some tips to keep you from dumping the bike.

[alantf]

Originally Posted by alantf

(note :- I was an electrician, but used to drive buses when there was no work around - just to feed my family!)

There were millions out of work, so nobody could afford to have electrical work done. I was lucky that I had a bus licence. :itsokay:

Heard on the news that the figures NOW, in England, are the worst for 14 years. Hope it's better in America, & you've got another job lined up :2tup:

[patrick_777]

Originally Posted by alantf

Heard on the news that the figures NOW, in England, are the worst for 14 years. Hope it's better in America,

It's not...yet.

[dannylightning]

Originally Posted by music man

Not only that, how much does this job pay, if you don't mind me asking. If it is more than 3-4 bucks an hour over minimum wage, then you should clutch it with both hands, and thank god every morning that you get to go do it. Most people have jobs that suck way worse than that, and make just enough money to keep you from starving to death so you can wake up to your miserable existence one more day to do it again.

ok now that im all calmed down ill explain this. i make 16.32 a hour. when i was younger i got anxiety attacks, they went away. well they have came back. when i start to get a little stressed out and i'm fighting one off all day long and some times i cant fight it off and bam. im out there driving a big truck flipping out. anxiety attacks can really put a major hurt on a person.

i called my manager tonight and explained to the guy what is going on and why i called him freaking out Saturday. i told him i dont really want to quit my job but if im out there having these attacks because of the job i may need some other type of position with the company. in all honesty no one should be out there driving around when there all off balance, getting tunnel vision, pissed off and feeling like there gonna fall over and die while driving the truck. those are just a few things that happen when you get anxiety attacks. basically a anxiety attack is when your body pumps out way to much adrenaline and it pretty much over loads your body with it.

so there is really more to the story than me getting pissed off and stressed out. and about the GPS comment. we are not allowed to have them. they say it is a major distraction using something like that while we are driving. so no gps systems allowed they dont want to risk some one being in a hurry and flying down the road trying to mess with the gps.

[mrlmd1]

You can use the GPS before you get out on the road, just to outline your route. Get a smaller handheld one if you need to hide it. Put in the beginning and ending destinations then write out the directions. Are you allowed to use a map? Get some.

And get some medical help or meds for your panic/anxiety attacks, you don't want to hurt someone else or yourself when you're out driving the truck or on your bike if you get pissed off. There's no excuse not to get help for a problem, especially if you recognize it.

[dannylightning]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

You can use the GPS before you get out on the road, just to outline your route. Get a smaller handheld one if you need to hide it. Put in the beginning and ending destinations then write out the directions. Are you allowed to use a map? Get some.

And get some medical help or meds for your panic/anxiety attacks, you don't want to hurt someone else or yourself when you're out driving the truck or on your bike if you get pissed off. There's no excuse not to get help for a problem, especially if you recognize it.

they say no gps allowed, but than again i guess if you get one that talks to you you would not have to look at it or any thing while you were driving so i guess there would be no harm in that. i halve to get really stressed out before i actually get a full blown panic attack now a days. I'm a really laid back guy, it takes a lot to really push my buttons but for some reason this job has done it pretty much since the day i started. they expect us drivers to do the impossible and im not the only one that feels its completely rediculous what they are asking out of us these days, every one is fired up out there every day, i found some forums for fedex drivers, it was nothing but pissed off people bitching about how shitty their job is.

i went out on the road with a manager the other day and i rode passenger, he was screaming, cussing and flipping out trying to get the job done. i had to take a d.o.t. class before i could get out there and drive the truck again, so they put me out there with other drivers for a week. every one at our station flips out except for one guy. no one can figure out how this guy keeps his cool all day long every day. most of the people i have rode with were flipping out and speeding. the one lady was going 50mph in a 25mph zone pretty much all day long.

