For the record I came in from the Tennessee side.
Daniel No big head here. Reread my post and it does come off like that though. I try to respect everyone's opinion.
Your right about me being a newer driver and MAYBE just MAYBE driving on that road was a mistake.
I think I will take your advice though, because I find my confidence growing in leaps and bounds.
Thanks for the reminder of how good I am not. Truth be told I needed it.
Operating While Intoxicated
I'm not sure if this is from the NC side or the TN side but, TN supposedly installed signs that look like that in January. Maybe some other truck knocked them down.
Chris, in a way I know where you're coming from. I've done a lot of things over the years that entail pushing the limits to see what you're capable of. Things like snowboarding, riding dirtbikes, and driving race cars. The thrill of not knowing if you can pull something off pushes adrenaline junkies to try some crazy stuff.
But when you're trucking you want to "flip the switch" to safety mode. You want to go from making decisions like a daredevil to making decisions like a scared old lady. The thrill in trucking comes from taking an already super dangerous job and doing it safely day in and day out. Instead of finding a daring strategy and trying to pull it off, you want to take the most risk-free strategy you can think of and execute it flawlessly.
I'm sure glad you made it through there safely and without getting any tickets. But that would certainly be considered a stunt in the trucking world and that's one world you want to avoid any stunts altogether. From now on when you're planning your day to day activities you should remind yourself, "I'm a scared old lady!" and always do the safest, surest thing you can think of.
When you get home you can strap on some gear and go out and do some crazy stuff. You might even find me out there doing some crazy stuff myself. But when you're in that truck you want to plan the most boring day imaginable. A boring day in trucking is a good day.
Operating While Intoxicated
Your right about me being a newer driver and MAYBE just MAYBE driving on that road was a mistake.
No, it was definitely a mistake. But it's over now and hopefully you'll be way more boring from now on.
Jessica I can assure you there was no sign like that from the Tennessee side. As for it being knocked down who knows.
Brett Points taken. I knew better and really didn't think of the risk like I should have. I like the "little old lady" analogy.
Truth be told I though when I posted this i thought it would be all congrats and pats on the back for a job well done.
But reading these replies made me reconsider my choice in a different light.
Well you live and you learn.
I'm glad you lived to learn, now, get back out there and "little old lady" it to a million safe miles and I'm sure every trucker on this board will congratulate you like you've never been congratulated. :)
I'm glad you lived to learn, now, get back out there and "little old lady" it to a million safe miles and I'm sure every trucker on this board will congratulate you like you've never been congratulated. :)
Will do
Thanks again guys/gals
Chris, we've all done things we shouldn't have. We all do stupid things. I talk to Old School often and am convinced he's the king of doing stupid things. It's all a learning experience.
We're just looking out for you.
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Chris, man, I'm glad you had fun but I also think you need to re-evaluate how you operate.
Remember, it takes one mistake and it can mean the death of someone innocent or you. It's very easy to get terminated in trucking because any accident is a costly one.
You need to go about your day doing the safest thing possible especially if you just came out of school not long ago. The less risks you take and the better your decisions are, the more likely you will be accident free. Unfortunately, it's decisions like these that usually bite the driver in the ass.
My advice to you would be to always follow signs and take the safest road available. Sure you got a thrill out of it, but it won't always end that way.
And lastly, don't get a big head about yourself because you "accomplished" this. Don't go about your day thinking you're better than anyone else or you have it all figured out. I know this probabaly isn't you but It's very easy to develop an ego in this industry. Unfortunately, trucking has a way of always putting us back in our place.