Driving skills: What is your strength and weakness?

[dustybiker]

We are all human. What is your best and worst driving skill?

I’ve been a natural at backing up since first attempt at age 11. My sister was really upset about it. It was what was keeping her in drivers education at the time.

I was really bad at turning my head to change lanes, only relying on mirrors. Until I started riding bikes on the street. At that time I would only ride dirt, so deciding to ride streets has made me a better driver.

What about you?

📸

[MrOracle]

Driving for me is a top skill - 9/10 is definitely realistic. I have been driving real cars since I was 14, and I have since driven nearly every type of mass-produced land vehicle, from busses to big-rigs, tractors and lifts, little British sports cars to big moving trucks to various 4x4s and motorcycles.

I also went to Skip Barber racing school and competed in SCCA racing for several years.

I'm not a top competitor in any individual one of those areas, but not many people have as much general and varied experience as I do, and I feel pretty confident that I could climb into nearly any common land vehicle that I might encounter and operate it with above average competence.

[20yearsolder]

I'm not bragging or boasting but I think I'm pretty damn good at all of it. I do it for a living. I drive an 18-wheeler pulling a tanker full of hydrochloric acid 6 days a week. I can back just about anything. Back in my younger days I used to drive a race car. As soon as it snows I like to go out and slide my pickup truck around, all in all I think I'm a pretty good driver

[dustybiker]

Love it. What did you race? My grandfather did back in the early 1900’s.
There is another trucker in here. My hat tips to you both. I would like to try it just to see if I could.

[dustybiker]

*Great/grand father. His son was who gave me my motorcycle-loving genes.

[20yearsolder]

I just raced an old street stock, in the early '80s. It was a 1970 Chevelle with a 355 small block Chevrolet. I'm a biker as well

[dustybiker]

That is a beautiful car. Don’t make them like that anymore.

[20yearsolder]

No they don't make them like that anymore and trust me it didn't look like that after I got done with it. Lol It was totaled

[dustybiker]

Aww, what a shame.

[20yearsolder]

It was on a dirt track, we were beating and banging and spinning out on a regular basis. Lol

[20yearsolder]

https://imgur.com/a/yZ3xlXE

[20yearsolder]

That's a Monte Carlo that I raised after the 69 Chevelle

[dustybiker]

omg I love it. Look at all the hits it had taken!!

[20yearsolder]

You have a lot of times you were fighting for the same space, throw the car into the corner You might bounce off of the car above you. Shit happens

[dustybiker]

But it survived. Love those classics.

[20yearsolder]

https://imgur.com/a/2y21F3h

[20yearsolder]

There's the Chevelle

[20yearsolder]

https://imgur.com/a/gNsx7Kf

[dustybiker]

Oh… that one breaks the heart.

[20yearsolder]

It's just an old race car

[dustybiker]

I’m a woman. I get emotionally attached. lol

[20yearsolder]

I could understand it if it was your 1969 Chevelle lol

[dustybiker]

Yeah, woman can be special like that.

[20yearsolder]

Yeah but it got caught up into being a race car for a reason, it would probably already been crashed. So it ended up getting gutted and roll bars and everything else got put in it.

[dustybiker]

Oh I get that. I can love it and let it go. Doesn’t kill the passion.

[20yearsolder]

Oh I have passion for them, one of these days all on a 1966 Chevelle or a 1966 Chevy pickup truck

[dustybiker]

Yes! The truck, especially. 😎

[HaveNoName]

Strength:

First, I can drive stick shift with no problem.

I can parallel park between two cars (on the right as this is America) in one shot without the trial and error. This is not by chance... I come from a place where they show you a formula and then test you on that. 99% perfection means you failed the test. Which also means, the formula does not work in US if I were to parallel park on the left 🤣🤣🤣

Also, I have never been sandwiched in a pile up or even between 2 cars because I know how you manage that and its simple and 90% moron drivers on the roads do not. 2 sec rule in normal and 4 sec rule in wet conditions.

Weakness: i think it is coming with age. I am getting tired of driving, specially because I normally drive an extremely broken car. So i often do not stay in the exact middle of the road (again, it uses to be a failure point in the test).

Another one: i go blind when it rains. I cannot even see the lanes. i avoid driving in white rain it i can.

And GPS has made me bad with remembering the routes. BIG weakness.

[dustybiker]

I’ve always wanted to try that stunt-parallel-slide parking.

[HaveNoName]

@dustybiker Ok. If we ever meet up on planet earth, I can teach you. 😊

[dustybiker]

Yes!! Do down for that. 😁

[dustybiker]

* So

[HaveNoName]

Deal !!! Who knows. It's a small world.

[dustybiker]

@HaveNoName Very true. Next time I see someone do it I’ll be sure to ask if it’s you.

[Flunkerdunk]

My strengths: Reaction time and prediction of other drivers, lane control of truck/trailer, following distance and distance judgement, grade jake braking, driverside alley/straightline/parallel/serpentine backing.

My weakness: Waking up at 3AM to do a pre-trip inspection, using an 18 speed manual with splitters/range selectors, blindside backing in general, using a rear-slid tandem, spread axle flatbed tandem backing, black ice control, trip planning.

