[Darin Younce]

Just curious but when you talk about jobs being shipped over sea's , are you referring to the NAFTA Agreement ? Also , didn't Bill Clinton sign the NAFTA Agreement ? Finally the WIA was inacted in 1998 so that also would have been during the Clinton administration, so could it be possible that Clinton , not Bush stretched the truth concerning creating jobs. Like
I said just curious , not trying to start anything

[golfhobo]

Originally Posted by Darin Younce

Just curious but when you talk about jobs being shipped over sea's , are you referring to the NAFTA Agreement ? Also , didn't Bill Clinton sign the NAFTA Agreement ? Finally the WIA was inacted in 1998 so that also would have been during the Clinton administration, so could it be possible that Clinton , not Bush stretched the truth concerning creating jobs. Like
I said just curious , not trying to start anything

I won't "start" anything, either. But, I DO think it is good to have an informative debate about this subject. I'm leaving out right now, so MY participation will have to wait.

If anyone wants to start it before I get back, I hope they'll put it on a separate thread. Now.... about your misconceptions....

Clinton "ratified" the agreement, and signed several "side agreements" that were designed to keep Mexico from having an unfair advantage, i.e. they would have to meet certain environmental and labor standards. Dubya pretty much turned a blind eye to the failure on their part to do so.

Bush I, actually signed the initial agreement. Notice, however, that I said "government" and thereby didn't exclude Clinton from the folley.

And, in fact, the changes in our trade pollicies started during the 80's. So, we know who THAT was, right?

Do yourself a favor, Darin.... and don't fall for all the political grandstanding on this issue. Read the following links for a better understanding, and any OTHERS you might have time to find (I'm out of time right now):

http://www.multied.com/Documents/Cli...ningNaFTA.html

http://www.fpif.org/commentary/0012trade.html

http://www-tech.mit.edu/V113/N47/nafta.47w.html

My comment about Dubya was exclusive to the way he has ADAMANTLY maintained that he is creating jobs, when the economy and the people of America know otherwise.

For MY part, I will try to confine my further comments on the issue to the FACTS, and not try to blame it all on Dubya! :lol:

A serious discussion of Nafta, and its effects on our economy, is a complicated one, and shouldn't be reduced to partisan soundbytes.

[allan5oh]

A lot of people blame NAFTA for many things that are not due to NAFTA. Yes some jobs were lost, but MORE were created then lost.

Our industry for one, boomed after NAFTA was signed.

[RunNGun]

Now that the thread has taken a completely different tangent.. it's good time to bring it back.

Today was the first road day. We had three students, one instructor per truck. Be it that my class now has six of us, it made an even split. Two of the guys and I got a 00' Freightshaker Classic, the others got a 96 Pete 379. We got taken out east, then turned free to drive a large route in the middle of nowhere, to practice shifting and downshifting. I took to it very naturally, and I enjoyed the hell out of myself doing it. I sure do look forward to the rest of what we do.. but even more so when I get kicked out there to drive for money. For some reason the other two guys just couldn't go from 6th to 7th in that truck. They constantly put it in 9th gear. It's a 10 speed, for what it's worth.

One of the guys in the Pete ended up getting a ticket today. He couldn't find second gear to start out in, and rolled right on top of a car. I'm not terribly sure what will happen to him for it, or what Swift will do now with him. Time will tell.

More to come.

[RunNGun]

Two more days have passed, yet not much has changed. We're still taking the pos freightliners out on the road due east, swapping drivers every now and then, and watching the instructor spaz at the guys that can't downshift, let alone shift.

The guy that rolled back on that vehicle is still in the school. I guess they just wanted to get their entire money due, irregardless of if a company hires him or not. That's about typical, I suppose. I did also come to find that I am the youngest of the six, in my class. There is a large age difference between me and four others, and it seems to present an almost anti-social grouping. That, or quite possibly, I am simply too much of an ass to be liked. In the end, it doesn't matter.. I won't see these guys ever again I am sure.

As per usual, I'll keep posting now and then..

