Profile For BK

Wow Davy, what an epic account. Thanks for taking the time to post all of that. Highly interesting.

One very significant thing I learned from your diary is that there is a Weed, CA. I never knew that before, I guess I’ve lived a sheltered life. Who would have thought?

A shovel. If you’re going to be driving anywhere where there could be any kind of snow, take a sturdy shovel. I learned the hard way during a lake effect blizzard on Lake Erie once. Just once. A small, cigarette lighter powered fan can make a huge difference in the summer temps. On days where we have to sit out here to get loaded in the dead of summer without being able to run the trucks, I’d die without my fan.

Your truck doesn’t have an APU?

I talked to a driver over the weekend about the change of seasons. I mentioned that I didn’t look forward to having flys in the cab. She said it wasn’t a problem for her because her little dog wouldn’t rest until he had caught and eaten any fly that dared to enter her truck.

Now that’s my kind of dog!

What if her "little dog" is a Great Dane? Imagine a small horse jumping around the truck's cab?!?!?

Actually, I saw her fly catching dog. It was a little black haired terrier type dog.

But her trailer was a Great Dane.

Wow, the big just keep getting bigger

I talked to a driver over the weekend about the change of seasons. I mentioned that I didn’t look forward to having flys in the cab. She said it wasn’t a problem for her because her little dog wouldn’t rest until he had caught and eaten any fly that dared to enter her truck.

Now that’s my kind of dog!

There are times, most certainly turning from a single left turn to a multiple lane cross street that the safest thing to do is actually use the right lane on the cross street.

If there is a vehicle behind you, that the driver is impatient, and you have swung into that right lane, the car driver frequently will assume you are going to take that right lane and will attempt to and or actually occupy the left lane on the cross street. If you continue your arc back into the left lane, you risk collision with driver and your trailer. By far, a possible citation for an illegal lane change is a far less evil than hitting a car, even more so as you would be at fault and its preventable.

Another situation is where you have a right turn immediately following the left. There are many many routes that this occurs on. If you swing all the way to the left lane on completion, cars can and will make a free right while you are completing your left or shortly thereafter, you once again run the risk of collision. Its much safe in that instance to take the right lane and proceed to make your right. You effectively shut down the opportunity for them to come up the inside of your trailer before it becomes a problem.

If I recall correctly in school, Our instructors discussed this. They said the general basis, the base method is left to left but understand there are times when it becomes necessary to deviate with prudence.

There are times, most certainly turning from a single left turn to a multiple lane cross street that the safest thing to do is actually use the right lane on the cross street.

If there is a vehicle behind you, that the driver is impatient, and you have swung into that right lane, the car driver frequently will assume you are going to take that right lane and will attempt to and or actually occupy the left lane on the cross street. If you continue your arc back into the left lane, you risk collision with driver and your trailer. By far, a possible citation for an illegal lane change is a far less evil than hitting a car, even more so as you would be at fault and its preventable.

Another situation is where you have a right turn immediately following the left. There are many many routes that this occurs on. If you swing all the way to the left lane on completion, cars can and will make a free right while you are completing your left or shortly thereafter, you once again run the risk of collision. Its much safe in that instance to take the right lane and proceed to make your right. You effectively shut down the opportunity for them to come up the inside of your trailer before it becomes a problem.

If I recall correctly in school, Our instructors discussed this. They said the general basis, the base method is left to left but understand there are times when it becomes necessary to deviate with prudence.

Davy, that’s a really good explanation. I’m not buying that “illegal lane change” theory because I think it just muddies the water.

If I have to take the right lane to finish a left turn, I am NOT going to move to the left lane just so I can move back to the right lane. And your example of having to make a right turn shortly after making a left is an excellent point.

This is a good example of using the mirrors properly. How many mirrors do we have? Two? Wrong, we have 6 mirrors. If we use our mirrors to their full advantage we will not crush any cars while making turns.

Has anybody ever been issued a ticket for an illegal lane change while doing a left turn? Ok, that’s what I thought. Lol

Since Chris J started this thread, I’ve been paying close attention to this issue as I drive in order to gain a better understanding.

Today I had a good situation to comment on. I came to an intersection that had a single left turn lane. The cross road had two lanes in each direction, with a narrow median separating the traffic. It was a controlled intersection and I got stopped in the left turn lane by the red light. As I sat there, I could see that there was a car stopped at the intersection waiting to make a left turn from the lane I would have to go past for my turn. (I hope that makes sense). Anyway, I get the green left turn arrow and that car was still there, but had crept ahead about 3 feet past where it should have stopped. It would have been difficult to make that left turn into the left lane (left to left method) even if that car was not there, but now it was impossible. So I went straight as far as possible and made my left turn into the right lane. It was my only option in this example.

My point is that the real criteria is to do what is necessary to avoid: 1) Running over anything. 2) Hitting anything. This is where pragmatism and common sense merge with experience. Textbook teachings don’t always apply in the real world.

Chris J: Really a good topic!

Well, I guess now we know what has made NaeNae bat crap crazy. Lol

I pull a reefer but rarely have a situation where SSB is necessary.

From the previous comments, my impression is that SSB is the most useful to drivers who have multiple stops on their assignment. My assignments are just point A to point B and I normally have enough time allowed so that I don’t have to worry about using SSB. That simplifies things for me and I like things to be as simple as possible.

Dennis, that’s very impressive. You are way ahead of me with using split sleeper. I don’t feel too bad, though. I recently talked to one of our drivers with 15 years experience. When I asked him about using split sleeper, he said: “I don’t use it because I don’t understand it”