Today, a newly licensed CDL school graduate shared his joy at landing his first truck driving job on our forum. When we see these moments, we are always overjoyed and grateful that we could support them while they went through the numerous processes necessary to get to that moment. We were very shocked by this newcomer’s initial choice of employment, which was driving trucks.
He was courageous enough to drive a double gasoline truck, and his new employer was also courageous enough to hire him! I’m not sure who is crazier, the employee or the employer, but neither has shown any caution during the recruiting process. Because I know what a terrible liability this new driver will be, I honestly can’t believe their insurance provider is prepared to add him to their coverage.
Our forum post, “Thought On Driving A Tank Truck Straight Out Of CDL School” contains our chat with this new driver.
The definition of discretion in practical concerns is “prudence.” Now let’s look at how a novice driver should use caution in the real world to start his career off on the right foot from the viewpoint of an experienced driver.
Recognizing The Hazards Associated
We must first acknowledge that an articulating vehicle that is more than 70 feet long and up to 80,000 pounds in weight has the potential to cause significant collateral damage in the event of an accident. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read news articles about accidents involving 18-wheelers and a few four-wheelers where the truck driver walked away while the car passengers were brought to the mortuary.
Hey, inexperienced drivers often get into accidents in their first year of driving on our forum. It just occurs. But tanker accidents don’t often fall into that category. Fortunately, they are mostly small mishaps, allowing the novice to learn from their errors.
I can’t even start to tell you how many near calls I’ve had over my trucking career; most had nothing to do with me. This new driver would repeatedly say something like:
All of it may be excellent. I value ambition in others since I am an ambitious person myself. Disregarding caution while pursuing a driving profession is not desire; rather, it is purposeful ambivalence towards the real hazards that are not always within your control.
A Brutal Close Call
Early in my profession, I can still clearly recall the moment I was so near to murdering someone while driving. Colorado saw a stunning day of sunshine. A new-looking White Subaru Outback began overtaking me in the left lane while I minded my own thing while traveling at 63 mph in the right lane of the motorway. A little cloud of dust or dirt appeared from the Subaru’s far left front just as they drew level with the front of my truck, and then it immediately began spinning 360 degrees there on the highway. They suddenly jumped from the far left railing and crossed both lanes onto the far right shoulder real estate I was occupying, so I quickly switched to the right shoulder and braked hard.
I had to stop even harder and lock up my caravan wheels because they were spinning out of control. I almost succeeded in turning the automobile into a crumpled pile of scrap metal and launching the driver into the hereafter. They bounced off the right barrier, crossed the motorway backward, and got stuck in the left guardrail. The whole incident had cars sliding all over the place behind us to avoid getting into the collision themselves.
It occurred on level ground with dry pavement on a day with great weather. I can attest that everything occurred quickly; it seemed like a catastrophe had just hit. The only term I can think of to describe it is “terrifying.”
I was utterly spent when I finally managed to get my truck stopped and pulled over so that I could get out and check on the poor little elderly woman who was operating the vehicle. I was so sweaty and sore that it nearly seemed like I had just completed a three-minute mile. I took a big breath and realized I must have been holding it during the very anxious seconds it took me to regain control of my vehicle and stop it at the side of the road.
Even now, I can still clearly recall some aspects of the incident. I can still see plumes of smoke coming from the tires of the 18-wheelers behind me that had locked up their brakes only to keep from colliding with us as I peered out of my driver’s side mirror. The fact that nobody was wounded during that incident was no minor miracle, but it made an enduring impression on me.
Now picture it occurring to you in a double gasoline truck. Let the idea linger in your thoughts for a while. You would have likely been caught in an explosion that killed the driver and caused significant collateral damage to all the other cars due to the surge from the gasoline alone that would have propelled you straight into the car dancing across the motorway in front of you.
These kinds of factors are taken into consideration by prudence. It prevents us from taking careless chances while striving to get off to a good start in this job. It assists us in evaluating the risks associated with our jobs and directs us along a well-established route for successfully launching into one of the top 10 most hazardous occupations in the US.
Hazards We Are Completely Unaware Of
Second, we need to be conscious of many risks that novice drivers aren’t even aware of. As newbies, we seldom ever even know what questions to ask. We are so eager to start the new jobs that we are unaware of the dangers of turning that rig slightly too early on a right turn or of failing to pay careful attention to the continual need to maintain enough space around our vehicle.
We lack the basic exposure to the various situations on the road that would serve as our learning curve, so we do not understand how important it is to predict what people around us are likely to do.
Just recently, I was preparing to take a right-hand exit from a Connecticut highway when I spotted a vehicle coming rapidly and recklessly from behind at 100 yards. As I was going to depart, my instinct was that they would attempt to pass me on the right shoulder. I had my indicator on, but I waited a split second before making my move, and just as I had anticipated, he sped by me on the right shoulder.
Now picture a novice driver in that circumstance. He is hauling a double gasoline tanker and lacks the training to see what is happening that far behind him, but he still decides to make his getaway. We heard a rookie driver explain this situation on our trucker’s forum. He only caused a collision when he moved over into an ascending lane as a fast car passed him on the right. He didn’t anticipate them, and as a result, he had an avoidable mishap.
Hazards Beyond The Interstate
The third thing we must understand is that several more dangers aren’t even linked to driving, which is very particular to operating a gasoline tanker. For loading and unloading, certain processes must be followed. There are several procedural errors that, if committed incorrectly, might have fatal results. No matter how much “mental ability” they believe they possess, novice driver is completely unaware of all these things.
It simply astounds me how often individuals want to choose the riskiest strategy to begin their careers as truck drivers. In our community, I’ve seen it repeatedly: individuals want to start trucking immediately away to start earning as much money as possible. I can’t think of any other industry that has experienced this phenomenon. The majority of the time, individuals are aware that they must walk before they can run, but when it comes to operating a truck, they appear to assume, “Hell, I already know how to drive a vehicle; how much harder can it be to operate a truck? I know how to accomplish this; I don’t need your help. I must start earning real money right now.
It becomes clear that this is no easy task when you look at the dismal statistics demonstrating how many individuals fail to succeed as professional truck drivers and the staggering sums of money spent a year to educate new drivers.
Prudence approaches this profession cautiously and ensures that it is launched successfully. Everyone who is constructing a house begins with a strong foundation before focusing on erecting the walls and making it seem as if it will eventually be a house.
Beginning Your Career Properly
By initially taking the smallest baby steps, a successful truck driver builds upon his résumé and his experiences. In this industry, there is a lot to learn. I would hate to begin my career doing anything that increased the knowledge I would need to acquire and increased the level of risk.
While beginning your career in trucking, caution is your best defense. It’s essential if you want to make it through your trucking career’s first year, and it will help you succeed.
