Finally Getting in the Saddle!

[dtrain]

professional drivers; yes it is true. Dtrain is finally going to get in the saddle. I have been posting here for over a year and trying to make up my mind to go into trucking and decide who to work for and how to get trained. Well the wait is over. I start school on 14 March for five weeks here in Pennsylvania. It is a PDTI certified school at LCTI (Lehigh Career and Technical Institute). I decided private school would be better than obligating myself to a company via company-paid training.
There are probably drivers out there like Littleman2, Redsunn21, Patrick, Old Codger, Sanchez, and many, many others saying "its about time!!" Well I'm prepared for it now and am looking forward to the training. So it is off to school for me and soon I will be in the saddle. 8) 8) .
Drivers its snowing out there; be careful. I prefer to speak at ya and not read about ya! Go safely; see you on the big road! :rock: :asta:

[Uturn2001]

Yeah its about time. Good grief dtrain, thought you were taking the slacker exam first at the rate you were going. :wink: :wink: :wink:

Seriously though. One of the reasons many new drivers fail is they jump in without looking, so you taking your time and making sure this is what you want and that you are going about it in the best way for you puts you a step ahead of many.

God luck and remember. If you can see the tread on the bottom of the tires you did something wrong. :wink: :wink: :P :P

[littleman2]

best of luck dtrain may you be happy in what you will be doing.

[golf/jetta]

If you can see the tread on the bottom of the tires you did something wrong. :wink: :wink: :P :P

what does mean? if i flipped the truck?

[dtrain]

If you can see the tread on the bottom of the tires you did something wrong. :wink: :wink: :P :P

what does mean? if i flipped the truck?

golf/jetta; it means you are in a position you don't want to be in; with a view that you don't want to see! Just like it you can change the taillights of your trailer from the cab of your tractor; you're in trouble. :P :P
Go safely; see you on the big road! :rock:

[wanderingson]

Just wanted to wish you the best of luck, dtrain!

I've read many of your posts on here,and it seems to me that you will be a good truck driver. Let us all know how it goes!

[4roses]

:rock: Congratulations on your Life changing decision .... sounds like your a smart person ..... checking everything out First and running the hwy's for the Right reason .... It's a Life Style ~ not just a job ...

so on March 14th .... go get them and make Us Proud !!! :moose: :moose: :moose: :moose:

[marklangdon4]

just wanted to say good luck out there dtrain

[javaking]

Good luck to you dtrain. It seems you did all the right things before making a life changing decision. Carry that with you through school and beyond, you'll be a great addition to the road. Again, best of luck to you.

[Midnight473]

Good luck Train! I know that I am excited now that training is done to get out with my trainer. I am sure after you get through the training you will get that stronger desire and not be able to wait either.

To steal a line from you, "Be Safe and see you on the BIG road!"

[photoblaster]

Seriously though. One of the reasons many new drivers fail is they jump in without looking...

No kidding... I started school today, and have been apprehensive about it, thinking I'd be the oldest old fart there, with a bunch of 20-somethings taking up most of the class. One is 23, another 26, and one lady is about 35.... out of 15 students, at 48, I'm the next youngest one there! The oldest, is a guy who retired from the phone company at 62, and went and bought a new Peterbilt, only to find out AFTER, that he has to have a CDL to drive it... Talk about jumping in! Poor guy, I feel sorry for him.

I'm just wondering how he got the truck, because when you go to buy a car, you have to show your license before they even let you take a test drive usually, and certainly while they are filling out the paperwork. Do they not require you to have a CDL to drive one off the lot? He's from Washington, so I have no idea of the laws up there, but that just seems like a 'given', to me.

Things that make you go, 'Hmmmmm...'

[dtrain]

professional drivers; I could list all of you by name but that would occupy more space than CAD has memory for . Each of your post has been both an inspiration and learning in helping me get a foothold in this new endeavor. My road/range training at school will be one - to -one with just me and the trainer in the truck. I don't believe that; I think it will be crowded in the cab with all of you good teachers in there giving me 'atta boys', 'high fives', and nudges in the back to keep going and stay the course. . I can only make it in this business with the support of good teachers like you that have been down the road that I am going. I may have twenty-five years of motorcoach experience to take with me there but that is a whole different horse from the one I'll be riding now. In trucking I'm still a baby and don't know :dung: . I go into this as an elephant and not an alligator "big ears and very little mouth". I'm fond of saying "prefer to speak and ya and not read about ya". That is true. Your professionalism; from driving to your words of wisdom are valuable. I would say that if I met all of y'all at a truckstop I would buy you a cup of coffee. I think I would run out of money because there are so many of you good teachers out there. I'm proud to be counted among your number. GO SAFELY; SEE YOU ALL ON THE BIG ROAD!!! :rock: :asta:

[AmEagleDrvr]

Good luck to you and keep a positive mental attitude!!

[yoopr]

you don't have to have a CDL to buy a truck

[oldcodger]

Yah, it's about time.

But, seriously, good luck to you and I believe you made the right decision on going to a private training school. Once you have completed school you will be beholding to no one.

