April 3, 2007: Day 4

Dear Readers ~

Many, many apologies for not posting for awhile, but we have been busy, and I have been tired – both physically and mentally.  This is getting intense, but just like the McDonald’s tag line says in the TV commercials, “I’m lovin’ it!”

Because of a bit of fatigue, and a fair amount of homework and studying to be done, thse next couple of posts may be brief (if I can ever learn how to SHUT UP! )

On to Tuesday … 

What a day!

All day long in the truck.   We were assigned our road trainers (driving trainers) today and we hit the highways and byways.  Dan, a fellow student, and I were assigned to John who has been driving for Schneider for 8 years now.  John is somewhat younger than me (as is most of the class!!), but a very down to earth guy.  Easy going, yet a bit of a smart ass – in a fun and good way, very patient and is able to communicate concepts in a encouraging and supportive way.

We got the day started by heading out on the yard to find our assigned truck.   Ummm… not there.   Looked everywhere.  Can’t be found.  What an inauspicious way to begin.  So we headed back indoors to check on the whereabouts (our Great Pumpkin Hunt).  Seems that the truck had been sent to the maintenance bay at the OC (Operating Center, or “terminal” if you like), which was across town.  So we had to grab a ride from the STA to the OC to look for our truck  After several loooong minutes in the OC, they finally figured it out and we walked through the lot and found it.  We hopped in, stopped at the fuel island to top off the tanks, then we were rolling.   John was explaining what he was doing at each step along the way as we drove back to the STA to get our trailer.   He made it look so darn EASY.  Well heck, it can’t be that hard, I told myself.  It was soon enough that I realized the error of my thinking. 

 Got our trailer, John had Dan and me do a quick inspection of the trailer to get ready to couple it to the tractor.   John was taking acre of all the driving at this point, we were to observe and learn.  Got the box hooked on, and on the road.   As we rumbled down the streets, John again showed us several techniques: the bump-and-run (dropping into a gear at least two gears lower than you’re in to prepare for a stop, intersection, etc), the right turn setup, left turn setup, buttonhook turn, and so on.  We drove out of town a couple of miles and stopped so one of us could take over.   I volunteered Dan.   Now Dan has some experience.  Fifteen years ago Dan drove for Schneider for a couple a years, but gave it up and let his CDL expire.  He’s back to redoing the CDL and getting back into the business.

So Dan starts off.  He’s a little rusty, but some of that soon begins to wear off.  Not all of it, but enough to set the bar high enough for me to feel quite humble.

Finally.  It’s my turn.  I get behind the wheel and start it up.  Then we’re rolling!  Within the first quarter of a mile, I think I made practically every mistake in the book.  Missing gears.  Grinding gears.  Hitting the air brakes WAY too hard.  Screwing up turns.  Remember, that trailer swings WIDE.  It’s called “off tracking” and you really need to be aware of where your trailer is going.  Yeah.  Real easy.  Concentrating on a million things at once and hoping to get just one of them right.   Was I nervous?  Well, yeah!  Was I scared?  Not in the least.   I felt great confidence in John, that he knew what HE was doing and that he would not let us get into a dangerous predicament.   However, before long, I was feeling a certain confidence myself.  Oh I still have a lot to learn, but the butterflies were at least beginning to slow down their own manueverings in the pit of my stomach.   I was still making loads of mistakes alright, but John was patient (as I said) and quite helpful.   After I had been driving for awhile, we stopped for a break at a little place where I got Dan to snap my picture standing in front of the very first tractor trailer I had ever driven in my life.  Take a look at the picture below.  Now what you can’t see is the 48′ trailer behind that truck, but it’s there, and yours truly got it there all in one piece (with John’s help of course).

Eventually we headed back to the STA (with the humble author at the controls).  John directed me through the lot to a remote corner along one edge of the practice range.   On my right was a row of barrels.  On my left, a row of brand new Kenworth T2000s (*Kenworth is a brand of truck, T2000 is one of their many models.  They are mucho expensive.  Six figures expensive.  A row of Mercedes might be inexpensive by comparison).  John and Dan get out of the truck and John, Dear, Kind, Thoughtful and RESPONSIBLE John, tells meto put ‘er in reverse and back ‘er up in a straightline back down a make-believe alley with a row of barrels on my right, and a row of aforementioned Kenworths on my left.   WHAT?  Uh huh. Just back up and listen to the instructorand do what he says.  After a few runs, and listening to John’s sage advice, I got the hang of it.  In fact, a straightline back is really easy – once you know what’s going on, what to look for, and what to do.  In reality, if your truck and trailer are set up right, there is very little to do; it almost backs itself.

And not a scratch on any of those purty new trucks!

At the end of the day, when I got back to my room I was of two separate minds.  One was feeling quite humble and a bit sheepish for all the mistakes I made, for all the clumsiness I had on the clutch and the gearshift, for all the plain, stinking AWFULNESS that I so wonderfully exhibited during the 70 or so miles I drove. 

 But the other?  Can’t describe it.  Confidence?  Yeah, maybe that’s it.  Pride?  Yeah, a bit of that too.  I had not only driven the truck back home, in one piece, but had also backed it.  So even though I have so very far to go, I also realize John and the Schneider program brought me so very far in a few short hours.

Tomorrow – Just John and me driving from 7 a.m. to noon.   Dan’s doing classroom stuff, then after lunch we switch.

Can I learn more tomorrow?  Hell yeah I can!

What a scary thought!