Nice to have more active people around here. Some other members don't currently have Ford trucks. Some don't even have trucks, come to think of it. I took my '96 Geo (now dead) to the first meet that I ever went to, so don't feel too bad. I haven't driven big trucks in a few years, but every now and then I miss the big rigs. I guess I'll just have to beef up the PSD....Hmmmmmmm.......

 

If I get the job i want, I get a rig assigned to me so heck, I could just drive a peterbilt or something to the meet. That would be great!

Cheers

 

Is a red oval close enuff to a blue one??

 

red oval?? oh you mean pete?? man, you had me worried for a minute Marlon!!!

 

hahaha. That's what I was thinkin'. The front grill bits are almost the same right?

Cheers

 

Im a little late on this one. I went to trans industrial myself. They werent bad there, but they tried to pull a fast one on me about the cost of the training. It took some time to get it straightened out, and I had to personally go in there and tell the one guy I wasnt going anywhere without us settling the problem.

As for the training is was good. I took the two week course and passed on my first road test try.

Ive heard the same about maximum too, that they werent very good. Ive also heard that everyone that goes through maximum still passes!

 

I think that From what I have heard, Maximum will serve my needs for simply getting my 1A license. I'm going to suppliment the training I recieve from maximum with some informational courses that focus more on log books, customs, air brake systems, etc from another school.

I did manage to track down two former students and they have said that the practical driving time that you get from maximum is the best but they are weak when it comes to the book work. As for whether or not the practical driver's practice is of good quality...I'm still trying to evaluate that.

I thought this would have been a simple choice.

Cheers

 

Ill tell ya for trans ind., the driving time sucked. We didnt get to drive half of the time we were there. I would have liked more driving time, but the time we did get was decent.

 

For two weeks at maximum, I'll get about 30 hours of drive time along with about 30 hours of observation time. Student/instructor ratio is 2:1 so that's fine. It would be great to see 1:1 but it makes more sense from the school's point of view to make it 2:1.

I'm going to pick up a bit extra at the Sask' Trucking Assoc' to get a better grip on the other stuff but for drive time, I think maximum will suit my needs.

Cheers

 

Have you ever drove truck before? Im curious, what got you into it?

 

I used to hitch hike a lot. When I was 17, I stuck out my thumb to see how far I could get and what new land I could discover for myself. Most truckers won't pick up a hitch hiker and I never griped about that because to me it just made sense but a small number of them will. From the moment I stepped into one of those rigs, I became fascinated with the lifestyle, the job and the people. I got to ride in so many rigs across the western and central portion of Canada, that I felt I got a good taste of what it was all about. I even got to ride with drivers to their picks ups and drops and through a few scales.

I'm also deep into politics and one of the things I have learned is that if I want to run for office, it'll always be from the fringes. I have a deep distaste for political groups and movements. I could never be a conservative, liberal, NDP or whatever candidate because I hate them all despite the fact that i think political action is very important. So I figure that I can participate in making our economy move and develop properly without having to put up with that incredible political BS...so it's a good fit for me.

I've always liked driving on the road and often do so just for leisure. Driving a rig to parts unknown or even places I have already been...to me that seems like a great career.

I've never drove truck before...just been in a bunch of passenger seats. It's something I've wanted to do for a number of years and I'm finally picking up my boot straps and doing it. I guess I have just finally figured out what I want to do with my work life. I don't want to work in an office and I don't want to ***** myself to a political entity...truck is the way to go.

Cheers

 

Thats pretty cool. Im not a long hauler myself and i dont think that lifestyle would be for me, but it is unique and really interesting.

Respectable that you want to get into it to make the economy move too. You dont hear that reason very often!

 

Many thanks. I think most drivers at least acknowledge their role in the system that ensures you have food at the grocery store to buy. I don't know if many people in general recognize that though.

Cheers

 

No they dont, and thats just one part of it. The grain from a field gets hauled to an elevator by truck. (alot of time semis) All sorts of cargo from everywhere gets hauled to everywhere else.

i work out in the oil patch, and I see trucks used everyday for damn near everything out there.

Even for myself, Im going to be buying a dump truck to haul my backhoe around! It never ends!

 

Well sure. I think it's what...something like 90-95 percent of the goods we use hit a truck at least once before it gets into the hands of a consumer right? Shipment by train is making something of a come back but even then, a truck usually brings an inter modal unit to the tracks and takes it away. Truckers often talk about a trucker's strike to demonstrate how vital to the economy truck are. Personally I don't think that's realistic but when you start thinking about what would happen...heck, the grocery store would be empty before the day was out.

When I worked in the meat packing plant, we thought about the impact we would have if we set out to strike. The shop steward hated me because I would talk about how a strike was totally futile, but that's another story. If a meat packing plant closes down, it does have an impact onthe company and the local economy, If every meat packing plant in the country shut down, it would have a big impact but one that could be weathered through for a short period of time.

If the trucking industry shut down ever for a day, it would cause massive problems. Almost no industry compares to the trucking industry in terms of being economically vital. People don't generally realize that.

Cheers