Pre Trip- What Is The DOT Requirement

LMAO...cooking oil? Engine oil is what I meant.

LMAO...cooking oil? Engine oil is what I meant.

I just assumed you were doing manifold cooking. Lol!

I had a homeless guy get inside of my empty one night at a seedy truck stop in IL or IN, can’t remember which state. He must have been traveling with someone, because the doors were completely shut and latched. Can’t do that from the inside. Scared the heck out of me when I opened the right side door for a peek inside. Had to throw something at him to wake him up, then GET OUT OF MY TRAILER YOU @%)! Might be why my first heart went bad? Ever since that day, I always put at least one big padlock on the doors.

Thanks G-Town. One thing I am unclear about...(OK... probably WAY MORE than one... but anyway...) I believe our ELD goes on the drive line at 5 MPH. Not sure if distance is a factor. Maybe that is something we all need to know (how our systems are set). Trainer always wanted me to "boogie" once moving on lot. I tended to "slow roll" clearing adjacent trailers, pullng out into busy lot lane, rolling through the stop sign (his call) where the tractors park and roll out, crossing in-bound truck traffic to tun left to approach the guard shack. Don't really understand what the hurry was. Fast vs. slow is maybe one minute - probably 1/2 that. I would think kerping it under 5 MPH would make sense. Lot limit is 15. Distance of travel maybe 100ish yards!

Gets me to another Training question...

Bend from N.-bound I-94 Edens (the "Spur") going to N.-bound 294... under construction... one lane each way, inside concrete temp barrier with metal topper gizmos... some leaning... poor shoulder... THETE he wants me to be really careful... risk of puncturing trailer... etc.. I GET THAT!

In the construction zone I posted about (94 Racine / Kenosha which backs up once a day due to wrecks)...

I was running maybe 1 or 2 MPH faster than another rig. Me in R. lane, him in middle. R. lane used to be shoulder... bit narrow, lanes wander as it does in these sections, lane is off-camber... really nothing to like about it!

I was uncomfortable running alongside the other rig for the time it would take to pass so I decided to back down and tuck in behind him.

Now it was late, I'm sure I took way too long with my ****-poor docking maneuvers ("quadruple" drops)... He is NOT hourly...

He was upset. Said there was plenty of room... I said I wasn't comfortable...

Question is should I have followed his wishes and "instructions"? I know he wouldn't tell me to do something unsafe. And part of me thinks I missed a learning opportunity and a chance to push my comfort zone.

The other part of me says "I was the Captain of my ship" - OK HIS SHIP, but still... I wasn't comfortable so I made the call. Again the "time savings" or "costs" sermed negligible. Construction zone probably ended in 10 miles or less.

What was the right call? (Please ALL feel free to weigh in).

Good questions, Marc.

The short answer is: You are the captain of the ship, even if it's his ship. When you are behind the wheel, it's your call, and your license.

I told my student from day one to only do what he feels comfortable with, in terms of speed. Yes I would often grumble "c'mon already!" under my breath. But never would I rush him. Nor should your trainer. You have enough on your plate as it is without worrying about that.

Remember the great song by Dan Fogelberg: Leader of the Band? I often think of those lyrics when I think about the qualities of a great trainer. Turtle expressed it well in his previous comment.

"A quiet man of music, denied a simpler fate, He tried to be a soldier once but his music wouldn't wait. He earned his love through discipline, a thund'ring, velvet hand. His gentle means of sculpting souls took me years to understand"

I was blessed with a wonderful trainer. He would just calmly say things like: "Ok, you can speed up to the limit now". "Probably best to slow down here". " That's following a little too close, back off some and get more space". Always calm, always polite, never pushy. I'm sure my pace was too slow for him at times but he was also happy that I didn't do anything to kill him.

Marc, one of the most difficult balancing acts I've experienced in trucking was during my training. I had to weigh in my mental balance the information my trainer was constantly giving me. There was a lot of "bad" mixed in with the good. It's a shame that a total greenhorn has to do this, but it's a fairly common experience. Fortunately training goes by quickly in the grand scheme of things, and we have plenty of time to sort it all out later.

Always operate in a way that you feel is safe. You can develop your own style on your own time during your rookie year. While training you just want to learn to be safe, follow company procedures, and develop a feel for the job you're about to be doing. There's so much to learn, and being able to hustle is one of them. The trainer should give some pointers as to how that can improve your income, but shouldn't expect you to be at the top of your game yet.

Always take your time and get it right. The "tyranny of urgency" is a cruel master. Once you allow it control your decision making, you've allowed it to control your destiny, and the outcome is usually not good.

We hired on to a small company recently and the “safety officer “ firmly states we don’t have to log a Pre trip, just show at least 10 mim on duty. Can’t change her mind one bit!!

Until pulled over and the DOT checks the logs. Then the driver and the company will have to pay.

We hired on to a small company recently and the “safety officer “ firmly states we don’t have to log a Pre trip, just show at least 10 mim on duty. Can’t change her mind one bit!!

I understand that it's very common for "Safety Directors" to have never driven themselves. If so, how can they effectively understand their job? Anybody know more about this? (because it really boggles my mind.)