Profile For G-Town

Navypop-pop wrote:

Rob D,

PackRat is correct! It didn't matter if the driver had to deal with law enforcement or not. There was a potential serious situation that could have had the potential for harm or death to someone else on the highway. Hell it could have been one of your family members.

The driver was unaware of this I'm sure but to ignore it after you tried all the normal ways you should have made the phone call. I'm certain that the driver would have been thankful for alerting him in any way necessary.

Totally agree; 911 is the call. And warning others of the potential hazard. We gotta look out for each other.

Pack Rat tells it like it is...

Getting in the zone and got it done is not going to cut it behind the wheel of a semi. You're an accident waiting to happen.

Do you get car sick whenever someone else drives? That's going to be a significant problem in an actual truck. Not all companies have simulators for training.

The zone... interesting concept. I’ve never been in the zone when driving, at least not the zone I’m in when listening to or playing music. At the end of a 12-14 hour shift I am mentally whipped, and physically beat. Any zone I’ve ever been “in” does not leave me in that state.

Safely operating a semi requires the ability to stay focused, scanning mirrors/the road ahead as if in unison, anticipate potential risks, make constant corrections, all the while maintaining a level head and resisting the male tendency for aggressive behavior. Situational awareness is required 100% of the time and required to stay out of trouble and safe. Does that sound like a zone?

I could go on...but point made. This cannot be compared to anything, I mean anything you’ve experienced thus far. Forget what you know...and worrying about the potential of motion sickness in the simulator? Minor in comparison to the true challenges that lie ahead.

Get to know these links:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Good luck.

I've emailed Old School recently, and he's written two articles for us. We will publish one today, one early next week.

He goes in for surgery tomorrow, Friday, Nov 19th, so we won't be hearing from him for a bit.

No one knows what the future holds for Old School, but we wish him the best and we're praying for this to go well. We hope to see him stay a regular around here for years to come!

Amen. He is one tough son-o***un! Good luck OS. In my thoughts and prayers Brother.

Old School shares his wisdom and observations...

I sometimes refer to the trucking career as "the great equalizer." All I mean by that is that there are no preferences for younger people or specific nationalities. The Trucking career is as diverse as it is intriguing. You will find all kinds of people out here enjoying this career. I have met former business owners, people who had previous professional careers such as attorneys and dentists, and I have seen almost as many nationalities of people driving trucks as there are nations in the world.

The above is so true...100%. One of my best friends at the Walmart DC I’m assigned to is a retired engineer involved in the initial design of the US cellular network. And BTW he is 72.

I began my second career at age 54. I’m 61 now and no intention of looking back.

Take a good look at the links Anne sent you. Best of luck.

As I was pretripping a Reefer to drop at Mauser’s Potato farm; I snapped this sunset photo Monday night at the 7030 DC. A snow squall just passed through.

As a reference point this is the wet side of the DC, facing the long line of empty reefers preset for loading.

Chris I usually stop for a coffee on my way back North at one of three places;

Rutters in Hamburg 61 south off of I-78. (Preferred) Loves in Shartlesburg PA Off I-78 Loves in Jonestown Pa; exit 92 of I-81. Occasionally the Pilot off exit 100 on I-81

Let me know...

Old School wrote...

Part of our performance is how we deal with our customers.

The relationship I have developed and continue to cultivate at all the Walmart and Sam’s I deliver to is intrinsic to my performance. To the extent I’ll call ahead if a small store is getting a large delivery. It’s a team effort.

Hi Chris. Sorry man...

I docked out at 0700 this morning. I’m currently at the Marlton NJ store with 10 pallets; headed to Berlin NJ for a drop and hook. My ETA back to 7030 Is roughly 1600. Hopefully you are out of there by then.

I’m typically dispatched between 0500 and 0700. Back on average in 12 hrs. I’m on what should be a quicker run this morning; thus they already have me preplanned on a second short run. I’ll use most of my 14 today.

Best way is to give me a heads up the day before. Might be able to meet before or after my run. We are on holiday blackout right now, 6 dats per week until Dec 4th. My day off is currently Thursday. Catch as catch can...

Tis the season...!

Good for you Zach!

Persistence overcomes resistance. Keep up the good work.

That’s great news... Good luck Bullitt!!!

I’m very sorry and sad to hear this Old School. You continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.

God Bless

Liz...

National Freight out of Vineland has many home daily opportunities.

Congratulations on your first year!

Good luck!

Totally agree Rick. Especially this...

I've been seeing stuff out there lately that has me jumping out of my skin. Not from "major companies" but smaller independents.

The tailgating is totally off the charts. It’s ridiculous, reckless, and totally ignorant. Most of the drivers behaving in this fashion don’t believe there us anything wrong or dangerous about it.

If I chronically drive like that I’d be fired after the third infraction. And yes tailgating will invoke a camera event at Swift. There are different levels of severity. Suffice it to say there are drivers regularly let go for chronic tailgating. Unfortunately they are quickly hired by companies that place a lower value on safety and only care about speed. We all know the worst, most visible offender of this... small time contractors pulling highly visible, branded trailers. Nuff said...

It’s disgusting and embarrassing.

Not doubting these knowledgeable replies, at all. Yet this contract states it differently. That the firearms guy likely got a 7 grand bill.

