Jump To Local

I made the jump to local shift driver with a new company last month. Money is up and getting more time off. And being home every night. The only downside is, I am in Atlanta every workday. But that's OK. If I have to sit in traffic, I'm still getting paid. And like yesterday there was a bad wreck on the I-285, so I went downtown on I-85. Nobody questions a daycab in the city.

Nobody questions a daycab in the city.

You got that right! I haven't paid attention to non-truck routes and weight restricted roads in forever.

Until you are pulling a HAZMAT load through a restricted area and get involved in an accident.

Happened to a guy in Atlanta last year on I-85, the No HAZMAT route. Cost him and his company thousands and thousands of dollars after he was involved in an accident and rolled it over.

Really poor advice to ignore signs. Trucks never have accidents caused by others, huh?

Until you are pulling a HAZMAT load through a restricted area and get involved in an accident.

Happened to a guy in Atlanta last year on I-85, the No HAZMAT route. Cost him and his company thousands and thousands of dollars after he was involved in an accident and rolled it over.

Really poor advice to ignore signs. Trucks never have accidents caused by others, huh?

It wasnt advice, its what we have to do. We deliver to every business you can imagine as well as residential properties. If we followed your text we wouldn't be able to do 75% of our deliveries.

And indeed, people order hazardous material freight that are either located on a NO HAZMAT road or that we must travel through a NO HAZMAT road. Keep in mind there are roads that we cannot drive through due to low trees and low power lines.

Life in LTL isn't as black and white as people may think it is. You're an OTR guy and I don't think you fully grasp LTL sir.

SMH.....

There certainly is a different vibe as a local driver.

Got to agree with Daniel, though. Hauling fuel, we are both overweight and hazardous. If we followed the rules, half our stations would be unreachable. I’ve put 117k pounds down five ton roads, gone through non hazmat tunnels with a placarded load, have pulled hazmat through residential areas, and broken all kinds of rules, simply because that’s the only way to reach a station. “Local delivery” will forgive a multitude of sins. Really, the only restrictions we’ll pay attention to are bridge weights, for obvious reasons.

There certainly is a different vibe as a local driver.

Got to agree with Daniel, though. Hauling fuel, we are both overweight and hazardous. If we followed the rules, half our stations would be unreachable. I’ve put 117k pounds down five ton roads, gone through non hazmat tunnels with a placarded load, have pulled hazmat through residential areas, and broken all kinds of rules, simply because that’s the only way to reach a station. “Local delivery” will forgive a multitude of sins. Really, the only restrictions we’ll pay attention to are bridge weights, for obvious reasons.

Yeah, its sort of the nature of the beast. When I was OTR I had no clue how outlandish local driving can be though I thought I did. Its definitely not something you want to get into without a few years on your back. Props on doing fuel there sir. I did it for 2 years and wasn't a big fan.

There certainly is a different vibe as a local driver.

Got to agree with Daniel, though. Hauling fuel, we are both overweight and hazardous. If we followed the rules, half our stations would be unreachable. I’ve put 117k pounds down five ton roads, gone through non hazmat tunnels with a placarded load, have pulled hazmat through residential areas, and broken all kinds of rules, simply because that’s the only way to reach a station. “Local delivery” will forgive a multitude of sins. Really, the only restrictions we’ll pay attention to are bridge weights, for obvious reasons.

Yeah, its sort of the nature of the beast. When I was OTR I had no clue how outlandish local driving can be though I thought I did. Its definitely not something you want to get into without a few years on your back. Props on doing fuel there sir. I did it for 2 years and wasn't a big fan.

LTL driver also. I 100% agree. Some of the places i have taken my daycab in the back woods of West Virginia... SMH!!!!

Oil field water hauling is the same way. Yes there is bonded routes that we have to use, but that's just a piece of paper, it doesn't change the fact that its a 5 ton dirt road leading to a cornfield. And yet we take 80k+ trucks up and down it 24 hours a day.

Well, I'll chime in with 28 years on the enforcement side. You may think you're good to go in a day cab , but if you are off the truck route, you can be stopped for an investigation of being off route. And, yes, that is a legal stop. You then will need to prove that you are taking the most direct route to a delivery or pickup, from the nearest truck route. And just because the non-truck route is a good shortcut from one truck route to another, or saves you time because of traffic, you're susceptible to get a citation. I know, as I have cited drivers for it. We had a 4 lane divided roadway, a parkway, that was a snazzy quick bypass of the truck route, took you from one truck route up to the other one, and saved about 3 miles of driving. Posted 8000# weight limit, and "Not a Designated Truck Route".

First thing off was standard introduction "Is there a reason that you're driving off the designated truck route?" If answered in the affirmative with making a pickup or delivery, the next question was the clincher - "What is the address you're going to?" Citations for "Disobeying A Traffic Control Device" (Illinois considers a sign a device, a signal is "Signal"). If you want to chance it go ahead. The cops in the towns you're in will know if there is a location for food or rest on the route you're taking. I don't recommend running overland thinking the day cab is going to screen for you, but then, that's the old cop in me.

Some departments and the guys and gals in them care about that kind of stuff. I know, , right?

That said - demeanor on the stop is everything. It can get you a warning and a copy of the route map regulations, or it can generate a handwriting exercise fit to make the nuns smile.