Driver Training

For the past 3 weeks, I have been training a new driver for the company I drive for. I've had experienced drivers ride with me so I could train them on our paperwork and the computer system we use for doing our logs and check calls, never a new driver fresh out of driving school.

My time to shine!

Although I was a bit nervous when I learned I would be training a "newbie", I figured that I could put my experience and knowledge to work, hopefully he would be receptive. He was and is.
If he continues the way he is, I think he will be an excellent driver for a long time to come.
After 15 years on the road as a professional driver, I have seen a lot and have learned a lot. One thing that has stuck with me over the years is what is called The Smith System. It is a valuable tool whether you are riding your motorcycle, driving your car, or driving a big rig.
                                                           

The Smith System:

  1. Aim high in steering: Don't just watch the car directly in front of you, watch as far ahead as you can (easy in a big truck).

  2. Keep your eyes moving: Scan your mirrors frequently.

  3. Make sure they see you: Use your headlights day or night, rain or shine. Signal your intentions at least 3 seconds before you make your move. Keep your lights clean and clear. Remember that your headlights are not just to help you see better at night, they also help others see you.The next time it is raining, watch your mirrors and see how long it takes for the car coming up behind you with their lights off to be seen in your mirrors.

  4. Leave yourself an out: If you have to swerve to avoid hitting or being hit by someone, where will you go? Stay in the right lane unless passing someone. At least on the interstate you have the breakdown lane on the right if you need an escape. Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you so you have plenty of room to stop if they slam on their brakes.

  5. Get the big picture: I'm not talking about getting a bigger flat screen for your living room. Pay attention to everything going on around you. Is the car passing on your left going to cut across 3 lanes of traffic so they can make their exit? Is the guy on the ramp going to speed up or slow down in order to merge? Is that deer going to run across the road?

Although there are many other aspects to safe driving, The Smith System will get you off to a good start. Remember, keep the shiny side up because it maybe someone from your family in the lane next to you.

Gratitude

     I'm not going to preach about safety this time. Let me tell you about a couple of things that has happened to me since I've been absent from my blog and I would like to close with a short story.

     So I have trained two new drivers since the beginning of last year, the first had about 3 months of experience and the other was fresh out of driving school. The first has recently left the company in pursuit of a better opportunity for him and his family. Good luck Corey. I know you have the skills to be successful. The second is still going strong with us. Travis, thank you for making those eight weeks a good and enjoyable teaching experience for me and thank you for being a good student. I had my doubts about you in the beginning but I'm glad I was wrong and I am happy that we became friends. I think I learned just as much from you guys as hopefully you learned from me.

       So I decide to return to school last year and I started online classes with the University of Phoenix this past August. I got a B+ in my first two classes, failed my third, and barely passed the fourth. I decided to put my classes on hold for a bit. Beth was offered a huge promotion with her company (I am so proud of you) and things are looking up for me with my company so I decided that school would have to wait. We are relocating and I will be transferring to another location. House hunting was stressful to say the least but we found a great place that is exactly halfway between our work places. We close on April 28 and the transition will be another stressful ride but in the end I think it will be well worth it. 

        As for my career, I am now a Senior Driver Trainer and most recently I have become an Advanced Smith System Driver Trainer. I feel the target on my back getting bigger. It's okay because this stuff is my passion and it leads me to my story.

        The Senior Driver Trainer position has been offered to a couple of our top drivers in the past and they were quick to turn it down since there was no pay increase. When it was offered to me, I jumped at the opportunity. When these others told me that it wasn't beneficial to them because it meant more work and no additional pay, I told them that the money isn't the important thing and one day it would be beneficial to me, they laughed. To me, it's about that one time when a driver is in a situation and something I taught him pops into his head and it saves his or someone else's life. That is exactly what happened yesterday and the feeling of accomplishment was like nothing I have ever felt before!

