Gummiente's "Newbie" Blog

[Gummiente]

FINALLY got word today about my next trip. I'm heading from Mississauga tomorrow morning to haul a load over to Perth, then heading down to Prescott and then off to either Montreal or Ohio after that. Had to wait this long because my new trainer had to get his Pro Star into the shop for the annual safety check, which couldn't be scheduled until this morrning. Spoke with him over the phone for a bit and he seems like a decent guy, plus he's a non-smoker which is a big bonus for me. He said I can bring my new GPS, but it's only to be used as a supplement to the route planning and not the prime method. Which is exactly what I was going to use it as, anyway. Should be back by Friday for my next reset and will post another blog update then.

[Pipeman]

FINALLY got word today about my next trip. I'm heading from Mississauga tomorrow morning to haul a load over to Perth, then heading down to Prescott and then off to either Montreal or Ohio after that. Had to wait this long because my new trainer had to get his Pro Star into the shop for the annual safety check, which couldn't be scheduled until this morrning. Spoke with him over the phone for a bit and he seems like a decent guy, plus he's a non-smoker which is a big bonus for me. He said I can bring my new GPS, but it's only to be used as a supplement to the route planning and not the prime method. Which is exactly what I was going to use it as, anyway. Should be back by Friday for my next reset and will post another blog update then.Have a good trip Mike!

[Manitoba Trucker]

[Sorry if it seems like I hijacked your post .... but we are going through the same things!]

I just read through this whole thread ....very interesting for a newb like me. I took my training in September in Manitoba and passed my road test in October. Our training was 6 weeks long ...for the first four weeks it was 4 hrs of classroom and 4 hours of practical, then the last two weeks was 8 hours of practical. We watched a pre-trip on our first day, drove bob-tail our second day (in a private lot), and then drove a loaded trailer on our third day (again in a private lot). After lots of shifting and backing practice in the lot, we moved to the roads on our 4th day. I remember how scared and nervous I was, but I got through it all with only a few comments from my (extremely patient instructor).

I was taught 100% clutchless shifting and in fact my instruction kept threatening to nail my foot to the floor if I touched the clutch again .... eventually I got the message. AFTER I had passed my test, I still had a few hours left, and they then tried to teach me double clutching, but I just couldn't grasp it... but now I can clutch if needed, but rarely do.

The day after I passed my test, I was interviewed by my current employer and although I blew the road test (IMHO), they hired me. At one point in the test, the tester actually took over from me and showed me how to shift, I figured I was dead in the water, but he passed the wheel back to me, and we continued along. When we got back to the yard, he left me to uncouple and parked, and returned to his office, he told me to meet him there. Surprisingly he offered me the job, my jaw almost hit the floor. He told me that although I had shifting issues, he saw potential and so I got the job.

I had been trained in Frieghtliners and only had driven them, but when I was hired I was put into a 06 Volvo. WHAT a difference! All the controls are in different places, and there is no writing on anything, its all pictures. Took me a while to figure a lot of it out. I have now done over 30,000 miles in just less than 3 months ...can shift smoothly (up and down) for the most part and really feel like a truck driver.

I am going to continue to watch this thread ... as it seems like we are both going through much of the same thing.

[Gummiente]

Hey, MT, nice to hear that I'm not the only newbie out there! You've certainly put the miles on in your rig, Driver... 30,000 miles in three months is a lot of road roaming. Had it not been for the Drive Test worker's strike I would have had my licence a lot sooner and probably would have piled on as many miles as you by now, but c'est la vie.

Hey, d'yer have any pics of your Volvo? I like the looks of those rigs and I've heard they are very comfy and nice to drive.

[Manitoba Trucker]

Hey, d'yer have any pics of your Volvo? I like the looks of those rigs and I've heard they are very comfy and nice to drive.

I'll post some....right now it is dirty as all hell ... really needs a wash and I am nowhere near my terminal. It is nice to drive, easy shifting and smooth on the road, lacks power though, especially when loaded climbing hills. On the big hills, I sometimes have to drop to 5th to get over the top (13 speed tranny)...I feel like "The Little Engine That Could"!

[Gummiente]

Only did a short two day trip this week, but will be heading out again this Saturday for a longer one. Started off on Tuesday by taking an empty reefer from our yard over to the Toronto Food Terminal for a live load. Oh... My... GAWD... but that is one of the filthiest, most disgusting places I have ever seen. Everywhere you looked there were squashed mangoes, rotted vegetables, mashed produce and pools of rancid fruit juices – you really had to be careful where you stepped. Even in the cold of winter there was a thick, cloying smell about the place and I can only imagine just how putrid it must be in the heat of summer. This is a place I do not want to see again anytime soon.

We took the small load up to Balderson, just north of Perth, to a sort of mini distribution center where there was an awkward and tight loading dock behind the building that would have taken me several attempts to back down into. Fortunately my latest trainer, Ryan, was driving and he spun that rig around and nailed it onto the dock door like he was driving a small delivery van instead of a new Pro Star hooked to a 53’ reefer. Ryan’s policy is to ease the trainee into the driver seat a bit at a time, so for the first part of the trip I only drove the highway portions while he handled all the city stuff. That was a good idea, because we were on a bit of a tight schedule (as is the norm in the reefer world) for the first leg of the trip and my awkward backing manoeuvres would have just wasted time.