[heavyhaulerss]

AL right RunNGun , lets relook at my post. First I welcomed you, Second I said I am not trying to be a smart A##, which I ment . I was merely trying to let you know from my small amount of experience what to expect. Also I was refering to your first post where you said you couldn't believe the amount of sour post . Perhaps I assumed wrong but when I first came on this site , I too questioned the sour or negative post where experienced drivers were telling how difficult is really is out there .
The driving schools are going to welcome you with open arms , all they are concerned with is getting their money. Sure there are some really fine schools out there and some really nice trainers and so forth but the fact is that they do not want to paint a negative image of truck driving. Now , understand that I am not knocking truck drivng as a whole , if it was all bad I doubt this forum would have all of these fine experienced folks on here giving out advise . The truth is it is a career that is quite different from anything I have ever experienced. From reading the post on this site as well as other trucking forums I have come to the conclusion that other newbies have experienced pretty much the same things I have. You know, you see the adds in the local paper or on the net saying " Start a new career, become a truck driver and make $ 50,000 .00 in your first year " . It all sounds too good to be true, you find a driving school , pluck down several thousand dollars and your on your way. After a few days of school you start to see and hear that it is a pretty tough business, you start hearing about things you never expected.
HOS, Layovers, crappy dispatchers, practical mile pay, Little home time , driving in snow and ice, chaining , breakdowns etc..... . You read about all of this and still you think it can't be that bad , and for you perhaps it's not, it may fit you like a glove. But nevertheless there are some valid things to consider before you get into trucking . These forums
are full of post from experienced drivers telling the very same thing I just said and I have come to the conclusion they are not being sour or negative , they are just trying to enlighted us newbies as to what to expect. I wish the very best for you and apologize if I may have come across as being anything but helpful . Good luck and keep posting about your experiences thru-out school and soforth

ditto :lol:

[RunNGun]

Another few days in the books. I'm looking highly forward to Thursday, as that's the big test day. I should be well and ready.. just need to remember the order of the in cab inspection. Today, and the rest of this week until the testing, we are in the yard doing backing manuvers. Off-set, straight back, parallel park, and alley dock. It's all pretty simple as long as you follow the formula, and have good mirrors. All the guys are doing well, including the gentleman that rolled the tandems over a car. There's not much more to report on as of now, but I will be sure to keep you all updated.

[RunNGun]

Three guys tested today. I didn't see the result of the third as I ended up going home early. The first two passed their pre-trips with ease. One had 12 points on the backing, 1 shy of failing, and the other had 11 points against him for it. They told me that backing on a concrete pad was a whole different ballgame from the yard dirt, as the trailer and truck turn a lot quicker. Makes sense and all.. so we will see how I do. The first guy to test was out there a little while, only to watch the instructor drive back in the yard. He didn't counter-steer a turn, and ran his tandems over a sidewalk. The second one out didn't even make it 500 feet from the yard before he ran his tandems over the sidewalk. It's really starting to make me nervous for my turns. During the driving aspect last week, I only ran the tandems over once.. thanks to a car pulling up in my way. What makes me nervous, however, is the instructor always told you when to start turning the truck. Asking them today when is a good time to turn a 379 Pete all yielded the same answer. When the nose gets halfway out in the road, turn it 45 degrees, countersteer once the drives pass the curb corner, and hug the opposite line/curb until the tandems clear entirely. Question is.. does that sound about right? Makes sense to me so far.

My test is tomorrow at 7:30am.. and I'm definitely nervous. If I manage to fail, I can always re-test.. but with MTC, on Monday, I have to take another road test for them. If I fail that, I don't have a job. Definitely a burden on my shoulders. As is, I will let you all know the final results of testing on my account and the others going through it with me.

[gmh]

Maybe someone with more experience can help you with when to turn, but for me, when cornering, it all depends. Depends on how tight the corner is, how far back are the tandems, etc. I know it matters on your test, but after some time driving, you'll get a better feel for it.

I usually say 'to heck with it' and take more room than I need, if it's available.

Good luck on your test.

[RunNGun]

Today didn't start out too well. Raining like crazy, one windshild wiper motor blew out, over extended itself, and bent my driver's side wiper, rendering it useless. I made it there with plenty of time, most of it being used by pacing. Once I got out to the test area with the truck and the pre-trip aspect, I had a hard time collecting myself to think straight. I had the hood open and stared at the altenator blankly, trying to remember what jargin they wanted me to spout. The examiner told me to just relax, and it all came back. I scored a 46/47 on the pre-trip. I moved on to the backing part of the test. Straight backing I had 0 points against me. Driver's side parallel I had 2 points against me, and off-set, starting from the right, I had 0 points against me. That totalled 2/12 possible before failure. I was about to breathe easy, but I had the road test at that point. I found the sweet spot for the Pete, remembered to steer, then counter-steer, then ride the opposite line or curb until the tandems cleared. I was deducted 7 points for forgetting to check a mirror or two during turns, and for not looking at an intersection both sides as I passed by. 7/25 possible before failure.

All in all, it was easier than I had imagined. Tomorrow is the "graduation", for a good weekend, then I will be at May's orientation Monday through Wednesday. One more drive test to do, and off I go for the training Thursday or Friday next week.