Crazy Day As A Rookie Driver!

When I started out this morning I was about an hour and a half away from my delivery. I had a little less than 5 hrs on my 70 hr clock. So I sent a message to my dm and let him no that I would only have 3 hrs left on my clock. So I get to my delivery and it's a paper mill. They send me to the staging area and I go off duty for 3 hrs while there waiting. I then find out that I'm going to deliver to the basement and I will have to negotiate several tight turns to get there.

At this point I'm really nervous about it but take a deep breath and continue on. Well I make it back there and get backed in. At this point I was feeling quite accomplished. So I get unloaded and go through a couple of super tight turns getting out when I guy stops me and asked if I had seen my trailer rim. I get out and sure enough it is bent and loosing air! Meanwhile I have my Qualcomm going off like crazy with another load to pick up at the same place. So I sent a message about the damage wheel and called safety and reported the damage. I spent a total of about 5 hrs there today and when I got down the road to park I had 1 hr left on my clock!

Will be gaining 7 hrs tomorrow and my new delivery is 7.5 hrs away. I have one scheduled fuel stop so I don't really think that I'm going to make it. If I do I won't have any time left!

Oh that's a bummer about the rim. But if you're running on recap hours you must be turning a ton of miles then, eh?

And being able to title this “Crazy Day” instead of Career Ending Day is a testament to you doing a good job.

Hang in there!

I put in a little over 2000 miles in a week. Got held up at a couple of shippers, made a few wrong turns, and got lost once. Typical first week stuff!

Oh that's a bummer about the rim. But if you're running on recap hours you must be turning a ton of miles then, eh?

Thanks I was so focused on watching my trailer clear that I didn't see the rim on the other side hit anything. So definitely a learning experience

And being able to title this “Crazy Day” instead of Career Ending Day is a testament to you doing a good job.

Hang in there!

I wonder how you didn't even feel it?

I wonder how you didn't even feel it?

I don't really know I was moving very slowly and had the windows down but there was alot of machinery running and I didn't hear anything.

I would think you would have some kind of tug... Oh well... dog-poo happens...

At least you're still in the game!

A wheel on the blind side was pinched???

Thanks I was so focused on watching my trailer clear that I didn't see the rim on the other side hit anything. So definitely a learning experience

And being able to title this “Crazy Day” instead of Career Ending Day is a testament to you doing a good job.

Hang in there!

I wonder how you didn't even feel it?

It is a big, heavy combination vehicle. Drivers hit things with the rear of their trailer often without having any idea that they did so. Not long ago, a driver with doubles hit something with the rear trailer and actually lost the whole trailer without realizing it. Pinching a wheel without noticing it is a frequent occurence. The aluminum wheels bend easily. Recently, I had a student pinch one and bend it...she did not know it. I heard it hissing on the subsequent post-trip. Almost a $500 job...and that is without tire damage.