Welcome to Learning With Bracham!
I've been called The Trucker Who Can Read. Since about 2010 I've typically had something to do with trucking, from hauling dirt with a tandem axle dump truck, to delivering assorted fuels with a semi-tractor and superbee tanker outfit.
Computers have had my interest for longer, though. My family got our first 386 desktop computer in about 1997, and it had Windows 3.1 on it. I remember playing an old Microsoft Flight Simulator game on it where everything was very grainy and slow, especially compared to modern graphics.
Back to driving, for now. I got my basic driver's license and an old vehicle, and started pushing limits, learning how to handle a vehicle in any situation. Later on, that gave me a base to start with handling a big rig. After starting with hauling dirt and gravel, I moved on to hauling grain and fertilizer, crude oil, and liquid fuels, to some extent just for the experience. Through it all, I learned as much as I could about truck safety, handling different truck and trailer configurations, and the processes for loading and unloading the different types of product. To some extent it also allowed me to see some areas, most notably three trips from Edmonton Alberta to Yellowknife in Canada's Northwest Territories. The eighteen hour drive one way is still easily my longest and most scenic run yet.
In the meantime, I got comfortable using Windows computers. Then I decided to switch to Linux, and got even more involved in how computers work. I got to setting up my own server, and almost totally quit using Windows in favor of (mostly) Debian Linux.
By early 2020, I was ready to get off the road and spend more time at home with my family. I took a job that ended up being short-term as a swamper mostly for hydrovac trucks, which allowed me to be home every night.
Sometime around 2018, I had contacted the professional driver trainer I had trained with to get my truck license, to see if he was looking to hire another instructor. At the time, he wasn't. However, in early 2020, he contacted me, asking if I was still interested. I had just taken the above-mentioned labor job to get off the road and home every night, so I jumped at the chance to get out of a labor job and still be home with my family every night. Within a few weeks, I was set up as a temporary full time professional driver instructor, and a few months later (delay mostly due to pandemic restrictions) I was a permanent full time professional driver instructor.
This is the landing page for everything I have to offer. Using the menus, you can access the tutorials I offer for anything trucking or computers. If you somehow landed here looking for info for Windows, the only thing I will say is: "try Linux". The Chat link will open a new tab to my live chat, where you can find me in both the #trucking and #techtalk channels.
So see what you can find here that's useful to you! Of course, if you have questions, hit me up in chat! Or if you've found something here useful, please let me know; it would be much appreciated!