im not the only one that gets all worked up, no attacks like that out on the bike only really get them at work any more. meds dont work for me. back when my attacks were really really bad i tried to take some stuff for it (about 5 different things) and they just made things about 10 times worse.
i was looking for no sympathy. i was just venting i guess. i called the thing my manager told me to and they want to send me to a councilor so i guess im gonna go and see what happens. the thing is i have no problems in my life, never really have. breaking up with girl friends is about as bad as its ever got in my life. i got about every thing i want and need. i got great friends and plenty of them and over all i have had it pretty easy. i get a little drpressed some times but hey i think every one dies from time to time. when i go i'm sure there gonna ask if this ever happened or if that ever happened and just about every thing they ask me is gonna be a no.

[dannylightning]

sorry about all that but any ways, i tested out that rear break on my bike to see what its really got

it's really not that bad, you do got to jam on it pretty hard but it slowed down quite nicely, just got to watch you don't jam on just a little to much and skid. doesn't seem take much to go from working great to a skid.

[bonehead]

Hakuna Matata!

[dannylightning]

Originally Posted by bonehead

Hakuna Matata!

i wish there weren't. haha.

[Water Warrior 2]

im not going to take the class. my buddy is gonna copy these riding with the pro's videos and give them to me. its every thing they teach in the class and more[/quote]

I agree that riding videos may be of great help to improve riding skills. BUT everything they teach in class and more !!!! No No No, and here is why. You do not have a skilled trained professional instructor watching you ride and critiquing your abilities and skills. You do feel confident I am sure. I did feel confident until a skilled professional instructor pointed out my lack of certain skills and good habits (since corrected)that have since made riding far more enjoyable and safe. A video can not watch you ride. A video can not point out something that may bite you 6 months down the road.
You say you have taken training and safety courses for your job as a truck driver. Did you have a professional instructor there at the time ? Sure you did. A bike is no different, it is another form of travel that needs to be taught to get the most out of it. And yes we can talk about Hogue and his Proficient Motorcycling. Even he was not totally self taught but expanded immensely on other's tips, training and experiences. He did spend a great amount of time experimenting and getting it just right for the rest of us. There are good reasons why skilled riders go to refresher courses and track days or experienced rider courses with their own bikes. There is always more to learn. Just don't learn it the hard way.

[dannylightning]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

im not going to take the class. my buddy is gonna copy these riding with the pro's videos and give them to me. its every thing they teach in the class and more

I agree that riding videos may be of great help to improve riding skills. BUT everything they teach in class and more !!!! No No No, and here is why. You do not have a skilled trained professional instructor watching you ride and critiquing your abilities and skills. You do feel confident I am sure. I did feel confident until a skilled professional instructor pointed out my lack of certain skills and good habits (since corrected)that have since made riding far more enjoyable and safe. A video can not watch you ride. A video can not point out something that may bite you 6 months down the road.
You say you have taken training and safety courses for your job as a truck driver. Did you have a professional instructor there at the time ? Sure you did. A bike is no different, it is another form of travel that needs to be taught to get the most out of it. And yes we can talk about Hogue and his Proficient Motorcycling. Even he was not totally self taught but expanded immensely on other's tips, training and experiences. He did spend a great amount of time experimenting and getting it just right for the rest of us. There are good reasons why skilled riders go to refresher courses and track days or experienced rider courses with their own bikes. There is always more to learn. Just don't learn it the hard way.[/quote]


i did have a professional instructor with my work defensive driving class . he rode in the truck with me for about a hour and when we were done he said good good, you need to check your rear view mirrors a little more often. you should look at them every 5-8 seconds. and than he said make sure to pay attention to every street sighns that you pass, that way if halve to go to that street some time you might remember where it was. honestly that instructor did me no good live, except when he was explaining all the stuff they have on paper, most of it i knew any ways. but it did refresh some of my memory about the smith driving system. but as a fedex driver it's just run run run run run all day long. most people probably don't do any of it, a lot of the time they just need to run back to the truck hop in and go, no time to waist at that job.

but i do see your point,