Bridgerland Applied Technology College (BATC.edu) - Logan, UT
Topic 13824 | Page 2
The driver side offset is more like a blind (right) side dock! You start out with a driver side bend but to get straight again means a right (blind) bend!
So do as much lining up the tandems as you can during the first/easy bend. Then when you bend right, you can be on "auto-pilot" till you get the truck going straight again.
Tandems:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Tandem:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Welp - today I test-out with DMV , after driving over 1,100+ miles (logbook verified) for the last 6 weeks. I am very confident I will do very well. Two in our class have already tested out, two of us are testing today and the final tomorrow. I highly recommend BATC's CDL program for anyone that would like to earn their CDL from some solid and safe instructors. The great thing about learning to drive in this geographic area is that you would be driving in canyons, mountains, residential, highway, interstate , truck stops.....I feel the instructors really prepared me for this great new chapter.
Curous - how many miles have you driving just in school training?
^scott
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Logbook:
A written or electronic record of a driver's duty status which must be maintained at all times. The driver records the amount of time spent driving, on-duty not driving, in the sleeper berth, or off duty. The enforcement of the Hours Of Service Rules (HOS) are based upon the entries put in a driver's logbook.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
I successfully passed my Utah Skills and Road Test. I didn't miss anything on my pre-trip, thought tester had me start on passenger side (whilst I had a routine starting on drivers side) so I had initially missed some items but when I got around the other side I realized and went back and got 'm.
The road test consisted of several right (and left turns), driving thru a business "park", across railroad tracks a couple times, residential neighborhood, the main street with several lights, differing speed zones and construction. I talked to the tester during the entire trip informing him of what I was looking at (and for). At the end of the test he said that as I travel thru any intersection I need to continually not just scan ahead but also watch trailer thru intersection. I did alot but I failed to verbalize.
Tomorrow I am going to the DMV to pickup my CDL and drop a copy off to my soon-to-be new employer.
^scott
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
Dropped off copy of my CDL to my new employer. I start on 11JUL for day of orientation. Then training consists of two-weeks local (home nightly), then two weeks OTR (more if trainer or I decides).
^scott
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
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Week #5 is done. Drove almost 100 miles, working on my downshifting techniques. Instructor said I am doing outstanding and is impressed. The first about 70 miles was with 67k lbs and then the remainder was Bobtailing. A fellow student drove a partially loaded flatbed and we dropped it off, and I drove back bobtailing to the school. Definitely is a very different experience between driving loaded and not.
Three of us students are well ahead of the remaining two, mainly due to language barrier. We spent yesterday practicing our off-set and alley dock and each of us are too the point that we only need 1 pull-up. Strangely enough I am having slight difficulty on the driver's side off-set but continue to progress.
Bobtail:
"Bobtailing" means you are driving a tractor without a trailer attached.