Truck Driving Jobs

TomB985 · Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 214 Location: Columbus, OH

Quote: Many years ago when I started driving a big truck it wasn't a pretty sight. I just turned 16 and had a learners permit. One afternoon Dad's C/O Pete was sitting there in the yard and I figured "Hell I can do this, I've ridden and seen him do it, I've been driving his P/U for two weeks and know all this s@@t". Wellllllll ended up kinda leaning in the ditch on the side of the driveway No way to hide it when he came home. Was kinda pi$$ed. Well, after the wooping, he said "You wana drive truck you are coming with me for your summer vacation". Spent two month with him and got lots of windshield time, right seat, turns out my job was securing all the loads, tarping all that had to be, all P/T's, tire changes etc. The last week we came out of a truck stop and he climbed in the right seat and said "Drive. Grind a gear and I'll bang your hand, curb a trailer tire and I'll bang your head", and he did. When we got done he said "Next year we will do it again, maybe I'll let you drive more" and we did.
After all these years, 48, I'll still be driving and catch a trailer tire and hear him say "Goddamit you curbed a tire" and will duck to the left Oh, my name is Goddamit, my brother was Jesuschrist
Don't knock the newbies, offer help and advice. In my day it was a wack on the head that drove it in, today it is more "Don't you think it might have been better if ???". We all had to learn some way or another and in 48 years I have yet to meet a driver that climed into his cab for the first time and did everything perfect. Wow...you've been driving twice as long as I've been alive...... :shock:

Walking Eagle · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 2:52 pm Post subject:

Thanks TomB985, I think I will go out and shoot myself now :) :)

TomB985 · Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 214 Location: Columbus, OH

Glad to help! :D

oldcodger · Joined: 15 Jan 2004 Posts: 261 Location: Central Texas

Since I drive "local" and have for almost 4 years I probably back in to docks more times in a day than most otr drivers do in a week.

That said, I still have times where I can't seem to do a straight back with even 5 pull ups and 40 acres of ground.

I have set and watched others try to back up and have gone over and offered to either guide them in or to back for them. 95% of the drivers have thanked me for the help. The other five are too stubborn or I guess too proud to accept help from an "old guy".

So be it. I just sit and smoke and watch. I tried to help, thats all I can do.

Codger

Walking Eagle · Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 4:08 pm Post subject:

That's why I pull the trailer I do, I don't do backing :D :D :D

TomB985 · Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 214 Location: Columbus, OH

Wimp!!! :D

just kidding...I know you pull very, very heavy things....

Walking Eagle · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:27 pm Post subject:

Yep, I figure 30 feet a day is a good days/load backing :D Pull in, to a good big space, sit the trailer on the ground and pull 30 feet straight ahead. Crane comes and lifts off my jeep and sets it right in front of the trailer. Back under the jeep, one foot six inches, hook up the air lines. Back under the trailer, one foot six inches, and done. If the very worst came to the very worst I might have had to deck my stinger and then the crane would have to set it off right behind the trailer and I would have to back another eight inches to get the pins in, but I try not to do that cuz that is way to much backing for the week :D :D :D

TomB985 · Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 214 Location: Columbus, OH

Wow...as cool as that sounds...I have no idea what you're talking about...

Is the "jeep" the thingie that has a set of tandems on it that hooks to your 5th wheel? If it's what I'm thinking it may be...it splits the weight between your drives and the tandems on the thingamajigger....
:?

Walking Eagle · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:45 pm Post subject:

Yep, it splits the weight between the tandems (or in my case the tridems, 4 axle tractor) and the trailer. Think O OOO OOO OOO OOO
Str 20 Tri 60k Jep 60k trl 60k Str60k

TomB985 · Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 214 Location: Columbus, OH

