BUMPERTOBUMPER®, The Complete Guide to Tractor-Trailer Operations

I drove an 18-wheeler professionally for a number of years with this book was always readily within reach. It is an excellent reference that is useful not only for review of the basics but also to work your way out of situations where all of your sliders both on your tandems and on your fifth wheel must be in the exact position in order for you to make it through that unexpected weight inspection when you have just picked up a near-limit load after filling your tanks to maximum capacity with fuel to get maximum range.Although the seasoned driver will use this book primarily as a reference book, I would highly recommend that drivers with less than three (3) years on the road read this interesting and very well-written book in its entirety word-for-word from beginning to end. Don't worry -- it will NOT be boring and you will be a much more confident and better-equipped professional driver.

This book will teach you all the basics, and a little bit more knowledge, knowledge, knowledge, be a sponge if you buy this and enjoy!

This is a good book. I got another book and looked at various PDF online and this one is good. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for information about the mechanics of not only the truck parts but also driving strategies. This is not a study guide for the test as much as it a whole bunch of knowledge to learn to actually be successful driving. Get this book and also study the CDL practice questions and answers found online and you will take the next step in your life. I went from not knowing anything 2 almost 3 months ago to passing all the practice exams I take.

The main reason I gave this book four stars instead of five, is because the chapter on sliders contains a four-page subsection (pp. 305-309) entitled "To Slide or Not to Slide" that presents a long chain of calculations all of which are based on the false assumption that the trailer's "A" dimension (as the book calls it) is the distance from the trailer's tandem centerpoint to the center of the trailer. This unfortunate assumption oversimplifies the real situation so much that it renders the subsection all but completely meaningless.In reality, the "A" dimension is the distance from the trailer's tandem centerpoint to the BALANCE POINT of the freight, which, to make a heavy truckload on a typical 53' trailer legal, will NEVER be at the center of the trailer. Even for trailers with reefers on the front, the balance point generally needs to be well forward of the center of the trailer. Otherwise too much of the weight goes on the trailer axles and not enough on the drive axles.By "balance point" I mean the point where a seesaw support would balance the freight perfectly without it tipping to either the nose or rear. According to basic physics, the balance point of the freight determines how much weight goes on each of the axles. In other words, for any given truckload on any given rig, different pallet arrangements that have the same balance point will always yield the same axle weights.My suggestion to the authors for future editions of this otherwise excellent trucking manual, is to scrap the entire "To Slide or Not to Slide" subsection and replace it with a much simpler one that focuses exclusively on the balance point concept.

I don't have much time to go through this book yet, basically, this book is for professional drivers, or mechanic working on a transportation industry. This is really cool book, in my opinion.I read some parts of each chapter to get the ideas about the feeling of being a truck driver, and I am just in the beginning of training. I am satisfied about what I have been doing on the training, and I found that being successful will be taking personal affect and commitment. With the contribution of my trainers and the co-trainees, I am going to roll'n rock soon.Drive safe, and have fun on the road.

This book gives an in depth ins and outs of commercial truck driving and the life of a truck driver. This is probably the best book to read for new truck drivers like myself who didn't go to a very good driving school who just prepared you for the CDL license exam and nothing else past that. This is why I rated this 5 stars.

It said it was 5th edition when in fact it is 4th. Beyond that it was all OK

Comprehensive guide to trucking and trucking equipment. This is a wonderful resource, very thorough, easy to read and I used this as a reference and refresher many times. If you have the foresight to read this book before attending a trucking school then you will be well prepared for handling your job.To prepare for the trucking lifestyle you need a book like "Secrets the Trucking Companies Don't Want You to Know!". To prepare for the professional tasks (equipment inspection, driving, logging, etc.) then you need this book!