Profile For Rob T.

Anytime someone seems to be doing something not considered normal like following you is a little unnerving. I've had vehicles that catch up to me quickly then just sit behind me for 10 minutes. I just keep doing my thing, watch my mirrors more, etc. In certain areas cargo theft is an issue. When covid lockdowns caused store shelves to go bare we were frequently told to call police if we have the slightest inclination of something being wrong. It's not fast and furious type thing where they're going to hijack your load with 3 Honda civics with spoon engines. You're far more likely to run into issues when you're stopped and someone can get into your trailer without you noticing at that time. Heck, even jumping into your truck while you're opening your doors wouldn't be too difficult. When I did food service we had quite a few key stops (customer gives us a key to unload before anyone's there). Anytime somebody was around my guard went up. Several times I was asked by some random person if they could go inside to warm up, watch TV etc. Anytime there was a car in the lot (even if nobodies in it) I was even more on guard. Always listen to your gut instinct.

Funny story at PFG management was notorious for getting a rental car and following drivers to watch them work, almost like they're trying to catch you breaking rules. One day our shuttle drivers told us he overheard at the DC that one of our supervisors was taking a rental out our way. One of our drivers called the police knowing full well it was a supervisor and said there's a car that's been trailing him and watching him. About an hour later I got a call from the supervisor asking my location to catch up since he's in town.

what are the most challenging scenarios for truck driving in the dark night and harsh weather?

The biggest issue I have is headlights of other vehicles that are excessively bright. That could be using aftermarket lights (especially light bars), out of alignment, or just running with their brights on regardless of traffic. Harsh weather people driving without lights and the lines on the road being more difficult to see in some states.

Do you think the drowsy/distracted driver detection systems infringement your privacy?

The only drowsy / distracted system I can think of our trucks having is lane departure warning. It does not infringe on my privacy. I like being able to disable it in construction zones where it would otherwise pick up old lines. I also feel it's TOO easy to turn off though with the amount of traffic on the road that drives distracted.

Two lingering questions remain and thankyou everybody for helping out, with a CDL driving an RV, how does HOS fit in or does it, and on the alcohol trace amount, does it apply with a CDL driving a personal vehicle?

My understanding from when I asked the DOT a couple months back about alcohol, if you're operating a vehicle that requires a certain license you're bound by those rules while operating that vehicle. So driving the rv/ bus you'd be regulated the same for both HOS and alcohol especially since FL doesn't have a non commercial class A. If you were to buy a smaller bus (under 26k gvwr)and pull a trailer less than 10k no CDL would be required.

a. Am I required to have DOT Medical card?

If you're required to have a CDL (due to weight of 26k) yes.

Do I need to be part of a random drug testing program? (I don't do drugs)

I don't think you would as you're not being employed and it's not for hire. You wouldn't have DOT numbers or anything.

Is there zero tolerance for alcohol when driving a RV? (I have had 2 drinks in last 6 months, I'm not much of a drinker)Do HOS rules and record keeping apply with a RV and a required Class A?

If CDL is required you're bound to the same regs in regards to alcohol (confirmed by DOT a couple months ago) while operating that vehicle, such as trace being out of service and .04 DUI

e. Is a Class A required RV required to have annual DOT inspections? f. Do I have to do a daily walk around pretrip inspection?

Not entirely sure on these. I would highly recommend reaching out to the DOT for your state and getting a concrete answer. They will be able to make sure you're operating legal. I've reached out to the DOT (Motor Vehicle Enforcement Officers) for Iowa on Facebook for clarification. I'm not sure if Florida has similar, but a phone call or visit into the scalehouse will work as well.

I had some time this afternoon and checked several state drivers manuals. Of those I checked (Iowa, Missouri,Ohio, Indiana) all support what Ryan said, that if you're in the only turn lane going left you take the left most lane to finish your turn. After it's safe to do so you can then move into the right lane. California does things different (who would've thought!)

So if you're taking your test for your CDL you likely want to finish your left turn in the left most lane. In the real world, most drivers will get straight into the right lane.

From the California DMV

It shows in the example BK provided either lane is acceptable. In that case, I would take the right lane immediately. If I was needing to turn left shortly after getting on the new road I would watch my tandems to clear the intersection and move the tractor back over before anybody can squeeze around me. Right turns you're always expected to finish your turn in the right lane even though you'll need to use the left lane to clear the curb. Once you're clear of the curb bring the tractor back over.

Chris this really is one thing that your instructors would be the best to ask, theyll know what your particular state expects. You're also likely to drive the test route to prepare you. In the real world most drivers would immediately get in the right lane for an intersection that BK mentioned. One thing you'll find after you have your CDL is that there's many things that are done differently in real world situations VS what the schools/DMV expect for testing.

Even though I'm overall happy with my job I still periodically take a look around at jobs out there. Obviously with the current state of the economy it'd be a terrible time to change jobs anyways. Most of the LTL carriers in the area are still hiring for both linehaul and city drivers. It blows my mind to see that given the info we've heard from our LTL members here on TT. On the other hand maybe they're not actually hiring and just getting a pool of candidates for when things eventually pick back up. I'm sure they're going to lose many drivers during this slowdown that can't weather the storm financially.

I remember reading so much from you while I was kickin the tires to see if this industry would be a good match for me. Glad to hear things are working out for you.

I don't believe there's a law for it but as Brett pointed out it's just the best way to handle it every time. Where I run there's several intersections that have 2 left turn lanes turning onto road with 3 lanes going the same direction. They add lines in the intersection to show the leftmost turn lane getting the left 2 lanes, and the outer (rightmost) turn lane moving all the way to the outside lane when turning. There's room to use the leftmost turn lane but I still use the rightmost lane. I just feel it's safer. As it is we always take the outside lane anyways, but in this situation you never know what other vehicles are going to do. Even though I wouldn't be in the wrong if I took the inside turn lane and turned into the middle lane in the intersections I'm talking about I'd rather avoid any potential issue with other vehicles. It's easier to just stay outside to ensure you have all the room you need than go inside and have less room and unable to see a car on your blindside to know if they're actually going to the outside lane or cutting it into the middle lane which is designed for you at this intersection. Even if someone else messes up you still need to deal with paperwork, drug tests, meeting with safety, and possibly a lengthy investigation depending on the severity. I'd rather just take the outside lane than risk all that.

Mountain Matt is the one who did it but he didn't elaborate too much on the process if I recall correctly. Doing a quick search the south dakota website says you need to at a minimum provide a receipt showing you stayed atleast 1 night a year in a hotel or campground. There's virtual mailing services such as www.yourbestaddress.com that will give you a SD address to use for your mail. That is only 1 of many similar services that popped up, I'm not familiar with them so I can not tell you if they're good or bad. DMV website says virtual mailboxes like that will not work but I'm unsure how they'd know. Also, I can not find if South Dakota prints out your plastic license card in person when you show up or if they're one of the states that mail it out to you a few weeks later.