Comments By Bucs/Clips-Nation (aka Nelson)

What's going on guys? It's been a long while since I've posted on here. We'll I'm about to finish up my 6th month on the road, and I must say I see how you can end up otr for much longer than u first planned. My goal is still to finish up my year contract and find something local back in california, but there is a lot to like about otr even with all the cons

What kind of trucks do the new company drivers usually get at central?

Freightsha.a.a.a.a.a.a.a.akers

Haha yeah everyone has been pretty much getting new or just about new freightliners. I really like them actually, not complaining one bit with the Pete though haha

You got a Pete as a company driver? Wow you got lucky. Hey i could give you my number so you can call me if you need any help with anything or if you don't know something if you want. Won't bother me. I know how difficult it can be and the time with a trainer doesn't exactly prepare you.

Yeah real lucky! They were real short on trucks so they asked me if I was cool with going to Arizona instead of waiting, to get a recovery truck from someone who just quit n left the truck at the yard. Has a little front bumper damage but hopefully they'll repair that when time off comes around. I'd really appreciate that man, PM me your #

Nice man glad to hear you're still alive. This first month is always the hardest but it gets progressively easier. Learn from each mistake and don't hit anything, never take chances. What's your truck number and what kind of truck/color? Gotta look out for you on the road

Truck # is 24759 I got lucky with a black 2012 386 Pete. Love how it feels behind the wheel, turning isn't the best but really not as bad as people made it out to be

Much appreciated everyone, after everything is said n done the good outweighs the bad. Keep on trucking haha

Well I'm halfway through my second week of solo driving with Central! I've learned so much about myself through this process, and it's just the beginning. So many challenges that bring a sense of accomplishment or failure. The accomplishments are great, but I'm getting the most out of the struggles. I was the type who would really focus on my mistakes n pretty much let it ruin my day. I'm so thankful to be developing a short memory when it comes to that now, learn from it n move on. I know I made the right decision for myself in choosing this path because I see myself becoming a better person from it. I'm having a good time out here and praying for the strength to get through those times of doubt

Is it reliable and am I able to take the directions and fuel stops given to me through the qualcomm and input them to have the entire route there for me to look at?

Yes, it's very reliable. It's just like mapquest. It bases its directions as texts. In other words, it's not like a real gps where you can see over your truck all around you. It just shows you a picture of where you turn. So if you're going to get on I25 from I80 it would show an overhead image of your turn. It's not a simulation like every other gps is. Personally I never use it because using my McNally, Atlas book gets the job done for me. And obviously mac 27 for customer location directions. If you want to use it go ahead, but it just complicates it for me.

No, you cannot input your fuel stops on the route. I hope you write everything down on a journal of your loads. What I do is I write my fuel routing and fuel stops at the back of the page so you always have access to what your fuel stop is.

thanks man, yeah during training I would copy the route down in my notebook and follow that way. It would just be nice to be able to see the route info displayed, such as how many miles out, time before I reach and such

Thank you Brett, and yes my trainer was the same way he would always have at least two references to go along with

Passed my final driving and written exams yesterday, just taking some home time while I wait for my truck. After learning all the trip planning stuff, I really wasn't a fan of the old school map book way. I plan to use my Atlas to confirm my routing, but I would much rather have a navigation system going as I drive. My trainer was a living Atlas so I never got to see how the navi on the qualcomm was. Is it reliable and am I able to take the directions and fuel stops given to me through the qualcomm and input them to have the entire route there for me to look at?

My dad taught me to use my landing gears as reference points. I.E. once your outside landing gear (depending which way your turning) 1/2 is visible in your mirror, then start turning the other way. Of course this is mainly use for offset, parallel, and 90 degree alley dock parking.

Yeah that's exactly how we learned at school, I did pretty well with that. Haven't needed to use any of those on the road yet though, school was like dmv world, completely different out here on the road. I did much better today, we were able to pull into this completely empty lot and practice for a while. I was finally able to come to understand what kind of adjustments were needed for the trailer to move where I wanted it to. Thanks again everyone