Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: I got my CDL yesterday !

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Posted by John Eickhof (Member # 323) on 05-20-2006, 12:41 PM:

After 14 days of intensive driver training..I passed the driving skills portion of the CDL ( Commercial Driver's Locense ) test yesterday! I now have a full class A CDL and will be driving this truck locally for about 3 weeks and then will run with an over-the-road instructor for about 4 weeks and if I do as good as I have in the past 3 weeks, I will then be issued my own rig and start operating the 9 wetsern states!! The driving skills test is a 3 part exam and is quite challenging! I had a very experienced instructor who was able to whip me into shape the last 14 working days! I am enjoying the new work too! getting lots of excercise throwing pallets at the docks and other duties!! For those of you who have never been behind the wheel of a big truck, I emplore you to take heed to them on the road ! It takes a great deal of knowlege and skill to safely roll along the road in an 80,000 lb + vehicle! Give the trucks some room and repsect on the road!! And Tim Reed...maybe we will cross paths one of these days!!

[ 05-26-2006, 12:21 AM: Message edited by: John Eickhof ]

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 05-20-2006, 01:07 PM:

Hi John

Now that you have your CDL, you can come to Tucson and become an Old Pueblo Trolley volunteer via streetcar operator training! [Big Grin]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-20-2006, 01:51 PM:

quote:
And Tim Reed...maybe we will cross paths one of these days!!

Hopefully they won't meet at the same exact spot at the same exact second each with that 80,000 lb load....

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 05-20-2006, 03:57 PM:

You mean you don't just "thread and push start" on those big rigs? [Wink]

I mean, pretty soon, won't the shipping managers be driving the trucks in addition to what they are supposed to be managing? After all, if someone above them says they can and should do it, it must be possible, right?

I, who always give trucks extra room and courtesy light flashes on lane changes...after all they are much bigger and heavier than me). As my dad loves to say...."He was right-dead-right as he sped along but he was just as dead as if he was dead-wrong." Something to always keep in mind when driving any vehicle.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 05-20-2006, 04:26 PM:

What's the big deal? I've had my CDL (California Drivers License) with motorcycle endorsement for 20+ years! HA!

(Congrats John!)

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 05-20-2006, 07:52 PM:

I believe that is a "Completely Disfunctional Lunatic" for you Phil. And it is more of a certification than a license in your case as well!

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 05-20-2006, 08:58 PM:

So, does Phil have an ole-fashioned "bananna bicycle seat" on his scooter?....

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 05-21-2006, 02:25 AM:

Hey, congratulations, hand! You surprise me, though. I thought you were already licensed? Did you go through all that hazmat fingerprinting b.s.? My endorsement expires this year, so I'm debating on whether to renew it or not. A lot of companies dropped hazmat requirements when all that background check business started. I guess you also got tanker and double/triple endorsements?

quote: John Eickhof
It takes a great deal of knowlege and skill to safely roll along the road in an 80,000 lb + vehicle!

Amen, brother, amen. More than people realize. The stopping distances, air brake reaction time, huge blind spots, countersteering obstacles and rollover avoidance, height and width clearances, manuvering city streets in a 75ft. long vehicle.. It was more than I realized, too, before I got in this line of work. [thumbsup]

Btw..I'm drivin' a 2006 version of this:

quote: Steve Guttag
You mean you don't just "thread and push start" on those big rigs? I mean, pretty soon, won't the shipping managers be driving the trucks in addition to what they are supposed to be managing?

ROFL! Steve, that's hilarious! [Smile]

John, one of these days I'm going to start a thread and call it "Stupid 4-wheeler Tricks" just to chronicle some of the outrageous things some people do around big trucks. For instance, one thing I see in NYC a lot... cars passing you on the left (that's the proper side to pass, btw) will flash their high beams at you while they're coming up alongside you, as if to say, "Hey, notice me! I'm over here." Well, a lot of truckers take that action as a signal that it's okay to change lanes! If a (truck) driver is wanting to change lanes and has his attention focused up ahead or on his blind side, seeing those high beams come on may be the cue he's waiting for to move over... and ONTO the car! But, you say, it would be the truck driver's fault. Yes, but most-likely the truck driver will walk away from that wreck. There's a very good chance the 4-wheeler driver will not.

