Profile For Rob T.

Sharon the point is your husband made a choice to drive. We all have made similar choices and were fortunate nothing happened. With your husband's experienced he should've known that radar and 511 conditions aren't 100% accurate. In a time where getting hot food delivered directly to you, or having access to Uber/Lyft to get you somewhere with food it was just a poor decision to push it to York. Road conditions change all the time. There had to have been clues to the conditions changing that he ignored. So many accidents/incidents in a short time ESPECIALLY with his experience makes me suspect he's too suffering from complacent. From google AI when looking up complacency in Trucking:

Complacency is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies”. The unsafe acts (speeding, multiple lane changes, backing without looking, etc.) may be a result of drivers becoming complacent with their driving habits.

does that sound familiar? We're not dragging your husband for making a choice that he's likely made hundreds of times before to push it. What you're catching flak for trying to minimize the severity of the situations. Rather than taking responsibility you guys are trying to pass the blame. THAT is why he isn't able to land another job. Putting a truck on its side will always be a red flag. However, using excuses to pass the blame will be an even bigger red flag. It shows lack of concern and failure to learn from situations to prevent them from happening again. In his 33 years of experience he should know 511 apps aren't completely accurate all the time. His experience should've had him realize there's absolutely no reason to be doing 70 (or 75 if I remember orignal post correctly) when you're coming up on a storm. I live in Central IA and recall wind being a major problem with that storm in NE. Let's face it. He was going too fast for conditions and instead of ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY for that you guys are throwing all sorts of hail marys out there hoping something sticks. I understand the financial situation but it's the wrong way to go about it. I'm not sure what you suspect the FMCSA to do. Your husband laid a truck on its side. The company made a business decision to part ways. You can be fired at any time for any reason as long as it's not discrimination of a protected class. The ONLY way FMCSA would do anything is if your husband was FORCED to drive in those conditions and was ultimately fired for doing so, or refusing to drive in those conditions when they told him to.

Are you aware we have an excellent training course on flatbed securement? It's absolutely free too. You'll find it in our High Road CDL Training Program.

In addition to using the High Road, don't be afraid to ask other drivers at the shipper for advice. Even though some drivers will criticize your company, many drivers remember what it was like being new and will gladly help if you demonstrate professionalism with a desire to learn. Even if you had a flatbed trainer you'd still struggle initially as its impossible to cover all types of loads. Does W.E. have a number you can call for help with securing loads? I've heard of some doing so elsewhere. As you gain experience you'll see what does and does not work with securement and tarping. As long as your load is getting there intact safely you're doing great. The speed and efficiency will come with time. In regards to the overweight ticket do you understand why you received it or how to fix it in the future? Don't be afraid to jump in here with any questions regarding securement HOWEVER we have a much smaller community than you may find on Facebook or Reddit if you're into those groups. Overall I feel the information and advice provided in this forum are better, but with our smaller community it may take longer to get a response which isn't necessarily a good thing when trying to secure a load.

Have you looked at this thread about the Variety of freight our members have hauled? Don't be afraid to jump in!

What else will you do on your own time? Will you use your fuel card on your own time?

When you're logged off duty do you do anything work related? Do you scope out the shipper/receiver or read reviews? Do you look at your equipment? When you're broken down on the side of the road are you logged on duty the entire time? Those are work related activities.

Nearly all drivers are guilty of log falsification to an extent. Go to any large DC and you'll see drivers going the 2 mph crawl to stay off duty. Log the way you feel comfortable as you're ultimately responsible. My employer calls me daily while I'm off duty to choose my route for the following day. That's work related, yet DOT doesn't require us to log it on duty.

When I go to my primary doctor my blood pressure is good. However when I go for my DOT Physical it's frequently on the edge of what's acceptable. In the event it comes back too high they'll have you lay down for roughly 5 minutes with the lights off to relax. Unless it is very high you may be given either a 1 year card or a one time 3 month card.

I have sleep apnea and use CPAP so I'm stuck with yearly physicals but I still get anxious knowing that I may be told I can't drive anymore. Speaking of which, if you're a bigger guy you may get forced to do a sleep study for sleep apnea. Many doctors (and companies) screen drivers due to BMI or neck size. My advice is just relax. Worst case scenario you're told you need to get blood pressure meds to lower it which would be very beneficial for your health if your BP is too high.