We rumbled down to Kriska’s main terminal in Prescott where we dropped the empty reefer and hooked to a loaded one that was destined for Streetsboro, OH. There were reports of a major winter storm about to head the area from Ohio to New York the next day, so we carried on down to the Peace Bridge by Gananoque to cross the border into New York. I was driving for this portion, from Prescott all the way to a rest stop at Baldwinsville, NY, where we stopped for the night. This gave me enough time to get accustomed to the Pro Star and I have to say that it is one fine truck. It is by far the easiest to drive of all the rigs I’ve been in to date; the driver seat with its air adjusted lumbar supports was very relaxing and comfortable to sit in and the steering wheel mounted controls (headlight and marker light interrupts, engine brake, air horn, radio volume/tuning and cruise control) were easy to use while on the move. The steering was light, the brakes easy to modulate and the dash was well laid out with all switches illuminated for night time driving. And, yes, I really enjoyed the automated transmission – what a relief not to be rowing through the gears during rush hour traffic! The novelty did not wear off even after the second day of driving, but I did begin to notice a few quirks with the transmission that makes many seasoned drivers long for the three pedal do-it-yourself 10 speed. For starters, you cannot skip gears with this setup when upshifting or downshifting – it doesn’t matter if you are bobtailed, empty or loaded, when you start off in “D” you start off in bull low and cycle all the way through the gears every time. The shifts are smooth and flawless, but a quick getaway from a stoplight when bobtailing is pretty much impossible. The other hiccup occurs when parking a trailer in a snow covered lot; if the wheels break traction, the transmission thinks the road speed has increased and will upshift to the next gear, launching the rig forward. This causes the wheels to break loose again, the engine RPM increases and next thing you know you’re up another gear. Within the space of 10m you can rack up three gear changes if you don’t know what you’re doing. Don’t ask me how I know. So the trick here is to switch to manual mode and hold it in whatever low gear you want until the manoeuvre is complete. The one other downside to an auto trans is that you end up using the service brakes a LOT more than with a manual trans. So on snow covered roads and/or in slow moving traffic you have to really pay attention to safe following distances and road speed, because you can’t downshift early to use engine braking to help slow down. But other than those drawbacks, I really liked the fact that I could focus all my attention on the road ahead at all times and let the transmission worry about what gear we should be in.

On the morning of the second day we stopped at a rest area near Seneca, NY, to sample the ‘Murrican version of Tim Horton’s. I am happy to say that the coffee tasted just as good as it does up here in Canuckistan (and yes, I realise that is a wholly objective and debatable point). Not only that, but if you identify yourself as a Professional Driver you get a discount – a large regular put me $1.58 out of pocket, as opposed to the $1.78 a four wheeler pilot would have had to shell out.

I had the GPS set up on the dash and kept myself occupied when in the passenger seat by fiddling with it and programming customer locations into it for future use. Ryan was initially hesitant to let me use it, as he thought I wanted to skip the whole process of route planning the traditional way, but once he saw that I mapped my entire trip by using the Road Atlas and by writing down my directions on a notepad first, he let me use it as a quick reference while in motion – which was the whole purpose of my buying it. I already knew from this and other trucking forums that the Garmin does not necessarily point you in the right direction (as seen through a trucker’s eyes) every time and that point was proven a couple of times on our trip when it attempted to steer me down a road that was not approved for truck use. This happened a few times in Ontario and only once or twice in the US, but it was enough to drive the point home (no pun intended) that the GPS is, at best, merely an accessory to route planning. Where it really came in handy was while driving on major highways; at a glance you could tell how many km’s it was to the next turn or intersection and what your ETA was at the customer’s location. When we hit the brunt of the storm while driving through Pennsylvania, the slow traffic and bad conditions resulted in us losing a little over 15 minutes off the overall time and, as we were running a bit late as it was, we skipped a planned coffee stop to make it up.

I’m home now until Saturday, so I’ll be using the time to study the Kriska Driver’s manual and go over all the paperwork and procedures I’ve learned to date. Ryan is quite happy with my driving skills (except for backing, which he said we’ll get lots of practice within the next three weeks) and will be giving me pretty much all of the paperwork responsibilities from now on, so I’d better make sure I have a grip on things.

The pic was taken at a customer in Cleveland, just after driving through a nasty winter storm...
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff233/gummiente1/Gummis_2010_Trucking_Pics/10feb10.jpg

[bikerboy]

sounds like a good trip

did you mean the thousand islands bridge at Gananoque? i used to cross there alot, and usually never had to wait long, which was nice.
Alhough they do use the X ray VACIS machine alot, which i don't like, i always feel weird afterwords, i think i can feel the radiation or whatever it is.

the peace bridge is at fort erie, buffalo

[Gummiente]

the peace bridge is at fort erie, buffalo
See, that's why you should never rely on a GPS if you don't know where you're going in the first place. You are correct, I meant to say the Thousand Islands Bridge.

My bad. :oppss:

[ralph]

Glad things are going well for you. Food terminal YUCK!! Can you imagine the STENCH on a muggy July day with not a breath of fresh air?

Gananoque...I've seen 2 feet of snow come down overnight between there and Syracuse!

[bikerboy]

watch your speed very close on those bridges up at that crossing, the OPP loves to sit at the bottom of the bridge on the canadian side trying to catch speeders.
those bridges sure are narrow too huh, and they sure look old too. i think 1937 was the year they were built.

if you ever have to run towards albany after crossing there, run RT 342 east from just north of watertown to RT 3 east to RT 26 south to lowville, then jump on RT 12 south down to utica and then jump on 90 if you want to save some tolls and see some country side, its a good road, 55 mph limit, but not alot of traffc and you can see alot of countryside.

i have found it is faster then 81 to 90 ,once you know the road.

there is also another way to go which brings you out on RT 411 south of the border, and that way you miss all those parking areas on 81 where the DOT likes to setup.

someday try them out when u get tired of running interstate all day.

