I'm Working On A School Project And I Need Your Help. Willing?

I'm actually hesitant to say this out loud. You could always watch the movie "Convoy" with Kris Kristofferson. LOL!

Love that movie. Its available free online without any subscription whatsover. (The song of the same name that the movie was based off of by C.W. McCall is classic as well.)

Well here it goes........................Smokey and the Bandit. Some of the younger folks on here may say, "Who in the hell is Jackie Gleason"

They drive by night. I like that movie.

Over the Top, although that focuses a little more on arm wrestling. That dude that drinks motor oil always cracks me up.

Probably watching documentaries would be more useful, I watched one on Netflix not too terribly long ago.

Black Dog with Patrick Swayze. That wreck in the mountains terrifies me!

Cameron wrote:

Some of the first questions I need answers to include:

What are some "norms" that are typically followed by truckers? Do these norms vary based on the type of trucking being done? Such as flatbed or hazmat(?) What is some lingo that is typically known primarily to truckers? Are there things that mark someone as a trucker? If there are, do these things make it easy for a fellow trucker to pick them out of crowd?

If you think it will work better to reply to people willing to help individually, please let me know how to, or let me know if you think I would be better off posting this as a new thread. I've never spent a lot of time on forums so I'm not entirely sure.

Thank you again!

Many of the norms we follow are mandated by federal regulations for hours of service or HOS rules and equipment safety.

This link will help to describe what they are and how they are accounted for and logged.

Learn The Logbook Rules (HOS)

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One of the other norms we need to deal with every day is the pre-trip inspection; Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist. Each day we all must perform this checklist depending on the equipment we are operating and note any issues. Imagine going through this list before you hope in your car for a quick run to the mall. Daunting.

The norms for different types of trucking do vary depending on the type of equipment, type of load (especially for flatbed or Hazmat) and where it's going.

I think Errol provided some good information on the use of Lingo.

Most truckers who have been doing it for a while do have a distinct way of walking with the little bit of hitch in their giddy-up. I now at my age when I first get out of the truck after many hours I have a tendency to limp a bit until I loosen up and straighten up.

I do think that reading Brett's Book; Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving like I suggested, will go a long way in helping you to formulate questions. Right now you probably don't know enough to formulate any questions beyond the basic and obvious.

Hope that helps.

Umm since nobody else will bring it up I will... Obesity is not just a stereo type. Don't belive me? Spend a day at a truckstop and watch the entire cab move as some folks exit the truck. Sad but true. Also hygiene or a lack their of is also common but I wouldn't quit call it normalcy. Fatigue also seems to be common and may have something to do with the first issue I pointed out. And being in a hurry, again to experience this first hand while your at the truckstop watching for the larger drivers park a vehicle in the fuel island and wait for the response you get... I wasn't really trying to be mean by writing any of this but these are also some of the common or norms you can also find without looking to hard. On the brighter side of things you'll also find older people driving more than the younger generation and of those folks they can generally tell you how to get to wherever without cracking an atlas.

So, I have a couple more questions.

Are there any "Don't do that" type things? Not in the sense of rules, but in the sense that it's just unacceptable in the trucking culture. I'm not sure if I'm making sense... Please let me know if I'm not.

Within the overall trucking "circle", are there any smaller trucking "circles"? Like logging, vs....well anything. I'm really sorry if that's a repeat question. I feel like it's different from previous similar questions, but if it's not I apologize.

That should be it for about a week or so.

Thanks again!

Here's a section about the types of trucking jobs:

Chapter 4: Types of Truck Driving Jobs

This is from Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version), which may answer other questions you may have.

Cameron asked:

Are there any "Don't do that" type things? Not in the sense of rules, but in the sense that it's just unacceptable in the trucking culture.

I think the best way to answer this is to suggest that in every situation we first must consider safety. There is nothing more important than that. Anything that is considered unsafe; "don't do it." Secondly exercise common sense and treat other drivers on the road the way you want to be treated.

Cameron asks a deep and thought provoking question:

Within the overall trucking "circle", are there any smaller trucking "circles"? Like logging, vs....well anything.

Considering the solitary nature of this business, I think this question is far difficult to answer. Within the terminal I work there is definitely a circle of friends among the drivers with tenure. Beyond that, honestly we do not have enough free time to socialize on a regular basis beyond idle chit-chat. Many times that is only in passing because we are all dispatched at wildly different times throughout the day. At least with me, when I return to the terminal, I have 10 hours to eat, shower, sleep, and get ready for another trip the next day (could be early-morning, mid-morning or early afternoon depending on my PTA).

Nt sure if this helps... Le Errol said, investing the time to read Brett's book will shed light on what you are trying to accomplish and may even give you a completely different perspective on approaching your project.