Comments By Kevin K

I was a Class B straight truck driver for 8 years when I decided to get my Class A. I attended an accredited technical college that is well respected and put in several applications with LTL companies after graduation. I was hired, or in the process of being hired, at all of them. I ended up choosing Averitt in a linehaul position and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Good pay and equipment, excellent benefits, and home every weekend.

If you are in or near a decent size city I highly recommend going the technical college/LTL linehaul route. If you have a clean record and do well at school you will have your pick of local jobs. You may need to work the dock a little or run city P&D to get started. I was lucky (and did my research) so I avoided all that. Old Dominion is another excellent company and is known to give rookie drivers a shot.

Good luck!

Ah, fun with fire extinguishers...

A couple years ago at my prior job I'm driving a straight truck down an interstate. The fire extinguisher is installed on the left side of the driver's seat. The sun is setting, I've got the cruise on, and I'm deadheading back to the terminal after delivering my load. I kick my left leg back to stretch it a bit and... kick the handle of the fire extinguisher which does not have its pin in place (proper pre-trip amen).

The whole thing promptly empties itself out, spraying that sticky funky powder all over the cab. I roll down the window to let some of it out, doing my best Cheech and Chong impression. I still have an hour left of interstate to go before home...

I stop at the spot where we leased our trucks to fuel and clean it up as best as I can. I've got the power spray hose and gobs of shop towels and still what a mess! Months and months of cleaning the same spots over and over again... the stuff goes into every nook and cranny and is nearly impossible to completely get rid of.

Don't neglect that extinguisher during your pre-trip!

If the car was merging slowly, and the ramp was short, why did it require a split second decision?

It's one of those ramps that loops down and around from an overpass. I misjudged the speed of the car and the length of the merging lane. I thought they had more time and room to get up to speed.

If given the same situation as you were in, I would have slowed down allowing the car to complete the merge.

It was also my hesitation in making a decision that caused it to become a split-second decision if that makes any sense! Instead of hesitating, I should have immediately and gradually slowed down when I saw the potential of a problem.

Situational awareness is perhaps one of the top 3 skills a truck driver needs to operate safely

What's the other two?

Also, I think many truck drivers change lanes to avoid cars far too often. Each lane change is a risk...don't change lanes any more often than you really need to.

Most of the time, changing lanes causes more problems than it solves, and then there is that increased risk for no good reason...

I drove a non-governed straight truck for many years and am now driving a tractor trailer governed at 65. What a difference this has made! I used to have the power and maneuverability to easily pass the packs of tractor trailers I encountered. Now I have no passing power and am twice as long. I am still adjusting and learning that in almost every situation the best thing to do is stay in your lane and slow down.

I had to make a split-second decision last night. A car was slowly merging on to the interstate from a short on-ramp. I was in the right lane and had a UPS doubles truck on my left. My only choices were to brake hard or maintain speed and leave it up to the car to brake and yield. I maintained speed. I was in that no man's land where no decision was a good one. I'm sure the other driver felt as though I had cut them off. I wouldn't blame them if they felt that way. It was my fault for having put myself in that position - alongside double pups and approaching an on ramp where traffic merges slowly because the ramp is so short.

Anyway, it got me wondering how often drivers call in truckers who they feel have done them wrong. What is usually the company's way of handling this? I'd be interested if anyone has received a complaint about their driving and what consequences they faced because of it.

I was tempted to post the definition of schlep...haha

The backpack on wheels might be a good idea. I may end up laying over in motels a couple nights a week so I could do a personal bag and a truck bag if you will. Two bags that can be moved in one trip but one left behind in the truck, one taken in the motel.

It's tough when you slipseat day cabs to lug all this stuff back and forth to work every day but it must be done!

Shim [shim] n. [[< ?]] ✩ a thin, usually wedge-shaped piece of wood, metal, or stone typically inserted under some part so as to level it or make it flush with another part vt. shimmed, shimming to fit with a shim or shims

I've had to spread apart the prongs a bit with a screwdriver before but the whole thing popping out was a new one.

Dang it! A zip tie would have worked like a charm. I'll start carrying some from now on. Thanks Chris.