So, whenever someone does that to me, I always throw on my turn signal, just to make them think.

Posted by Jon Miller (Member # 163) on 05-22-2006, 12:16 AM:

Congratulations, John! [thumbsup]

Like with other big-rig drivers, a courtesy flash of the headlights is in order.

Steve G's "thread and push start" comment had me thinking...are automatic transmissions now available on truck tractors? If that's the case, it sure sounds like the end of the world as I knew it, sort of like digital cinema taking over tried-and-true film!

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 05-22-2006, 09:20 AM:

What exactly is the proper signals to provide while overtaking or being overtaken?

In my 4 wheeler, I will flash the headlights on/off when a truck has cleared me while passing.

Posted by Paul Mayer (Member # 355) on 05-22-2006, 11:31 AM:

That's the signal I've always used - kill the headlights briefly at night/headlights on briefly in the daytime to signal that the passing truck can come back into the lane ahead of me.

Heh heh, I'm in the process of getting my Class B CDL back. Driving is something I've always enjoyed, whether it be planes or buses or boats doesn't seem to matter. The destination doesn't matter either, it's the going that's the fun part.

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 05-22-2006, 12:48 PM:

I wish some truckers would learn that they can't accelerate very fast at highway speeds (or any speed I guess). Nothing drives me more nuts than when I'm cruising along on cruise control in the fast lane and a truck in the right lane decides to pass. Instead of waiting 5 seconds for me to pass and then going behind me, they pull in front of me and then take a LOOOOOOOOOOONG time to finally get enough speed up to complete the pass.

Posted by John Eickhof (Member # 323) on 05-26-2006, 12:12 AM:

Tim, I did not go for the hazmat endorsement..the FBI background check, fingerprinting and other 'big brother' BS is too much for me..plus MX specializes in refigerated and dry vans only so I really don't want to deal with hazmat! I do have semi, doubles and triples endorsements so I should be covered for most jobs! ( I probably will go for the tanker endorsement later on in case I need to haul milk from the local daries )I had a Class 1 in Cal. back in the 1970's when I was in the towing business with my Brother in law. We had a 1949 Autocar 2 axle 4x4 (all wheel drive) with a Cummins and a 5 & 3 speed and Holmes 600 wrecker.. it was usually my truck and I would pull 18 wheelers over Donner Summit on I-80 during the winter months! A lot of hard work I may add!

Jon Miller..I think the new Sterlings and Marmons are available with an automatic trans!! Probably other makes as well! I am happy shifting gears myself!! Plus these modern transmissions sure do shift easier than the old 'crash boxes' ( no synchromesh trans of yesteryear!!

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 05-26-2006, 05:38 AM:

Hey, John, that's a nice Pete there, brother! Double-bunk, too! Is that your trainer's truck? I couldn't pull a reefer, though. Grocery warehouses and that noise! I can't sleep next to a reefer, either.

I'm still debating on whether or not to renew my hazmat. Same reasons as yours.

quote: Jon Miller
are automatic transmissions now available on truck tractors?

Yes, they are more-accurately called "autoshifts", since the transmission is fundamentally the same one used in the standard versions, only with a box on top that does the shifting for you. They've been around for at least 10 years.

Until recently, autoshifts had a driver clutch pedal for starting and stopping only; going down the road, it shifts the gears for you. Now, there are "fully-automatics" which have no clutch pedal. All 6,000 trucks in the US Xpress fleet are autoshifts. Mine has an Eaton-Fuller Ultrashift (fully automatic) 10-speed. More and more companies are going to autoshifts because they are very reliable (you never have to worry about losing a gear going downgrade!). I doubt very seriously I'd still be on the road if I had to shift gears all day. That's a lot of work. But, like John says, some guys enjoy it. [Smile]

quote: Paul Konen
What exactly is the proper signals to provide while overtaking or being overtaken?

Overtaking, none. Overtaken: headlights off and on. Since most cars have DRLs now, it's evolved into highbeams on/off. And NEVER while you're still alongside the truck! [Eek!]