[Gummiente]

Thanks for the tips, BB, some day when I have the time I'll try out that route. Tolls are not an issue for me, though, because Kriska pays for them all. We have cards for the Sarnia and Fort Erie bridges and we just sign a receipt at the 1000 Islands bridge. All the trucks have the EZ Pass transponder mounted on the windshield, which is good for most toll roads in the US, so we pretty much don't have to stop for anything except fuel and weigh stations.

[bikerboy]

EZ pass is great, i remember once i ran out to boston area and back twice in a week, and spent $350 on tolls, before we had ezpass

there is also a backroads route from 90 to 390, if you are coming from buffalo and heading south towards williamsport PA way, many trucks run that way, since its shorter, but i have also head NY is trying to ban all trucks from using those roads and must stay on interstate as much as possible.

NY likes to mark bridges alot lower then they really are sometimes, so don't be suprised if you find a 12 foot 6 bridge and 13 foot 6 trailers are going under it all the time.

[Gummiente]

Well! My latest trip ran into a hiccup right out of the gate. Made it to the customer in London earlier this aft only to find that someone had screwed up on the load timings and it won't be ready until tomorrow morning. So here we sit at a nearby truckstop, surfing the net and watching a bit of the Olympics on my trainer Ryan's TV. Could be worse... at least we didn't have to spend the night at the customer's yard. I can start off the morning with a hot shower and a hot coffee,too. :yes:

[bikerboy]

hey on the note of truckstops, have you noticed at US truckstops you can fuel both side tanks at same time, but in ontario you can only fuel one side at a time?

for the longest time i only fueled at flying J in US, and then one day i fueled at the flying J in london, and i was like what the h*ll, why won't both sides work at same time??

[Mercenary]

I found that lots of card locks and truck stops in the Grande Prairie area had primary and satellite pumps. Kinda nice when you don't want to toss the hose under the truck or drag it across the back or the hood.

[bikerboy]

I found that lots of card locks and truck stops in the Grande Prairie area had primary and satellite pumps. Kinda nice when you don't want to toss the hose under the truck or drag it across the back or the hood.

ya thats what i was talking about, just about every major truckstop has them like that, that i have seen, but in ontaro anyway, it is illegal for the primary and satellite hose to both work at the same time, in the USA it is not.

[Pipeman]

ya thats what i was talking about, just about every major truckstop has them like that, that i have seen, but in ontaro anyway, it is illegal for the primary and satellite hose to both work at the same time, in the USA it is not.Every Cardlock that I know of in Western Canada has them.

[bikerboy]

Every Cardlock that I know of in Western Canada has them.

has what? hoses on both sides??

i have fueled at at least 3 cardlocks around here which only have the one hose.

some places are too cheap to put them in

[Mercenary]

ya thats what i was talking about, just about every major truckstop has them like that, that i have seen, but in ontaro anyway, it is illegal for the primary and satellite hose to both work at the same time, in the USA it is not.

Ah...now I get it. I honestly cannot recall if both pumps worked at the same time. I don't think they did if I remember right. One side at a time.

[Gummiente]

This has been the proverbial "Murphy's Law" trip so far, speaking mostly from a paperwork perspective. First it was the unplanned overnight stay near London, then it was a random X-Ray scan at the border the next day, which put us even further behind schedule. It was crappy weather all the way to Chicago and when we got there I had to do a 90 degree back-in to a narrow dock at the customer, right off the main street. Naturally, I mucked it up and Ryan had to take over so the traffic could get flowing again. On the way back we found out at Customs that - despite our verifying the paperwork twice with the broker beforehand - the paperwork for the second drop of our load wasn't cleared and we lost another 1.5hrs waiting to get it sorted out. When we arrived at the first drop, I tried my hand at backing again and, with helpful tips from Ryan, managed to get it positioned right with only a few tries.

Made it back to the terminal before nightfall and I had the truck all to myself once Ryan took off to spend the night with his sweetie. So after a good night's sleep, a shower and a trip to Tim Horton's this morning, I'm refreshed, relaxed and ready to start the second leg of the trip. Don't know what/where we're going yet, but will find out once Ryan gets in touch with Dispatch. He's going to try and set aside a few hours for some much needed backing practice in the yard first, which would really help. It's pretty much the only thing left that I am not quite up to speed on yet.

Should be back on Friday and will probably not head back out until Monday, which gives me time to plan a nice birthday for my lovely wife on Sunday.

[bikerboy]

well at least you know what to do and where to go at both port huron and sarnia side of the crossing, when paperwork is all messed up.

port huron side just sucks doesn't it? they don't even have a waiting room , like most other crossings do.

[Gummiente]

I’m home until Monday, after yet another interesting week of OTR training. After leaving the yard last Friday I was all set for one more week with Ryan and my final road test afterwards, but it was not to be. When I got home that afternoon I received a call from another trainer, David, who said I would be with him for two more weeks starting on the Monday. I got in touch with Safety and found out that because Ryan and I didn’t do two full weeks of training together (we only did three day runs instead of five day blitzes), I had to do one additional week to get the required amount of hours under my belt. In the mean time, Ryan was scheduled to do a team run out to BC so they slated me with David instead. It was a bit of a disappointment about the needing an extra week, but no big deal because I understand the reasoning behind it.

So this past Monday I loaded my stuff into Dave’s truck and off we went on another adventure. Turns out he has the same dedicated run that my other trainer Eric has, just on opposite days, so it was back to all night driving with a stick shift once again. Dave has an ’05 Freightliner Century Classic just like Eric’s, so it didn’t take me long to get reacquainted with it. And, despite having driven an automatic Pro Star for the last two weeks, it didn’t take me long to get used to the three pedal setup again. In fact, I surprised myself at how quickly it all came back to me and we motored off with very, very few grinding gears or missed shifts.

