Got to drive a "big boy toy" today...

[Jeremy15086]

I started Trucking school today to get my CDL Class A. Got to drive this.

 

[CrashBoom]

Choose your gear, from 1st to 63rd!

I'm always amazed when I see a semi back a trailer into some obscenely small space, I don't know how you do it ... I can barely back a boat up, ha!

Good luck!

 

[#ARRMArcfanboy4life]

I can barely back a boat up, ha!

I have heard it is easier to back up the longer trailers.

 

[Senton_Prime]

I have heard it is easier to back up the longer trailers.

Yep.. the smaller it is the faster it turns.. tighter steering radius, so any minor adjustment either way can throw it off big time

 

[WrenchSense]

Kudos to you. You are indeed a brave soul. I live in the boonies and there are still a ton of stupid people on the roads around here. None for me thanks.

 

[Jeremy15086]

Kudos to you. You are indeed a brave soul. I live in the boonies and there are still a ton of stupid people on the roads around here. None for me thanks.

They started me off today, day 1, in a busy city during pretty heavy traffic.
I love it already....

 

[Smilinbri]

Congrats and good luck with school!!

 

[norcalsc]

BLOW THAT LOUD HORN AT ANYONE YOU SEE DRIVING WITH THEIR CELL PHONE IN HAND

 

[ChrisC]

I run a trucking company just north of Atlanta! Welcome to the club and make sure you dot your i's and cross your t's or the DOT will put the brakes on your new career

 

[Engineer]

Good luck! My buddy got his CDL a few months ago and said his class was full of idiots.

 

[K-BASH]

Still have my cdl,haven't drove big truck in 15yrs thou.i drove for about 10yrs,mostly haul rail containers usely within 300 mile radius around st.louis.it was before electronic logs...my dad owned trucks an I got my cdl at 21yr old an started driving 1 of his..loved it,it was badass being single,21,driving a ext hood pete with a big cat an 18 speed,working as many hrs as I wanted.worked hard an played hard.screwed license up from tickets,went to construction..figured I'd go back to driving after body gets to beat up from construction..nothing like ripping throu the Ozarks with 80000lbs...

Good luck! My buddy got his CDL a few months ago and said his class was full of idiots.

I grew up riding with my dad real young,so I now alot from early..I couldn't imagine someone who has never even rode in an 18 wheeler an go to driving them.takes years to learn to safely drive them.these guys go in an out of school then sent on there own...crazy what 80000lb can do damage wise..imagine trucking before gps,cell phones...ya only had maps an pay phones

 

[ChrisC]

these guys go in an out of school then sent on there own...crazy what 80000lb can do damage wise..imagine trucking before gps,cell phones...ya only had maps an pay phones

The good Ole days!

Good luck! My buddy got his CDL a few months ago and said his class was full of idiots.

Most classes are. Real truck drivers will learn nothing from a school.Just a government way to try to get people off food stamps

 

[K-BASH]

The good Ole days!

Most classes are. Real truck drivers will learn nothing from a school.Just a government way to try to get people off food stamps

Dad's 1st lesson was how to run 2 logbooks an go around scalehouses.lol.22 years ago speed limit was 55mph in Illinois for big trucks,ya could get by with 62 usely,,.ya now how hard an tired it makes driving that slow in such a flat state..I got a bunch of tickets in like 1 year an couldn't drive for a while so it was time for a career change.sure miss it though

 

[Burt37]

I started Trucking school today to get my CDL Class A. Got to drive this. View attachment 256685

You got to start somewhere... Eventually if you like it, you can go all the way...

 

[Doom!]

Congrats, Not afraid to admit, I admire those of you who can do this, I would be a nervous wreck in something that big.

 

[Jeremy15086]

Good luck! My buddy got his CDL a few months ago and said his class was full of idiots.

The good Ole days!

Most classes are. Real truck drivers will learn nothing from a school.Just a government way to try to get people off food stamps

Yea... the guy I am teamed up with is a vet. The VA is paying for it for him. I just don't want to go back to my last career. I was an auto body shop estimater and/or shop manager, depending where I worked, for 12 years. It was fun at first. Then it just became arguing with insurance companies all day and then getting bitched at buy customers because their cheap fiddlestick insurance companies didn't want to pay for poop and the dealerships can't ship parts fast, while part of my pay is based on "customer surveys". Couple that with getting constantly harassed by upper management or shop owners to produce more faster but still properly. It turned into a fuckin NIGHTMARE. So diving a truck... no problem. I'm also a day trader but still not able to support us 100% on that just yet. But I can do both until then...

 

[ChrisC]

Sorry to hearyour past career went sideways. Are you planning to drive local or cover the US? I have always driven locally when I was driving but have heard that if you spend a year OTR and do it right you can see alot of cool stuff kind of like an RV road trip you get paid for. Good Luck in school.

 

[Jeremy15086]

Sorry to hearyour past career went sideways. Are you planning to drive local or cover the US? I have always driven locally when I was driving but have heard that if you spend a year OTR and do it right you can see alot of cool stuff kind of like an RV road trip you get paid for. Good Luck in school.

Not sure yet. I'm a couple months out from looking. Going on our yearly Christmas trip to Costa Rica for about a month to visit the wife's family. After that I'll see what's what.

 

[MisterG]

Good luck with it and after you get your CDL, remember the best way to keep it is to not hit sh*t.
Gotta admit, I'm trying to figure out why they'd have you practice on a short trailer instead of a 53 footer though

 

[SrC]

I have heard it is easier to back up the longer trailers.

True. I used to drive a wrecker tow truck. Licensed still. Similar. Longer towed cars were easier to line up. Shorter ones "jacked" up more easily. But added length needs more space to park. That's all.
And honestly it becomes second nature, And they all drive like a car. Never thinking about it at some point. Muscle memory takes over.