed to absorb every aspect. My bad!

...and to any and all from Texas who might be reading this, the requirement for obtaining your Class A permit is combo and section 14. Section 14 is TX specific and WILL kick your butt if you don't see it coming.

Once you pay for the full CDL...then all the other tests take place: and .

Seems a little backwards, but heck worked for me.

And watch out for section 14.

Ducky