Naturally, we headed out into another heavy snowstorm. This one lasted until the Indiana border, where it finally began to taper off. By the time we reached the first drop in Joliet, IL, the roads were bare, but I was still so tensed up from all the winter driving up to that point that fatigue was beginning to set in. Dave asked if I wanted him to drive the last leg up to Elgin, but I felt that I could handle it and hopped back into the driver’s seat. Well, 1/2hr into the 1hr trip I had to pull over on the side of the Interstate and let Dave take over – I was having a very hard time staying awake and it would have been stupid to continue on in that condition. Dave was very understanding (and, of course, used to driving this route for over a year) and he got us to the end point without incident. Not that I was aware of it, what with me snoring away and bouncing my head off the passenger side window the whole time.

I felt much better after a few hours in the bunk and wandered in to the driver’s lounge after brekkie to see what was in store for me during our wait time. Dave had written down several trip profiles from the extensive list of places he’s been to and my task was to plan a route for each one, using nothing but the Road Atlas and a notebook. I completed them all with ease and only had one route through Pennsylvania amended by Dave afterwards, although in my defense he was using the 2007 edition of the Road Atlas that did not show a recently completed Interstate that shaved about 2hrs off of my route plan. But I had obviously impressed him enough that he didn’t give me any more trip profiles, so the rest of the time was spent catching up on my email and just lounging around.

The trip home went well, right up until we got to Canada Customs in Sarnia. Turns out the paperwork for one part of the load wasn’t cleared and we had to go see the broker to get it sorted out. But they couldn’t do anything about it until later in the morning (it was 2:45am at the time), so we went back to the truck and passed out in the sleeper bunks. Then at 7am Dave’s cell phone went off and we were told out the paperwork was ready to go, so we went back to the building and over to Customs... but, no, there was still an issue with it and we had to go back to the broker once again. Finally cleared Customs an hour later and then Dave put the hammer down to our fuel stop at Dorchester, where I took over and drove the rest of the way to the customer in Mississauga.

I managed to back the trailer up to the dock with only two attempts, then dropped it and picked up our loaded trailer and headed back to the yard with it. My good luck continued there when it took only two attempts to back into a tight spot that Dave had deliberately chosen to challenge me with. Looks like things are finally starting to come together for me.

I have the rest of the week off because of a personal matter I need to attend today, so I left Dave with the truck yesterday at noon so he could get the 10hr rest before carrying on with the second half of his run. I’ll be back with him on Monday for one more training trip, then according to Safety I’ll be doing my final road test and written test on Friday morning. If I pass both tests, I’ll be assigned my own truck that same afternoon! I’m pretty sure it will be an ’05 International, as they’re not going to give a brand new Pro Star to a rookie and there are only 8 Freightliners in the terminal, of which all are already assigned. Not that is a disappointment, though, as the International is more comfy than the Freightliner and actually has more storage space. It’s just that the Freightliner has a much nicer transmission... but then again, it’s a moot point now, as my shifting has greatly improved since the last time I drove one.

[Pipeman]

Glad to hear things are going well Mike.

[coolcountrycowboy]

Hey! That su*** the fact that you have to wait another week.

But if you get your truck right after, then it's still agood new.

It's always rewarding when you feel that you impress your instructor isn't it?:36_21_1[1]:

[Gummiente]

I'm home from my last week of training. All in all, it was a very good week - my driving techniques improved noticeably, as did my paperwork skills and I racked up another 1,800km+ in the driver's seat on a run between Mississauga and two points in Illinois. Dave was impressed enough with my progress (although my backing up still needs practice) that he has recommended me for post-training evaluation... in other words, I'm to get my final road test and written tests and then - if I pass - they'll assign me a truck and cut the apron strings.

So my road and written tests are booked for Friday morning and I don't mind saying that I'm a bundle of nerves already about it. How's this for incentive/pressure - I was told that I'll be taking the road test in a brand new, never driven 2010 Pro Star... and if I pass the test, that's the truck they will assign to me!
:36_1_24[1]:

Here's a couple pics from yesterday, while waiting for the trailer to be loaded. The first one shows the '05 Freightliner of my trainer Dave and the Pro Star of Bruce, another Kriska driver who has the same dedicated run. Second pic is just me experimenting with different camera angles...

[TimTheTrucker]

Thats awesome you get a new truck! I wonder how other current drivers feel about new drivers being assigned a brand new truck?

[Gummiente]

Thats awesome you get a new truck! I wonder how other current drivers feel about new drivers being assigned a brand new truck?
From what I've been told, some of the drivers don't want the new Pro Star with the automatic and are hanging on to their 10-speed Freightliners or International 9400i's as long as they can. Also, the trucks are issued on the "oldest first" basis... normally the truck that has been sitting without a driver the longest is the first one to get assigned to a new driver. But because Kriska is in the process of replacing the entire fleet, in some cases the oldest truck has already been slated for replacement with the new Pro star... and I think that's what happened in my case.

[Gummiente]

YESSSS!!! :Trucker:

I passed the written and road tests today and now have my own truck - a slightly used (117k on the odometer) 2010 Pro Star! My first solo run will be on Monday, so tomorrow the wife and I are heading down to the terminal to set up the truck the way I want it, with a stop at Canadian Tire along the way to get a microwave and a couple other minor items. My truck is nicely spec'd out, what with a fridge, 1,500W inverter, Thermo King APU (heat and A/C), six way adjustable driver seat, automated 10-speed transmission, AM/FM/CD stereo and a base model CB, so there's not much else I need to get.

