Comments By Joe S. (a.k.a. The Blue Angel)

I have used Garmin for years.

My first one was the nuvi 550. Then I went to a Nuvi 650.

I loved them both. I would rate them 5+ stars.

My 650 finally gave up the ghost a few years back and I couldn't find it anywhere. So I went with a Garmin 465T.

The very first actual trucking GPS. Until I started using my 465, I didn't think Garmin could be beat.

It was terrible. I can't name all the mistakes it made. Wrong turns. Would not recognize on ramps to interstates. Plus many more.

Well I eventually broke down and bought the Dezl 760. I had read all the reviews. Read all the hype. And I was really looking forward to it.

I am very very disappointed in Garmin. All they did was take the programming from the 465T, with all of it's mistakes and wrong turns, and put it into a bigger body. With more bells and whistles.

It makes the same wrong turns that my 465 did. It gives me some of the same wrong "directions" as the 465T.

I have sent message after message to Garmin. I have made phone call after phone call. And nothing has changed. And for the money I paid. This thing should program it's own route. I bought it new from Pilot.

It doesn't have even half the truck stops listed. Mostly just the big ones. Love's, Pilot/Flying J, and Petro/ T/A.

Not very often does it have the "no name" truck stops listed.

As far as the directions, (actual mapping directions) yeah they are correct. More so than the Rand's. (Both my trainer's had Rand's so I know how they work) It has never sent me thru a residential area. The Rand's would on a regular basis.

It has never sent me on a truck restricted route.

It's the other problems that it has that has me upset with it.

One of the worst things, to me anyway. For no reason, my Garmin will recalculate a route while I am driving. On the route suggested.

There have been times that I would plot a route. Check it will my atlas. And confirm that was the route I wanted to go. While enroute, the GPS would change my route for no reason. And it doesn't always tell you when it recalculates.

Just day before yesterday. I was on a 2 lane road in MA. I had pre-planned my route. I was going down the road and all of the sudden, I was passing my turn off. I pulled off the side of the road at the first chance, looked at my GPS. It had changed my routing and I didn't know it.

Everything turned out OK. I just went thru downtown which I had not wanted to do.

With my Garmin, there have been times that I would leave a truck stop wanting to go south on the interstate. My Garmin didn't recognize the south bound ramp and would want to send me north to the first exit and then go south. It has done that several times.

For the money I paid for it, I have to keep it for now. But sometime in the far future, I will have me something better. Not sure what yet, but I doubt it will be another Garmin.

Keep it safe out here, the life you save might be your own.

The Blue Angel.

I have been with companies that use paper logs. I am now with a company that uses the electronic logs. My second company matter of fact.

Brett was smart when he used paper logs. He used them to a smart advantage.

But I have also known drivers that used them to their advantage just because they wanted or needed a bigger paycheck.

One log truck driver I used to know drove 20 hours a day 7 days a week for almost three weeks because he had a 17,000 dollar truck repair bill that he had to pay.

One of the companies that I used to work for would work us 20 hour days during their "busy season". We were told that if we wanted to work, it was either that or hit the road, they would find someone that needed a job more than we did.

It wasn't unusual for me to drive or be on duty 15-18 hours, drop a load at one shipper, change log books, head off to another shipper to pick up another load. And maybe get 2 hours sleep on the bench seat of my vehicle.

On one trip I drove 935 miles in one shot. Because I was told "It had to be done".

Do I agree with all of the HOS rules? No. They could be better. Much better. And I agree with Brett. I hate the 14 hour rule.

But something had to be done. #1, To make sure the "crazy" drivers out there became safer. And #2, to stop making companies "force" drivers to drive outside there limits and not be safe.

Do some changes need made? Yes. But each driver can't have their own set of rules. They have to TRY and do what is best for the majority.

I have had drivers tell me that they have sat at a shipper for 4-5 hours and they were fresh and the hours shouldn't count against the driver.

Well, maybe that is true for some people. But I sure can't get any good rest when I am having to set in the driver's seat to watch that little green light come on.

Maybe if I were allowed to catch some sleep, then yeah maybe. But I have been to very few shipper/receivers that actually come out and tell you that you are ready to go.

Most have told me, keep an eye on the light. When it turns green, come and get your paperwork. And that can be anywhere from an hour to 8 or 9 hours later.

As far as 70 hours in 8 days. I have no idea how in the world they came up with that figure. I guess they had to come up with something.

How many hours a week do you want to work? 80? 90? 100?

Now the 8 day figure has me really puzzled. Why not 70 hours in 7 days??? That would make more sense.

The only thing I can figure, and this is only a guess. Was to try to MAKE driver's take a longer break at the end of a week.

I have been around trucking for many years. I started in high school working on a dock loading trucks. Things are not like they used to be. In the "good ole days" you could get by with a lot more than you can today.

Traffic has increased 100 fold in the last 10 years. Maybe even more. And truck traffic. I won't even try to guess how much it has increased over just the last few years.

So yeah, something had to be done. Is it perfect. Heck no. Not by a long shot. Will it ever be perfect? Not as long as politicians have anything to do with it.

