That 9-straight hours of driving. Was that 9 hours of rolling down an interstate-- or 9 hours on back state highways & US highways? Was it a heavy load on hills or flat country? Was there locating a shipper/consignee and making a delivery involved that day? scaling out a load? sliding tandems locating a washout or something besides making several pit-stops( actually getting off the road and back on again) -- rest areas don't count ( Too easy).

Is the truck-- automatic? or manual transmission?

Having to train a student the first 2 weeks can easily result in the trainer's truck -- not reaching the total miles per week that the driver himself could have done. Since the trainer used to not get to Pick which loads he & you had to cover the first 2 weeks and assuming he's had Rules he had to follow- Like no Night driving for Student first 3 days, No City driving or heavy traffic or bad weather early on. Yes, the 1st trainer might not make any extra money at all.

But it sounds like-- this new one is doing it right-- by this stage, you're suppose to be taking charge of the day to day operation -- discussing your trip planning and he's more in "observer" mode-- there to stop you right before you make a mistake and give you 'advice' or "have you thought about this" did you remember to check that...... quick, what did that sign we just passed read? where are we? how many more miles to destination? what you reckon our ETA is gonna be?

 

I sure love 'seasoned' truckers who love to belittle the new guy, and talk down to them just to make themselves feel better.

First of all, about 2% of trucks out there are automatic. So for your information, seeing how you seem the need to question my ability to get a truck rolling, or driving any length of time, here are the questions to your answers. That was 9 straight hours of driving I-35 just north of Iowa, to 15 miles inside Oklahoma. That was ZERO stops at rest areas or truck stops. I stopped twice....at each end of the toll road. It was a load of 42,000, and what does it matter if it was 'flat' or 'hills'? all it involves is a little more shifting if needed. The total load was going from Minneapolis to just north of the OK/TX border. And the way it fell, was I never saw the shipper or cosignee. So what. I am sure you will tell me you've driven 11 straight hours without stopping. Not many 'old' truckers can go 9 - 11 straight hours with ZERO stops, because of your bad prostate. And regardless if you stop for 7 minutes and dont need to log line 1 and flag it, it is still a stop to relieve yourself. Since that trip, i actually have taken a truck from start to finish. I actually have slid my 5th wheel, tandems and scaled out a load. Heck, even multi-stops. And just to let you know, i've driven on hilly roads with barely enough room for me and my trailer, AT NIGHT and had to watch the deer. Not just watching to see if i happen to see any, but watching THEM to see they didnt run across the road. So do yourself a big favor, and keep your prejudged opinions of other drivers to yourself. just makes you look dumb.

Oh, and please be one of those drivers stupid enough to screw with another drivers truck, specially if they see the word "SWIFT" on their truck or trailer. Cause if i happen to catch ya, ill have to show you my tire thumper "Lucille", but ill give you the chance to get your short term disability insurance paid up.

 

Why would anyone WANT to drive nine straight hours without stopping? Foolish.

 

Why stop if you dont need to go, or feel tired?


why do some drivers think it would rather be more fun to give a new driver a hard time, rather than help them when they have a question?? Thought we were all professional. But then again, I laugh at those who get all upset when they have to walk into a truck stop because their fuel card or the card reader doesnt work, THEN walk 30 feet back to their truck to start to fuel. Then they give the clerk a hard time for a fault not their own, THEN complain about the fuel price when they are a company driver. LOL.....medication run out?

 

Driving 11 hours straight with no stops isn't safe.

 

Haven't driven 11 hours..never said i did. But why stop when you dont need to use the men's room, or feel the least bit tired? I was fully rested, never got sleepy or bobbin' the head. If you need to stop every 2 hours for 15 minutes, ill be waiting at the shipper in your hole getting unloaded and watch you pull in an hour later.

Now i will be the first to tell anybody, i am not the best. Not saying i'm the best driver, but i'm safe. If i felt the least bit drowsy, you think i am dumb enough to keep going? How many of you HAVE??

 

oh, and last time i checked, this portion of the message board was "New Truck Drivers Get Help Here".....not "New Drivers Come Here To Get $#!T on by OLD Drivers"

You know what happens to T.P. after you've used it....

I won't do anything illegal, i wont let my mentor drive on my book, nor me on his. I wont do ANYTHING illegal or anything that might get me a ticket when i get pulled around a weigh station. Some of you will say "well i'm better than you because i can do things more efficiently". Well that might be true, but you will also have the better chance of getting a ticket, because in your experience, you know what you need to do, and what you can 'let slide'. But the odds are more in my favor i wont get a ticket, for the driver who dont pay attention to details, it will be a roll of the dice if you get a ticket or not.

 

My post and my "point" was not to belittle you- it was to point out WHAT CAN be involved on week#1 & #2 that could mean the trainer wasn't really earning EXTRA money while "definately" having to "train" you those weeks-- do you really think that had you been on old US71 or some other non-interstate you'd been able to "just hold the wheel" and cruise 9 hours without getting tired your first DAY. Or even on day 5?

See, that day you reported-- is a gravy day for a "bad" trainer. Some of those guys that call themselves "trainers" will only let the student "hold the wheel" keep it between the lines from exit to exit.
What's even worse is what you called-- just being another LOG BOOK.
IF that were the case-- you'd just have been "along for the ride"-- the THE TRAINER WOULD HAVE BEEN DOING ALL THE DRIVING( BECAUSE HE'S GOT more stamina than you-- and could easy drive for 16-18 hours straight on BOTH LOG BOOKS and bought you stake dinner every night, kissed your ass , taken you "sight seeing" to concerts, became your BEST BUDDY--- BUT you wouldn't have learned a damn thing then.

And for your information-- any trainee who wasn't a little nervous the first couple days-- would have been a real "red flag" in my book. There's nothing wrong with being nervous at first-- if you're not- it probably means you don't respect that 40TONS of steel/fiberglass you're driving and what IT could do if YOU lost control---and that makes you dangerous more so that driving 9 hours straight. Which your trainer should not have "allowed" or "expected" you to do.

 

You get what you give, and you've already given quite a bit.

It starts copping an attitude towards veteran drivers?

 

Questioning me like i was a part of the OJ murders 15 years ago doesn't come across to me as a point someone is making..though i did read what you posted with a shaker of salt. And actually, not all roads i have been down havent been newly paved interstate, and you cannot go anywhere in this country for more than an hour or two, 'just holding the wheel'. Ever driven the nice interstates of Oklahoma? I have been down US71 actually. And I will tell you i am STILL a little nervous when I start rolling. Alot less now than when I first sat behind a wheel during school. I probably still annoy my new mentor for driving 5-10 slower around curves i am unfamiliar with, because i FEAR rolling the damn truck. And trust me, if my first mentor would have driven on my book, done 100% of the driving, bought me a nice steak dinner every night and concerts and kiss my butt, it would have been alot better than the training than i got. He paid for one dinner, and i said 'thank you', but he covered me being short some change for one meal, and didnt say 'thank you' cause he thought i felt it was DESERVED, when in fact i didnt say THANK YOU, because he could care less about my welfare, and ripping me off the training i was on his truck for.

Tell me, would you expect a 'thank you' when you knowingly or atleast remotely felt like you were ripping off a student from the training he was on your truck for?? Would you have let your student take control of your truck for the first time coming from a stop on an on-ramp leading up to a 65mph US Highway? a student, by the way, who was not even remotely familiar with the feel of your particular clutch and 'throw' of the stick?