[geeks] Work getting slow

[Kurt Huhn]

> The hardest part, in my experience, of driving those things is backing
> them up.   Once you realize that "Hey, I'm 53 feet long" and "God and Mr.
> Newton say I can't stop on a dime", you've got most of the basics covered
> up.

Yep - hardest part about driving a semi is the part where you have to
backup to a loading dock.  You are literally BLIND doing that.  Yes, you
have mirrors, but the blind spots on those things are HUGE!  There's no
other way to do it than to line it up straight, and go by feel as you
back it up.  When you feel a *thump* come up through the floorboards,
set the brake and take it out of gear...

Turning while backing up confuses the living crap out of people for some
reason.  They just can't keep the thing going straight.  To this day I
don't *ever* look over my shoulder while backing up, it's all done by
looking in the mirrors - as it should be.

> 
> Of course, I've never driven actual semis...I've just driven 20K-65K pound
> fire trucks and non-articulated water tankers.

It's fun.  Something about having a monstrous diesel engine under you
with that much torque is thrilling.  Kinda like a V-Twin motorcycle...
-- 
Kurt
kurt at k-huhn.com