So, we only have one choice. Work it to the best advantage that we can and go from there. Till it gets better.

There is only two things in life that you can bet on. Death and change. The rules will change one day. But it may not be for the better. We just have to live with it and move forward the best we can if this is the lifestyle that we want.

Keep it safe out here, the life you save might be your own.

The Blue Angel.

I have Verizon and have had for many years.

I have been from Vermont to CA. From WA to GA. Very few places that I have not have 4G. Usually, when I don't have 4G, I don't have phone service at all.

USUALLY. There have been a few places, not many, but a few that I was limited with 3G. And it is true that when you only have 3G, you have to choose between using your phone as a phone or using it as a tether point. But most times, if you only have 3G, you don't have a strong enough signal anyway to use major data.

Such as watching TV or tethering to a laptop.

Since I have been with Verizon for so long, I have been "grandfathered" in with unlimited data. And it is great. If it ever gets taken away for any reason, Verizon will loose a long time customer.

Keep it safe out here, the life you save might be your own. The Blue Angel.

I have been told that this is a "glitch" in the Qualcomm system. I have noticed mine doing the same thing. When I asked about it, I was told that something in the system reads that you have had your break.

To really know if your clock has been reset is to look at the "summary" tab on the screen. It shows your total hours.

Keep it safe out here, the life you save might be your own. The Blue Angel.

Daniel, I deeply appoligize if what I said came across snippy. That was not my intention.

The post started going down a path that was never my intention. I started it with the intention of running nights and talikng about that.

Then it headed way off track and things were being assumed that were not actually mentioned.

I wanted to clear the air and get things back in line. I am sorry if it was snippy.

In a couple of the posts, I was trying to politely say what Indy said in his post. This should be a site to help new truckers get a good start in this lifestyle. Not to teach how to break the law and get fined or loose their license right off the bat.

Old School, Daniel, Brett and many others here have learned the ropes because they have been out here a while. They know what they can do and not do only because of experience. New comers don't. They can't "hide" things yet. One day they will, but not right out of school and in their first truck.

Again Daniel, I appoligize. But this post was going down a path that I felt it shouldn't have gone down.

Some will say that is not my call. I say yes it is because I started it.

Keep it safe out here. The life you save might be a loved one.

The Blue Angel.

Excuse me Brett. I stand corrected. Yes I did mention how I long things. I am sorry, I used the wrong wording.

I should have said, I never mentioned what times I used when I log items on my log.

And yes. You caught me again about following the laws. I should have said, I am not perfect. I bend the rules from time to time. Maybe I don't follow them fully, but I try to work my clock to my benefit without totally ignoring the law.

I didn't know that this website had become an english class and english lit. From now on before I post anything, I will make sure I put it in a way that everyone can understand.

I won't make the mistake and "assume" that people can understand a point I am trying to make.

I do appoligize for this outragious mistake.

Keep it safe out here. The life you save might be you own.

I mean, watch you speed, don't take chances by running "too" illegal. Watch all othe drivers. Watch out for danger. Make sure you get plenty of rest. Just be safe in everything you do.

I hope that doesn't confuse anyone.

The Blue Angel

Daniel, I am not sure what you are referring when you say I am shooting myself in the foot.

In none of my posts have I mentioned how I log things. All I have said is that I always log on duty when I am working for the company. Do I long it all? No. Everyone seems to be jumping to conclusions and assuming things.

When I arrive at a shipper or reciever I log 15 minutes on duty then hit the sleeper or off duty.

When I am doing a D/H I long 30 minutes. Because that is what Crete requires.

I do a 15-20 minute pretrip. Post trips are no longer required unless you have a problem. Again because that is what Crete requires.

When I get fuel, I am on duty because Crete and DOT require it. When I scale my load, I am on duty because Crete requires it.

I have done many things "off the clock" to save time. But, at one point in time, I was on duty because I was doing work for the company.

For example. I had a trailer a few months ago that had all 4 tires very low on air. I have an air hose with me. I aired up all of the tires myself. It took almost an hour. But I only logged 15 minutes on duty.

When I do a repair on my truck or a trailer, it is logged on the Qualcoom. Because that is the way Crete would like to have it done. That way all repairs has a "paper trail". And when you show work on the Qualcomm, you better show some time doing it.

You assume I don't have the hours to drive because I don't cheat the HOS regulations.

I just finished a 2000 mile load that I did in just over 3 days. Tomorrow I will finish an 1100 mile load. In just over 2 days. How is that loosing time and money? 3000 miles in under 6 days.

And I got those miles without having to cheat the HOS.

A couple of days I got up very early, as Brett has talked about. And one I drove very late. But so far, I have not had to drive thru the night.

FMCSA has just or is getting ready to at least double the cost of fines given out. False log fines have gone from 500 dollars to 10,000 dollars each offense.

If I have to lie and cheat the system so bad that it could cost me my license and my livelyhood, then I don't want anything to do with it.

If I have to lie, cheat and break the law to make a living in the trucking industry, then I need to get out now.

One other point I would like to make. Everyone is so freeked out about me telling my dispatcher how I liked to run.

