F**K IT

[T * Storm]

Slight delay - my mentor got stuck in the weather in Elko NV. Seems they shut down the 80 for a bit and now I won't be starting til tomorrow. Oh well, at least I'll be learning how to drive with a 3mil mi 23 year accident free mentor. (No he hasn't spent all that time with Swift) I think I'm about to learn some things. Then after that the REV can polish me up from over the Internet. 8) :wink: :wink: :wink:

[T * Storm]

hmmm.............
Did I miss it?
Just what are the "3" things that you need to check???
Per your mental....er...mentor!

Just for the record

1) Brakes - and all that goes with them
2) Tires - they got air?
3) Lights - they work?

[teamster]

Well enough of the chit chat. My Driver services coordinator found me a mentor whom I'll be hooking up with tonight then its back on the road to finish my 6 weeks training. Got the phone call at 7am this morning. I'll be done on the 19th of December, then I'll be pulling my first solo load from Lancaster Texas. Seems my mentor lives in Louisiana and the only way he was willing to take on a trainee was to have a guarentee that he'd be home for Christmas. Seeing as I live in California that makes about 1800 miles to pull in 3 days from where he drops me. I figure an avg of 55 mph per day on the 11 hour clock will get me home on time for Christmas with my family. What do you think Rev? Think I can pull 1800 miles in 3 days? (Math: 55 mph x 11 hours x 3 days = 1800) hmmm.

It is not always possible to count on averaging 55mph, escpecially this time of year. If any bad weather at all is encountered, that average will not happen.

[Rev.Vassago]

hmmm.............
Did I miss it?
Just what are the "3" things that you need to check???
Per your mental....er...mentor!

Just for the record

1) Brakes - and all that goes with them
2) Tires - they got air?
3) Lights - they work?

The first time someone pulls your 5th wheel pin while you are sleeping, you will change that list.

Or the first time your truck breaks down on the side of the road from not checking the belts, hoses, or fluids, you'll change that list.

[T * Storm]

The first time someone pulls your 5th wheel pin while you are sleeping, you will change that list.

Or the first time your truck breaks down on the side of the road from not checking the belts, hoses, or fluids, you'll change that list.

I said that was my past mentors list not mine. I also heard about the old pulling of the 5th wheel pin that you OLD TIMERS love to pull on us rookies.

Trust me, every time I go to leave I will be checking those things. However; tell me the truth. Everytime you go to leave/drive you pull the hood and check your belts and fluids? Or do you do that every few days? I would imagine I would do that while I'm waiting to load or unload or at minimum 2 - 3 times per week. How often do you check those things? Also, when i'm getting in to drive I usually fiddle with the service lines and the emergency lines as well as the pigtail just to double check. If they were loose, the trailer wouldn't move and I'd feel it. The brakes have automatic slack adjusters and I'm no mechanic so I really wouldn't know if there was a problem. Also, the new Volvos we drive don't have the primary and secondary air gauges like the old ones and the onboard computer does a diagnostic every time you turn on the ignition, so other than the air lines being properly connected, the brakes (tug test), (if there were a light out the diagnosis would also cover that) and the tires what else would you check EVERY day?

[Rev.Vassago]

I said that was my past mentors list not mine. I also heard about the old pulling of the 5th wheel pin that you OLD TIMERS love to pull on us rookies.

The reason I put it on the list is because if we lose a trailer FOR ANY REASON, it is grounds for immediate termination of our contract - at least at my company.

Trust me, every time I go to leave I will be checking those things. However; tell me the truth. Everytime you go to leave/drive you pull the hood and check your belts and fluids? Or do you do that every few days?

Every morning during the pretrip, before I start the truck.

I would imagine I would do that while I'm waiting to load or unload or at minimum 2 - 3 times per week. How often do you check those things?

Fluids, belts, and hoses should be checked DAILY. All it takes is one tiny leak to put you dead on the side of the road, not earning ANYTHING. Opening the hood, checking the levels, and closing the hood takes about 4 minutes to do. If you don't have 4 minutes in the morning to spend on your truck, then you shouldn't expect your truck to spend 4 minutes working for you.

Always check the oil and coolant levels BEFORE starting the truck in the morning - after the truck has been run, their levels will be deceiving (the oil will look low, and the coolant will look high). Checking your oil when you stop to load or unload, or stop to fuel, will only tell you that you have oil - not how much you have.