Sounds like fun! :P

repete · Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 237

Windwalker wrote: choperbob wrote: too many experienced driver sit at truck stops putting down us new drivers as rookies, duh, we are rookies. as long as experienced drivers sit on their duffs and just complain about the level of training we get, they are going to get cannon fodder for their bellyaching. uhh, maybe this industry is growing faster than they can understand. i am sure it is, otherwise us inexperienced drivers, millions of us, wouldn't of suddenly appeared. ok, we are here! on the road! at truck stops! at the shippers! jeeze, what you gonna do now? watch out one of us is gonna back into your front fender, we are gonna take out your whole front end. what you gonna do about it sucker? call my insurance? swift will pay .25 cents on the dollar. now i am gonna stop blasting america's true truckers. because this industry is growing so fast and pushing undertrained drivers onto the roads maybe they need a little help??? i have been given more training sitting over coffee from you old farts than the schools ever gave. us new drivers are easy to spot, we have yet to learn the best clothing. also who we drive for gives us away. any driver with any experience should watch out for us and maybe do whatever they can to pass on what they have learned when they were rookies. i saw a 30 year old tattooed mohawk haired driver with 10 years experience training a 55 year old short haired ex- teacher to drive. yeah our industry is changing but the favt remains that the older guys train the newcomers.

I can't speak for the other guys. If you've read a couple of MY threads, I have tried to give out good, sound, information about driving in bad weather.

In the truck stops, I've usually been one of the guys that will get out of my truck and help you back into a space for the night. But, I've also seen you guys pull into a space, and back into someone else's grill when backing out in the morning. Idle-Aire spaces are especially good for this. Some fool designed them so that you must pull in, and back out.

I've also been a trainer for new drivers. "UNDER-TRAINED"? I've had school graduates that could not even find reverse on the shifter, much less back into a space. I've also had to reach over and pull the "trolley bar" to stop them from taking the fender and hood of the next truck with them on the way out of a space.

It's not the drivers I tend to complain about, but the level of training they receive. And, DOT is considering relaxing the requirements even more. Yet, they MUST go through an approved school. They'd get far better training going "ONE-ON-ONE" with a seasoned driver in a truck. Seasoned meaning at least five years experience... YA HEAR THAT, (not so) SWIFT AND C R ENGLAND??? Six months is not nearly enough experience to be a trainer.

As to the mohawks and tatooes, you'll find that there are as many types of people driving a truck as there are people driving them. I guess we're a lot like SNOWFLAKES... No two are exactly alike. That also means that ANY ATTIRE IS APPROPRIATE.... Well, that is... As long as it's not a collection of dirty rags.

seasoned driver with experince is great BUT they also need to want to train and be able to, just cause you can win the rodeo dosn't mean you can teach some one else how to!

DaveFromColorado · Joined: 23 Feb 2008 Posts: 75 Location: Chaska, MN

Last night, I was hookin' up the truck I was driving to my trailer, and one of the other guys came out and guided me back - and I thought about this thread at that moment. (Mind you, these are pintle hitches, not 5th wheel, or ball hitches)

Also, not sure if anyone else does this - but if there's no one else in the yard, rather than driving into my parking spot, I back into it, just to practice my backing skills. I get a li'l better each day. I think someone here gave hints about backing a trailer - hold the bottom of the wheel, and move your hand in the direction you want the back of the trailer to go - that amazingly helped me a LOT. Thank you to whomever offered that hint!

--Dave.

CrazyTulip · Joined: 08 Sep 2007 Posts: 180 Location: Central Florida

Colts Fan wrote: Just turn off the CB and you'll have nothing to worry about. I'm with you on that one! I hardly ever have it on, pretty much only at shippers and receivers. Can't stand all the negative stuff and bitching - I just don't see what it's good for.

Double L · Joined: 26 Sep 2007 Posts: 1039 Location: Southern Illinois

CrazyTulip wrote: Colts Fan wrote: Just turn off the CB and you'll have nothing to worry about. I'm with you on that one! I hardly ever have it on, pretty much only at shippers and receivers. Can't stand all the negative stuff and bitching - I just don't see what it's good for.

I agree with but I always listen to the cb for entertainment. The only thing I hate is hearing racist jokes!

TomB985 · Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 214 Location: Columbus, OH

Quote: I agree with but I always listen to the cb for entertainment. The only thing I hate is hearing racist jokes!

So...a black guy, a white guy, and a chinese guy walk into a bar... :P

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