Comments By Kenneth L.

I think some pressure or incentive for shippers and receivers to put in facilities (restrooms/vending machines) and allow overnight parking for trucks that are doing business there would alleviate some of the excessive trucks trying to find a parking space. It would help lower the cost of shipping if they would do this too by allowing us to "camp on their doorstep" for better clock control. Like right now, I'm taking up a spot at a truck stop because the shipper doesn't allow overnight parking. WHY For God's Sake??? They got a big enough parking lot to accommodate it.

Some govment pressure seems to be in order here.

The CB is a great tool and a can be a nice entertainment device too. Done lost count on how many times it helped me get through situations or problem areas. A few days ago I-76 was closed (east and west) because of a truck accident that managed to close BOTH sides. They were getting everybody off and onto US-30. There was a little bit of confusion as a lot of trucks were pulling off the road in some PA town trying to "find a path" going west. CB chat was wild. But some useful advice eventually comes through.

We started out following a FedEx truck pulling doubles, but he kept going straight when the GPS recommended an exit. Me being stupid, listened to the GPS instead of the nice FedEx driver on the CB took the exit, along with about 10 other trucks right behind me. We all took the scenic mountain pass. The one that goes up to about 3500 feet over some mountains and around the bends. Some hills were 6th gear or lower. One poor soul even missed a gear and had to granny up one of those inclines (according to the CB conversation).

GPS said our route was shorter/quicker (but only if you CAN do the speed limits, which most times you can't in a truck going up or down and around those hair pin turns). FedEx was driving from experience, and I say him again on 76 on overpass we were about to pass under, so we got to chat some more for a few miles. He said we get another chance to get back on 76 about 6 miles down the road, but was more like 10 miles. The next town was a real cluster-f... too. Bumper to bumper and stop and go and crawl 20 feet at a time. Pretty day though and we all joked about the big set of tits that rolled by in a convertible. Day dreaming about what it would be like getting in the middle of those. Cracking jokes and getting lost in the moment is a nice break from the lemons that life through at us. But having a CB allowed a few of us to make lemonade.

Even about a week or so ago, I followed another company driver into Memphis and we had a nice conversation for what must have been about a hundred miles. 2 hours of driving passed in what seems like 30 minutes. We talked a little about everything it seemed.

You just have to get over that stage fright and just chat. Sometimes you get some snob that's got a weird outlooks on just about everything and think that everybody's world needs to be a bleak as theirs. They will interrupt your conversation to add some bleak to the environment. Just ignore those and keep chatting with the more pleasant folks. Most truckers that just lurk on the CB and never talk still want to hear ANYTHING that breaks the day's hum-drum. When I hear other folks talking about whatever and mostly it's not even truck related (pets, wives, money, fishing, whatever), I enjoy just listening. And sometimes you even hear those "no-****ters" that just are on the absolute edge of believability, they are still fun to listen to if the story teller has a talent for telling stories. And some are really good at it. When you hear them, you don't care if it's true or not, just enjoy the story. Next thing you know, 50 miles have gone by.

3. Coming up to a bridge that is posted at 13' 4".

This happened to me yesterday in Newark, Jew Jersey. Here's how the circumstances unfolded...

Sent to airport in Newark to get a FedEx load. For those that don't know, it is very convoluted in getting to the working side of that airport. Lots of spaghetti roads in and out, of everything, just crazy I tell ya. Anyway, I figured I'd be smart and navigate my way to a place that was listed as a travel center and even called a "truck stop" about 1.2 miles south of that airport. This way I could stop and examine the google satellite maps and plan my route in detail to get in and out of that airport.

So, I GPS my way into that "truck stop" that wasn't a truck stop at all. It was just friggin gas station with no room to even turn around if you were to pull into it. When I saw this "situation" at the next light, I had already programmed in a GPS coordinate for the FedEx yard I needed to go to at the airport. Even though I had no real detail plan in getting in and out. I had to rely on the GPS at this point. Time of day 15:45. Just almost rush hour with ppl wanting to get off work. So time is pressured in as a default.

Well GPS says to go this way and that and guess what? I pass a sign that says overpass is 13' 4". Oh crap, gotta do something. This is a busy road too. So just up alongside the overpass I see a road to the right the parallels the interstate(?) which I needed to pass under. Well, I decided to take it to get off this busy road. Interstate on my left and companies with container trailers and containers on my right. But their yard is FULL and no room to even go in and do a U turn. This is a two lane road with cars parked on the street on BOTH sides next to the curbs.

So I decide to just go down the street a bit and see what around the curve ahead and see if there might be another place to do a U turn. Well, the curve goes under another overpass that this time is posted at 12' 10". Well, isn't that just lovely. The challenges are coming now.

And I remember my training... "DON'T PANIC !"

Stay calm and think this through. Put on 4 way flashers so the traffic behind me will know that there is a dumb truck driver on the road and is obviously from some other state and don't know crap about this town.