I'll take some pics tomorrow and post them here when we get home.

[ralph]

[QUOTE=Gummiente;30059]YESSSS!!! :Trucker:

so there's not much else I need to get.
QUOTE]

Satellite radio!

[Gummiente]

Satellite radio!
Ok, well, there is that. Good point.

[ralph]

When you set up your subscription set it up useing an American mailing address. If useing a master Card/Visa the address doesn't matter to XM/Sirius BUT a US subscription/made up address is better as the Communist Radio & Thought Control (CRTC) doesn't allow certain channels and demands more Canadian content. I am OK with Canadian content (Peter Gzowski was a fav) but I refuse to have it forced upon me.

[bikerboy]

sounds like a nice truck, APU and fridge should be awesome!
if you get a TV and a Vucube(which is kinda expensive)http://www.gosatellite.ca/Satellite-Accessories_3/Mobile-Satellite_2/Vu-Qube-V10-Mobile-Satellite , along with a sat tv reciever from home, you can watch sat TV anywhere you go.

you could also get an electric grille and coffee maker along with other cooking appliances and never have to eat in resteraunts.

[bikerboy]

also check and see if the factory radio in the truck is XM/sirius ready, you might not even need to buy anything else, and just get it activated.

alot of new trucks are coming with sat ready radio's

[Manitoba Trucker]

Sounds nice ... I am not too fond of the automatics ....haven't driven one yet ...but something just doesn't seem right about a big rig with an automatic! I don't have a satellite radio in my truck YET ...but it is on my list! Just when I find a good FM station, I lose signal and it sucks!

[Gummiente]

also check and see if the factory radio in the truck is XM/sirius ready, you might not even need to buy anything else, and just get it activated.

I don't think they are, as my trainer Ryan also has a Pro Star and he had to buy the dash mount display and subscription service.

[ralph]

also check and see if the factory radio in the truck is XM/sirius ready, you might not even need to buy anything else, and just get it activated.

alot of new trucks are coming with sat ready radio's

Not a good idea in a fleet owned truck. Not a good idea period in my estimation.

The company truck goes down 'cause the auto-shift puked and then what? Your XM is in the shop and you're stuck truckin' across North America listening to some local knot head on the FM! GAWD...put a fork in my eye 'cause it feels better. The other reason you want your own unit is so you can move the unit to your personal vehicle. Leave the antennae in the truck, grab the cradle and power cord and you have the 60's on 6 for your ride home!

[bikerboy]

I only suggested that since it looks more neat. In my personal vehicle i have a Pioneer radio with a sirius tuner box hidden behind the dash, and nothing mounted to the windsheild or dash.
everything is controlled from the in dash aftermarket radio, and no one can even tell i have sat radio from looking at it.

i do have a portable one as well, but it was always annoying some days, suction cup would eventually lose suction and the thing would fall off, or i would have the keep changing radio frequencies to make it keep working.
and cords hanging on the dash look kinda messy.

I was always going to get a cord to hook it direct and not have the use the FM transmitter, but i never got around to it.

But the cord is the best way to go, then you don't have to worry about changing stations everytime you come into a city with a radio station broadcasting on the same frequency your sat radio is transmitting on.

if your trucks radio has a AUX input on the front this cord should plug in there and the other end plugs into the back of your portable sat reciever

[Gummiente]

And here's a pic of Kriska's newest driver and his Pro Star, taken earlier today...

[Franx]

Congrats!! Hope it all works out!

[Pipeman]

sounds like a nice truck, APU and fridge should be awesome!
if you get a TV and a Vucube(which is kinda expensive)http://www.gosatellite.ca/Satellite-Accessories_3/Mobile-Satellite_2/Vu-Qube-V10-Mobile-Satellite , along with a sat tv reciever from home, you can watch sat TV anywhere you go.

you could also get an electric grille and coffee maker along with other cooking appliances and never have to eat in resteraunts.Are you trucking or camping????

[Gummiente]

My first solo run is now in the history books. I did two back to back runs to PA (Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg, Carlisle), about 2,800km in total and managed to pull it off without hitting anything. Well, I did scrub the trailer tires on a couple of tight corners at intersections, but that was it. I even managed to back into a couple of tight spots without too much mucking about, but I’m still going to set aside Sunday morning for some backing practice in the yard before I head out on my next adventure. Did pretty good on all my paperwork, too, as I cleared the border with no problems every time I crossed. Mind you, the backhauls were pre-cleared loads, but at least I knew what to do with them which is a big improvement from a couple weeks ago.

I know this will offend a lot of the “real” truckers out there, but I am totally loving the autoshift trans on my Pro Star. It takes a LOT of the hassle out of dealing with Mississauga rush hour traffic and allows me to concentrate more on the road when navigating through difficult intersections and approaching/leaving narrow spots like toll booths. Having said that, I do miss the fun of stirring the gears with a stick, but the fact is the autoshift just plain does a better job of it than I probably ever could.

The truck itself is a joy to drive, although I am missing the tight turning radius that the old Freightliners have. When dropping a load at a customer in Brampton yesterday I had a hell of a time getting the trailer backed in because of tight lanes in the narrow yard. Had to jockey it around quite a bit and it wasn’t just my inexperience that was the problem – I watched the shunt truck take a few tries to pull a trailer out of one difficult spot. But, turning radius aside, the Pro Star is one nice tractor to drive. One of the cool features is a button that you push when hooking up the electrical cable to the trailer – it will automatically cycle through all the lights while you walk around doing the pre trip inspection. No need to prop the brake pedal and run back to check the brake lights!

