Comments By Bill M.

Good to know. Thanks, RealDeihl. They built roads faster in the 1950s than they do today.

All kidding aside. A temporary road surface as some have suggested sounds logical. The road being shutdown is obviously a major disruption to the supply chain. There is huge financial incentive to reopen it as quickly as possible. Let those wheels roll.

We've had a couple of drivers hit with 6-10 and +15 as well. I'm with PackRat; we know what's coming, just back it down and do the speed. You'll be out of the zone before you know it. And, I don't mind being the one in the way in construction zones either.

Just on Tuesday on the Ohio turnpike, a driver came flying by at what I estimate was at least 70 in a 50. Two miles later he was sitting on the side of the road with a car that had some red and blue flashy things on its roof sitting right behind him. I gave a couple of short brief tugs on the big horn as I went by.

It seems more locations are using the cameras to catch speeders on construction zones. As I understand it, the citation is mailed to the specific company and then the company deals with the specific driver. Is that correct? We are getting more frequent fleet messages about this issue as about 4 of our drivers have been let go recently for speeding citations of 15 mph or more.

When approaching a reduced speed construction zone, sometimes the sign is pretty abrupt in relation to the actual point of the construction zone. Normally, I like to get off the cruise or pedal as soon as I see the sign and then coast to the posted speed. But should a driver get on the brakes immediately upon seeing the sign? Should the driver just use the jake brake? Unless the truck is on a downgrade, Is coasting down to the proper speed ok to do? Just how paranoid are you other drivers about these construction zone speed limits, especially the ones that say “speed is photo enforced”?

Another reason I bring this up is that there are so many construction zones set up this year.

We are brothers! hahaha

I am at the posted reduced speed when I reach the sign, not slowing down when I see the sign. I begin slowing a half mile beforehand. I do not mind "being in the way" through these construction areas. Slower is safer and no tickets.

Welcome, Nate!

Many people who started were a bit fearful when they began trucking. These trucks are big and heavy. A little fear about driving a semi-truck is a good and natural thing for people with a conscience.

If used correctly, fear will motivate a person to do a lot of things they thought they couldn't do. You expressed a fear of hurting someone else. This is something many of us feared at first. I know I did and still do. But, what used to be a little bit of fear has turned into a lot of confidence in my ability to handle my truck in traffic. I always err on the side of caution when I'm driving. For instance, traffic merging in from my right lane to the left is open but a fast-moving vehicle approaches from behind in that lane. I slow down and allow the traffic to merge onto the highway. Why, because I can reasonably assume the person speeding in the left lane will always make a second riskier decision such as speed up and try to squeeze by on the left or immediately swerve and try to go around me on my right which would put it on a collision course with the merging traffic.

Also, you mentioned that you are determined to overcome this fear. That's the motivation part. Once you get the training you need and start driving, you will feel more comfortable about it. At first glance, I'd say your attitude and approach toward trucking show that you already have tremendous respect for trucks and the awesome responsibility it is to drive one. That alone suggests your decision-making will be on the cautious side.

I speak for nobody else but myself, the road would be a safer place if there were more drivers with a healthy respect for the damage they can do with a truck.

Best of luck to you!

Congratulations to you!

That's amazing. It sounds like it was fun. Congratulations!!

Ryan,

We have about 50 new 2023 Cascadia's in our fleet. I've heard all kinds of things about them breaking down. A couple of months ago when I was transferring my gear to a new to me truck, I was told I would be getting a new 2023. I told them I already moved my things into the truck they told me to move into and didn't feel like moving out of it. The guy who got the 2023 is a friend of mine. He called me the next day and told me he was broken down 30 miles from where he picked it up. The water pump blew.

2023 Freightliner Cascadia with 25,847 miles. Yesterday when doing my pre-trip, before heading to my next pick up location, I spotted clear evidence of the hub oil seal on my right steer leaking. The left looks like it may be leaking, but the evidence is not as clear. I am at a TA waiting in line for service.(Hopefully the 7-8 hour window given doesn't become 10-11 hours.) Anyway, there is no sign of damage to the wheel hubs to cause them to leak. With less than 26K miles, it seems to me that this is pretty early in the truck's life for this to be a problem. I know that hitting curbs is one reason the hubs seals could be leaking. What are other reasons for a relatively new truck to be having this issue?

It is slooooow. I volunteered to stay home and fish for a month. To-date, no response.

Do you have a date when you are scheduled to return to work? Props to you for being able to manage furlough well. Not sure that I would.

I first went on furlough the first week of March. I think at this point, it'll be difficult to get back on the trucking grind.

If they offer another furlough (very real possibility based on freight levels), I might take it again, even though I won't be eligible for unemployment anymore. I'm enjoying the warm weather and money isn't an issue, so I'll decide as August approaches and I know more.

Haha. No, I wasn't mad. I was smiling and courteous as usual. The girl who kept ignoring me, I think, was the person who was not checking her emails or would have seen tge broker trying to contact her about the load. I wouldn't want to be on her end of the conversation with the manager.

I was paid for the miles and the detention. All good there.

However, that started a 3-week avalanche of one challenging situation after another. It was the most difficult three weeks of trucking I've ever had to endure. I had more setbacks during that period than I did the previous 13 months of trucking. Every day, by chance, I picked up a trailer that needed DOT inspected, repaired, or both. Every day a new load change aftwr receiving the assignment. It was worse than hell week for me but lasted three weeks. I just kept rolling with the lpunches. 🤣

I was going to write about everything that happened because it was like something out of a novel or movie. Which is why I didn't write about it. LOL.

Anyway, thanks to an awesome support team, we got through it all.

Bill, that’s an insane experience. What is wrong with people like that? How did that end up for you? Did you get paid for your time? I won’t even ask if you were p***ed, I already know the answer to that.

Dang. That stinks.

Speaking of canceled loads. A couple of weeks ago I was picking up a brokered load in KY. I arrived within a 2-hour pickup window time. In other words, on time. As soon as I arrived they started loading me. After about 5 trips in an out of my truck, all movement and sound stopped for about 30 minutes. So, I went inside to use the bathroom and nose around a bit. Forklift operators were all sitting in a circle laughing and joking with each other. The people behind the window just looked at me and kept doing what they were doing and didn't come to the window. The sign said don't knock, so I didn't. About 30 minutes later I asked a woman passing me by if she could check in to see about an update. She said we were all going to lunch until 12:30. I had been there since 10:00.

I said, ok and went back to my truck. At 12:15 I get a call the broker canceled the load. I went back in only to be ignored for another 30 minutes when a lady came out and asked if I was the driver taking "x" load. I said, "Not anymore, it's been canceled." She was shocked and went and got a manager.

They kept me locked in the door until the broker confirmed that the load was canceled. The broker said they cancelled the load because nobody would confirm whether I was there being loaded or not. How about that? I confirm the load the day before. Arrive on time. Update my status as arrived at the shipper. Sit there for almost 3 hours and the broker canceled the load and had them take the product off of my truck.