I've been trucking for about maybe 6 years now? (some regional/OTR/local). I'm sure my skills in a sleeper cab have gotten rusty, considering all I pull is reefer trailers with a day cab.. but I still have access to a sleeper cab if I ever wanted to practice before working for an OTR company again.

[dustybiker]

Did you find it difficult to learn it all? Truck driving is fascinating.

[Flunkerdunk]

Of course, that is why I went to school for my CDL. The mistake I made that made learning 10x harder than it needed to be was going to a company sponsored training course. They pay for your $10,000 school cost if you work for them for a year but they expedite the training/school.

You don't really start getting relaxed after about your 1st year of driving. I still find it difficult 6 years in, because the industry is changing all the time due to the demand of the FMCSA and DOT of all the states you pass through.

I guess in terms of driving itself and difficulty, I want to say it is easy but that is only because I've been doing it for 6 years. The reality is that you spend more time "guessing" where you are at and what is around you (since your visibility is fairly limited), which is nerve-wracking already. Now you have to try and shift an 18 speed and use a range selector and get used to double clutching to N first shifting... dare I even mention the stress of having to practice near LA in California with a 53ft trailer?

The stress is what amplifies the difficulty. There is a reason why the average age of a trucker is like 55-60 years old before they die.

[dustybiker]

lol I have to hand it to you. I don’t think I would want the stress of it. Maybe just to try it, but cross country, or hazard loads. Phew. Tough.

Thanks for taking the time to explain. Appreciated. 😎

[HaveNoName]

"Reaction time and prediction of other drivers"
Very important point. Even at inner city intersections, i need to be able to LOOK at the driver's face because rhat tells me about his actions in the next 5 seconds. This is why I hate with a passion those drivers who have their windows tinted dark enough to hide their face.

[Flunkerdunk]

@HaveNoName I hate those drivers too... unless they look really ugly. Now they did me a favour of not having to see their face! (I'm joking... mostly)

[Th3ft]

My strength is keeping a level head. I’ve always been a good driver and my family loves letting me drive most of the time. Just last week I got back from a two week vacation down to Tennesse and on the road my parents both wanted to congratulate me. All about how sometimes the aren’t comfortable but this time was really smooth. This was maybe the third time they have ever said that they were not comfortable about something… it was an interesting conversation. But My greatest weekness is when I’m playing with my phone. It’s illegal and I should no better… but I still do it.

[dustybiker]

That congrats from family must have felt good.

[Th3ft]

It did! It was a long week of driving and their noticing was nice!

[NathanDavis]

my best strength would be anticipation... could make a great getaway driver and around here, you absolutely need to anticipate traffic because a lot of people do not have any sense of traffic rules, especially during emergencies...

my weakness could be that same thing... taking chances too many, perhaps... lol

[Emiliamazing]

Aim hi! I think that’s a rule that UPS drivers have to follow.

[NathanDavis]

@Emiliamazing lmao... well, there's a job opportunity if one day I need it

what about FEDEX though? brown shorts are not my style...

[dustybiker]

According to my FedEx driver, UPS wears brown shorts to cover why they need to change them when they get passed up by FedEx. He’s always tapping his watch at the UPS driver. They are hysterical.

[Emiliamazing]

Oh that’s funny!

[NathanDavis]

say no more... I'd go with FedEx... lol

[humanearth]

My best skill is driving in reverse for miles, my record for driving in reverse is 28 miles.

I lost forward gear and all I had is reverse gear. So about 30 miles from home at 2:30am. I drove the rest of the way home backwards. Yes on the freeway, I stayed on the shoulder.

My worst skill is be able roll over the car in a barrel row.

I used to practice and practice. The best I got is one complete roll and end up back on the wheels.

[dustybiker]

Look at all of your talent. 😎

[Guffrus]

That is one of the more difficult aspects of driving; I get pretty angry with myself when I manage to do a complete roll and then realise that I didn't signal.

[humanearth]

@Guffrus LMAO

[Dinosaursandanime65]

What a hilarious line, that sounds so sus and humorous without any context. “I’ve been a natural at backing up since my first attempt at age 11”

[dustybiker]

You pickin’ on me? 🤨

[Dinosaursandanime65]

No, it was just the funni

[dustybiker]

I know. I was teasing back. 😁

[Dinosaursandanime65]

You sure love saying sus things https://youtu.be/6VC3juvn8XI

[Dinosaursandanime65]

Omega LoL

[dustybiker]

You are funny. 🙃

[Dinosaursandanime65]

Tame Tanks, you too

[dustybiker]

@Dinosaursandanime65 lol

[misfittoy]

using signals etc, reaction time is good, safety and over all is good. my weakness is blind spots being so short even with mirrors/seat adjusted etc, there is something always also in view. this one market it is impossible with the bushes they have to see it totally blocks pulling out view unless you have a tall truck, so i pull out farther then i should to have a clear view before pulling out entirely

[Emiliamazing]

Blind spots are my weakness. My strength is patience😊

[Emiliamazing]

Not good at parallel parking either, but with modern advances it’s becoming easier

[dustybiker]

That auto-park features are amazing!