Thanks to my last trainer, Dave, I had a good set of written directions to get me down to Harrisburg and they really came in handy. No matter how hard I looked at that Road Atlas, there was a lot of information missing about PA roads that made it difficult to plan a route through there. I’m told there is a large scale version of the Road Atlas available at truck stops in the US that shows more detail, so I’m hoping to get one soon. On the way back from my first leg of the trip, I hooked up with another Kriska driver, John, who was kind enough to check my written route directions first, make a couple of modifications and suggestions, then led me all the way back to Mississauga. He took an interesting shortcut in upstate NY that shaved about 1/2hr off the trip and I used that same route yesterday on my way home. One of the things I really like about Kriska is that I’m never really alone – there is always someone out there willing to help me, no matter how mundane or routine my rookie questions are.

A couple of pics from the trip; first one was taken at a customer in Mechanicsburg where I had to park for the night. Second one was taken while chasing John through the Allegheny Mountains of PA on the way home...

[justanouthernewbie]

im glad to hear you like the auto, as i am starting my first job soon and it will also be in an automatic. although i may lose the shifting i m sure i ll retain enough to get me through in a pinch. i just look forward to driving and not having to worry about the gears so much and being able to concentrate on my driving. im not one to change jobs every year so prob if and when i have to change jobs again most trucks will be autos anyway :)

[bikerboy]

they get that construction on RT 15 north of williamsport PA done yet?
if you look close right at the NY PA state line on 15, you can see where they just finished that short new 4 lane section of highway, in the last year or two, before it was done, all traffic had to go through lawrencville PA and crossed a little bridge over the river, which is the state line.

There is a small truck stop on the south side of the bridge in lawrenceville PA, but now with the new highway, they might be shut down by now, since no trucks go by there anymore.
But anyway to get to it now, you take the first exit south of the state line on the new highway, after you take the exit turn east and follow to the stop light at old RT15, then turn north and truckstop is a mile or less on the west side of the road., just before the state line, just before the bridge.

Check it out sometime if you got time and see if its still open.





what was the shortcut in NY, RT 63? did you see any of the overpasses that are marked below 13 feet? even tho they are actually above 13 foot 6

have you got one of those truckstop guides yet? if you look hard, some of them include all walmart locations as well.

a couple nights there was no truckstops in the area and I had to park behind walmarts for the night, they always work in a pinch.

[Gummiente]

they get that construction on RT 15 north of williamsport PA done yet?
They're still working on it, with about a 10 mile stretch left.


what was the shortcut in NY, RT 63? did you see any of the overpasses that are marked below 13 feet? even tho they are actually above 13 foot 6
That's the one. First bridge we came to was 12', according to the sign. If I didn't watch the other Kriska driver in front of me go under it first, I would have taken my cue from the many trucks ahead of us anyway.

[bikerboy]

That overpass still suprised me the first time I came too it, i had a 13 foot load and slowed right down, almost stopped to go under it.
There is a few overpasses marked that way in the Buffalo area.

[Gummiente]

Phoned in yesterday and got my next trip profile, I'm on my way to PA once again. Leaving tomorrow morning, after I get some backing practice in the yard first. :wacko:

[Franx]

Goodtimes man!!

One place that i used to see a ton of Kriska trailers was in York Pa. at ES3, its a big grocery distribution center.

[wetlabk]

Well Gummiente, I start my training Monday, Same company as you had but here in Thunder Bay.
Really enjoyed your blog,

:18_1_35[1]:

[Gummiente]

Well Gummiente, I start my training Monday, Same company as you had but here in Thunder Bay.
Excellent - best of luck to you!

If I could offer just one piece of advice, it would be to make sure they give you LOTS of practice backing up and as much road time with a loaded trailer as they can manage.

[Mercenary]

Its funny....when I took my class 1 schooling back in 08 we didn't spend a whole lot of time on backing up. I wonder why they would avoid such an important aspect of trucking.

[wetlabk]

thanks for the heads up!

[Pipeman]

and some trucks with cat motors are setup that when the cruise is turned on, the engine brake does not kick in, until the brake is pushed.

.WRONG again. Any truck with a Cat engine can have the ECM set for the Jake to turn on with the Cruise on or not turn on. Just takes a click of the mouse when connected to the ECM.

[bikerboy]

deleted.................

[Pipeman]

I said " some trucks with cat engines are setup that way" so what are you arguing about?


I like it set that way, then i could leave the jake switch on all the time, and the jake never kicked in until i touched the brake pedal.
or if it wanted the jake to kick on everytime I took my foot off the throttle, i just flipped the cruise switch off.And I say any damn truck with any engine can be set up that way, not just with Cat motors. What's your point?

[bikerboy]

deleted....................

[justanouthernewbie]

can we keep on topic, this is supposed to be mikes blog, not an open thread for an argument. plz have some respect for the op and take the arguments to anouther forum. some of us that like to read the blog dont nessesarily like to hear the arguing. thanx.

[bikerboy]

can we keep on topic, this is supposed to be mikes blog, not an open thread for an argument. plz have some respect for the op and take the arguments to anouther forum. some of us that like to read the blog dont nessesarily like to hear the arguing. thanx.

sorry i deleted my comments, i am not sure why my comment from last sept was even brought up now.

I can't mod in this forum, or I could have moved those posts.

carry on with original topic

[Gummiente]

And another week as a rookie has passed. Motored down to PA and back on my first trip, then over to OH for a couple of live loads/unloads on my second, with a grand total of 2,800km on the odometer by the time I shut down back in Mississauga late last night. Yes, I know it isn’t much mileage compared to some of you supertruckers, but I’m building up to it.

I’m getting better at backing in to the docks at customer locations, I just have to work on getting the damned trailer straight... I still can’t quite translate what is pictured in the mirrors into where the trailer is actually positioned, so I stop and get out for a look several times while backing just to make sure I’m not going to hit anything. But I’m getting better at it and that’s the main thing. Having said that, though, I really like the places where you just drop the loaded trailer somewhere out in the yard and then hook to an empty in another part of the yard and then bugger off. Saves a lot of time that way.

The autoshift trans is beginning to tick me off, though, but only when backing up. There is no “creep” feature like on a car with an auto trans, if you put it in gear with no throttle it will just sit there. So you gently press on the pedal until the “clutch” engages and then back off just as it starts to move, otherwise it will lunge forward (or backward, depending on what gear you’re in). So you have to have JUST the right amount of brake and JUST the right amount of throttle when backing up a slight incline to a dock or one of two things will happen; if not enough brake, the truck will actually roll forward even though it is in reverse gear, if too much throttle the truck will launch itself backwards and you have to nail the brakes to stop it from ramming into the dock. Frustrating. Otherwise, I really like the autoshift - especially in rush hour traffic.

I’m getting into a groove with regards to planning my trips and routes. My own personal preference is to stop at an interstate rest area rather than a truck stop if I need a break, as they are a lot more peaceful and usually easier to access. I’ll try to find a T/A or a Pilot truck stop when it’s time to shut down for the night, as they seem to be the two most consistent spots when it comes to ample parking, good coffee and clean showers. Problem is we don’t have a lot of designated fuel stops at those two, so I usually end up having to pay for a shower out of my own pocket. The big tanks on the Pro Star allow me to to do a trip down to PA and back with about ¼ tank remaining by the time I reach the Fifth Wheel at Grimsby, but it is rare that I get a chance to take advantage of the shower points there.
Other than truck stops, there is an absolutely beautiful spot in the mountains of PA near Tioga that I spent the night at once and plan on visiting there again whenever I pass by. It’s actually the Welcome Center for the State and, like all rest areas I’ve seen in the US so far, is well lit and kept very clean by a full time attendant. Incredible view off the observation deck, too. And there is lots to see while driving, too; nice scenery, interesting cities and some pretty unique customer locations. I’m starting to think I should have made the switch to trucking years ago.

[bikerboy]

Thats funny you mention pilots as having ample parking, I found they were one of the worst for having tiny parking lots that are always packed.

My fav truckstops were always Flying J and Petro, they usually have lots of parking and most have real resteraunt as well.

That is a nice rest area in PA at Tioga, i have slept there a few nights, the DOT loves to setup there in the day time though!

Paying for showers really sucks, I hated paying, but i can't stand going more then 2 days without a shower, so sometimes i had too. Since With one carrier we weren't allowed to fuel in the US unless we absolutely had too, and then we could fuel anywhere which took T check.
Most of the time i fueled at petro pass before leaving ontario and took a shower before leaving canada, and then would stop again the next day or day after when coming back for another shower at petro pass.

The other carrier would not less us fuel in ontario, so unless i could get to the flying J in london and use a shower coupon, i had to buy one.

[ralph]

[QUOTE=Gummiente;30728The big tanks on the Pro Star allow me to to do a trip down to PA and back with about ¼ tank remaining by the time I reach the Fifth Wheel at Grimsby, but it is rare that I get a chance to take advantage of the shower points there[/QUOTE]

Are you saying that when you fuel there you have to amass a certain number of points B4 you get a free shower? If so, What kind of nonsense is that?

[bikerboy]

isn't 50 gallons the min purchase for a free shower at most places?

[Gummiente]

Thats funny you mention pilots as having ample parking, I found they were one of the worst for having tiny parking lots that are always packed.
I guess it depends which state or location you stop at. But now that I think about it, there was a Pilot in Illinois that was very cramped and filthy.

[Gummiente]

Are you saying that when you fuel there you have to amass a certain number of points B4 you get a free shower? If so, What kind of nonsense is that?
Ralph, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Most fuel locations require a minimum of 75gal before you get a free shower, 55gal only earns you 1/2 credits.

[Gummiente]

isn't 50 gallons the min purchase for a free shower at most places?
Most places I've been to are 75gal.

[bikerboy]

if you ever fuel at flying J you should geta frequent fueler card, then the shower points will collect on your card and can be used at any flying J, you also get coupons mailed to you for purchases in the store.

the shower coupons do expire after a few days though.

Where are you allowed to fuel? or do they tell you exactly what day and where to fuel at?

[ralph]

If you are down to a quarter tank are you not filling @ the Filthy Wheel or am I missing something?

[Gummiente]

If you are down to a quarter tank are you not filling @ the Filthy Wheel or am I missing something?
Yes. Usually there is a drop, then a hook and a trip to another location in PA before the return trip home. The hills of the Allegheny Mountain Range tend to suck a bit of fuel out of the tanks on the way back.

[Pipeman]

I never relied on buying fuel to use the shower. If tyhey have a charge, just pay it and clean up.

[Gummiente]

Where are you allowed to fuel? or do they tell you exactly what day and where to fuel at?
Within a 500mi radius of the home terminal they pretty much limit you to 55gal at a few select locations because it's cheaper to fuel up in Ontario. I already have my Flying J, T/A and Pilot loyalty cards, the trick is to accumulate points at the approved locations before gaining enough points to earn a free shower. as a rookie, I'm pretty much kept on a 500mi leash for the first couple months so the best I can hope for is a shower at the Grimsby or Dorchester Fifth Wheels.

[bikerboy]

make sure you keep all your log book pages and you can use them at tax time, maybe you can use shower receipts too?

[Gummiente]

make sure you keep all your log book pages and you can use them at tax time, maybe you can use shower receipts too?
The log sheets yes, the shower receipts... I'm thinking probably not. But I am keeping all the other recipts like the one for my Road Atlas, bolt cutters, safety vest, etc.

[Gummiente]

I never relied on buying fuel to use the shower. If tyhey have a charge, just pay it and clean up.
Yes, well, you have to keep in mind that I was unemployed from May of last year to January of this year. I don't have a whole hell of a lot of cash on hand yet, so until I do every purchase that I make hurts. If I can accumulate enough points by planning my fuel stops at authourised locations, I can save at least $20 per week on showers. Every little bit helps.

[coolcountrycowboy]

Yes, well, you have to keep in mind that I was unemployed from May of last year to January of this year. I don't have a whole hell of a lot of cash on hand yet, so until I do every purchase that I make hurts. If I can accumulate enough points by planning my fuel stops at authourised locations, I can save at least $20 per week on showers. Every little bit helps.


And it's 20$ after income tax...:7_4_17[1]:

You may put that into your income tax at the end of the year, but meanwhile, everybody knows that the first year as a rookie, it's not the jackpot salary wise, so like Gummiente said, every little bit helps...:36_21_1[1]:

[canuck in da truck]

yeagh you can claim your showers at tax time--dont need reciepts--and truck supplies as well--as in a personal nature--just dont go overboard on your claim tho

[Gummiente]

yeagh you can claim your showers at tax time--dont need reciepts--and truck supplies as well--as in a personal nature--just dont go overboard on your claim tho
Thanks for the tip! I didn't figure that showers would be deductible, so that's good to know.

[kodie14]

Where have you been? I am keeping up with your adventures until my training course starts at which point, I'll be even 'newbier' than you. I like reading about all the ups and downs involved in trucking and like you, I will be ex-military when I jump in although from the Air side of the house. (you're welcome BTW, for all the taxi services we provided along the way while you were active.):fight:

Really enjoyed your blog from start to 'current entry' (since 'finish' is a long way in the future, I would imagine.) and I hope you keep in touch once in a while...

[kodie14]

My computer keeps taking me to an unwanted page after I post so I ended up returning to the forum and resending the post. I removed the duplicate entry that was here.

[ralph]

Gummiente pitched a fit/threw a tantrum and stomped off. It was over spending change @ a Pilot fuel stop tp buy coffee as I recall.

[kodie14]

"Gummiente pitched a fit/threw a tantrum and stomped off. It was over spending change @ a Pilot fuel stop tp buy coffee as I recall."

Guess this means no more posts from him in this forum? Do you know of he is still driving, anyone? Obviously I don't know what the details of this 'tantrum' are but hopefully he has calmed down since then.

[bikerboy]

i really thought he would be back, this place is addicting, but who knows maybe he does still read and not post.

[kodie14]

Hey Gummiente!,

FWIW, you are an entertaining writer that had my attention from the beginning, especially since I am a newbie as you were when you started. Anytime you wish to resume your posts, rest assured, you have many readers here who care about you. Until then, happy trails.

[Gummiente]

Where have you been? I am keeping up with your adventures until my training course starts at which point, I'll be even 'newbier' than you. I like reading about all the ups and downs involved in trucking and like you, I will be ex-military when I jump in although from the Air side of the house. (you're welcome BTW, for all the taxi services we provided along the way while you were active.):fight:

Really enjoyed your blog from start to 'current entry' (since 'finish' is a long way in the future, I would imagine.) and I hope you keep in touch once in a while...

Hey, thanks for the kind words. And all the taxi rides... we really appreciated them, it's just that we weren't too thrilled about some of the places you dropped us off.

I'm still driving and have plans to resume my blog some day soon, although it will be on another forum where there are much more positive attitudes and much less arrogance and ignorance.

[Gummiente]

Gummiente pitched a fit/threw a tantrum and stomped off. It was over spending change @ a Pilot fuel stop tp buy coffee as I recall.

Tantrum. Right. More like the straw that broke the camel's baclk, Ralph, but that's a concept I doubt you can comprehend. Now that you are a Mod here, well, there's even less incentive for me to return.

[Mercenary]

Hey! Hey!! GUMMIE!!!! Missed ya bud! Too bad you won't be hanging around. PM me where your going, web wise, and I'll come check it out.

[bikerboy]

careful on the blogging about company info and load locations, an O/O from mackinnon just got fired for blogging too much about his loads and how much he was paid for those loads.

[ratfink]

careful on the blogging about company info and load locations, an O/O from mackinnon just got fired for blogging too much about his loads and how much he was paid for those loads.


Haaaa nazis tactic at its best huh?
Scare everybody and nobody will talk about crap thats going on in a company.

[bikerboy]

well i can see the carriers point, he was posting enough info some people could figure out what shippers he was loading at and what his carrier was charging for those loads, which is enough for another carrier to come in with a cheaper rate and steal those loads.

[Gummiente]

My blog has been moved to another forum. Contact me via PM if you'd like to find out where.

[bikerboy]

found it! i enjoy reading it, keep it up

[coolcountrycowboy]

My blog has been moved to another forum. Contact me via PM if you'd like to find out where.

I found it too.

It's just too sad you don't post here anymore.

[JReid]

Gumby's trucking day's must be over. His trucker blog on his site is not working.

[bikerboy]

i can still see his blog, but the address is a little different,if you bookmarked it, try searching for it again.

[Pipeman]

It works just fine:

[JReid]

hes at hanks. hes quite a guy!!!!! so much for the bunk extenders.

[bikerboy]

hes not posting too often over there lately, i do really enjoy his posts tho, he really lucked out getting a 2010 truck when he just started.