Week 2

Sunday I had off and I awaited instructions from my trainer. The truck was in the shop and wasn't due to be done until Wednesday which is when the trainer requested some time off. So Monday morning I show up and we grab a day cab off the lot and the trainer sets up cones. I do a few backings and he tells me I am doing well. After a couple of hours of this he says I have this down and to return the next day.

Tuesday - we do the same thing. About 11 am the trainer says go get lunch, come back and you will go with a city guy today and the rest of this week. Cool! This will get me into some real backing experience in the real world.

Basically our company has these local drivers in daycabs that drop empty trailers and bring back the loaded ones to the yard. Most of the trucks dispatched take the loads from the yard. If they bring them back to springfield then they drop in the yard and pick another one to take to the destination. The city trucks do most of the inner springfield work.

Tuesday afternoon - I meet the city guy and he seems cool. I ride for a little and then get behind the wheel after an hour. I bobtail for the first time, city guy helps me with my floating and gives me a ton of useful tips. Our first pickup is at my old work where I was a welder. Ha!! I got to say hi to a few ex-coworkers.

Wednesday - I get to drive a pup trailer and make some tight maneuvers. That lasted about two hours and then went back to a 53 footer. Did some two lane road driving and I am learning quick on dropping, hooking and connecting trailers. One particular drop was at a scrap metal place where everything was tight and so much was going on. A dangerous busy place indeed.

Thursday/today - Did more of the same but I was behind the wheel all day. I have learned a lot in the last few days. My turning, shifting, backing, and overall confidence is a lot stronger now. I am getting a good word said to safety about me and was issued a mailbox etc. Tomorrow I will go a half day with city and I go back with my otr trainer Sunday at ...get this 1:00 AM. Taking a load to OK and then picking up and going to Indiana.

Now don't get me wrong. My OTR trainer is training me well but having this week of city experience is gonna help a lot. Think about this. If I am being trained and we go 1000 miles that's a long time before I have to worry about driving in loading docks etc. It's all highway. Now when we get to the destinations I will have more confidence in my backing. Not to mention all the shifting practice I got running city where as highway it's not as much. I am going to tell the office that this should be a standard in training because it's helped me tremendously.

Sunday I will be back in the "bigtruck" and we will start my third week.