[Emiliamazing]

I don’t have that option on a car, but my mirrors do adjust when I put the vehicle in reverse, and there is a Blindspot warning which seems to work with curbs as well.

[dustybiker]

I don’t have it either. My friend who gave me a ride likes to show hers off. I’m like a kid with snowfall over that tech. Must be expensive to fix though.

[Emiliamazing]

I would just be nervous about that technology failing. Same with the self drive features.

[dustybiker]

Yes. Agreed.

[DryGermanGuy]

500.000 km on the Autobahn! 😀👍
Drove top speed up to 250 km/h with every vehicle I owned. I have seen it all and dodged every dangerous situation.

[dustybiker]

Whooo!

[andreasderjuengere]

All men will attest to themselves to be extraordinarily ''good drivers'' :D

My own best skill is to never have destroyed my own car (through driving it).

My worst: Giving it a regular cleaning.

[dustybiker]

Loving the honesty. lol

[andreasderjuengere]

I do make jokes on women parking a car, heh heh. But ''we'' men really over-estimate our driving skills. It's just a machine, after all. - - - I wonder if some 150 years ago men were bragging to be better horse-handlers than women :D

[dustybiker]

Coming from horse sports myself…. Yes, they do! lmao

[DCooper]

My strong point is probably drifting corners. My biggest weakness is the tendency to miss the 2-3 shift and bounce her off the rev limiter in neutral. *insert embarrassed emioji here*

[dustybiker]

Third is tricky. lol

[Jamesshinobi]

I've lived for 41 years and driven cross country 7 times. I've driven in NYC, DC metro, Philly, Boston, Baltimore, Houston. whats the rush? slam on the gas to race to the next red light? slam on the brakes cuz you ran into a red light? you just fucked your gas milage and brake pads in the ass to be right next to me at the red light. you would litterally have to speed 120 mph for hours to shave seconds off your drive. you aren't going anywhere faster by speeding and changing lanes.

[ZS007]

I need to go back and forth 2-3 times to park my car straight. But at least I do it and don't take extra parking spots. Damn you idiots that don't know how to park or drive! Just thinking of the hell that goes on in my uni's parking...

[Mangospacho]

Occasionally I will pass on the wrong side of the road if no one is looking but it’s been a while since I’ve done that. 2, maybe 3 days, at least

[dustybiker]

Bikers have to run lights if the intersection refuses to see is. Nobody around for three plus min and still feel guilty.

[Mangospacho]

Yeah they have a law here where you wait two minutes and you can go, if you’re a motorcycle. I’m surprised more states don’t have that law.

[dustybiker]

It’s sort of a warning based on traffic and late hour. It’s unsafe to sit solo in an intersection at night.

[Sparkie460]

I'm an excellent driver. I've driven box trucks, busses, tow trucks, and tractor trailers. I can parallel park every one of them

[dustybiker]

Man with talent. Nice.

[Sparkie460]

I never liked working inside the same 4 walls so I drove trucks. Now for the last 20 years I've been an electrician

[dustybiker]

Office with a view.
That is one thing I’ve always been nervous about learning. But my home is wired incorrectly, which is part of my problem. They’ve found so many mistakes in our wiring through the years. 😱 Tip of hat to that job.

[Sparkie460]

I can believe that. I've been in many homes where the electric is badly screwed up. I've even rewired my house since it wasn't done the way I want it.

[dustybiker]

It’s a really good trade to know.

[Sparkie460]

Yes it is. Too bad more kids today don't want to learn a trade.

[dustybiker]

What is stopping them?

[Sparkie460]

Schools stopped teaching the trades in high school. Kids would rather go in debt to get their special degrees which half the time doesn't get them the high paying jobs they want.

[Sparkie460]

Plus kids today are afraid of hard dirty work

[dustybiker]

Then they don’t want to go back to learn it. That is a shame.

[Sparkie460]

Exactly. It really is a shame.

[bigpauly]

I’m pretty cautious on the road. I was never skilled at things like parallel parking 🫣

[dustybiker]

It’s tough until the moment you have your vehicle memorized and trust. Then you don’t think about it.

[bigpauly]

That makes sense

[Dnice1]

Parking lol

It's not easy for me unless I park where no one is beside me.

[dustybiker]

So you are one of them…. j/k lol 😎 In my area all the truck people park in the back of the lot. Protecting our babies from everyone else. It’s like high school.

[Dnice1]

Yeah lol

[MiamiMadness]

I’m actually a really good driver, I was forged in the horrible traffic of Miami

[HaveNoName]

Miami... Where giving the turn signall to change the lane is like asking for permission to do so; and it is always refused as if the humble request fell on deaf ears, blind eyes and Latino brains.

[MiamiMadness]

@HaveNoName using a turn signal just makes everyone speed up, it’s better to surprise them 😂

[HaveNoName]

Haha. True. Just too much to ask for a driver like me.

[Fuentes]

My strength is speeding

My weakness is not speeding

[Nikki1989]

Driving too fast and feeling the constant need to overtake people.