No Brakes

So my employer wants me to drive note class b cdl 26000 pounds of liquid to Manassas va from hickory nc get about 20 miles from shop that's Statesville nc air pressure drops to 25 pounds I am in a manual so get off on a exit no brakes at all. About to run thru intersection slammed it into 2nd gear it stoped. Fortunately..so calls shop. Told them the problem ask if they. Wee gonna get a wrecker they said no they already had it figured out ..we have aircompressor an. Generators on aur trucks they said crawl under truck unhook airline from engine an look for a line that some one already ran from air compressor to brake manifold under truck I am no mechanic but very mechanically inclined I had a adjustable wrench to do all the work with so they say once u get air don't come back to fix it drive on 6 more hours now all this brake system is held together with hose clamp an tighten with a 2dollar adjustable wrench..I so I quit well pay day was Friday an they did not pay me this is taloried chemical in hickory nc they make helmets glue an all elements products they said they forgot to pay me they do direct deposit so now my bills are behind because they wet jus beating butt hols because I quit does any one think I could take them to court about brakes situation they said they didn't no truck had brake problems but it had secondary airline ran hum ...

Not trying to beat you up over this post, but you shouldn't have ever left the yard with that truck. How did your brakes not apply with PSI that low? They're supposed to automatically engage (knobs pop out) somewhere between 20 and 45 PSI. Should've been caught during pretrip. It isnt right that the company hasn't paid you for work you've done but you left with equipment that was faulty. That's on you. Have you spoken to the company about being paid? Sometimes weird things happen with payroll. Maybe the company didnt know about the issues. It takes other drivers writing up defects for them to be aware. It is our job to inspect equipment before using it daily, and double check that repairs that were needed have been completed.

Pretrip?

Guess not, apparently.

Pretrip?

Guess not, apparently.

He must’ve skipped class the day they taught pretrip at CDL school, just like he did back in grade school when they taught grammar. My head hurts from attempting to read that!

"...to empathize, encourage and inspire"

RealDiehl reminds us to...

I

"...to empathize, encourage and inspire"

o

The above mission statement also includes those on the forum who have yet to experience "day-1" of revenue driving.

For those of us who walk a mile in the OP's shoes everyday? Honestly Gang, I am having a difficult time empathizing with something that is difficult to understand, a behavior completely foreign to most of us. This overall thought is directed more towards the Newbies on the forum. I suggest there could be numerous underlying reasons how and why this occurred to the OP. None of us can determine the actual "whys" that lead to the "what?". I suggest it's a series of events that lead to this...but let's assume it wasn't laziness, but perhaps a lack of understanding on a driver's responsibility in a situation as written.

The learning point from the post; once we decide to drive the truck on public roads we become responsible and accountable for most anything that follows. That is a fact. IMO there is no rational reason to drive a truck without performing even a cursory level PTO (tires & brakes) and then to drive it with a defect that could lead to a catastrophic, life altering event. It's hard for me to empathize with anyone subjecting themselves and/or one of us to the result of their decision (this is "me" being "kind").

My encouragement for the OP is to consider the role you played in the result that occurred. No judgement here, just advice; "perform a thorough pre-trip. If during the pre-trip you find something so obviously wrong (as you described), please do not drive the truck beyond the confines of your yard and make a beeline to the repair shop." A very simple, binary process. If the company you are driving for insists that you take the truck out despite the issue, realize you do so at your own risk and quite possibly are endangering the lives of innocent parties. Drivers it your decision in the situation described. There is no gray area...

The inspiration is also quite simple; be professional, be safe and do your job. That is what top-performers do each and every day. There are numerous examples of this recently...our forum has the blessings of many, many seasoned drivers who completely understand the importance of performing a thorough pre-trip and the potential consequences if you do not.

To the OP...I urge you to "take to heart" the many examples on this forum, drivers who will never need to post a story like yours. Be safe and learn from your mistakes.

Peace.

I approved this first time post. I didn't really want to respond. I lost interest when he got to this part...

does any one think I could take them to court?

There's just so much going on in here. I got a chuckle out of the desire to sue the employer. I don't know what the OP expects to get from a lawsuit. The company can't even maintain a roadworthy truck. It certainly sounds like he's trying to get "blood out of a turnip."

For those who often think that we are "shills" for "Big Trucking," take note on how wonderful this new driver's life is at a small and tenuous trucking operation.

Why Small Trucking Companies Are Often A Disaster Waiting To Happen

Oops; meant RealDehl...sorry RD. Too quick on the enter key.

Lol! It's all good, G-Town.

Thanks for explaining so well a point I was trying to make.

IF a driver fails to do a pre trip then yes, it's a bonehead move and should be criticized.

Following that though, stressing the importance of and the reasons for doing a thorough pre trip is a great way to help our members learn how to avoid the situation posted above.

Comments aren't always full of sunshine and rainbows. We get that. But we also dont want to see someone getting bashed for having difficulty in expressing him/herself clearly.

A pretty crazy story you got there. I know a guy with a similar story. He hung his lunch box off his trolley brake lever at some point during his trip. He drove the truck hundreds of miles like this and pulled back into the terminal. He dropped the trailer off and parked his tractor over in the tractor lot used for slip seating. The next driver hooked up on the trailer and pulled it about 20 miles. Got to his first stop and noticed he didn't have one tire on the entire trailer. He called the company and told them he didn't have any trailer tires. He asked if they were going to send tire service out. They said no and that they keep 2 spare tires underneath the trailer. He was a mechanic in a past life so he knew how to change a tire and he had all the tools he needed in his side box. He replaced the back outside tires and finished his trip. When he got back to the terminal they fired him for failure to perform a Pre-trip. It sounds a lot like what happened to you. I'm sorry this happened to you. Unfortunately, when we hook up on something or jump in a truck for the first time we are held responsible for it as soon as we certify it as safe to drive and move the vehicle or trailer. I do a lot of drop and hook and you learn real quick how you're held accountable for the last guy's mistake if you fail to find defects during the pretrip.