I don't know how it is with where you are working, but we were told to do that during orientation. At our first chance contact our dispatcher. Introduce ourselves. And let them know what we are comfortable doing or not doing.

Somethings may not be possible, but you get info to your dispatcher. That way she/he gets to know you in a way.

So that is what I did.

Maybe some questions need asked sometimes before jumping to conclusions.

Keep it safe out here. The life you save might be your own.

The Blue Angel

Let's just say that I finish out a load in Connecticut at eleven in the morning and they send me a message to pick-up my next load in Pennsylvania at nine o'clock that night. (that is not an uncommon occurrence) I started driving at four in the morning, and I arrived at my delivery location at ten, I'm empty, and my tarps are folded and put away by eleven. Now I've got close to a 5 hour drive over to the pick-up location, which puts me there around four in the afternoon, and my eleven hour clock has run out now. So, I force myself to bed while parked in the shippers parking lot to get some rest until my loading appointment. I get loaded and secure my load (I'm driving a flat-bed) then I go back to sleep. From the time I arrived at this shipper I have had my electronic logs on the sleeper berth. You do not want to waste your all important drive time by logging unnecessary "on duty" time which will eat away at your ability to turn the miles during your work week. Not everyone agrees with the way I work my clock, but the guys who are making some real money at this do it this way.

Hope that helps a little!

Each driver has to find their own way to do their job. Old School this works for you. But I have to ask. Isn't some of the things you mention that you are doing illegal?

While I don't agree with some of the HOS rules, they are there. We as commercial drivers are suppose to follow them. The "on duty" rule states that anytime you are actually preforming work for the company you are to be on duty.

Anytime I am actually working, I am on duty. Counting the pallets as they are loaded. Getting scaled at a truck stop. Etc.

Yeah, you can call it wasting time or loosing money but if you are ever caught, you will pay the price.

I didn't used to do that. I used to do almost everyting while I was "off duty" until a few months ago. You ask, what changed?

A few months back I had the pleasure of being stopped at a weigh station in CO. The one north of Denver on I 25. I guess DOT had some tickets to catch up on, they were checking just about everyone.

I was pulled in and stopped along with about 7 other drivers. When I went inside, the counter was full and I was second in line.

For some reason I looked up at the first driver at the counter. He looked like he was about ready to die. Then I heard the DOT agent say, Is your load tarpped or strapped? The driver said Tarpped. Then the DOT agent said, "Your log shows you were off duty during this time. Who covered your load for you? Did the shippper do it while you were sleeping?"

That is when I stopped listening. When I was done and went outside, I ran into the driver I was in line with. He was shaking his head. He said that driver is in trouble. I did the same thing about a year ago when I ran flatbed. I got caught too. Cost me 2000 dollars and a 7 day safety violation. A very expensive lesson. He said, now days, ANYTHING I do work wise is on duty.

Laws are there for a reason. We may not like them and wish we didn't have to follow them, but we are no different than anyone else. As every commercial driver knows. We are held at a higher standard. Because we are suppose to be professionals.

Am I perfect and always follow the rules/laws. Heck no. If I am in a 55 mph zone and out in the middle of no where with no one else around, Do I stay at 55? Not on your life.

Then again, usually, USUALLY, police over look slight speeding on rural roads. But when it comes to off duty time and sleeper bearth time, that is something they don't over look.

A driver, still has to deside what is best for them. But no matter how they would LIKE to run, there are laws that are suppose to be followed.

Keep it safe out here. The life you save might be your own.

The Blue Angel

There is an old saying. If you like what you do, you will never work a day in your life.

Trucking is not a job it is a lifestyle.

I like to drive and I love to travel and see our beautiful country. That is one of the main reasons I got back into trucking.

I didn't refuse to do nights. I told her that I tried to stay away from nights as much as possible. She wants me to do nights all the time or at least a large part of the time.

If I have to start treating this lifestyle like a job and start running nights 2, 3, or 4 times a week then it becomes a job to me. It no longer becomes fun and enjoyable to do. I start not liking what I am doing.

If that has to happen, I can go home and drive a trash truck for 20 dollars an hour. Have every weekend off. Be home every night. And make better money than I am now.

I didn't get into trucking for a "job". I had a "job" before I came back into trucking.

Keep it safe out here. The life you save might be your own.

The Blue Angel.

Old School,

I am no longer with Celadon. I moved to Crete just after the first of February.

Still having some "growing pains" here. I like the company itself. But things are not what I was promised.

Good money. Good benefits. Home time, not so good. And the big kicker. Miles. They are really down. And it is not so easy to change dispatchers here.

If things keep up, I am going to have one more talk with her about my miles and if that doesn't work, I don't know what I will do.

I have run into two other drivers that have her and they average 3000 miles a week. Both run nights. She wanted me to run nights when I first joined her fleet but I told her no. She didn't like it so I think I am paying the price.

I am averaging just over 2000 miles a week.

But we shall see.

Hope we can meet up. I am in a big red Freightliner now. 34807 is the number. So if you see me, throw a rock at me or something. LOL

Keep it safe out here. The life you save might be your own.

The Blue Angel