I road tested today for a company that is looking to hire me , And while I did just fine on the road test handling the truck ,and did an acceptable job of shifting ... I've only driven a 9 speed for 2.5 years ,and the truck was a 10 speed ,so it made for some fun when going to shift and going for the wrong gear ...I never thought I would have such a time trying to forget the old gear pattern , But I just kept going for 4th ,but it was 5th ,and so on ...However I haven't driven for 1 month ,So I had fun getting to run around commerce city today .

 

When I get in my POV to go home after a run, I often go for the clutch,
and it is an automatic. ops:

 

POV, huh?

You must be ex military..... :shock:

 

I drove for a flatbed company for a short while.They didn't even give you a road test.Figured you already knew how to drive.Gave you a drug test,and if your DOT physical was up to date,you had a truck the next day.

 

at my current job Im in a different truck every day and my company has a variety of trucks with a variety of transmisisons. today I might be in a 13 speed, tommorrow a fully automatic, the next day a 9 speed.

 

Well your employer violated Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules. See section 391.27. In fact the rule requires them to give you a letter or card that says you passed the road test signed by the person that gave you the road test. Along with a copy in your company file. You are to be tested in the same type of equipment you will be driving.

kc0iv

 

A 13 speed is the same exact transmission and gear pattern as a 9 speed just with a spliiter so you have the gears between your gears on the top side :wink: when I was in the prcess of getting my CDL the school had 8,9's and 10 speed transmissions and some trucks with different rear ends in them ...And it was an easy switch between any of them ,But after driving the same 9 speed transmission for 2.5 years since getting my CDL the 9 speend patter is so burnt into my head I had to look down at the patter a couple times .


I came home to get my stuff to go out ,and fell and sprained my wrist/forearm pretty good , And asked them if I could wait a couple days to hit the road , As I have little strengh in the sprained forearm/wrist ,and it would be rather unsafe when shifting ,as I don't think I could safely hold the wheel with the sprained appendage, So they said they had revoke the offer of employment . This may have been a good thing ,because the more I listedned into things there ,and saw the operation the more I had the idea I was making a bad choice ,And I don't want to start with a company just to quit 2 months down the road .


The things that gave me bad thoughts about this company was lack of a 24 hr dispatch ..lack any 800 numbers for contact...Some rather harsh policies ...for example if for any reason I have tire damage it comes out of my pay doesn't matter what happened ...While I was at the terminal the cops showed up 3x in 2 days for issues regarding the illegal holding of employee wages ...I think me slipping on the ice may have been divine intervention :wink:

 

yikes Jeep hope your wrist gets better fast but glad you were able to get out of what sounds like a bad situation

 

There was one other driver in orientation that they flew out from Phoenix AZ ...They told him .36 CPM ,and they would have him back in Phoenix for Christmas...Well they told him .32CPM in orientation ,and he'd be working straight through New Years ...And then during orientation was informed that If he quits before 90 days he owes them for the flight out the drug screen , and the hotel costs ,of course this is only if he signs the agreement , But being that he is pretty far Phoenix he was in a hard spot ...This 90 day deal really had me thinking ,because it tells me they can't hold drivers for even 90 days :wink:


I think working for this employer would have been super risky for my DAC , As they try to make everything driver fault for any break downs /repairs that cost $$$ , and take it out of the drivers pay , So something as simple as having debris fall off a vehice ,and having a damaged tire couold score you a preventable on your DAC... heck one driver there was charged for having grill damage from ice that fell off a trailer from a passing truck through the mountains driving I-70 in Colorado , And I'd bet this is one of those companies that puts petty stuff on your DAC making ever getting a good job impossible .

 

Hell, I'm the junior driver at my terminal, but I've road tested all the new drivers that have come on since me. Go figure.

It's obvious within a couple of blocks if someone can drive a truck.

I usually don't tell them I'm road testing them. The usual route is- right out of our terminal, a tight left and tight right turn (don't curb it and hit the hydrant!) out onto the highway. About 18 miles on interstate/freeway over to our drop yard, park a trailer in a tight spot, hook onto a second one and then back to the terminal via surface streets. THEN I tell them I road tested them.

-p.