Learning to Drive a Truck!

[RustyGT]

I've been so happy working in IT lately.
That I quit my job 2 wks ago.

And in the last few days have been learning to drive a truck!
Some regular correspondents wanted to see what I was up to.

The Truck:
It's an International T2670 ACCO.Turbo'ed Cummins, 9 spd Road Ranger and is a 'big heavy bugger' to drive.

The attached foto, is as close as I could find.

This one (foto) is towing a dog, and has a normal flat trayback fitted with hungry boards.
The beast i'm learning on, has a tipper body. [Has a dog trailer as well, but thats the next license class up]

I have just done my forklift ticket. Next week, will get my HR [heavy truck] license, redo my First Aid Ticket. Then a 4day course for a 'Doggers' [Lifting] Ticket, then 3 days for a Mobile Crane Ticket.

Update the resume. Up Up and away!

Cheers All. Rusty.

[krusty the klown]

Tis a big bugger!!

I wouldn't fancy reversing it

[RustyGT]

Krusty,
Youve got to reverse it around a corner, using only mirrors, as part of the test! [and keep it within 2 feet of the kurb.]

This, license is sans trailer.
The next class licence will be, back it around a corner with the trailer.
Yippee!

Gotta Say. This beats flight sims all day long. Damn expensive tho @ $85 AUD an hour.

Chrs R.

[RustyGT]

So, It's not good form to post to your own post.
However.

I was reminded today that with a HR truck license.
I could get a job driving a garbage truck.

So, I could be on the road, picking up rubbish, from every place, I visited?
And if I didn't clean up the rubbish properly, I'd catch an earful, from the owner?

Hey, had one of those jobs!

Augh! R.

Just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean someone is out to get you. RM.Nixon.

[krusty the klown]

I always found with reversing a rigid that reversing into a gap was easy - if you can see daylight in both mirrors, you're OK, reversing round corners was a bit more tricky, but you have to concentrate on what the inside rear wheel's doing and you're usually OK... the thing I found very difficult was reversing up to a wall using only the mirrors - I just found it really hard to judge how much room there was left!!

Never fancied trying anything articulated Reckon the 'thinking in reverse' bit could be amusing at first

Good luck!

Looks like fun to me Rusty!
Here's a couple of what I used to drive when I worked for this outfit back in the day... (prehistoric times)



In the winter we did this...


It was fun.

[sharder8]

Rusty --

Enjoy the fun!!

My last tour of duty found me the Company Commander of a Medium Trans Company. I had 62 M915A1's, 122 40', 34tn tri-axles, 2 5,000gal. "milk bottles", 180 men, and asst. other vehicles. My policy was that everyone would be licensed, so yup' me too!

The worst experience I had driving was hauling 31 tons and going east over Donner's Pass! The Grapevine was a piece of cake!

This is a picture of the model of the M915A1. The new M915A3 Spec's.
BTW, backing up was EASY, the trailer pivoted on the middle axle.

Harder

[Knothead]

Air brakes. ARRRRGGG!!! Every time I get my foot on those things, I darn near lock-up the entire rig!
What the heck was wrong with power-assisted brakes? I didn't even mind double-clutching the old ones...but air brakes?
PPBBBBTTTHHHHHH!
Darn, I guess I won't make it thru Truck-driver school....

31 tons and going east over Donner's Pass

And sharder8 thought.... "can I do the job? Well Depends!"

[spuck]

i drove a 1985 freightliner fdl 120 with a series 60 detroit 10 speed rockwell.pulling a 48' greatdane refer.the thing i hated was it had antilock brakes.and no jake.heavist load was 81440 lbs. bulk potatoes.talk about fun through pa with no jake.