Sit there and think of a solution.... Going forward is not going to happen and going any further into that left hand curve is only going to complicate matters. Backing up is the only option. So, back slowly and try to stay in MY lane so that at least the traffic can by and not clog the entire area with cars that would only complicate the problem until somebody calls the police or at least a used car salesman. DO NOT hit any cars, even though backing will be within only a couple feet from the cars on my right. Backing was only about a 1/4 mile btw and only slightly curved at that point.

As I backed I was looking for any place that might allow me to back the trailer into and get going the other way. But nothing was found. I had to pull forward a few times to open enough room for the traffic to get by (both directions swapping turns). Finally I got back to overpass #1 and noticed a leader road that yields to the 4 lane that I had just got off of. So with some tight and close tandem positioning, I backed onto that leader road and then pulled forward turning right towards the 4 lane so I could take a left and get the hell out of there. Yes my tandems had to cross a little grass after climbing the curb a bit, but I was empty so, no harm done (and no signs bent over either).

Managed to get to FedEx (on time) and get my load. After driving out of town for while I realized, that even though crap like that happens. It was no big deal. It was more fear in my head of things like that than real problem. It was a problem yes, but not an un-solvable problem. And I thought I handled it quite well for being "a clueless new driver from out of town". People make mistakes. And the electronics makes even MORE mistakes.

Don't panic. Think things through. Don't be afraid to ask for help if needed. Don't worry about what other people think of you. Take your time and fix the problem. Soon, you will be on your way and you will be a little smarter and confident than before.

I'm really too new to offer any really useful advice but I'll share what I think (so far).

Delay at shippers or worse receivers (consignees) is really not that important to me anymore. Those are just problems that you allowing to get into your head. If you are on a schedule of say getting home every weekend, then yes, I can see that being a problem. Because you wouldn't be using your available time to its max benefit. But me being on OTR driver that is running on recapped hours every weak, these delays don't bother me much. It just means I get to take a longer nap. The hours I don't drive today are simply hours that I will have tomorrow or the next day.

Right now, I'm sitting at a truck stop cause my 70 is showing 34 minutes remaining. Does it matter if a receiver takes an extra 4 hours to get it unloaded? Not really because of my limited time on my 70. Now the key is to stay off duty as best you can. Take a nap while they are loading/unloading. Sleeper time is your friend. Go on duty when they wake you to hand you your bill of lading. Get away from the dock, and do your quick PTI and boogy on down the road.

Which all this brings up another question I was wondering... For OTR drivers that stay out extended periods of time, is it better to get a 34 hour reset in once the 70 gets low, or just run off recaps like I've been doing? To me it seems to be wash. Last week I got in over 2900 miles running recaps.

During my school, we all had plenty of PTI practicing and plenty of backing practice. We had done so much practice backing that we students decided ourselves that we need to let some of the others that didn't have it down pat yet to take some of our turns.

But let me say this about backing...

I did really well in school backing and tested with a perfect score in backing. I could do an ally dock perfect with 0 pull ups. Then when you get out on the road with your own truck, you somehow tend to lose that awesome knowhow. For some reason, the it just doesn't go in the hole like you think it should. You now need a few extra pull-ups even in a straight back. It seems to come and go, I did do a perfect ally dock yesterday with 0 pull-ups and it was a non-stop back. But that was the first in a long time.

It just seams that the trailer is never quite square as I want it with the dock or it needs walked over about 2 inches for my liking. Maybe, I'm just getting picky about the quality of my work.

I've heard that there is good money in it, but you may have to run illegal to make it all work out right.

Like, speeding, improper lane usage, tailgating, running stop signs, cutting off other vehicles, passing in pass zones, falsifying logs. Just to name a few.

No, I've never been asked to drive when I'm tired.

I have drove when I wasn't at my best. It was because of driving in the day, then a day or so later having to drive at night. The constant shifting of the sleep schedule. One day I was tired and took some time while driving to recalculate how much extra time I had on that load. Turned out I had 2.25 hours extra. So I pulled in at a rest area and got me 1.5 hours of nap in.

I try to get there as early as possible, but safety had priority that night (or was it day? can't remember).

When I say I'm gonna do a job, I try my best to get that job done. Provided the electronic HOS allows it.

And right this very minute, Tyson is letting the hour glass drain, and drain, and drain. Oh well, guess I'll be making up the miles,... tomorrow.

Someone told me that CRST = Caution Releasing **** Truck

He told me they had some team drivers cut a hold in the floor so they could **** whilst going down the road. One day I was following one and for sure I smelled urine after a few miles. I got out from behind that basstard.

On just about any given day, I see several police cars (bears) having some 4 wheeler pulled over. Yesterday I see one had a simi-truck pulled over. That was the only one in about 2 month's that I've seen. I wouldn't use that experience as a given, but it is only one statistic you might use.

You are allowed to have only 1 driver's license.

Doesn't matter what vehicle you are in, any violations apply to your current license.