Profile For Susan D.

Yeah, I have no idea what "trucker syndrome" is either.

I'll also add.. it's not a ride along.. typically the trainee is expected to do the bulk of the driving (if it's not a team training situation). It's how you learn to do the job.

Not sure if I've met Brooklyn or not, but yes they're always nice and provide excellent service here.. just the food isn't that good lol.

Whatever they require to get your CDL.. do it. As soon as you actually get your CDL, do it the correct way.

I'm in PA right now and with the travel ban, nobody's going anywhere. It'll be much better next week hopefully and you can get your career underway.

This is how my company deals with dangerous road conditions...

Crazy.. my last trainee I requested she be put in someone else's truck, after she removed a jacket while behind the wheel.. not once, but twice.. amongst other things. Hopefully she got the message that it was a serious no-no and apparently did better with the second trainer and tested out and went solo.

Removing clothing while driving is something I won't tolerate in my truck.

Yeah, my trainee and I delivered our load late last night in Mechanicsburg and came over to the Petro in Carlisle for our 10. I knew by the time we got close to our next shipper, the ban would be in effect and we'd have nowhere to park there, so just let my company know last night, we'll be hanging in Carlisle until it's all over. Reminded them this morning of the plan and they got our appointment times changed. The snow started here a little bit around 1pm. Not much going on and it's 5:30pm lol. I'm sure it would be nasty later tonight and worse where we're supposed to be loading.

Excellent! Congratulations.

Lol grumpy. Those pesky turns :-). There is a double right at I-80 exit 112 in Morris, IL that both lanes are set up well to accommodate trucks in either lane. There's 2 truck stops and a large Costco DC off this exit.

Trade offs? When making a turn, yes you should end up in the lane you turned from. Confusion? Drifting? The rules of the road are pretty clear, but many drivers are quite lazy and honestly don't know what they're doing in the first place. Generally the multiple turn lanes are marked all the way through intersections. Not all turns result in a lane that "goes away".

Since we weren't there, and don't know what the area looked like, can't really say.

If I were you, I'd stop challenging the trainer and pay attention to what he's actually trying to teach you.

Lowest high, highest low? I think you are way over thinking this stuff. It's not rocket science. You're in company training. You aren't in CDL school anymore. CDL school is not "real life". Basic safety applies, naturally, but CDL school does not make a trucker. That comes from company training.

You should be asking your trainer these questions instead of trying to evaluate him.

In Kentucky, all DOT officers and a majority of countyies sheriff's deputys have their CDL A. They're a great resource and wealth of knowledge. DOT told us in school, if you ever have ANY question, no matter how dumb you think it is, stop by any Kentucky scale house and ask them. Teaching is part of their job. They also welcome any driver to park at any scale for a 30 minute or 10 hour break. It's one of the the few places they're not gung ho jerks.

At West Side, the expectation is for the trainee to do the majority of the driving because they need the road experience. Naturally, if they're tired I'm not having them drive. Sometimes it takes a week or so to build up to a full driveshift, but some can handle it from day one.

If it's not made for trucks, I go very slow, turn on my 4 ways and take control of the roundabout when it's safe to do so and move on through it. 4 wheelers are typically great about yielding and letting you get through it and get on out of the way in my experience. Green Bay has quite a few. Had a trainee miss a turn and end up in roundabout hell. We just stop and I jump in the drivers seat real quick and I show them how to make it their biatch lol.

The creepy guys that do that.. I shut them down real quick. A hard look and a "you better get the eff away from my truck" generally works well. Then I report them to truck stop management.

Me too... My truck is most often barely under gross. I'd love some light loads.

Stephanie, the roads are unsafe and modot says it may be as late as Monday morning before they're all open again. My company ordered a mandatory shut down in that region late yesterday afternoon. I was supposed to go home this weekend from Cedar Rapids, IA to just south of Louisville, KY. There was no way I was going to be able to avoid this storm to get home, so my home time is being spent here in Iowa in a hotel room.

Stay safe, always trust your gut instinct and if you ever feel unsafe or out of your comfort zone, find a safe place to shut down and let your dispatch know. Prime us a very safety oriented company, as is West Side Transport. And just know, no matter what the company, it's illegal for ANY company to force a driver to drive in unsafe conditions.

During winter months, in my trip planning, I'll ALWAYS check the weather conditions along my intended route before I head out. I've done some crazy detours before to avoid major winter storms and being shut down because of them lol.

Don, there was no disagreement, just merely a misunderstanding. Naturally the safest way to make a turn where there are multiple turn lanes is the outermost lane, HOWEVER, in some areas, when obtaining your CDL, they (as screwed up as it is) test you on taking that inner lane. Not all multiple lane turn lanes are thus marked for no trucks in the inner lane. I was tested in this way in Kentucky. My other half was tested years ago in Georgia doing this. They want to see how you handle it. I still stand by my original comment to take your turn, however your state requires you to, when getting your CDL. The whole point is getting the CDL after all, is it not? The OP at that time did not yet have her CDL, simply advised her to turn how they required it in her state. You simply take it just like you would a single lane turn, watching your tandems going around the corner using the spot mirror and watching for vehicles as you have to encroach in other lanes. Yes I've had to make very tight turns where I had to do it from the wrong lane and into the wrong lane. It's not be a perfect world out there for sure.

Think Family Dollar or Dollar General stores.. that's where these dollar account drivers have to back into and UNLOAD. Just brutal. In my opinion, I can make a heck of a lot more by cruising down the interstate and not touching any freight. I'm way too lazy to work one of those accounts.

Ian, most local jobs are extremely demanding and even longer hours than an OTR job. We get that, which is why we advise new drivers to not go local for at least a year. There's no way I'd ever want a local job, personally. I enjoy my time off too much. For most local jobs, your 10 hour break includes any commute time, and you barely have time to eat, shower, and sleep in your own bed.

Many people simply aren't well suited to this LIFESTYLE. This is certainly more than just a typical job. There's no crime in that. It's not for everyone, same as most other kinds of jobs.