It's really from the days of 2-lane roads, when a truck had to get back over asap because of oncoming traffic, but it's stuck today. Most drivers can tell when they're cleared, but it does help to get the signal when it's raining or traffic is closing in tight.

quote: Lyle Romer
Nothing drives me more nuts than when I'm cruising along on cruise control in the fast lane and a truck in the right lane decides to pass. Instead of waiting 5 seconds for me

I can tell you exactly why that happens. It's because the drivers of most cars will speed up when you throw your turn signal on and/or come up and hang right on your trailer tandems where you can't change lanes. Besides, if a trucker needs to get around someone, he has to jump out in the hammer lane at some point... [Wink]

FWIW, we feel the same way when a four-wheeler comes down an on-ramp and slows down... when, if he'd just keep going, he'd smoothly merge in front of your truck... and after you change lanes for him, he stomps on it. That pees me off more than anything. It's like, why didn't you DO THAT when you were on the ramp! Those acceleration lanes are there for you to match your speed with traffic. I've gotten where I just throw on my turn signal when they come out and making them think I'm moving over for them makes them stand on it (heaven forbid they should get behind a truck!)

Oh, yes, I forgot to add, if a car comes on in front of you, he will go slow. If he comes on behind you, he can't get around you fast enough! Happens 98% of the time.

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 05-26-2006, 11:08 AM:

Tim,

People not knowing how to use acceleration lanes drives me nuts as well (and I don't drive a truck). People need an education on how to merge properly. People, it is called an ACCELERATION lane.

Thanks for the explanation on why trucks do what they do. Maybe I won't get so upset next time now that I know.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 05-26-2006, 04:55 PM:

Sure thing, Lyle (one of these days, I'm going to start that trucking vs. cars thread)! FWIW, I do wait before jumping in the passing lane if I see someone coming up moderately fast, but if I don't take the opportunity to move over when I can, and have to slow down for the guy in front of me, it makes the acceleration problem even worse. So it's a toss up. [Wink]

The thing with the on-ramp merges (I know, it has been a problem in the personal vehicle as well) is, not only does it take trucks a long time to accelerate, as you note, but also to slow down. It's becomes a safety issue.

If people only knew how close they sometimes come to losing their lives just because they don't wanna be behind that truck... [Frown]

Posted by Gerard S. Cohen (Member # 994) on 05-26-2006, 07:33 PM:

Congrats, John, on re-joining the ranks of "double-clutchin' motha-truckers"!

Reminds me of my days (how brief they were) driving a deuce-and-a-half and a half-track in the Army!

Gerard

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 05-26-2006, 11:51 PM:

quote: Tim Reed
If people only knew how close they sometimes come to losing their lives just because they don't wanna be behind that truck...

In high school physics they should do some examples using trucks and cars on the road. Maybe if people got educated on how much energy an 80,000 lb. truck brings to a collision, they'd respect them a little more. It's not worth losing your life to save 5 minutes.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 05-27-2006, 01:27 AM:

Amen! Fully loaded, it takes well over 300 feet to stop a big truck going 55 mph. When raining, even further. When empty or bobtailing (no trailer), it takes nearly that far, believe it or not, because there's no weight on the drive axles and less traction.

Incidentally, I've jackknifed twice (but was able to recover, after [bs]

my pants!) and both times I was empty.

Btw, I'm not absolving truckers, either. There are more than enough "Billy Big-Riggers" out there who think they own the road and they make all of us look bad!

Posted by John Eickhof (Member # 323) on 05-29-2006, 09:12 AM:

Hi Tim, Yes the truck in the picture is the one I was training in, but our fleet consists mostly of Petes, with a few KWs and some Freightshakers too, I have been driving all three since last wednesday..once I am ready for the road I will be issued a truck. I would prefer the Pete or a Freightshaker as the KWs seem to be a lot less of a truck than the others..like lots of flex in the frame..real rough ride...sensitive throttle and other anomolies. All the Petes and K-dubs are Cat powered C-12 or C-13s with fuller rt-910 10 speeds and the Freightshakers have a Mercedes diesel with either the 10 or 13 speed fuller trans. The sleepers on the shakers are like a deluxe motel room!! Our rigs are geared for the mountain states and are governed to 68 MPH but thye will climb the hills quite well! Usually only dropping a gear or two!