Things I've Learned In Training

So I just finished my second week of training. At the halfway point, I feel like I have learned a lot, but I know I have a ton more to learn, practice, and get better at.

A month of training seemed like a long time before I got started, but now, it's going to be over in a blink of an eye. This week I drove 2,240 miles, and that is only because we had Memorial Day off. Otherwise it would have been 2,800.

On the return trip yesterday, I started thinking about a list of things I have learned in the past 2 weeks, and here is what I came up with. It's definitely not complete, so hopefully people will add to it, and we can all have some fun with this.

>Never pass a toilet. Need I say more?

>Cold coffee is still coffee. I'm starting to see that actually finishing a cup of coffee while it is still hot is a luxury.

>Your 30-minute service break is your best friend. It's amazing how refreshing a 15 or 20 minute nap is.

>Anticipate everything and anything. I've already seen quite a collection of stupid 4-wheeler tricks.

>I'm trying to drive within my comfort zone. Sometimes, going 2 or 3 miles per hour slower saves me a lot of stress, and it's not costing any time. There are a few parts of our run that my trainer calls, "No Fly Zones."

>Driving and shifting are the easy part. Maneuvering a trailer around a tight yard is hard. Alley docking between a couple of cones is a lot different than putting a trailer in a tight spot between two other trailers.

>Be systematic, be systematic, and then be systematic some more. I'm trying to do everything the same way (the right way) when it comes to hooking up, inspections, etc.

>Don’t remember if you checked it? Climb down and walk around the truck again. An experienced driver told me this the other day. (And the extra exercise won't kill me either).

>Lower your landing gear (or raise it). I saw a veteran driver drop a trailer on the ground the other day. My trainer is beating into my head to lower the landing gear first, disconnect the lines second, and pull the pin last.

>I'm amazed how quickly 80,000 lbs. picks up speed downhill. I've been over speed a couple times already, and it wasn't on any long hills.

I know there's been more already, and I know there's a whole lot more learning to come.

Good stuff! I love reading about people's experiences.

> Stay on top of paperwork, by the end of the day, it's super hard to remember what I did or where I was that morning!

> Put things away as soon as I am done using them. Clean up/wipe down things immediately. That small space gets really messy in a hurry.

> Sometimes moving the tandems all the way forward will get me in or out of a tight spot, them move 'em back.

> Stay on top of paperwork, by the end of the day, it's super hard to remember what I did or where I was that morning!

> Put things away as soon as I am done using them. Clean up/wipe down things immediately. That small space gets really messy in a hurry.

> Sometimes moving the tandems all the way forward will get me in or out of a tight spot, them move 'em back.

Good stuff. I don't pull any trailers with sliding tandems, but I can see how that can help.

> Binoculars come in handy - when I'm in a new location, especially with a huge lot, the binos allow me to find the correct "drivers" door, read the sign so I bring in everything I need, and look to see where I'm going before I commit. Sounds lazy, but when the weather is bad, or time is tight, it makes a difference! Oh, of course, I'm pulled over and stopped before I whip out the binos. And definitely NOT for use in truck stops! CREEEEPY! I see more than I want to there without the binos.

> Binoculars come in handy - when I'm in a new location, especially with a huge lot, the binos allow me to find the correct "drivers" door, read the sign so I bring in everything I need, and look to see where I'm going before I commit. Sounds lazy, but when the weather is bad, or time is tight, it makes a difference! Oh, of course, I'm pulled over and stopped before I whip out the binos. And definitely NOT for use in truck stops! CREEEEPY! I see more than I want to there without the binos.

Download Google Earth on your phone or tablet. It's amazing what a street view can show you in regards to a shipper or receiver.