Comments By Bad Bob

Thanks Guys.

I really appreciate the information.

Trucking Truth forum is the GREATEST!!!

Bad Bob

Hey Guys and Gals:

The subject line is the question; Does Knight Transportation use automatic transmissions?

It seems to be the wave of the future.

I'm curious about that because the more I look at Knight, the better they look.

Thanks in advance.

Bad Bob

So I got off home time and we started back up. We drove a load that took us to springfield oregon. Took awhile and it was dark when we picked up our next. I thought I was fine to drive longer and it was my first time really driving at night. Well I was starting to get tired and I let him know. It was due to staying up late on home time with my son trying to keep him from crying. No questions were asked, no complaining and nobody got mad. He took over driving and got us another 2 hours down the road. Glad he did and he praised me for not pushing through and letting him know. I will be driving in the morn and am excited.

Hey Joshua:

You have a great trainer. Having someone who 'really' understands that safety should be the first consideration is invaluable. You'll do great with getting a start this way. I hope everybody gets a trainer like him. (I hope I get a trainer like him.) Keep safe!

Bad Bob

I will state that I am a bit nervous about what will be going on during the schooling tomorrow with what I was forced to do last week in contacting the school's director in attempting to stop an instructor from yelling at students. It's a natural reaction I guess. I am hoping things will go smoothly and I can work on regaining my very rusty skills. Hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst I have added to my contacts in my phone the school director's cell phone number. He did say to call him immediately if there are any further problems. I hope that won't be necessary.

I'll probably update on Monday since I do like to contemplate a bit on what the weekend was before reporting. Thank you to everyone who reads this. Knowledge is power. Gain as much knowledge as possible and you will be stronger.

Bad Bob

This sounds like the set-up for a crazy reality show. "Insane Redneck Trucking." We'll get it there ... someday ... maybe!

Maybe you might want to find another company. With that one you could wind up in jail for something you didn't know was going on. That one does sound nuts.

Bad Bob

Hey James:

Thanks for starting this one.

I'm not sure which personality type is the best for trucking.

I can say that I am also a mixture of Phlegmatic/Melancholic in that I get along well by myself but also do like people and the few close people I do allow in my life I really treasure. I am OK reading or writing books in the downtime and love audiobooks when cruising for hours down the highways. The solitude of the open road never bothered me. So, for me trucking was not a bad way to make a living.

Now, was I as hard-driving as the Choleric? No Way. I wouldn't want to be either. To me that's the path to burnout.

The Sanguine type would seem to need people around them too much to be happy as a trucker.

But that's just my opinion.

I don't know what type of person makes the best trucker.

It's probably a combination of all of them.

Bad Bob

An update to the most recent update: I got an almost immediate reply from the school's director. He said that kind of behavior will not be tolerated and he won't allow it. He will deal with it and I won't have anymore problems. He gave his cell phone and said to call if there are any more concerns. Tell you what, that made my day. I really do want to be far better at controlling a tractor trailer than I ever was before. Since I was pretty good the last time I was in this, my standards for myself are very high.

Till Later Bad Bob

Update 3rd Weekend:

Saturday; Not so bad. We did exercises on log books and recaps. I gotta admit the hours of service seem to have changed since I did this before so a whole lot of it looks brand new. At least I still know how to draw a straight line by using a ruler.

Sunday; Interesting day to say the least. Took a log test in the morning. Not a problem. Didn't get the test back but I'm pretty sure I passed with room to spare.

The afternoon: Well I've already emailed the school's director about this. We have a trainer who likes to yell at everyone. We're only doing straight-line backing. I jumped in the truck and she starts screaming. The woman confused the hell out of me. As soon as she walked away I nailed it. No problem. Didn't touch any cones and it was easy. I did the straight backing 4 more times with no problem. Didn't touch a cone and kept it straight.

She came back later and with her screaming it was extremely hard to keep a straight line but I didn't hit one cone. She was screaming about me regulating the speed going backward by using the clutch.

With having someone there that likes to scream at people it makes it hard to concentrate on what you are doing. Anyway, I'll see what the School's Director says about this.

They got to know this has been going on.

Why they would allow this is beyond me.

If she's doing this on the road with an inexperienced student that creates a very dangerous situation.

Anyway, I will keep you posted on developments.

Bad Bob

Hey Miss Miyoshi & Randall H. :

Thank you very much for the great info. Basically I think it gets down to if I am living the normal life of a trucker don't worry about it. Thanks a bunch for setting my mind at ease.

Bad Bob

Bob, I've never had an APU in a truck, and to be quite honest with you, there are very few trucks on the road with APUs in them. Some are going to think I'm off my rocker when I say that, but it is true. As important an item as many rookies make it out to be, the APU is really only in a small percentage of trucks out here on the road.

A bunk heater does an excellent job at keeping you warm and toasty. I had a Freightliner once that would keep me warm, up until it got below zero, and then I would have to supplement the heat by idling some. The Volvo I'm in now has kept me warm and comfortable on the lowest setting even at eight below zero. Sometimes at those extreme temps you want to idle anyways just to keep your fuel from gelling.

This is my opinion, and my experience on the idling laws, others can jump in here if they see it differently... The first time I ever went into California it was in July and I was very concerned about the idling laws since I would have to idle to stay comfortable while staying at a truck stop. When I got there to the truck stop I was planning on sleeping at almost everyone was idling their trucks! Since then I have been over there many times and it is always the same thing - everyone is idling, everyone is comfortable, and no one is getting citations. I've been told that it is permissible under the law to idle if you have a California "Certified Clean Idle" engine, which almost all late model trucks have now. That information was from a fellow driver, and should not be considered proper legal advice. I have never, in any parts of the country seen any officers cruising around the truck stops giving idling tickets, and I would think they would because that is an easy target! It is something that just doesn't happen in my experience. I travel extensively in some of the most "liberal, and politically correct" states in our Union but I have never know of anyone being given a ticket for idling so they can rest comfortably and be able to safely maneuver their gentle giant down the road on the next leg of their journey.

Hey Old School:

Thank you very much!!!

It has been a concern, even though I have decided to do whatever's necessary, I do like getting a decent nights sleep.

There are laws where the police do decide that it just makes no sense to enforce them. This is probably one of them. I like the environment as much as anyone but I also like my own survival. This will help me rest a bit easier.

Thanks again.

Bad Bob