Comments By Jim F.

Hey G-Town

I misspoke on that last post. He was way ****ed off about the critique. I just don't get it. I read through a bunch of his blog and got the impression he's not handling the stress very well. Some of it was down right disturbing, but oh well.

Just checked BZT's blog and he's still turning miles. He was very comfortable with the constructive critique from this site and left. Tried following him through his blog but he got mad at me for agreeing with the critique. Sometimes we just need to put on our big boy pants and get to work.

How could he be comfortable with it, but at the same time be angry with you for agreeing with it?

Not much different than how he flipped in his diary. Probably best he moved on...but, what goes around, comes around.

Just checked BZT's blog and he's still turning miles. He was very comfortable with the constructive critique from this site and left. Tried following him through his blog but he got mad at me for agreeing with the critique. Sometimes we just need to put on our big boy pants and get to work.

Try applying the same principals that they use in AA for quitting. I did and it worked for me. Understanding the addiction process is key. Just a note. Been sober and smoke free for 31 yrs.

I did leave on good terms and I already have the cpap with the real time tracker. I wouldn't have a single problem with going back with who I was working for I had a great experience there. Small company great equipment and friendly people. When I decided to not drive anymore the head of safety called me and told me they would hire me back in a heart beat when I'm ready. I defintley miss driving that big beautiful t680 down the road. I will keep everyone update and if any of you have had luck with quitting chewing/smoking any good tips I should know ?

Mine worked. That's me on my 58th 14k peak Eolus. Colorado has 58 of them. Took my partner and me 17 years but we did it. Now on to the next adventure of trucking.

Never turn down prayer or a good meal. Sounds like a fantastic set up.

Good stuff, thank you. I have been thinking of things like this to ask about at school. Maybe get some looksee in the shop when things come in broken, bent or damaged.

Thank you Pianoman. Thats where I'm studying now. I put that one in my copy and save file. I'm heading to SWIFT in Lewiston,Id 1/2/18. Trying to get a jump on some of this stuff. It's absolutely fascinating, I had no idea what trip planning would be like. Keep pouring out the advice. All the others that are helping us newbs, thank you as well.

Are your appointments too tight? Who are you driving for?

It's normal to be late once or twice at first, but several times is not good at all considering it's a primary requirement of our profession to be punctual.

The first thing you need to do is properly plan your trip before you even start it. Assuming you're in a governed truck, plan your trips at no more than 50 mph. So if you have an 850 mile trip, you know it should take you roughly 17 hrs of On Duty time. To clarify, I'm not saying it'll take you 17 hrs of driving to get there--the 17 hrs includes fueling, pre/post trips, and 30 minute breaks. You only have 11 hrs of drive time each day, so you can count on 11-12 hrs to work each day before you have to take a 10 hr break. So for that 850 mile (17 hr) trip, you know you'll only be able to work 12 hrs before you have to take a 10 hr break. Then you can finish the remaining 5 hrs the next day. After accounting for the 10 hr break, your total trip time is 27 hrs from right now. This method always works--I know, because I have used it ever since I got into trucking almost 2 years ago and I have never been late to a customer.

The second thing you need to do is plan on being at least 2 hrs early to every customer, every time. So plan your trip like I explained above, and then tack on an extra 2 hrs for unexpected delays. So instead of 27 hrs, you need to account 29 hrs for your trip. Count 29 hrs from the time you can start your trip and see how it matches up with the appointment time--if it is at or before your appointment time, you're good. If not, contact dispatch and tell them you can't make it. They should get you something else or try to change the appointment time. If they tell you to run with it anyways, make sure they put that in writing so you don't take the hit for being late to the customer.

Always always always try to be early. The earlier the better. You never know what kind of delays you may encounter on your trip, so be ahead of the game so you can still arrive on time or early to your customer.

I'm sure others will chime in with slightly different methods for trip planning, but you'll find that we all try to get there early and allow extra time for delays. Hope this helps. Good luck

I must admit this thought has never crossed my mind. I always figured it doesn't matter, your dead. I would think you would get a discount on the bus ticket at least.

Does anyone know if you where to die out on the road, does the company your working for will see that your body will be transferred to your home state? Or do you need to recheck your life insurance to see if this covers trucking. This has become a big question in my mind since the shooting at the Pilot truck stop in Kentucky.

Just curious, About how long did that plan take you to do? I'm starting to panic here. I live out west and take one hwy across a state not 10 different ones.

Jim F. - Hope the following helps you see what our trip planning training entails. Here is one of our trip planning exercises --- Using your Motor Carriers Atlas, you must determine your route, rest stops, daily shutdown times and locations, and make all scheduled appointments at the scheduled times. All required inspections should be logged, and all HOS rules must be followed. Home Terminal: Montgomery, Al – Tractor #98-01 Trailer # 94-01. Trip # JPT-03-1 NOTE: Each time you load or unload, show ¼ hour on-duty not driving and 2 hours in the sleeper berth. Starting date is first day of the month. Fuel every 1200 miles. When fueling, show ¼ hour on-duty not driving and ¾ hour off duty. Do not log more than 11hours without taking a 10 hour break. After driving 5 ½ hours, take 1 hour off duty, then continue driving. Flag town & state where you take your break. Lines 3 & 4 count against your70 hours. You cannot log more than 70 hours in any 8 consecutive days. You must do a pre-trip inspection when you leave your home terminal and once every day, before beginning driving. You must perform a post-trip inspection when you return to your home terminal. You must also show ¼ on-duty not driving each time you perform required inspections. **TRIP BEGINS** Day 01 – Leave Montgomery, AL at 10pm. Load goes to Huntington, WV. Manifest # 36674620. Day 03 – Unload in Huntington, WV at 1:30pm. Run empty to Lynchburg, VA. Day 04 – Load in Lynchburg, VA at 8am. Load goes to Cleveland, TN. Manifest # 5476980. Unload in Cleveland, TN at 9pm. Day 05 – Load in Cleveland, TN at 8am. Load goes to Montgomery, AL. Manifest #3462810. Unload in Montgomery, AL at 4pm. *END OF TRIP** We were required to do a written pre-trip plan showing our route, miles on each highway, hours to drive those miles, and all rest stops, and 10 hour breaks. Once that was complete, we then completely filled out a drivers log as if we had driven the trip. Hope that this helps you see how it worked.

Seems to me that if ya don't do your job then they should send your happy ass down the road. Falsifying docs. Pretty soon people who want to keep their jobs start doing their inspections. Problem solved