On The Road...Again!

Simply getting behind the wheel of one of these trucks is a thrill. You have to have the utmost respect for the engineering and the power that is hiding beneath the hoods of these monsters. All of our instructors have told us and reiterated that you have to have a healthy amount of respect and fear of the trucks, because as soon as you relax or get too comfortable with them, they'll bite you. Book it!

After we'd spent a couple days out on the maneuver pad, the instructors started to take handfuls of the classmates who were in my "group" out on the road. These trucks are specially outfitted so that there are three extra seats in the bunk area, instead of the bed racks. It's actually pretty amazing how much room there is behind the driver and passenger seats in these trucks. It's like having a small efficiency apartment back there. LOL  Anyway, the first time behind the wheel on the open road is a butt-clencher. I think I was basically white-knuckling the steering wheel the entire time and all I could think about was not hitting anyone else and not running over a curb. That's a big No-No in these big rigs. You have to take all of your turns VERY wide so you're not running over a curb, which could disturb or damage your freight, or cause the trailer to overturn. You also have to make sure that you're not hitting cars who have stopped too far out in the intersection when you're making those wide right and left-hand turns. Remember that! Always stop BEHIND those solid white lines at intersections. 

Each of the four students get around 45 minutes to an hour behind the wheel, and the instructor would make sure that we got plenty of time on a variety of driving conditions. Rural, city, small town, interstate, busy industrial park, gas station or truck stop parking lots- you name it. Each place has its own hazards and challenges, so you've got to be focused and basically look out for everything!

Here's what's amazing. Once I finally start working, actually driving on the road, 45 minutes to an hour will be just getting started! I'll be spending from 10-11 hours driving each day, possibly putting in between 500 and 550 miles. The cab of my truck is literally my office and I have to be sure that I'm not only comfortable there, but not TOO comfortable that I can't be 100% focused on the task at hand. I'm basically in control of a nearly 40-ton missile driving 60+mph down the highway. It's 'heavy' to think about it in those terms, but that's why the education, instruction, and testing process to get a CDL is so thorough and intense. Not just anybody can do it, nor should they be able to do it.

Speaking of testing, the school put out its testing schedule for my class, "Group 24" a couple of weeks ago. My test date is scheduled for first thing in the morning (7:30 am) on Tuesday, July 16th. My four weeks of intense preparation will come down to a two-hour time slot, where I'll get to show that I know how to inspect my truck, test my brake system before driving, pull off various backing and parking maneuvers, and then complete a perfect road driving test.

I'll have at least two or three of the classmates that I've become close friends with taking the exam the day before I do, so that will provide me with some inspiration and confidence to be ready for my own exam. I've worked every day with these guys, and I know we've prepared ourselves for this moment.

Wish us all luck!