By
Rick & Christine.
 .
Well,
the first big step is over! Christine did indeed pass her DMV driving test
last Monday and we are both fully licensed to drive 18-wheelers on any
road in the country! Think about that next time you hop into your car!
That truck next to you may have a driver with only 12 hours of actual driving
experience.
In
my short time driving I have seen four-wheelers do some amazingly stupid
things, so I would like to give all of you some pointers in dealing with
big trucks on the road. Remember… trucks take a LONG time to stop. Please
don’t cut right in front of them after passing; if you have to hit your
brakes for some reason, the truck will not be able to stop. As our instructor
Lou would say, “Your car will get squished to the size of an ice-cube.”
You
should also avoid following too close, driving right beside them (blind
spots), or trying to sneak around them on the right when they are making
wide right hand turns. I have already witnessed all of these behaviors
several times. Also, many cars flash their high beams at the trucks when
they pass them to let them know it is safe to move back over into the right
lane. Don’t! This practically blinds the driver. The proper technique is
to either turn on your headlights for a second if it is daytime, or turn
them off if it is nighttime. When you see the driver looking at you in
the right hand mirror, that is the time to do it. If you are not comfortable
turning off your headlights at night, that’s fine, just don’t do anything.
If
you see a kid yanking his arm up and down on the sidewalk trying to get
that big-rig to blow his air-horn and the trucker doesn’t do it, it is
not because he is a big meanie. I have been dying to blow my horn for the
kids, but unfortunately, it can get the driver a big fat ticket if it is
within the city limits. Most cities have laws that forbid it.
Another
thing to mention is merging on the freeways. Please move over to the next
lane if possible to let the truck come on. Frankly, this does not seem
to be much of a problem. Most four-wheelers get out of the way in a hurry.
Please don’t be upset if the trucks do not extend you the same courtesy
when you are trying to merge. We are taught to not change lanes unless
really necessary. Lange changing is one of the primary causes of truck
accidents, therefore, we try to keep them to a minimum.
OK,
enough lecturing. Christine and I are totally stoked (sorry, I haven’t
really picked up trucker lingo yet) on our new job! It is a blast driving
those big suckers down the road, towering over all we purvey.
We
had our final graduation drive last Wednesday. We got to get a little mountain
driving in. Christine and I got to drive together with a big long flatbed
loaded with 15 tons of rock. We went over Pacheco Pass which is a pretty
steep highway going to the coast. It was quite different than driving around
good ol’ flat Fresno. Now I know why truckers say their best friend is
named Jake!*
Christine
and I are heading up to Washington on the 19th to start our new life on
the road. We will have a week of orientation and then set out on the highway
with a trainer for about a month. That’s when the stories should start
getting interesting!
Hasta
luego!
Rick
* Jake
refers to the Jacob’s Brake on most semis nowadays. It is an engine-retarding
device that slows you down on hills without using your normal service brakes,
which have a nasty habit of bursting into flames when overused. Yep, those
runaway truck ramps are actually there for a reason.
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