Comments By Andrew

So I have been researching about the life of a trucker and I can not find much information on safety. I am exmilitary and I am aware I tend to over think it at times, even so I am curious for some tips on the topic in regards too:

-Gun possession (keeping a gun in view or hidden in the cab), possible repercussions. -How safe are truck stops at night, how to be as safe as possible, also tips to limit losses -When parking alone, safety precautions. -Any horror stories anyone would be willing to share that I could learn from. -Any good advice on anything regarding safety in a truckers lifestyle OTR

I've not been over the road (I'm a total newbie) but I can share what I've learned in school. I am former military as well, so I know, some of these things you will totally get. Always secure your keys before leaving your seat for any reason. Never, ever drive out of the stop without doing another pre-trip inspection. Check your gas cap, check your fifth wheel, locking pins, release handle, and be danged sure that your trailer is secured to your tractor. I've heard of stories where nasty people will release the release arm and the trailer falls away from the tractor once the driver has gone down the road. Check your trailer doors to be sure they're securely fastened shut and be sure you don't have any hitchhikers inside. Basically, do a top-notch inspection before you leave the truck stop. Never openly discuss the nature of your load or allow anyone to overhear you discussing it while you're communicating with dispatch etc. You never know who might be very interested in the contents or where you're going. Always use a padlock on your trailer doors whether its empty or full. You don't need hitchhikers, or thieves and keep 'em guessing as to whether it's full or not. If you're leaving the stop and you believe you're being followed, the chances of someone continuing to follow you decrease, the further you go. Remember, you have very large fuel tanks so you could probably drive 350 miles without having to stop whereas smaller vehicles would probably have to stop for more fuel. Just keep going till they give up but if you truly believe you're being followed, the last thing you want to do is pull over. Also check company policy on this kind of situation.

I know you're not going to like this and I know there is quite a debate going on about this but check your FMCSR and company policy on firearms. I don't think it's legal to carry. Other truckers on this forum will know the answer to this but I believe I'm correct. Whether or not you choose to make your own decision on that is none of my business and personally, I wouldn't blame anyone for wanting to protect themselves. I just don't know the true answer and there may also be different interpretations of the law but be very sure you know what those laws are. FMCSR is federal and we are under federal law as CDL drivers, so I believe those laws over-rule state and local laws.

I believe I covered some basics. You will learn more in school and once you go over the road with a trainer. Even during training a couple of weeks ago, an instructor and I stopped for fuel and a short break. Before we left the truck stop, we walked around the tractor trailer, did our tire-thumps, checked the fifth wheel, trailer doors and I swear we checked the gas caps. Sure enough, a few miles down the road, we were stopped at a traffic light and a pedestrian at the light told my instructor that the gas cap on his side was loose. Actually, he thought the guy was a former student too because he called my instructor by name (odd coincidence) but the cap was loose and I know they both were tight because I personally put them on and tightened them when we refueled before that break.

Great information thank you for your time.. I am now looking into FMCSR as well, appreciate that tip

Thanks for the link, very informative and motivating

So I have been researching about the life of a trucker and I can not find much information on safety. I am exmilitary and I am aware I tend to over think it at times, even so I am curious for some tips on the topic in regards too:

• Gun possession (keeping a gun in view or hidden in the cab) possible repercussions.
• How safe are truck stops at night
• How to be as safe as possible
• Tips to limit losses
• When parking alone, safety precautions.
• Any horror stories anyone would be willing to share that I could learn from
• Any good advice on anything regarding safety in a truckers lifestyle OTR

This is a picture of my Tablet that I use as my GPS, it works great and I have other options I can do with it if wanted.

Is it illegal to have that up front?

Been out of the long haul side for almost a year, but this was my set up in my cab..

I mainly only played when I was on a reset or stuck at a terminal/shipper/reciever... The setup worked pretty good, also had a laptop with HDMI out and was able to watch tv shows and movies that I'd get while at home...

It is possible. Some of the truck stops had good wifi in the buildings, out side was hit n miss.

when you hung your tv over the bed did you get a glare on the screen at times from the window on the other side? How big is that screen?

How much data do ya'll use on your smartphone when you teather it for internet hotspot? Hope to be in company orientation in June and starting to think about internet life on the road.... Thanks!

depends on what your using it for

Soft modded original xbox with tons of NES,SNES,Sega, roms.Still play tecmo super bowl 2k14 and RBI baseball 2k14.

My origanl xbox was modded as well! I had put a massive HD in it too for emulators, I found almost every game out there for emulators haha good times

I'm a gamer as well.

Except instead of a tv/xbox I have a laptop, I find it much more comfortable.

I got a pretty good Sony Vaio laptop, love those!

Here are my games:

Skyrim

Oblivion

Age of Empires II, III (with all xpacs)

Age of Mythology

GTA III

GTA San Andreas

GTA Vice City

^ For those moments when 4-wheelers bother the hell out of you all day long, nothing better then going on GTA and smashing them to pieces with a big vehicle!

Fallout: New Vegas

So pretty much a gamer for every mood. Want to temporarily live another life- RPG.. Want to strategize and have to use your brain - AoE.. Feeling violent- GTA.. Want pure fun and maybe gamble.. New Vegas..

Though I hardly ever play its always nice to have them there. Just hard to find the time, but now since I'm a free man again I can get back into them!

The laptop is pretty easy to manage spacewise. Plus it does a whole lot more than an xbox. For internet, I connect my Iphone to my laptop and use Hotspot from my phone.

Hope this helps with your thoughts.

/dance

Skyrim and Oblivion are great games, bethesda studios is one of my favorites.. Ihopped on that seris with morrowind... Age of empires is an ok game, good series all n all.. GTA is one of the best series of all time.. Fall out was really good too, I liked the story line of an apocalypse and trying to survive..

I didnt know what a Tuner Card was until you just mentioned it and i looked it up on wiki.. How much would you say it was worth to you? like is it worth the price.. also do they all allow you to record? and how is the signal quality? does it only catch digital?

Also there is a bigger portable gaming system with a 19" screen but its double the price