Is there any particular reason you don't want to see their doctor? Sleep apnea concerns maybe? I'm genuinely curious why you would rather pay for a physical than have your employer cover the costs. Some doctors are more lenient or more strict when it comes to testing for sleep apnea that's why I ask. In my area there's a few doctors that have a reputation for being lenient which is likely why my employer sends me to the doctor of THEIR choice.

I can't pinpoint any specific regulations but it's basically industry standard at large companies. Most companies provide a new DOT physical during orientation regardless of how much your previous card has left. Yes, it can be irritating waiting for the office to setup an appt but you're still saving $100 or so.

Hard to believe I went over 6 years driving truck, starting my day between midnight and 2am, and got a deer 2 months ago when I initially posted this. Well, this morning I got a two-fer. I was headed down I35 once again heading to Lawrence KS. I'd just went under the bridge for exit 48 in Missouri when I nailed another one. This time I hit it centered and boy did it make a huge mess. When I pulled over at the next exit to inspect my equipment I noticed an unborn fawn that was ripped from mama resting next to mama's intestines lodged in my grill. Absolutely disgusting so I'll spare you guys the pictures. Entire underbody on my tractor and trailer are covered, ACC sensors busted along with my fog lights. I'd just got my truck out of the shop before leaving for new steers (wearing uneven on outer edge, unsure if related to last deer strike) worst part was I still had an hour and half drive to get to Lawrence then drive back 4 hours after getting my backhaul in Topeka and due to the ACC system being smashed to crap I had no cruise! Company policy is a drug test for anything over $1,000 damage regardless of fault so I'm sure I'll be asked to provide a sample after our shop looks at it.

Once again I needed to fill out an accident/incident report per company policy. I stated that "At approximately 3:17AM deer failed to yield right-of-way. We made contact in the center of my truck resulting in damage to the ACC system as well as fog light assembly."

If only these dang deer would learn to cross the bridge so generously provided, or the DOT stop placing the deer crossing signs in high traffic areas such as the interstate we could improve safety on our roads!

Brett out of curiosity what is your first hand experience with being a union member. I understand your families past but were you personally a member. If so, was it trucking and for how long?

I'm pretty sure all the trucks that are customized are lease ops at Prime.

Hey all I don't mean to get the fire burning again, however I feel the need to apologize. I was wrong to post about another member who has positively contributed to this forum and helped many rookie drivers make it through their first year, along with training new drivers. I allowed my emotion as a parent to get the best of me and for that I apologize. As Brett mentioned we've had members here with a checkered past but we've still learned from each other and our past experiences help educate others that may be facing similar obstacles. Isn't the purpose of our legal system to make one right their wrongs and become a positive member to society? I hope we're able to move forward as a forum and get back to what really matters. I hope that anybody mentioned in this thread is willing to come back and leave all this drama behind. We may never consider each other friends but I hope our passion for getting more safe productive drivers on the road brings us together for a common cause.

Has anybody talked to Packrat? It isn't unreasonable to feel betrayed or upset learning that he lied to many of us. Has anybody taken the time to find out WHY? Is it possible there's more to this than the desire to be dishonest? I had the joy of meeting up with Packrat nearly 4 years ago and enjoyed our meet up. From our brief meeting, and interactions on the forum I don't understand it . It's no secret that our service members have seen and done things that they still struggle to process. There's a reason mental health is such a problem with our veterans. Is it possible that there's more than meets the eye and we could possibly help him see that something isn't right? Many of us have been around here several years. I'd hate to see everybody just write off a friend, or family member, because we may not fully understand what's going on. I would reach out to him, however I've changed phones a couple times and no longer have his number.

I’m looking for local around Buffalo New York, I know it’s gonna be difficult with my last speeding ticket only being two years old so they’ll see the other three, I’ve since learned my lesson, and hope to be hirable at some local job

I did a very brief search on Indeed.com and seen Sysco is hiring drivers that are recent graduates of a truck driving school and no more than 2 moving violations in a rolling 3 year period. You could inquire with them if they have a program to get your CDL. Just keep in mind Sysco is very labor intensive and the risk of accidents is quite high due to the areas you'll be expected to get your truck.

Also seen HD Supply is hiring for delivery drivers that do not require a CDL. That may be an option as well, though that experience probably wont count as experience when going for a Class A job.