Image courtesy of Rhys Moult, via Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/@rhysatwork)
I'm in the process of getting my CDL-A. That's where some of my wisdom and knowledge comes from.
Of course, only some of this stuff is my own. I owe my instructors a debt (beyond the purchase price of the education). I figured I would share some of the things they've said over the past few months.
As a prelude, note this: we typically watch on the road crash videos and poor driving videos, combinations and passenger cars, during our hour-long lunch breaks. A lot of the quotes that I write down come up during these lunch hours.
Seriously. Acquaint yourself with these videos. Learn from the stupid mistakes and kamikaze intellect of others.
Don't Over-drive
“Don't over-drive your ability to stop, see, and control the load.”
Do not drive faster than what you can see. This is important at all times while you explode up and down the roads of America, but it is vital to your life during inclement weather.
Your speed should be governed not just by the speed limit, but also by how well you can see ahead of and around you.
It's All Fun and Games
“It's all fun and games until somebody has a buncha feces on their back.”
This happened during one of the crash videos. What will often happen is a large passenger vehicle, often a pickup truck or an SUV, will have a driver that decides to brake check a tractor trailer moving 65+ mph on the highway.
In common parlance, this is referred to as “natural evolution” or “evolution at work". For frame of reference, a combination vehicle weighs around 34 thousand pounds, which is around twenty-nine thousand more than a 2022 Chevy Equinox (at an estimated 4,500lbs).
Remember what we love to say around here, “That's physics"? Physics will make you fill your drawers.
Don't brake check anybody, but especially a combination vehicle.
Correct for Others
“You have to correct for the mistakes of other drivers.”
Driving seems easy to someone with experience. A lot of engineering went into the systems that think for you while you drive.
Additionally, think of it like this: every mile is an opportunity for someone to make a mistake. Those mistakes can come from inside the vehicle, including you the driver, and from outside the vehicle, generally meaning other drivers.
Every mile is an opportunity for someone to make a mistake. As a driver with any kind of license, you have to correct for the mistakes of other drivers. If they're on their phone, if they're drunk, whatever it is that's making them act foolish, you need to correct for it to stay out of harm's way (and to keep your insurance company from getting involved).
To do that, you have to be vigilant. Explode safely out there, folks.