[got mud?]

Originally Posted by Kevin0915

I've been told that drivers will not make it 2-3 months before they quit. But i am willing to bet there are signs they should have quit a long time ago before they actually DO quit. Funny how i havent come close to seeing any 'signs' yet.

thats because you don't have enough experience to know what the signs are. just a few examples of the things that people who don't make it do.

come on here ask a question and get upset when they don't get the answer they want. ( i'm willing to bet that is a pattern in your life)

act as though they are owed something. expect someone to teach them everything and hold their hand and show them everything. guess what you can learn a lot from a bad trainer!

getting defensive over nothing (dude nobody even cared that you are with swift. nobody seems to have a problem with it but you!!!)

think they know everything!

little advice to you. heed it or don't... swallow your pride, lose your attitude and listen to these guys cause they know what they are talking about!! they have been where you are and seen countless others through it. You dont know anything about trucking. simple fact. its not an insult. these guys have forgotten more than you know about it. simply because they have experience. you think you know everything cause some people told you this and that and you have it all figured out and you know how to be safe and do this and do that and you have the lingo down and all that. guess what "knowing ain"t doing!!"

your trainer is still tucking you in at night and telling you sweet little stories and making sure you do everything right and there to make sure you don't mess up to bad. come back in six months to a year (if you make it, fact is most don't) when you have been doing it on your own and then you might be able to make a valid point until then show, a little respect to the people who are out here doing it and trying to give you some advice!!

[Colts Fan]

Originally Posted by headborg

Statistically speaking-- you're GOING to have 3 minor maneuvering accidents/incidents within your first YEAR.

Dammit, I'm just an average run of the mill first year newbie! I thought I was doing okay. I better keep my nose clean and GOAL the next couple of weeks (my 1 yr. mark).

[headborg]

Originally Posted by Colts Fan

Dammit, I'm just an average run of the mill first year newbie! I thought I was doing okay. I better keep my nose clean and GOAL the next couple of weeks (my 1 yr. mark).

Dammit Boy! you already at the 3 minor scrapes mark?

Hopefully; you did the self assessment -- looked around to see if there were any witnesses and calculated if you would be able to drop that trailer before having to claim responsibility? what were they? stop signs? small yellow poles? those metal dock guards? where they at night?

[Colts Fan]

Originally Posted by headborg

Dammit Boy! you already at the 3 minor scrapes mark?

Hopefully; you did the self assessment -- looked around to see if there were any witnesses and calculated if you would be able to drop that trailer before having to claim responsibility? what were they? stop signs? small yellow poles? those metal dock guards? where they at night?

LOL. Well, my first one was during my first week solo with Baylor. I was at Domino Sugar in Baltimore which is horrendously tight. I had to blind side into a tight spot and even had someone spotting. I guess I didn't here the guy tell me to stop and the back of my trailer hit another truck's headlight. Lucky for me it was another Baylor truck. I didn't break the headlight but pshed it back some. We just popped it back in but we had to call safety and all that. Baylor must not have cared too much because they kept sending me loads.

I did scrape one of those yellow poles in Chicago once with the side of my trailer but there were so many scrapes on the trailer already it was unnoticable.

Then there was the screw up in my "Oops" thread. Dark, packed truck stop at night.

Oh yeah, crap there's one more. I guess that puts me over three! I was in our Langhorne, PA yard where that have these huge concrete block in the grass so people don't tear it up. I was bringing the trailer back around, slowly and carefully and caught my bumper on one of them. Just did a little pulling on it and got it off the tire. :eek: Called the boss and he said not to worry about it.

Crap. I guess I do suck.

[golfhobo]

Originally Posted by Colts Fan

LOL. Well, my first one was during my first week solo with Baylor. I was at Domino Sugar in Baltimore which is horrendously tight. I had to blind side into a tight spot and even had someone spotting.

I never thought I'd get to say this, but AMEN to that! This is the first example I can remember where I've been to one of the places mentioned here.

Domino Sugar is a BEAST! DARK and tight, and blindside!! If they would just relocate a few of those junk trailers in front of you, it wouldn't be SO bad, but still it is the tightest dock I've ever seen. Two trailers side by side at the dock, and the open doors are TOUCHING! Hard to even get out of there without ripping off someone's mirrors with your doors! :eek:

And when I was there, the other trucks didn't leave their running lights on to help you see them. THIS one I might cut you some slack on, Colts Fan!!

