Comments By Charlie Mac

Keep the shiny side up! 👍

Any updates for pam drug test

My brother-in-law just went out with his PAM mentor tonight. UA test (and LOTS of them). Don't think after your 1st test you're home free. You'll be tested every week in school & twice again during orientation/before going out with a mentor.

They don't play.

Started Swift in April (UA test). Love it. Landed a sweet local route shortly after going OTR. The staff is (mostly) phenomenal, (everyone has bad days). Treat them with respect, communicate effectively & it pays off dividends.

Never had an issue getting preplans. Always another load lined up within 100 miles of final destination. My fleet manager (who as luck would have it is my DM) is 2nd to none & knows me by first name.

I've had 1 pay issue since starting & was compensated (via direct deposit) the very next business day after bringing it to attention. No fuss.

I believe C Mac was refering to all of the other things you should do prior to and after coupling. OF COURSE you should do a tug test. You should also stick your head under the trailer and double check your coupling, amongst several other important things.

Yes T-Man, my sentiments perfectly. Nothing wrong with the tug test (I execute every time prior to releasing the trailer brake).

But, if your jaws didn't clamp or you jumped the skid plate...

Charley, only one tire? I ended up dealing with five tires (two on my tractor, three on trailers) in one week.

And here I was lamenting about a single bent rim. 😂

Misery loves company. (Am I awful for taking pleasure in knowing I'm not the only one?) Thanks for sharing Errol. 👍

I see drivers every day cutting corners to save a few minutes; getting under a trailer, hook-and-go without doing a full walk around.

My favorite, the infamous "tug test". Back to couple, release tractor brake ::vroom vroom::...and off they go!

Thanks G-Town. About 45 minutes after the repair my pre-pass blinked red & I was pulled into the Illinois weight station. No inspection, but I must admit... I would've been shaking in my boots when I saw that red light I had I rolled on that rim.

I have the worst luck with tires. Got dispatched this morning, done pretrip & my preloaded trailer had a bent rim. I hate delays & probably could have rolled without incident...but I'll be a monkey's uncle if I let the next guy report it & let fall on me.

Wonder what a DOT ticket for this would've ran? 😕

Maybe the last guy didn't do it, maybe he did. I guarantee when he tells them "It was already like that"...they're gonna ask him why he noticed it & rolled. Sucks to be him.

Always do your pretrip!

Per Hair follicle testing guidelines, only the most recent (closest to the scalp) 1.5" is used for testing.

Hair (typically) grows at a rate of 0.5" per month, thus the test (typically) only reflects the most recent 3 month history.

Another point of interest is it takes the follicle about a week (5-10 days) for the metabolites collected via your blood to deposit in the follicle & rise above your skin. For instance, if you did drugs today & received a follicle test 3-4 days from now, it would still show clean. (I don't recommend doing this) 😋

Hair Follicle Testing FAQ

He thought he was gonna get hammered & had a heart attack when he passed. 😂