Also, when i'm getting in to drive I usually fiddle with the service lines and the emergency lines as well as the pigtail just to double check. If they were loose, the trailer wouldn't move and I'd feel it.

Not necessarily - I've seen people dragging trailers through truck stops many a time with the trailer tires locked in place - oblivious to what they were doing.

The brakes have automatic slack adjusters and I'm no mechanic so I really wouldn't know if there was a problem.

What you are looking for is that they all appear to be in the same position when the parking brake is RELEASED, and that they are all in the same position when the johnny bar is ENGAGED. The other thing you should look for with brakes is that your S-Cam bushings are good - the way to check this is to physically grab the slack adjuster with your hand (put on an old glove first), and try to wiggle it around (while the parking brake is RELEASED). If it wiggles, you have an S-Cam bushing going bad, and that brake will not work as well as the rest. This type of failure could prove FATAL on a slippery road, because if you have enough S-Cam bushings that are bad, then some brakes will engage quicker than others, causing your tires to lock up on a slick surface.

You should check this once per week.

Also, the new Volvos we drive don't have the primary and secondary air gauges like the old ones and the onboard computer does a diagnostic every time you turn on the ignition,

Don't rely on the computer to do the pretrip for you.

so other than the air lines being properly connected, the brakes (tug test),

The TUG TEST? All that will tell you is if you are connected to the trailer - get out, and physically LOOK under the trailer at the 5th wheel, and make sure it is connected.

(if there were a light out the diagnosis would also cover that) and the tires what else would you check EVERY day?

Tires should be checked for ACTUAL PRESSURE about once per week (and should be done when the tire is COLD). What you should be looking for during a pretrip is that the tire has air, has no cracks on the sidewall, and has no irregular wear - any signs out of the ordinary, and the tire should be serviced immediately.

Stick to the list that the FMCSA provides. They state the things they do for a reason - not only will a thorough pretrip save you a breakdown, but it could save a life. Your logbook has a list of items that you should be inspecting, and it needs to be checked off - there is a reason for that list. Use it.

Ask the Swift maintainance department to give you a walkthrough on a proper pretrip when they assign you a tractor. I should hope that they know exactly what you should be looking for, even if your lazy mentor doesn't.

This is one of the things that scares the CRAP out of me - people not doing thorough pretrips. It makes me want to immediately scrap the idea of hiring drivers to put into trucks. Your employer is COUNTING on you to protect his (well over $100,000) investment.

[T * Storm]

I don't want to give you the wrong impression, but in orientation, the Swift safety manager told us implicitly that we need to do the pretrip every time we start in the morning. When I got on the truck with my mentor, my mentors attitude was "This is the real world now - an real truckers don't bother". Swift also provides you with a comprehensive checklist for the pre-trip. So, I guess I got the wrong impression from my mentor, because as I just stated, the safety manager was extremely emphatic about our doing a pretrip everyday. I appreciate your underscoring the importance of doing things RIGHT. What you say makes total sense and the reasons behind doing them. From here on out I am doing a pretrip regardless of what my mentor says.

BTW my new mentor has 23 yr of driving, 3 mil accident free miles and is an owner operator so I do believe he is a stickler for safety and will probably insist that I do everything pertaining to safety. Even if not, I will.
Again, thanks for the heads up and the instruction rev. - I just got word that my trainers ETA at the Lathrop terminal will be in 5 hours and I need to do laundry before my wife drives me over there.

Talk to you all around Christmas time. Saty safe out there.

[yoopr]

The first time someone pulls your 5th wheel pin while you are sleeping, you will change that list.

Or the first time your truck breaks down on the side of the road from not checking the belts, hoses, or fluids, you'll change that list.

I said that was my past mentors list not mine. I also heard about the old pulling of the 5th wheel pin that you OLD TIMERS love to pull on us rookies.

Trust me, every time I go to leave I will be checking those things. However; tell me the truth. Everytime you go to leave/drive you pull the hood and check your belts and fluids? Or do you do that every few days? I would imagine I would do that while I'm waiting to load or unload or at minimum 2 - 3 times per week. How often do you check those things? Also, when i'm getting in to drive I usually fiddle with the service lines and the emergency lines as well as the pigtail just to double check. If they were loose, the trailer wouldn't move and I'd feel it. The brakes have automatic slack adjusters and I'm no mechanic so I really wouldn't know if there was a problem. Also, the new Volvos we drive don't have the primary and secondary air gauges like the old ones and the onboard computer does a diagnostic every time you turn on the ignition, so other than the air lines being properly connected, the brakes (tug test), (if there were a light out the diagnosis would also cover that) and the tires what else would you check EVERY day?