[Kevin0915]

Originally Posted by got mud?

thats because you don't have enough experience to know what the signs are. just a few examples of the things that people who don't make it do.

come on here ask a question and get upset when they don't get the answer they want. ( i'm willing to bet that is a pattern in your life)

act as though they are owed something. expect someone to teach them everything and hold their hand and show them everything. guess what you can learn a lot from a bad trainer!

getting defensive over nothing (dude nobody even cared that you are with swift. nobody seems to have a problem with it but you!!!)

think they know everything!

little advice to you. heed it or don't... swallow your pride, lose your attitude and listen to these guys cause they know what they are talking about!! they have been where you are and seen countless others through it. You dont know anything about trucking. simple fact. its not an insult. these guys have forgotten more than you know about it. simply because they have experience. you think you know everything cause some people told you this and that and you have it all figured out and you know how to be safe and do this and do that and you have the lingo down and all that. guess what "knowing ain"t doing!!"

your trainer is still tucking you in at night and telling you sweet little stories and making sure you do everything right and there to make sure you don't mess up to bad. come back in six months to a year (if you make it, fact is most don't) when you have been doing it on your own and then you might be able to make a valid point until then show, a little respect to the people who are out here doing it and trying to give you some advice!!

dude, nobody tucks me in at night, and NOBODY holds my hand. In fact, this past week, my mentor and i actually would run 'team'. And he wouldnt come out and sit in the right seat when it came time to back. and guess what...it actually helped me be more confident. My backs are alot better than they were when i first started my 6 weeks of training.

I know swifts reputation, and i know that it along with a very few others are known as "mills" or "training companies". And if you havent been able to see the posts with the "you drive for swift, so that means you must suck" undertones, then you need to call 1-800-ABCDEFG.

as far as Headborg's previous post regarding 'getting up to speed', nowhere did i say anything about taking my time getting up to speed before getting into my lane. I simply said getting up to speed. meaning from a standing stop such at a controlled intersection.

as far as keeping my mirrors/windshield clean, i am a CLEAN NUT. My mentor has a good trick, a bottle of Windex with a spoonfull of Dawn dishsoap. Not only will that be good when cleaning winshields, but help when your tandems wont slide very well.

I just might end up on Wal-Mart dedicated. They pay you as loaded miles even when you come back empty with one of their trailers. But some of their stores are still so old, like last night, we had two stops, and they had to be unloaded with a pallet-jack in the trailer and a forklift on the ground. I know i know....that is "old school" or that is the way it was done 200 years ago....but still might be worth the headache if i get paid loaded miles when i am empty. =)

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

Originally Posted by Kevin0915

I just might end up on Wal-Mart dedicated. They pay you as loaded miles even when you come back empty with one of their trailers.

Nothing special about the pay ,because most companies pay the same DH/LD'D...

[headborg]

a bottle of Windex with a spoonfull of Dawn dishsoap. Not only will that be good when cleaning winshields, but help when your tandems wont slide very well.

that might be great for You at the present time-- but that water causes the slides to rust-- faster- becoming more of a pain in the ass for the next drivers. Try Dawn dish washing liquid--if you must. Course they also make a silicon based slide lubricant- in a aerosol spray can.

[golfhobo]

Dawn is an anti-grease agent for washing dishes. It miight work well for getting grime off the windshield. But... it is the LAST thing I would use on the tandem rails.

What you need on those rusty rails is GREASE! Or, at least silicone! It makes absolutely NO SENSE to me to use a solution that breaks down grease on rails where you WANT them to be greased up and sliding easily!

If they put grease in a can, I would buy it and spray it on my tandem rails! I would NEVER use an anti-grease agent like Dawn on my rails! Are you crazy? :rolleyes:

There's no special "trick" to this, dude. When you get a trailer that is rusty, you spray the rails with WD-40 or something like it. Works like magic, and you can slide the tandems with ease. We've been doing it for years!

The day I spray my tandems with a combination of Windex and Dawn (both designed to reduce grease) is the day I hang up my keys! :rolleyes:

[Fredog]

Originally Posted by golfhobo

Dawn is an anti-grease agent for washing dishes. It miight work well for getting grime off the windshield. But... it is the LAST thing I would use on the tandem rails.

What you need on those rusty rails is GREASE! Or, at least silicone! It makes absolutely NO SENSE to me to use a solution that breaks down grease on rails where you WANT them to be greased up and sliding easily!

If they put grease in a can, I would buy it and spray it on my tandem rails! I would NEVER use an anti-grease agent like Dawn on my rails! Are you crazy? :rolleyes:

There's no special "trick" to this, dude. When you get a trailer that is rusty, you spray the rails with WD-40 or something like it. Works like magic, and you can slide the tandems with ease. We've been doing it for years!

The day I spray my tandems with a combination of Windex and Dawn (both designed to reduce grease) is the day I hang up my keys! :rolleyes:

Ace hardware sells white grease in a spray can.. works great