Comments By Maestro

Hey Trucking Friends,

It's been a while...last week, I was looking to park a trailer and I did not compensate for the distance of my trailer to another trailer in this lot and I ended up hitting it.

The company I work with gave me 3 points on my safety record (making 7 points in total now) and they have decided to suspend me for 3 days with no pay. I will work today and Friday only.

I own the incident...learn from it and will move on, by God's grace.

These three days will allow me to reflect, reset, and renew.

This setback is a set-up for a comeback.

Question of the Experienced Truckers:

If you could go back in time and speak to your younger self (your first year in trucking), what advice and/tips would you share with yourself to make the process easier for you?

Yep. Quite often, the people in the office miss the entire Forrest, while looking at the itty bitty line tree sprout.

We get weekly messages that as a fleet our idle time is too high. Don't freeze or sweat to death but don't idle needlessly (such as while we're in the store we're delivering to). Then you look at their routing and it's so idiotic its wasting far more fuel and money than idling. It's not uncommon for the routing system to send someone out of route over 50 miles to deliver a couple cases despite someone being closer because it would exceed the parameters they set for cubic feet. You can't tell me that load is too big it can't fit an extra couple cases. Instead we'll waste the fuel to drive there, an additional $32 to the driver for the stop on top of 57.2 cpm, just to deliver a couple cases. Just last week we had a driver delivering to his last store in the same town as one of our loads was picking up but he didn't pick it up. Instead he picked up a load in Des Moines and they sent a different driver 100 miles to pickup that load not even a mile from the other drivers store. I gave up telling dispatch as I was frequently told " that's how the system routed it so we'll leave it be". Needless to say I don't take the anti-idle texts seriously but will still do my part to avoid wasting fuel.

The video said that one way to avoid violence was to avoid going to unfamiliar places.

Guidance like that is great for people that work in the office. With out job its not practical. Back when everyone shut down for Covid my (local) company created a policy if you travel out of state you must quarantine for 2 weeks before you can return to work. It played a role in why I didn't attend my grandfather's funeral in southwest Minnesota. The kicker? We deliver loads every day in that same area. It's safe for me to deliver to your stores and deal with the general public in those areas but not interact with my immediate family in an enforced social distanced funeral limited to 10 people. Seriously, Minnesota was so strict with Covid protocols my family that did attend the funeral was not allowed within 6 feet of each other while in the church for the service.

Sorry to read this and I hope things will get better for you.

My company has monthly safety training we have to complete if we want to get our monthly bonus.

This month was discussing workplace violence. The video said that one way to avoid violence was to avoid going to unfamiliar places.

My job is 99% going to unfamiliar places lol

Sadly there are some docks you can't see with Google street view...I experienced that last week.

You may want to try using Google Earth to see if that offers a solution.

I did...no dice. :(

A successful backing maneuver is one in which the truck and trailer are where you intended and needed it to be, with zero equipment damage. Period.

Naenae couldn’t have said it better my self. Awareness of surroundings, GOAL as much as needed and more. Patience. I’m training new cdl holders in backing a 10 ft spread axle in an extended kenworth. Davey uses one of tricks I do which is always look at the location in Google maps and street view. You can get a lot of information from that.

Sadly there are some docks you can't see with Google street view...I experienced that last week.

This is so true. I’ve posted this idea before, but it bears repeating.

When I first started, I carried with me two small safety cones. When I had the time and plenty of space at a customer’s yard or truck stop, I would use the cones to create a space to back in to. Then I could practice setting up for the backing maneuver and if I missed, the only thing run over were the cones. I really learned a lot by using this practice technique.

Fantastic idea!

Definitely plus one for setup. The thought process of Ill fix a bad setup with maneuvering is a fail most of the time and at a minimum is risky. I dont have to be married to a bad setup.

Situations that allow only one attempt at a setup need to be well planned out ahead of time. I personally do it during my trip planning before I ever release the brakes. There is no subsitute for pre planning. Lots of street view and sat imaging recon. Especially if its somewhere Ive never been before. Ill go into it knowing the following: Route in, setup, type of back(s), waiting area, egress (exit plans) and alternative routes in and out and if possible how to come back around if I miss the setup.

I will take this advice for sure...I think calling the supplier is the key because the last dock I went to had so many danger zones (e.g. parked cars near the dock, poles, a telephone pole near the dock). I went into the situation blind. Sadly, Google Earth could not show the dock.

Hey Friends,

Backing is a skill that constantly needs to be refined. Since I'm a new driver, what backing tips have you learned that have helped you to improve?

Some of the things I have learned thus far in this journey (mostly learned from the YouTube Channel "Advanced Truck Backing") and not in order:

1) The Offset Law. 2) Strive for the following: Tires, Sides, and Tractor, and make each parallel to the dock. 3) Assess the situation before starting. 4) Watch out for the danger zone. 5) Find out where is my dock. 6) Use Google Earth to look at the dock (this is not always a guarantee).

Other tips I have learned from others or articles I have read:

1) Be brave enough to ask employees to move their cars if the dock is tight. 2) Ask the supplier what is the best way to back into the dock. 3) Use all the space...yes, ALL THE SPACE AVAILABLE.

How about you?

Sounds like you made the right choice.

@RealDiehl

Thanks, Chief...I thought my decision was weak sauce yet now I realized this was the optimum choice.

@NaeNaeInNC

I know the feeling! I had many close calls since trucking!