Maybe A New Way Of Thinking.....

Topic 3352 | Page 1

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guyjax(Guy Hodges)'s Comment
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Reading another thread I was going to post in but decided might be better to put this thought down in its own thread and see where it goes.

When I first started driving I drove for an owner op. I was fresh out of school and was fully of mmyself and thought I new all the "book answers". He rode with me on the first. It was like a drive evaluation to make sure I could drive and do it safely. A flower load from Florida to a bunch of home depots in the south.

I thought I was in heaven. I had a 300 inches wheel base "large car" lite up from from to back with lights everywhere. What used to be know as a chicken truck. That truck would move. The driver was the only governor the truck had. Unfortunately this guy died in 1991 but I still remember him like it was yesterday. His name was Mike Bain and owned CL&M Transportation. Just a small 3 truck operation.

I remember that first trip out like it was yesterday cause one thing that happened changed my thinking about driving and still guides me to this very day.

While going down the road and everything was going smoothly out of the clear blue he asked what I thought being a professional driver meant. I of course started naming all the things I learned in school but what he wanted to know is what it really meant in the real world. I was speechless for a minute not sure what I should say.

He told me that if I wanted to stay out of trouble and have a good driving career the meaning to being a professional driver out here on the road.......

"Don't let your driving effect anyone else out here on the road".

Those 12 simple words guide me to this day. Now you can start naming off all the safe driving things to do. Keep your space. Don't reckless drive. Don't speed and slow down. Use proper turn singnals. This is all true but if you drive and whatever you decide to do while behind the wheel of the truck if it has absolutely no effect on the people around you then they can continue on their way and not give you a second thought.

Few examples....if I go to change lanes because someone in front of me is slower.....ask myself do I need to change lanes right this second or can I wait a extra minute or two to allow the traffic in the left lane to pass and then change lanes. Chances are it will not kill ya to wait a little extra time and then you avoid being the lead vehicle in a Custer of other cars and trucks. If you wait that few extra seconds you don't effect people because you changed lanes in front of them.

I drive a 65 mph truck. If someone tries to pass at 66 mph it will not kill me to break cruise control for a few seconds and slow down and allow them to pass so traffic does not get backed up and people get upset because they preceived they were slowed down and now they have to rush to make up time and possibly cut someone off to make an exit that is coming up.

It's basic cause and effect type of driving.

Hopefully this might help someone with their career like it did mine so many years ago. Maybe this will become your secret to a long career in driving.

"Don't let your driving effect anyone else out here on the road".

Be safe out there and be smart about your driving.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
6 string rhythm's Comment
member avatar

Succinctly put. Thanks for sharing that Guy. Pretty much sums up all the guidelines and rules for safe driving. I'll remember this one for sure.

Old School's Comment
member avatar

It's a great point GuyJax!

Although I haven't really put it in the words the way your former employer did, the very example you gave is something I do quite often. I realized early on that it made no sense for me to try and pass another big rig when there are plenty of people over there in the hammer lane moving right along at a quicker pace than I will be able to do. I will usually cancel my cruise control until the crowd has gone by and there is a lot of open space before I creep out there in my governed truck trying to pass another governed truck which is only running maybe two miles per hour slower than me.

Once you see one of these moving road blocks going down the road you realize how antsy the four wheelers and un-governed trucks can get while running behind them. It's that impatience that starts them trying to figure out a way to get on past, and then it's usually something risky that they will end up doing just so they can move on down the road. The smart driver thinks ahead and lets them get on by before he starts to block the road while slowly getting his rig on past. Being disciplined and willing to wait a few minutes to make your move so it doesn't have a negative effect on the other travelers helps keep everyone safer and moving in an efficient way down the road.

An interesting thing to insert here is that when I was with my trainer he insisted that I let nothing slow me down. This included cutting out in front of a crowd of traffic and keeping my cruise speed going so that I didn't slow down. He was adamant that this was the way to making more money at this job. This poor guy had been driving for years, but was so stubborn and set in his backward ways that he gave new meaning to the proverb about not being able to teach an old dog new tricks.

You run across all types of people in this line of work, and some of them are real pieces of work. He never disappointed me for a day of entertainment, but seldom did I feel like I had gotten a days worth of good instruction. Fortunately for me during that time, I could rely on my friends here at Trucking Truth, and on my ability to use my own critical thinking skills. I will say that experience is the greatest teacher one can have in this career. Your accomplishments in life, your wisdom, or your degrees mean nothing at all when commandeering a rig across this great nation. That time of actually doing the job under the pressure of meeting the demanding schedules in all types of weather, traffic, and other obstacles that arise is priceless in teaching you how, to not only do the job, but also to do it in a way that doesn't effect the others on the road.

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

Pat M.'s Comment
member avatar

Here Here... Good rule to drive by.

I was training a guy to drive our Dodge 5500 with a 44' gooseneck and he was passing a truck and traveling in the left lane. We were beside him and coming up on an on ramp and he hit the brakes. When I asked him why he stated that he did not know what the truck next to us was going to do with the traffic coming up the on ramp.

I told him, that in this instance you DO NOT hit the brakes but keep going. If that truck needs to slow, he will. What you did was cause an issue with the traffic behind you. It could have caused a pileup as he went from 65 to 50 pretty quickly. Luckily traffic was light and he only had 2 cars behind him.

Sometimes the proper thing to do is not yield and keep going. You have to anticipate but be aware of not causing an issue behind you.

OOS:

When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.

Scott B.'s Comment
member avatar

Guy, I drive a 65 mph truck also. But it's only 62 on the pedal so I can actually slow down simply by pressing the accelerator. Is this how your truck works or is that kind of standard? So I don't really have to break cruise to let some go by.

guyjax(Guy Hodges)'s Comment
member avatar

Guy, I drive a 65 mph truck also. But it's only 62 on the pedal so I can actually slow down simply by pressing the accelerator. Is this how your truck works or is that kind of standard? So I don't really have to break cruise to let some go by.

Mine is 65 mph on the pedal or cruise.

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