May 02 2009
Our Training Before We Can Drive
For the bigger compainies there is training before just handing you the keys and saying get in truck number _______ and hook up to trailer number______ and take the load to Chicago. You just can’t do that as there is so much to learn and know to operate that vehicle safely. First thing is to see if you can actually drive that 65 foot vehicle. You may have problems with depth perception and how to turn the vehicle. That is a big problem to have.
Many of the big companies training program are similar with the knowledge needed to operate that semi and the classroom work and driving is about the same—-5 weeks to 2 months. For example, mine taught us what we should not eat cause it makes you sleepy. Other drivers from the bigger schools were not taught that when I asked them at that time. Nothing wrong with that as my employer thought it was needed. You also have drivers who get sleepy if they eat anything before driving so they don’t eat. Nothing wrong with that. I can’t have tea when driving any vehicle as there are not enough bathrooms close by for me and even less in a semi! So it is up to the driver to know what they can and can’t do.
Seeing the semi’s up close is awesome and also frightening. We all are close to them on the roads, but to be this close and actually see one while its not moving it looks even bigger. Part of the training naturally consists of learning how to back under the trailer and hooking up the hoses from the tractor to the trailer so it can be moved. There is driving in a parking lot of just the tractor using 1 or 2 gears to get used to it and later you get the trailer. There is more learning on how to shift in a semi as its not like your personal vehicle if you know how to do that. There is backing too, straight line backing, 45 degree backing, 90 degree backing and serpentine backing. Now you would think straight line backing would be as easy as going forward but its not. A little turn on the steering wheel causes the trailer to move way out of line. After more practice you get to go out on the streets and highways and terrorize yourself and the motoring public!
In the classroom I had these topics with quiz’s and/or homework: hazmat, truck computer (Qualcomm) logs, winter driving and tips, safety films (accidents, safe driving and more) , trip planning, map reading, fatigue prevention, your internal body clock, nutrition suggestions, how alert are you when driving, safety on the road for you and your rig, what to do if your rig is stolen or you get hijacked. (this is a billion dollar issue in the trucking industry) loading procedures, weighing the load, sliding the tandems, mechanical knowledge, how much fuel to buy and where to buy it, breakdowns, accidents, weather and the list goes on and on.
One does not just pull into any truck stop and fill up. You have to buy fuel where your company is authorized on the major truck stops so your fuel card will work. And you do not just fill up. The full tank of fuel could put you over legal weight. You have to know how much fuel to buy at 8 pounds per gallon. Sliding your tandems 4 holes either forwards or backwards is 250 pounds per hole and that is 1000 pounds that is now shifted to balance your load. Lets say the trailer tires are closer to the nose of the trailer and the rear axle is 800 pounds over gross weight. To fix that problem you slide your trailer tires BACK 4 slots and now 1000 pounds is shifted to the front of the trailer. You could go more holes if there is room for more shifted weight to be on the tractor tires.
I even had jackknife training and that was scary in a controlled setting doing about 25mph on the skid pad in September. I learned that I never ever wanted to have this happen in a real world at faster speeds. We have all started to loose control/slide in our personal vehicles and know what that does to you. Now imagine doing the same in a 65 foot rig on the same road/street. Not pretty. So the next time you are behind that slow semi in the winter, it is going slow due to a empty or light load in the trailer and that driver could be scared to death of jackknifing and hurting or killing him/her and others who may be in the way.
Soon your training is up with this learning and now you go out on the road with a trainer for the required time. For me it was almost 3 weeks AFTER my 2 weeks at corp office and 1 week at regional office for my practice driving and tests. When I went out on my own, all of this fell into place and it was much easier with all the training that I was given. I also had the SPRING and WINTER training required of every driver. For me, I got comfortable with all I am to know and do in about 6 months. It takes awhile to catch on. Just like when you learned how to drive mom and dad’s car. You wonder if you will ever get it like they did. And you do. Just takes time.
