Profile For PackRat

How could there be when 400,000 new CDLs are issued each year?

There is a shortage of professional, safe, reliable, and dedicated drivers.

Delivery to stores?

One thing that puzzles me is when I see a driver t******* tires with a rubber mallet. Why carry a tool with only one function? Every driver needs a metal two pound hammer (stubborn trailer tandem pins, frozen trailer brake shoes, plus a metal rod to use with the hammer) Are there other uses for a rubber mallet that I’m missing?

Remove ice buildup, without damage, during the winter months.

Check out a "BackShield".

Yes. With only one axle down, you want to be very careful with the Jake brake.

Why? Jakes affect the drive axle, not the trailer. A lifted axle will not cause a loss of traction to the jakes. Rather, it will increase Jake traction, since more weight is shifted to the drive axle.

However, the lifted axle could affect the service brakes of the trailer, as you will have one less axle applying brakes to the ground.

You're right. What was I thinking.

Does that lift axle have brakes on all trailers?

If it were me, I would not make the switch at the beginning of the cold weather season of a year.

Dumbest thing I've read all month.

I use notebooks for every load I've ever hauled, too

That's great news!

Pace yourself, though, because it can take a toll on elderly folks like us.

For me, I keep a file of index cards for every shipper and consignee I've been to. It's a huge file.

Name, address, good phone number, my own directions and notes for the place (which gate, best times to be there, parking possibilities, egress route, if the guards are a PITA, etc.).

I don't trust doing it electrically because my card file never crashes, doesn't need a charged battery, or gets any malware.

How many days has it been for you sitting?

I would worry more about pulling the release handle for the fifth wheel than cranking the landing gear up and down.

I could bench maybe 125 or 150 on a good day and have never had many problems with the landing gear cranking. Two fingers are usually sufficient.

The right company will hire me.

How many applications have you submitted at this point?

I've always wondered where the term originated?

Thanks for the compliments Bruce.

However....organized you wrote. My organization mainly comes down to, "I know it's on the truck. I just need to locate it."

Example: I have a back scratcher that's accompanied me on eight different trucks. Months ago it disappeared, and I could not locate it for months. I finally found it hibernating in the passenger door pocket, underneath two packs of zip ties, a bundle of shop rags, and a roll of duct tape.

It WAS on the truck....

I'm working on this as a new topic now. I just need to get all the photos required.

For a quick answer, I recommend these 10:

1. CB and quality antenna.

2. Rand McNally Deluxe Trucker Atlas.

3. Truck specific GPS unit.

4. Vice Grip pliers.

5. Channel Lock pliers

6. 3 foot length crowbar.

7. 3 flashlights (minimum).

8. A screwdriver set with different drivers (Torx, Phillips, etc.).

9. Various types of tape (duct, electrical, etc.).

10. An Estwing 32 ounce framing hammer. Better than a mini sledge because it can also remove nails.

in the newsletter Michael received from Marten yesterday they state that they are the only major carrier to pay drivers "inclement weather pay",

Not so. I've driven for more than a few carriers that pay drivers forced to park it for Mother Nature.