Comments By RealDiehl

Yeah, man. For example, when I'm empty I leave it on level one if there's too much traffic to set cruise control. Maybe I'm lazy but it's easy to just take my foot off the accelerator to slow down when coming up on merging traffic from on-ramps. Also comes in handy to maintain following distance in traffic.

Agreed. Both are good choices. Other companies are as well. If you want specific info about the length and/or quality of training for either company you mentioned, both are well represented by members of this forum.

We can help with questions about different divisions too... Reefer, flatbed, intermodal or dry van.

But I need so much more time on city streets.

If you're able to pass your tests, you definitely don't want a city driver (P&D) position.

Many of the large OTR carriers do not require much city driving. They do require a period of training with a trainer who can act as a co-pilot if you find yourself in difficult driving conditions while training. This includes city driving, mountain driving, inclement weather conditions, etc.

The length of training varies greatly from company to company. If you think you will benefit from a longer training period you can choose a company whose training period is longer than average.

When speaking with a recruiter ask how long the training program is. If you have a specific company/companies in mind, you can post a question about them here in the forum. Some of our members might have experience with whatever companies you are considering and will be able to give you more information to help you make a decision.

I felt so good, like anything was possible; Hit cruise control and rubbed my eyes.

The last three days the rain was unstoppable; It was always cold, no sunshine

Forward", he cried from the rear, and the front rank died

Us And Them

-Pink Floyd

Once you get to a certain point you can pull up then go in on your normal side if that makes sense lol

Yep. Once you are able to get aligned with the trailer, if you need to straighten up in the box, you can pull up in a manner that allows you to maneuver on the sight side.

When I trained students I only had them straight back on the first day. The majority of the first day would be driving. Then the next day we'd set out to do loads in the PSD (student driver) phase. I'd try to let the student back as much as possible in the real world for the week½ - 2 weeks of PSD. That way when we returned to the terminal 2 days prior to testing (for backing pad practice), the student would have at least some idea of how to make corrections on the pad if they were a little off on one of the standardized steps of a backing maneuver.

Full disclosure: I've never had to do a blind side 90°. Honestly it would probably take me forever with all the G.O.A.L I'd need to do. Heck, I G.O.A.L to back onto blind side, angled parking spaces.

Don't touch my equipment unless you're in the sleeper bunk. 😏

The companies I've driven for send fuel stop info along with each load. They try to give you the fuel stop option that is most cost effective. For example you might start a load assignment in an area where fuel is less expensive than in the area you are heading to for your delivery. Even if you have half a tank of fuel and are able to easily drive to your destination without getting more fuel, the company will have you top off your tanks in the area where fuel is cheaper in order to save money.

That being said, companies not all companies are very strict about fueling where they recommend you fuel. Prime, Inc. on the other hand is very strict about getting fuel where they tell you to get it. You need to call for approval before fueling anywhere else.

(Bear with me. I'll eventually get around to supporting Davy's assertion about what makes TruckingTruth such an amazing community of drivers)

Honesty and accountability are two personality traits that I admire in people. They often reveal what some knuckleheads might negatively consider weakness.

I think it shows the opposite. It takes more courage in my opinion to reveal that we are not always perfect or 100% secure in our decisions. It's good for new drivers to see this as a way to make them feel more comfortable with their own indecision and doubt.

Sometimes personal honesty and accountability go hand-in-hand with telling other people harsh truths and dishing out tough love. Sort of like a yin to the yang.

Since Davy started this thread I'll use him as an example to highlight what I mean, although many other contributors here exhibit similar qualities.

I thought some of his early comments could come off as a bit too harsh...too honest, when directed at newcomers here on the forum. Quickly thereafter I noticed that a good many of his posts were filled with his own doubts and indecision over what choices to make, both as a driver dealing with day to day concerns and as a person trying to make decisions that impacted his career and personal life. As well as sharing mistakes he made. The yin and the yang (far lack of a better description) were well-balanced. Other drivers are also not shy about their own mistakes. Whether its hitting RR crossing arms or knocking the tandems off their trailers.

It is up to new drivers coming here to recognize that wisdom is not always gifted in a shiny box with a pretty bow. It often comes in a battered cardboard box with a lousy tape job. Either way the contents of the box are what matter. And the contributors here usually always pack their boxes with valuable wisdom.

This site is the absolute best! Unfortunately people look for instant answers upon demand. They may come here seeking a quick solution to a problem instead of taking the time to delve deeper into the content contained herein. This is not a quick fix sort of site. It's a community that requires participation to reap the major benefits. I wish new folks coming here could see that. They might stick around if they were more aware of this.

Hopefully with the new AI they can get answers more quickly to solve their immediate problems which in turn will make them more likely to stay involved and see what we are all about.

Just before Christmas I went to a Laser Ship facility in PA for a load. There were tons of people their with their personal vehicles (mostly vans or mini vans) loading them up with loose parcels. The vans had what looked like hand made,temporary signs on the back doors that read, "delivery vehicle".

I dont know if that was a seasonal type of thing bc of Christmas, or whether they use vans year-round for deliveries. Most likely they were delivering parcels locally though. Not the kind of miles you're asking about.

Maybe you can look online for package or parcel courier positions. I don't know if these types of jobs require a commercial license of some sort.

Will the app have the capability to provide information to Driver B based on information entered by Driver A? Sort of like a way to share information publicly to all users?

Similarly, will a person using the app be able to choose whether they want their input to be shared with all users or if they'd prefer to keep it private?

Like the example you provided about the correct entrance to the Hershey Plant. It would be great if that kind of information could be shared with all users.

Maybe users of the app could click on a toggle button for this. Not only to choose whether or not they want to make their input public, but also to decide whether they want to receive alerts based on other drivers' input, or whether they just want to receive alerts based on their own input. Sometimes a driver may not want to be flooded with too much information. Other times a driver might want as much information as possible.