         A couple of years ago, a new hire driver with military tractor trailer experience rode with me for two days. I was just supposed to show him how to operate our on board computers, how the routes and the paperwork was and tell him a bit about the company and some of our policies. He asked me about one of the features that all trucks possess, the trailer hand brake. Yesterday this driver called me at work and told me that I had just saved several lives including his. I was speechless and didn't know how to respond because I hadn't drove the truck in a couple of weeks. He told me that on his way back to our location, it started raining hard and was mixed with freezing rain. Viability was extremely low and he came across a minivan full of people and slammed on his brakes to avoid a collision which put him in the start of a jackknife. He told me that as he felt his trailer starting to come around, what I had told him a couple of years ago about that hand brake, for some reason, popped into his head and it pulled him out of the jackknife. The collision was avoided. My friend went home to his children and the people in the minivan went home to see their families. The driver relayed his story to my boss and me feeling good about myself, went home. 

         That my friends, makes my work worth every hour, extra money or not but as it turns out, I will be getting a raise after all. 

        Be safe my friends

Driving in the rain

   Sorry it's been a while but today I wanted to share some tips and advice about driving in the rain.
  Just like driving in the snow, driving in the rain presents some similar driving hazards, such as decreased visibility and slick roads.
  Several factors contribute to   decreased visibility while driving in the rain. The most obvious factor is, 99 percent of the time, it's a pretty cloudy overcast day. Road spray from the vehicle in front of you,  poor wiper blades, rain on your mirrors, and driving without your lights on to name a few.
   Driving with your lights on is not necessarily going to help you see better, but to help others see you. I drive approximately 2500 miles a week and there have been countless times while driving in the rain that I haven't seen the vehicle coming up behind me or passing me because they didn't have their lights on.  It's a very dangerous thing. If that person can't see you, they may decide to change lanes and run you off of the road or you could possibly be rear ended because your tail lights aren't on. Which brings me to another point, just because your vehicle has day time running lights, doesn't mean your tail lights are on. Take a second and rotate the knob one or two clicks to make sure all of your lights are on. Go out to your driveway and turn your ignition on, walk around the front of your vehicle and see if your head lights come on then walk around to the back and see if your tail lights are on also. On my personal vehicle, my headlights are on but not my tail lights.  Check your lights frequently before you drive. A bulb can burn out at any time even on a brand new vehicle. Don't forget to check your turn signals and emergency flashers.
   Everyone knows that oil and water do not mix. Oil floats to the surface of water. Years ago when I took the test to get my license, one of the questions was,
when are the roads slickest in rain? Roads are the slickest during rain immediately after it starts raining. Blacktop has a high oil content and older vehicles that may be leaking oil or transmission fluid adds to the oil on the road.  All of that oil rises to the surface potentially causing the roads to be slick as ice. Standing water on the roadway can cause lack of traction that can result in hydroplaning. Be careful driving on shaded two lane roads when it's raining, especially in Autumn when leaves are falling, because wet leaves can be as slick as ice. Tires with low tread can result in loss of traction, even on a dry road.
   Over the past several years, safety features in vehicles have become as important as reducing vehicle emissions.  Remember, when you are behind the wheel, you are the most important safety feature of that vehicle.
   When driving in the rain, give yourself extra time, slow down, increase your following distance, and decrease your distractions. Turn your radio down, don't text, don't use cruise control, and don't talk on your phone, especially without a hands free device.
   Your life or the life of someone you love, depends on you being safe.

My first entry

Welcome to my page!
First, a little about me.
I was born and raised in Lafayette Indiana where I currently reside with my beautiful and wonderful soon to be wife. I served 6 years in the US Army as a Combat Medic. I spent 3 of those years in Babenhausen Germany in a field artillery unit and 3 years at Fort Jackson in Columbia South Carorlina working in the Podiatry and General Surgery clinics at the Army hospital. I joined The Army shortly after high school.
After the Army, I spent some time installing Prime Star satellites (yes that was some years ago) and also as an auto mechanic I am now a trucker. I have been driving for 15 years now. I have 2 grown children, a step daughter, and a granddaughter.
I ride a motorcycle (and look good on it lol),  I support local music and am going to try and do some video interviews (with the help of a good friend) with local bands to post on here, I enjoy building and maintaining desktop PCs, and have recently entered the world of cigars.
There are many things that I am excited about (this blog being one) and passionate about so sit back and enjoy the ride!