Profile For andhe78

I'm local in one the cities of totality. Took that Monday and Tuesday off months ago-they are talking millions of tourists, want nothing to do with that kind of traffic. Gonna be a fun day with the boy.

I hand deliver them to our billing department.

I'm a local driver in Buffalo, you'll find something. You've got some hurdles though-tickets, inexperience, and wanting a day shift-the tickets thing being the biggest problem. What school are you through? I'd talk to your teachers, I'm sure they've seen guys in your same situation, they're from the area, I'm sure they have a contact or two with some local outfits or even outfits that just don't advertise. I've personally seen brand new cdl drivers get local positions thanks in part to a glowing recommendation from their instructors-it's a way to help crack the door open. The dirty secret in local work is that while most companies prefer years of experience, if it comes to losing a contract or work due to a lack of drivers, they will take a brand new driver. I've personally seen that too-companies that advertise wanting five years experience but will take a new driver when push comes to shove. There are problems there though too-these types of outfits are not set up to train, so you will be thrown in the deep end and expected to figure it out.

I've got no hot leads for you-I know local outfits that hire new drivers but want no tickets, and I know local outfits that hire with tickets but want years of experience. Just don't know of any that will do both off the top of my head. My advice, you look bad on paper, so do everything you can to look good. Get all your endorsements, get twic and hazmat. Get your enhanced license to cross the border (quite a bit of local Buffalo work crosses the Canadian border.) Learn on a manual- many of the local fleets are not auto and probably won't be for years. Work as hard as you can in school so you can impress the heck out of your driving test interviewers. You may end up with a job that doesn't require any of these things, but can't hurt. And then, just apply EVERYWHERE! Drive around kenmore, tonawanda, niagara falls, etc., looking for companies with "hiring driver" signs out, look for signs on the back of trailers pulled by daycabs around the city and apply. Be prepared to be told no hundreds of times, but all you need is the right company looking for someone at the right time-it'll happen.

Those first two pictures-are trailers taller in Europe? (assuming that's where they are.) Both of those bridges are listed over 13'6".

We deliver fuel to a truck stop right next to an amazon distribution center-there's always dozens of owner/op box trucks swarming the area.

Divorce him. Sue for child support. Move on.

Seriously, he’s not mature enough to man up and be a father, won’t help financially, and literally ran away from his responsibilities. You’re not going to get him into couples therapy, he’s got it good right now. And I’m not ragging on otr guys who are fathers, I’m friends with several who do it as the sole breadwinner of the family. I’m coming at this as a driver who after almost twenty years of being told we couldn’t have kids, surprisingly became a father two years ago. It takes sacrifices your man obviously is not willing to make. For example, just two months ago I turned down a dedicated, regional, otr position (I’m talking a job most otr drivers would kill for-weekends off, hourly with overtime, guaranteed six figures, brand new truck and trailer, no touch.) But it required spending four nights on the road, and evenings with my son is more important to me right now, and also helps keep my wife sane. (Before I get ridiculed for turning down a better job, the pay and benefits are the same I have now, I just work harder for it.)

Also, can anyone even buy a new truck without ACC and collision protection? I have my doubts

You still can. My company just bought 100 trucks without any of that, not even a hole in the front bumper for the sensor. Feels weird driving them after years with the full safety suite.

I have a question for any driver out there. Do any of you use a Teflon disc for lubrication like we do on our 5th wheel rv trailer? We have seen them advertised but we have not seen one in operation anywhere. I would think that they would not hold up long because of the weight on the 5th wheel. Thanks for any replies as I am just curious.

All our trucks run Holland fifth wheels with the teflon plate inserts. Most of our rigs stay hooked so they hold up well, even considering that our New York fleets run grossed at either 107k or 117k. The real issue you have to watch for is the plates sit down in a shallow channel on the fifth wheel, and if you happen to lose one, the trailer pivoting will grind the edge of that channel right down, ruining the fifth wheel in less than a hundred miles.

I have seen some slick plates on flatbed trailers, drivers seemed to like them.

Ah, I gotcha. I'm sorry, but what is the rack?

Loading rack. For fuel haulers, it's where petroleum products are loaded onto trucks. There are top loading and bottom loading racks, and we load at racks located at refineries, tank farms, ports, and rail yards.

I didn't know they had that knick name...

It's a nickname given by fuel haulers to themselves to make them seem tough for doing a dangerous job. Use it at the rack, and you'll be laughed out of the county. About as bad as "tanker yanker."