"Finishing Turn" Lane And Downshifting Questions

Was taught to use the outside lane (if two) when turning left or right. Also was taught to finish the turn in the lane in which I started it.

I know there are some trade-offs in the real world. I see it when driving my Nissan Frontier... trying to do it properly (finishing in same lane) then signaling and changing lanes to get into the lane not going away where 2 merge into 1. Most drivers "drift" lanes and doing it right seems to cause confusion and conflicts.

Heading back to the terminal we have a turn from the exit ramp... 2 right turn lanes onto 4 lanes going in our direction. Trainer goes from outside right into left-most lane... essentially cutting across a lane. I turned mostly into correct lane before signalling and "drifting" and he said I did it wrong. Then... As it turned out...

I made the first light. The second was the left we need to get to the DC. After being critiqued earlier for excessive downshifting coming up to a red light... I could have easily gotten down to 6 in the 10-speed and rolled on through as the light changed. Instead I clutched in to brake and struggled slightly to get it into 6 to roll on. The stop he had the issue with was done safely... no problem... might have even gotten one more in! We were taught "highest low gear" and "lowest high gear" for lights and signs (forget which for which). GEESH! HELP PLEASE!!!

Are these concessions to real world vs. classroom? Hard to know what to do. I have occasionally explained "this is how I was taught" when he can't understand why for life of me I would do some of these things!

FYI... he trained with J.B. Hunt for a week or so before getting on a Trainer's truck briefly. He did many things before recently coming back to Hunt but has been driving for 25 years and training for a while. He is a great driver and mostly patient teacher. I feel lucky to be driving with him.

Wednesday I am driving all day (2 runs) unless it is not possible due to distances or a back-haul (not a "sweep" return).

Thanks!

Marc, I'm gonna keep this simple. You are the trainee. Listen and learn from your trainer. You will be learning from this day forward. I'm still learning, and I have driven around 750,000 miles.

When you are on your own you can try things a little differently if you like, but for now you should go with their suggestions.

Trade offs? When making a turn, yes you should end up in the lane you turned from. Confusion? Drifting? The rules of the road are pretty clear, but many drivers are quite lazy and honestly don't know what they're doing in the first place. Generally the multiple turn lanes are marked all the way through intersections. Not all turns result in a lane that "goes away".

Since we weren't there, and don't know what the area looked like, can't really say.

If I were you, I'd stop challenging the trainer and pay attention to what he's actually trying to teach you.

Lowest high, highest low? I think you are way over thinking this stuff. It's not rocket science. You're in company training. You aren't in CDL school anymore. CDL school is not "real life". Basic safety applies, naturally, but CDL school does not make a trucker. That comes from company training.

You should be asking your trainer these questions instead of trying to evaluate him.

Hard to know what to do.

Marc, do what your trainer is teaching you. This is all on a new level now. In school they taught you how to get your CDL. Now you are learning how to function and survive in the real world. Most rookies downshift excessively. Most rookies are obsessed with details they were taught in school. What they don't realize is they were being taught things their test observer would be looking for.

Focus on learning your job now. You've already managed to get the CDL. Now you need to manage how to be a successful driver. Your trainer is there to help you with that transition. You've proven to be a little recalcitrant when taking advice, so this is nothing new for you. While you're with your trainer you'll do well to follow instructions and forego your tendency to think you know better.

Hard to know what to do.

Marc, do what your trainer is teaching you. This is all on a new level now. In school they taught you how to get your CDL. Now you are learning how to function and survive in the real world. Most rookies downshift excessively. Most rookies are obsessed with details they were taught in school. What they don't realize is they were being taught things their test observer would be looking for.

Focus on learning your job now. You've already managed to get the CDL. Now you need to manage how to be a successful driver. Your trainer is there to help you with that transition. You've proven to be a little recalcitrant when taking advice, so this is nothing new for you. While you're with your trainer you'll do well to follow instructions and forego your tendency to think you know better.

Yep, our instructors clearly were training for the CDL road test inspector. Many things they even said would change in the real world.

As far as your trainer having a different opinion than your CDL school instructor, my instructors all had different opinions on many things in school.

Forget comparing what you are learning now to CDL school, and listen to your trainer.

Marc Lee wrote in reference to the new article on Ego:

Yes, thanks G-Town. That one rocked!

Again I appreciate the kudo...however the article is also relevant to road training. Considering several of your recent posts, maybe advisable to review the article again with any eye towards applying the same concepts to your JBHunt trainer.

For your convenience: The Ego Becomes the Downfall of Many CDL Students

Good luck Marc.

Thank you all.

I will do as my trainer instructs!