NYC Traffic Is Terrible

Well, not just the traffic, the signs and roads confused the heck outta me! Been here in Queens since 6am. Still sitting here. 😒

I live here in the NYC area , make sure to NOT get on anything that says parkway , you will not fit best to stay on Clear view expressway to the throgs neck to get to 95 if you in Queens . NYC sucks for heavy rigs never was designed with them in mind .

Left Queens and went to a Shoprite in Scarsdale. That was some tight maneuvering too. The routes my Qualcomm picks are always the worst, tightest crap with telephone poles and hydrants on every tiny little corner. It’s like they’re testing me. Frustrating day, missed my load in Connecticut. Ran out of hours in a traffic jam on 95 so I had to pull into a service plaza. Now the shipper won’t be back until Wednesday. I’m going home for Christmas in the morning. I’m just glad this day is over!

It sounds like you did pretty good though. That's a difficult area, so I've been told. My company doesn't do NYC or the boroughs. We do have a driver or two in CT that go to long island every now and then to deliver forklifts. Me, when I do NY, I go to Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, etc. Much easier, but Buffalo does have some weirdly marked overpasses.

I've had a few upstate loads, and in my first month I had one ShopRite load with three stops. Two on Long Island, and one in Stamford, CT. That was pretty bad too. Got lost, no lie, five times! 🤣 The drive into Stamford was terrible because the streets were so narrow, and the ShopRite didn't have room in front of the dock. It's the parking lot. I had to wait until everyone moved their cars to get into position for a blindside back into the dock. If the wall in front was ten feet further away it would have been much better, but I finally managed to get it in enough to get unloaded. Fortunately, I get a tiny bit better after each of these rough days, so my stress level is going down.

A rookie truckers proverb, courtesy of RobSteeler...

Fortunately, I get a tiny bit better after each of these rough days, so my stress level is going down.

So much truth to this, you’ll realize the extent in about 6 months from now. Things that are difficult and stressful now...not so much later.

Job well done.

Robsteeler, if it's any consolation, those routes will only help you get better at this stuff. I run in those areas all the time. I have regular customers all over Connecticut. Many of those towns were built in the late 1700's. They are not tractor-trailer friendly at all. My dispatcher sometimes asks me questions about some of those locations when his new drivers call him and say they can't get their truck in there. I laugh and say, "Yeah, I don't recommend you send new guys to that customer." He says, "You've never complained about it, and you've been there hundreds of times." It cracks me up, because it's just tough up there. Hang in there, you're learning while you're earning.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger". "No pain, no gain". But what if you're strong enough and have had enough pain?

This is me watching a guy back into this strange hole in the wall dock. I was next up and thought. Nope. There's no way I'm going to be able to get in there. There's a telephone pole and a train dock right in front of the door so it's really tight. I wasn't sure where we unloaded when they told me to wait there until the door rolled up and the guy started backing in. My heart sank and I was wondering how I was gonna do that, or if I could get someone else to back it in for me! 😂 So did I get in?