And don't believe the B.S. you will hear from at least one other student in your class. Every class has at least one "I know everything about trucking" clown. Then you ask Mr. Clown, "so, ah, how come your here"?
He'll try to bluff and bs about why, but that's all you will ever need to know about him.

Again, the best to you, and if you can't be on time, be early. 8)

Codger

[photoblaster]

you don't have to have a CDL to buy a truck

OK, I guess 'technically', you don't need a standard driver's license to buy a car, either... but you DO need one to DRIVE it, and 'usually', the person who 'buys' a vehicle is the one to drive it off the lot. From what I've gathered from reading books, manuals, study books, numerous sources on the net, talking to many CDL drivers... you have to have one to DRIVE one... period! Or, at the very least, a permit.

Is that right, or have I been misinformed? This really does have me curious and would like to know, if you know it not to be true. I know in my school, they required everyone to have their permit and endorsements before they could drive the schools trucks for training. Granted, the endorsements are not required (except air brakes, I think), and that is a requirement of the school. But, in Oregon, anyway, you must have a permit with a licensed driver with you, or a CDL to 'drive' a Commercial vehicle.

[kc0iv]

you don't have to have a CDL to buy a truck

OK, I guess 'technically', you don't need a standard driver's license to buy a car, either... but you DO need one to DRIVE it, and 'usually', the person who 'buys' a vehicle is the one to drive it off the lot. From what I've gathered from reading books, manuals, study books, numerous sources on the net, talking to many CDL drivers... you have to have one to DRIVE one... period! Or, at the very least, a permit.

You are required to have a CDL if you are in a commercial operation. You can drive a big truck for personal use without a CDL. However, the truck CAN NOT be licensed as a commercial vehicle.

You see more and more big trucks being used as RV tow vehicles everyday. I see where some states CA comes to mind that have driver licenses for RV drivers and I suppect this trend to spread to other states.

Most of these trucks have somekind of marking saying they are RVs just to save the problem of being stopped for busting a scale.

Is that right, or have I been misinformed? This really does have me curious and would like to know, if you know it not to be true. I know in my school, they required everyone to have their permit and endorsements before they could drive the schools trucks for training. Granted, the endorsements are not required (except air brakes, I think), and that is a requirement of the school. But, in Oregon, anyway, you must have a permit with a licensed driver with you, or a CDL to 'drive' a Commercial vehicle.

They require it because you are driving a commercial vehicle.

kc0iv

[dtrain]

good teachers; school started for me today. It was paper, paper, paper. :? :? :? Mainly it was preparation for the permit testing on Friday. Also an overview of what I'll be doing during this course. 8) 8) I also got introduced to my first truck. We were given a walk through of a 2000 Freightliner 8) 8) 8) ; nice truck. Sitting in it and getting the real feel of being there I thought to myself "yes, I can drive this". If I take heed to what my instructors teach; I can drive a tractor-trailer. Well back to the books; more book work tomorrow. Go safely; see you on the big road :rock:

[lifespalette]

dtrain.... good luck out there big guy..........you've done your homework, you've weighed out the options and made a logical decision........that puts you miles ahead of most who get into the lifestyle........and that's what it is. It's not for everybody and if it turns out it's not for you once you get out there, it won't be because you went into it on a lark.

Just remember you can't control everything around you out there.... but you can control yourself and what you do.......plan your moves then move through your plan. Don't let the *******s of the world or those on the road have control of your actions. Don't sweat the small stuff and everything that don't kill you is all small stuff. Every morning you wake up breathing is a good day.........every night you lay your head down on your pillow is another milestone of victory. Today is tomorrow history.... write your history well.

There will be days when it's one thing after another, consignors who keep you laid up... consignees who treat you like something that oozed out from under a rock, dispatchers who give you wrong directions, managers who screw you over twice w/o being kind enough to even use a small dose of KY. four wheelers who don't have a clue, and even a few fellow drivers out there who will have forgotten they too were once novices behind the wheel...... my grandfather taught me something that I've used all my life and it's at the bottom of any posting i put out..........pain and heartaches aren't options in life.......misery is a choice. You will run into alot of miserable people out there......don't let their choices dictate your life or day.

Be safe, be smart, be kind, be professional.......and you'll do just fine.

[dtrain]

professional drivers and good teachers; things are going progressively well for me in truck school. The course is actually winding down now. I have two more days of road/range training and then the cdl road test! :shock: :shock: Training is gong very, very well. Handling the truck on the road has not been difficult at all. I've driven both nine speed and ten speed on the road. I did better with the ten speed then the nine; 'figure that out'. The range needs work. Working the backing maneuvers is trying at times; serpentine, sight-side and blind-side, parallel parking, alley-dock, and straight line backing. I was all over the place the first day doing straight line backing but have since calmed those waters. . If I remember what my instructors tell me on the range, I should pass the test the first time around without having to re-test. Good teachers I hope to pass the test next week and see all of y'all soon on the big road! Give me a blast of the horn as you pass through eastern Pennsylvania for luck. Go safely; see you on the big road! :rock: :asta: