Last week I introduced this series – one which would see me quit being a lawyer and start being a truck driver. After all of the planning it was time for things to really start happening.
I had not been to “a first day of school” since the day I started law school in the fall of 1982. That had been the beginning of a new way of life – one that would continue until this past spring. I have never been one who enjoys jumping into a new situation among people I don’t know. Was this a good idea? Could I hack it? My logical mind said that I was a reasonably intelligent guy who had a good feeling for vehicles. I had gotten a private pilot’s license when I was in my late 20’s and passed the bar exam on my first try, so how hard could it be to get a CDL? Still, there were doubts. I was a lot older, and we have all heard the thing about old dogs and new tricks. But in the end, I had already turned in my affidavit of retirement to the state bar and walked away from my law practice, so the bridges were all but burned. Failure was not an option.
One introductory note – I am not going to identify this school widely online, and nor will I identify my current employer. I am not hiding the information but I do not wish to share information about them without their consent. I had a good experience but do not wish to upset anyone in case of a comment someone could deem as critical. I should also add that this school’s focus is not just on teaching people to drive a truck, but to do so while making safety a top priority. There is a difference, as anyone who has spent time on an interstate highway will know.
The format would be split between class time and time on either “the range” (a big asphalt lot with cones) or on the road. The classroom instruction was mostly conducted by the lady who handles the administrative stuff. She had been a teacher in her younger years and was now married to the safety director of the company that started the school. The “truck stuff” would be handled by Bob (not his actual name). Bob is a no-shit trucker, a guy with something like three million accident-free miles under his belt.
The class consisted of four of us, with me being the oldest there by far. Two of the guys were in their 30’s – one was a trained welder and the other had taught some college and was working in a warehouse. The fourth guy was in his late 40’s – he had run his own lawn care business for several years but had some relatives convince him to look into trucking.
Week one (of five) was spent on learning the basic pre-trip inspections and air brake checks that would be necessary to pass the test with the BMV. The pre-trip was much like the old pre-flight inspections I learned in flight school those many moons ago, and is all about identifying problems on the lot before they become a more serious problem somewhere else. They involved a methodical walk through the parts and systems of the truck, and I felt like I had a leg-up with years of working on cars. However, because the state test involved a more-or-less rote list of what to look at, the order of looking at them and the names to call them and the specific things to look for, we were all on even ground.
The air brake check was a five-step process that we had to learn verbatim – or else we would flunk our test with the BMV. We were told that this school has the best pass rate with the BMV in the state, which makes sense because we spent a lot of time on these basic things. Our daily homework included hand-writing the air brake check three times, to aid in our memorization. Basically, this test involves making sure the engine-driven compressor will cut off at 120-140 psi, that pressure will not drop off while holding the brake pedal down, that the low air pressure light and buzzer work, and that the emergency brake valves for both truck and trailer will pop out to apply brakes when the system gets pumped down to not less than 20 pounds of pressure. We were told that there are few things more terror inducing than failed air brakes on a loaded semi. I will take their word for it, and religiously do air brake checks every day in my job.
There were three trucks with attached trailers outside on the big lot adjacent to the school, so our pre-trip and brake check practices involved each of us pairing off with another student and working together. Each of the trucks was a gnarly old Mack – a CH series from the mid 1990’s. These have developed a reputation as a truck that was crude, but effective. They are extremely durable and have exhibited very long lives for those who have given them some care.
The last half of that first week involved straight backing of one of the Macks with a 48 foot trailer on the back. They told us that backing a 48 foot trailer is harder than backing with a 53 foot (that is more common). That sounded counter-intuitive, but they seemed to know what they were talking about. I struggled on my first day – we all did. Once something starts getting out of line, a lot can go bad quickly. The second day it was coming to me a lot easier. Which was good, because this would be part of the test for getting the CDL
On Friday of that first week I spent about 2 hours out on the road with a part-time instructor I will call Rico. He has been out driving about five years, and is much more laid back than the main instructor, Bob. The Mack E7 six cylinder diesel is a 12 liter (728 cid) big-assed turbocharged six that wants to live under 1800 rpm, and was equipped with a 5-speed non-synchro manual transmission. The shift pattern is essentially a 3 speed with two more gears. We got some pre-drive instruction on the Mack 5 speed. Bob’s method was to make us all say out loud “Clutch to neutral . . . . . . clutch to gear” while making upshifts. Downshifts required reciting “Clutch to neutral . . . wait . . . bump it up . . . clutch to gear” for downshifts. This is because this transmission will. not. be rushed. Some wags have suggested that shifting requires either getting a haircut or making a sandwich between gears. This transmission’s slo-mo nature would have some effects during the eventual CDL test.
I thought we might start out on a quiet country road somewhere with just the tractor and no trailer. I was incorrect. Our school is located within blocks of the downtown skyline of Indianapolis. From the school parking lot I was told to make a right onto the narrow 2-lane side-street, then a left onto a busy 4-lane street. With a trailer attached. Damn, but these things are wide, and the lanes of a busy city street never looked narrower.
The non-synchro gearbox kicked my backside on downshifts on that first drive. This transmission wants things done its own way, and any divergence from that path results in wailing and gnashing of (gear) teeth. My upshifts were pretty clean, but then they were always clean in the non-synchro 3 speed in my ’29 Ford Model A. I never mastered crash-free downshifts in that car. But I had better master them now.
This process required overcoming lots of “car-habits”. Two that I struggled to overcome were needing to cancel my turn signals manually and my habit of pushing the clutch to the floor. These trucks require the turn signals to be manually canceled. They also use a “clutch brake” that engages with the pedal near the floor, that aids getting into gear at a standstill. Real, on-the-road shifting is done in the top 2 inches of pedal travel (out of maybe 6 inches in total). Pushing the clutch to the floor only brings much stress and makes gears grind even when my upshift technique was on the money.
I should add that clutching and shifting are fast becoming an obsolete skill in trucks, as automatics are taking over the market. I could have learned in an automatic, but then I would have a restriction on my license that would prohibit me from driving trucks with a manual. Next year, I am told that Indiana’s BMV is going to make the manual transmission an endorsement to the basic CDL. I never seriously considered learning on an automatic that would eliminate an unknown number of possible jobs, so I persevered. One classmate had never driven a manual transmission in his life. I have not decided whether he or I had it easier, given how different this transmission is from what I have been used to.
With all of the attention it takes to just drive the stupid thing (keep it between the lines and in the right gear) it’s easy to forget that there is a 48 foot trailer out back, which brings lots of challenges of its own, especially in right-hand turns. There are lots of car-habits to forget here, too. I spent years joking as a lawyer associated with the insurance industry that but for gravity and left turns, I would not have much to do. I was learning that it is right turns that are the bane of truckers because they are so much tighter and with the added problem of a long, long trailer in the back that will mow down a corner street sign or a light pole if a driver isn’t careful.
On day number three or four (and before we started getting road instruction) the former college professor guy kind of disappeared on us. He had seemed friendly, but very nervous, calling everyone “Ma’am” and “Sir”. He came into the classroom for a moment and left before class began. He said nothing to us and nothing to the school staff. We never heard from him again. At first, I felt bad about how much he spent to get into the class, but then decided that if this was how he was going to handle a stressful situation, then maybe this was not a career for him. The remaining three of us would make it all the way through.
Funny to read this, I got my cdl in the military back in the 80’s, and did 5 years of European long distance driving after that, from 87 till 92. Then I made a switch to short haul dumper work, and slowly into the maintenance side of things and recovery work for some 15 yeats.
Always very much enjoyed myself, but would never go back, to many restrictions now, and the constant knowing where you are because of cellular and GPS would bug me.
Your journey is super interesting, Jim. And as always, your storytelling abilities are great too. I’m really curious as to the development.
Keep them coming!
I’m really enjoying the details of your transition into a new career path. The accumulated “muscle memory” of car shifting vs. tractor shifting being overcome is interesting. I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment! 🙂
The only long trailer I’ve dealt with was the 25-footer I bought to move us back South after retirement. Total length including the truck was about 49′, so planning was required for every lane change and turn.
From discussions with my former truck-driving friend at church, some of the trailers have adjustable trucks so the rear wheels can be slid forward or aft as conditions warrant. I presume aft rides better, but forward allows for tighter turns.
I’m pretty sure that the adjustable rear wheels also exist to modify the weight distribution. Having them forward does of course help with turns, but if the trailer is loaded too heavily, having them forward might well put too much of the weight on the rear wheels, above the state axle load limits.
That’s exactly why they are there. Most trucks also have a sliding fifth wheel partly for the same reason. It can be tricky to get the weight distribution right if you don’t haul the same load all the time and don’t have access to a scale.
Get it wrong and it can get expensive at the government weigh station. Most pros know what the load weighs and develop a pretty good eye for it over time.
Thanks for the explainer!
This is a great series so far, JPC and I am looking forward to more.
The biggest truck I ever drove was a 26 foot U-Haul, which I am quite sure pales in comparison. Interestingly, they did not want to rent it to me as it was an old reserve truck (GMC, IIRC) with a manual transmission. They had screwed up my reservation and I needed to move THAT DAY. When asked if I could drive a manual, I said, “Of course”.
After signing what seemed like ten waivers and such, I got the keys. While it shifted differently than a car, I do not recall having to ‘double clutch’ it (if this is the correct term).
I could not even imagine what it would be like to deal with a manual, complicated clutching, and backing up with a 48 foot trailer.
Seems like flying a Cessna 172 would be much easier. Even the preflight sounds like an easier thing to do, based on the few flying lessons I’ve had.
Kudos! – Now you are qualified to drive ANYTHING! A dream of everyone who likes to drive, fly, pilot a boat, etc….
“Failure was not an option.” ~ sure it was . because you knew it could go sideways, you worked harder to ensure it didn’t .
Question : are ‘pull cords’ still a thing or do you rely on ‘spitters’ ? .
Thanx for sharing so much detail and back story . the only three axle big rig I’ve ever driven was a MACK tow truck for L.A.X., it *barely* fit in many places and was nerve wracking .
-Nate
“are ‘pull cords’ still a thing or do you rely on ‘spitters’ ?”
Do you mean for bleeding air from storage tanks? The old Macks use pull wires, while newer trucks use twist valves. I drove one several months ago – as part of my post-trip inspection my habit is to release those valves to flush water out. Good grief, but that truck had not had those valves opened for eternity – that thing sprayed water out of one valve for what seemed like 2 minutes!
Thanks for telling us the story. I can’t imagine taking this on at my age and I’m only a few years older, so hats-off to you Jim! Over 40 years ago when I worked at Peterbilt I drove a tractor only, no trailer (that way I didn’t need a permit), about 30 miles with a CDL holding engineer colleague as co-pilot. The route included a two-lane California backroad as well as industrial and suburban neighborhoods. Even that required a lot of attention for both width and length, all while juggling a lot more than 5 gears. Unladen the Cummins NTC350 was plenty torquey but it still felt like the power band of about 1000 rpm required lots of shifting. And with a heavy clutch and exactly short travel shifter.
The first time I pulled a trailer, in a friend’s second gen Econoline with three-on-the-tree no less, I found it easy. Backed it into a narrow urban driveway, no problem. That must have been a fluke, as every subsequent experience has been a disaster. Most recently, just five years ago with my own Tacoma, I had to call it quits and hand it over to another guy.
After buying our Transit van with a 148” wheelbase, right turns took some getting used to. I’m less worried about light posts or street signs than the high school kid standing right at the street corner staring at their phone.
One last comment: as a lifetime motorcyclist I think I practice strong defensive driving techniques which include always paying attention to other vehicles and predicting their behavior, especially in heavy freeway traffic. If one respects the size and poor visibility of their vehicles, I think over-the-road truck drivers are the safest to be close to. And even with more and more trucks on the road and a driver shortage which suggests that many of the drivers may be rookies, I haven’t seen it get worse recently. I was about to mention some vehicle types with the worst drivers, but I’ll avoid profiling 😀
In Oregon, you have to have a CDL in order to drive any truck with air brakes and/or capable of a CGVW of 26,000 lbs. or more. I kind of thought that was the reality in most/all states, about the air brakes, but I could be wrong.
My experience with the Peterbilt was over 40 years ago so maybe laws were laxer then or California law was different. The company was a stickler for the rules though so it was all legal. They really discouraged us from getting behind the wheel, let alone getting licenses, actually … only bona fide test drivers were supported, though I thought that as a design engineer that I should at least experience it once. Some of the things our test drivers did, with engineers recording cornering or ride (vertical) g’s with accelerometers and measuring lean angles with fully loaded trailers are better left unspoken.
By my reckoning, I’m about 4 years younger than JP. During the pandemic, when I wasn’t sure if my field of employment was even going to exist whenever we got past it, I made a brief consideration of taking CDL training.
And while I was aware of the growing shortage of CDL drivers, I made an assumption (without doing any research, shame on me) that employers in the field would not be willing to hire a driver in their late 50s with zero years of actual experience. I guess I’m just lucky that my field of work came back.
I see a variety – some trucks are driven very safely, while others make me want to get away from them.
I think Paul is right on the CDL requirements on air brakes and weight, but suspect that those rules are now federal instead of state by state, as was probably the case in years past.
Thank you very much for sharing your career transition. As always, wishing you the sincerest best luck.
I have little doubt you will learn to drive a semi-truck and trailer successfully. And will be one of the best and safest drivers on the road. I feel the challenge will be more adapting to a blue collar/working class career. Having worked both, white collar and blue collar professions, some managers and customers will treat a worker very differently. Less decorum, and a more blunt, bottom-line oriented culture. Plus, dealing with the broad general public, and their driving. I hope it is this facet of the transition, that is fair to you! Wishing you the very best.
My blue collar experience has been pretty good so far, but I get what you mean in general.
Having lost the air brakes on a dump truck I was driving back in 1973, I can assure you it was a bullet-sweating moment as I approached the highway I needed to turn into from a gravel quarry road. All I could do was hope that no one was coming, and given that it was a pretty quiet Iowa highway, my luck held.
Turns out I had turned off the air brakes when my knee hit the protruding toggles switch as I got out to take a leak while waiting my turn to get loaded at the quarry. And of course the low air warning chime was not functioning. And I didn’t check the air pressure gauge when I took off.
These Macks you drove had the legendary Maxydyne engines, with a much wider torque curve than typical diesel truck engines. That’s why they could be teamed with only a 5 speed transmission, unlike the much more common 10-12 speed boxes. Perfect for you, given what a lover of torque you are!
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/quarryside-classics-mack-r-series-rock-solid-since-1966/
They are torquemonsters, that is certain! But they need to be in the range where the turbo is doing some work to get the real torque out of them – the range of 1200-1500 rpm is the sweet spot. They will be OK but a bit doggy under 1000, and pretty much run out of breath by 1600.
I’ll enjoy reading this series, I had considered doing something similar after I retired just to keep my hand in, but the state of the trucking industry here in BC has degenerated to the point where unqualified, underpaid drivers are the norm now and I decided to pass.
I did do a bit of this in the ’80s between Vancouver and Calgary to help out a family member and even owned a share in his truck for awhile. That experience, while interesting, convinced me to avoid anything with a “shack on the back”. I’m glad I did have the experience though, it’s a different life.
BTW, once you get good at it you’ll find “real world” shifts are often done without the clutch at all, just a well timed throttle lift. Don’t tell your instructor that….
Good Luck!
We did have some class discussions about “floating the gears”. The instructor maintains that it is hard on the transmissions. I have experimented with it a little, but get enough satisfaction out of a crash-free double-clutched shift that I still use the clutch. 🙂
Very interesting. I’m impressed that you and your classmates were on the road – in real driving conditions – in under a week. Kind of a sink-or-swim approach, but with only 3 or 4 students per class, it seems doable. I’m also surprised that the driving instruction started out with the trailers attached. But these folks have experience doing what they do, so they’d know what works.
The shifting is interesting. I bet it’s quite a challenge to switch back and forth from one of these trucks to a manual transmission car. Shifting in the top 2 inches of pedal travel is probably a tough habit to get into… and out of. As I was reading, I was wondering how drivers who didn’t already know how to drive a manual would fare, so I was impressed that one of your classmates did just that. I can see it being easier in some ways – though that’s quite a steep hill to climb right off the bat.
Great article and I look forward to more installments! I have driven a 26 foot U-Haul pulling a car on a U-Haul flatbed. That was a different kind of experience for sure, and this is orders of magnitude greater. IIRC the other drivers doing stupid stuff around me stressed me out more than the actual piloting.
Just like altitude is a pilot’s best friend, lots of room around you is the trucker’s equivalent. We were taught that 8-12 seconds of following distance is optimal. And that is really quite a lot. We were also taught that the only way to maintain a decent following distance is to drive slower than the flow of traffic.
Yes, stupid stuff happens all around me. I one night got passed on an interstate by two cars going so fast that I felt the rush of air before I heard them – they had to have been going over 100 in a 55 zone.
This is a fun read and not just because I have been sitting in tribunal hearings all week which is a less and less rewarding pastime with each year and I imagine myself doing anything but. I’ve only driven big stuff off highway on private sites. There is so much going on that I needed a swivel for my head to make sure I wasn’t inadvertently running something with the inside right axles.
I’m a few years younger than you and somedays find the F150 is getting big for me now so good on you for tackling a big rig.
Fascinating read. I fantasied about becoming a truck driver back in high school. (I’m just a few years younger than you.) In the late 90’s I got my Commercial Pilots License and got as far as a charter company the summer of 2001. Post Columbia I came back to the Space Program in early 2004. I’ve been flying a desk as a Safety Engineer for the last 20 years. I became retirement eligible this past September and am looking for the next phase.
JP does the company you’re working for, or the company you trained with have a recommendation for CDL training in or near Houston, TX?
“JP does the company you’re working for, or the company you trained with have a recommendation for CDL training in or near Houston, TX?”
I would suspect not – both are local/regional, and Texas is a long way away.
I’m finding it fascinating to follow along with the progress of your training and to think about how my own skills might work, or not, here. I think I could handle the shifting (including the bit about not sending the clutch to the floor for each shift). But what I know would cause me problems is staying out of trouble with the trailer while backing up. I’ve had experiences similar to those that dman relates, and doing that with a 48 foot trailer would be no fun at all.
The right turn thing raises for me what I hope to read more about, which are your experiences piloting one of these things on a real road with actual traffic and cars doing annoying things (like driving into your blind spots) on the road around you. Also related to that would be my biggest “issue” with driving something like this…that is, the lack of rearward visibility. I know that when I drive a car, I cannot stand having my rear view blocked. Driving a truck with nothing to rely upon but the mirrors would be pretty unnerving for me. Can’t wait to hear about how the training addresses that.
“the lack of rearward visibility”
It is all about those big mirrors on the sides. The instructor harped at us over and over to “Watch Your Mirrors!” because that is the only way you have any idea of what is going on behind.
I’ll echo all of the others — this is a great series. Thanks for being so open and sharing so much. Best wishes; looking fwd to the next installment.
When do you get your pet orangutan, Clyde?
Do you know all the words to “Convoy”?
What is going to be your CB handle? – how about “Here Come Da’ Judge”?
When will you be crossing the Poplar Street Bridge into St. Louis and can someone film that? I have so many questions!
First off, you are doing what I want to do, but decided to postpone my retirement by accepting a big promotion with the State. I love to travel and I think what you will be doing is fantastic, exhausting, reviving, and will add life to your years. No need to go quietly into retirement and what the hell’s so bad about being a working guy?
One last thing – try to stay clean, or ask and I’ll send you a bottle of my urine!
Haha, the drug tests are no joke!
I think CB radios are on life support – everyone has cell phones now and can listen to podcasts and such for entertainment. I am developing into a voracious consumer of audiobooks.
Great writeup! i am in a similar career-change moment – I am currently getting a certificate to join GM’s skilled trade program after 9 years working a desk job. Definitely a bit of adjustment needed going “back to school” but exciting nonetheless. Hope it continues to go well for you!
Congratulations! I hear that so many of those jobs in the skilled trades go begging because no young kids are going into them while we old boomers are retiring in ever-increasing numbers.
I’m glad to see they started you off with a big trailer, around here I see lots of trucks from truck driving schools, and they all seem to have little 25 foot trailers behind them when it seems everything gets picked up or delivered by 53’s. I’ll see 53’s for a pallet or two, it’s crazy they places they have to get them into and out of.
This series has been great reading.
Like many here, the biggest vehicle I have driven any distance was a 26′ U-Haul (chronicled in these pages long ago) but there is a Kenworth (T-8000?) road tractor lurking in my vehicular past. I can’t remember if I purchased it or not during my brief fleet manager era but one was purchased lightly used (about 250,000 miles) where I work. One Friday afternoon I took it for a spin around the complex, sans trailer. It didn’t go so well, primarily due to the automotive bent in my clutching. But things certainly do look much different when sitting in one.
I’m eagerly awaiting the rest of the series.
Today’s the first day of my retirement! I’m really looking forward to the rest of this series.
Although I haven’t driven heavy vehicles professionally in over 45 years since I was in Grad school and working for a city public works dept, I still maintain my Illinois ‘non CDL’ Class B license – anything under 26,000 lbs and no trailer larger than 10.000 lbs. I also have a motorcycle license which totally freaks out the DMV folks when I have to renew 3 separate license classifications.
I’m surprised to learn that the tractors “only” have a 5 speed transmission. Back in the olden days, I often had to drive an International tandem dump with a 13 speed (5 speed with 3 speed splitter). Let me tell you, it was sure fun plowing snow with that beast.
I can confirm that as (re) tiredoldmechanic has mentioned, once you get comfortable with the speed/load/rpms, after getting started a lot of the shifting can be done without the clutch.
When several folks have asked what my immediate retirement plans are, I’ve said, I’d like to ride along with a long haul trucker just to see what it is like. To a person they have all looked at me like I was insane. I’m sure the folks on this forum will probably be a bit more understanding.
Good luck in your second career – I anxiously await your week 2 post.
Very interesting series so far. About 30 years ago, my father-in-law recommended that I get my AZ license (in Ontario, you need a class A license to drive truck, and the Z is the air brake endorsement). I talked about it with my wife, and as a trucker’s daughter she said there’s a lot of headaches and expenses involved, and long hours away. Plus she seems to like me home nights…must be my cooking 😀. For myself, I’d have no problems learning, but I decided it wasn’t for me. I don’t have much patience with heavy traffic and other people’s stupidity on the road. I respect anyone who drives truck, though. It’s hard work and long hours with a lot of headaches. My father-in-law law is long retired but still keeps his AZ license up, and my wife’s brothers and cousins either drive or have driven truck at some point in their respective careers, and they all have stories to tell.
I freaked out every time my instructor asked me how high was that bridge we just went under.
Nice to have you back. Regarding trailer length, I find longer trailers track better. When I worked for a rental yard the brush chipper was much harder to back up to the gas pump than a two axle equipment trailer. I have seen the same with more recent trailers too.
Counterintuitively a lot of school trucks in Oregon run a 30′ single axle trailer (like a part of a double) instead of a 48′ two axle.
One of my son’s friends is a truck driver but wisely avoided long haul. He drives gasoline tankers which are typically truck-trailer rather than semi-trailer and is home every night
The Eaton-Fuller transmission rep used to tell us that a Fuller twin countershaft transmission will last a million miles, and if you can get the driver to use the clutch the trans will last forever.
Bad shifting techniques kept me busy repairing transmissions and 2 speed rear ends.
Mack wasn’t the only engines that pulled well. Proper spec CAT engines could deliver a lot of grunt. The C13’s we used right before 2007 emission changes were some real torque monsters.
Draining air tanks brings back a memory from long ago. I was working for a tanker operation at the time. On long holiday weekends in the winter we would jam the shop and service bays full of tractors. As each tractor was pulled in the air tanks petcocks were opened and left to drain over the weekend. This was pre-air dryer days. Lots of crud puddles to be cleaned up. At least the trucks were aired up off of the shop air supply so the trucks didn’t smoke us out too bad.
My son was in the law profession. He went to school to get a Para-legal degree. Hired on with a firm, was doing well with the plan to continue schooling to eventually become a lawyer. However, he became a bit disillusioned with the clients, his comment, lots of people doing stupid stuff and then suing someone. He hired on with a floral wholesaler and worked his way up from unloading and loading trucks to the top of the organization, sales manager. He says its the best move he ever made.
When I first saw this, I thought that you were writing this in jest. Now that I have read it, I am in shock, but recovering. Regarding your departure from the legal profession, many years ago, while hitchhiking, I was sometimes picked up by truck drivers. I found them to be nicer people than many of the lawyers I have dealt with, including two I will encounter this afternoon.