The word “admission” is key to the overall meaning of this contract. Signing this only starts the process. Simple. Most of us entered the industry with Paid CDL Training Programs. They are all basically the same; “we’ll train you for free as long as you (the trainee) commit to driving for the company who trained you for a minimum time period (typically 12 months or a mileage equivalent). Once you are admitted to their school and actually show-up, you are then on the hook for financial responsibility.

Quality driver training has a high value. It’s worth something. If it was truly “free”, do you think it would effectively prepare you to pass the CDL test? In essence the agreement is requesting serious applicants only.

Intersection enforcement cameras require highly conspicuous signage warning drivers. Elevate your vigilance in urban/congested areas like this.

Regardless... the road facing camera technology installed in many of our company trucks is getting smarter, able to detect running red lights.

Here is a thought; drive with an increased level of prudence and apply defensive driving techniques when driving on roads with numerous intersections. Always be prepared to safely stop...consider stale lights and traffic stacked on opposing sides of an intersection that will trip a timing device to change your approaching signals.

We are professional drivers...concentrate, work to avoid getting caught in this type of situation.

Shadowy Figures? More shadowy than your garden variety politician or beat writer hawking for a juicy story? What a gross misrepresentation of the truth.

The Globe looked at one company; thus we are all now put in this bucket of “less than desirable“. One company and it’s the de facto standard of operation for the entire industry? The media is lazy...do your damn homework!

That said...I have noticed a huge uptick in bad driving behavior by many Commercial drivers. Chronic tailgating, poor lane control, texting (yes) and a basic ignorance of posted speed limits is rampant and at times has me rethinking my future as a driver. There are certain roads I now go 10 miles out of my way to avoid (I-78 through Kutztown Pa).

The absurdity of the issue is most of the companies the majority of us drive for have zero tolerance for such behaviors, have effective tools in place to enforce compliance, enabling them to systematically shed their ranks of bad drivers. Yet we are the brunt of jokes and the bane of the trucking world?

It’s upside down. I don’t have the answers but at the root of it; we are a bottom of the supply chain commodity that is driven primarily on price and freight rates. If the bar is raised on driver qualifications/compliance, it will require a raise in pay to attract better qualified people and retain them. The problem with that? No consumer wants a 10% (for instance) increase in their grocery bill so the freight carrier can maintain their 3% profit margin after paying their drivers more money. For me...until that is addressed, everything else is just a bandaid.

I’m hoping we can all provide comment and input to this problem. A problem that is likely to get worse, not going away and effect us all negatively.

Be safe everyone! Your life depends on it!

Peace.

Rob wrote...

This thread is 5 years old but I'll bite. How are you guarding their load? Personally if I'm out overnight I'm not worried about the load. I'll check the reefer before I go to my hotel and check it again when I come back to the truck after my break. If I'm in a sleeper I'll take a peak (2 seconds of my time) anytime I'm on my way back to the truck to ensure the reefer is operating properly. If anyone wants to break in have at it. I'll let the police, and insurance companies do their jobs.

Would it be nice to be paid for the days and time we're away from home? Absolutely, however we know it's part of this career/lifestyle. My employer run primarily daycabs so if we're out overnight we pick a hotel we want that's part of the CLC Lodging program and my employer takes care of the bill. If our backhaul load will not be ready by the time our 14 is out we'll be told bobtail to a hotel and they'll pay us for our 10 hour break, roughly $300. We're reimbursed up to $15 for a meal every day we need to take our 10 hour break on the road.

If you insist to be paid the equivalent of roughly $80 (10 hours at minimum wage) extra per day carriers will just adjust their pay rates. In an industry where profit margins are already super tight they may cut bonus pay, CPM, or even breakdown pay. If the carrier you currently work for doesn't pay you in a way you feel is acceptable then look elsewhere.

I agree. Tell us more...

And in case you don’t know this; most WM Private Fleet drivers are very happy with their employer. I see many of them every day...

Great 1st post. Keep ‘em coming.

I am not trying to argue but your condescension is beyond anything I have encountered. I know I should not submit this because it will continue but I will this one time.

Honesty is condescension?

Hey Man, I’m on your side. Your company is not advising you to do the right thing and risking a potential violation with a high price tag that you are responsible for.

The best goes on...

I was always told by company to put in sleeper berth when done for the weekend and I have only had DOT look at my logs 1 time, only been stopped once, I they never said anything wrong with the way it was done. I will check with the office on Monday and see if I should be doing it differently.

Ask them if they will pay your citation and have their attorneys file to have it removed from your DAC.

Who do you drive for? Never heard of such a thing. The language in

The Logbook Rules (HOS)

is fairly clear.

Joseph might be wrong...

I may be wrong but would definitely have to fight them on it. We get done for the weekend and truck goes into sleeper berth but I go home. So no one is in the sleeper berth and what I do or where I sleep is none of the DOT's business as long as not doing anything illegal and even that has nothing to do with driving until you back in the truck and going on duty.

When I am away from the truck either taking a 34 or days off; I’m logged off duty.

Nothing will automatically put you/log you in the “sleeper”.

Log what you do, do what you log.

Simple. Follow the rules, stay in compliance and there will be no need to “fight them”.