Excuse me? "Old Timers" AREN'T the ones pulling 5th wheel pins-It's the punks on the road doing that AND the only time the "Old Timers" pulled 5th Wheel pins was during the General Trucking Strike in the early 80's.

[terrylamar]

Excuse me? "Old Timers" AREN'T the ones pulling 5th wheel pins-It's the punks on the road doing that AND the only time the "Old Timers" pulled 5th Wheel pins was during the General Trucking Strike in the early 80's.

I think we found an old timer!

[yoopr]

Excuse me? "Old Timers" AREN'T the ones pulling 5th wheel pins-It's the punks on the road doing that AND the only time the "Old Timers" pulled 5th Wheel pins was during the General Trucking Strike in the early 80's.

I think we found an old timer!

Well I'm not old but I've got a couple of miles under my belt.
But the thing is that if you do a general walk around prior to pulling out of a truck stop or whatever you'd see the 5th wheel handle was out and if you didn't see it and just did a Tug you'd find the pin was pulled :P

[Rev.Vassago]

I don't want to give you the wrong impression, but in orientation, the Swift safety manager told us implicitly that we need to do the pretrip every time we start in the morning. When I got on the truck with my mentor, my mentors attitude was "This is the real world now - an real truckers don't bother". Swift also provides you with a comprehensive checklist for the pre-trip. So, I guess I got the wrong impression from my mentor, because as I just stated, the safety manager was extremely emphatic about our doing a pretrip everyday. I appreciate your underscoring the importance of doing things RIGHT. What you say makes total sense and the reasons behind doing them. From here on out I am doing a pretrip regardless of what my mentor says.

BTW my new mentor has 23 yr of driving, 3 mil accident free miles and is an owner operator so I do believe he is a stickler for safety and will probably insist that I do everything pertaining to safety. Even if not, I will.
Again, thanks for the heads up and the instruction rev. - I just got word that my trainers ETA at the Lathrop terminal will be in 5 hours and I need to do laundry before my wife drives me over there.

Talk to you all around Christmas time. Saty safe out there.

Kudos to you, T*Storm - you have the right attitude (something that "mentor" is seriously lacking, and it will serve you well.

[yoopr]

This is the real world now - an real truckers don't bother".

Good grief

Good Luck to you T-Storm-you'll be all right-
Remember-When you're driving you're the Captain and that includes Pre-trips.

[Useless]

[quote="T * Storm"]

When I got on the truck with my mentor, my mentors attitude was "This is the real world now - an real truckers don't bother".

Yeah, Right!!

In the real world a truck with the wheels properly turning is what enables a driver to feed, clothe, and sustain himself and his family!! (or, herself and her family !!) "Real Truckers" don't bother?? Oh,well!! I guess that I never was a "Real Trucker", then!!

BTW my new mentor has 23 yr of driving, 3 mil accident free miles and is an owner operator so I do believe he is a stickler for safety and will probably insist that I do everything pertaining to safety. Even if not, I will.

He didn't get there by being wrong too many times!! Now, aren't you gald that you decided to hang in there??

Talk to you all around Christmas time. Stay safe out there.

Back at'tcha, Bro!!

Have a Kool Yule!!

[homer]

i hope that fellow dont quit his swift job before he got a year in.if he managed to get another job swift would probably buy that company too.you have no power if you dont have a year and everybody wants to find out if you can handle the pressure. so can you? do you think they gonna give you a bunch of expensive equipment and you cant take the pressure for six weeks.when you was in boot camp they made sure you could take the stress or they send you home

Bootcamp Ft Leonardwood Mo, back in early 80s. You?

no im senile in 77 out 82 before panama no civil service preference! san diego peace time swabber

[homer]

8) did the swift trainee thing in 95. thats the program call hq,say i want out this *&% truck,they talk softly in your ear,stroke you,its almost over!then they run you coast to coast til *&%$ start freakin out gotta be home yesterday! then your qualified and you see *&%# on the road and you so happy. after a year go somewhere else and less than a year evry one you know is gone from there