What not to do
 

Learned 2 things this week, be nice/courteous to security and DO NOT listen to dispatch, go with your gut!

I was picking up a preloaded back haul from Smithfield bacon, got there 15 minutes later than planned, different story and really don't want to discuss it because I nearly got sick in the truck at what I saw. I got there just as the shipping clerks were leaving for the night so they hand all pickup paperwork to security. These 2 kids ambush the gate, PRO Transport and Swift..........both break ****ty with security and demand they do something to get THEIR load ready. I'm standing there laughing at them, 5 signs inside say SECURITY.............you really think these 3rd party guys have any say or pull? The Swift kid was real foolish and I told the guards as much when he left in a huff. He was whining how he'd been there sitting for 9 hours already.........dude chill for an hour then you got a full set of hours to run on! Told the guards that so if he came back in they would have some pushback on him! Be nice, heck the check in hardly looks at me now, check out got the same way after this incident, they like seeing me come in to get a load.

As for the 2nd, got sent out in the winter storm, I survived but a companion wiped out right in front of me. He was lucky to not roll it. Both of us were told the same thing, roads were ok. I knew they weren't good, but I had pulled over into a place I could park if need be and called in. Roads further ahead were better, just slushy...........I figured heck, I've made it this far just doing what I know to do, take it very easy and don't let others push me, plus I'm empty which is good and bad in these conditions. I also knew I had a few other spots I could stop at if roads turned out to be worse. He was fully loaded, prolly going a little too fast and got into the real bad stuff in the center of the road and away he went. I never had an issue and made it back safely. The other guys gut told him don't do it but he went with the load anyways.....and he wiped out. My gut said it wasn't great but it was doable as long as I stayed focused and didn't go faster than I was comfortable with. I got back in, dispatch said we have a run right back past our wrecked truck, I laughed and said it could stay in the filing cabinet till about 4pm cuz I had a pounding headache and was going to bed plus 2 hours left on my clock wouldn't be enough to get it there in time. The other driver, he was shook up and angry at himself, disgustingly I was the only one to stop and check on him. Car ahead of me stopped, looked over and then drove off. State plow truck stopped then drove around him and went on. I offered to stay and let him sit in my truck for warmth since I had no idea if his truck would run still or if the ESPAR heater was still working after he did a Dukes of Hazzard.

loaded would have/should have been better than empty. he obviously either hit the slush over ice, or packed snow. when ever i can, if i take off on my runs, i hold back my speed considerably and stay in the right lane. i never make sudden movements with the steering wheel, or brakes. been doing this for over 3 decades, never had a problem. not saying i never will, but i stay behind all the yahoo's that think they are god's gift to winter driving, and of course, i do mean truckers as well as the dopey 4 wheelers.

Thats what I did, let all the super truckers blow on past and hoped that if they wiped out, it was beyond my exit! Had a bobtail blow past me.........just shook my head

yeah, i try not to figure out the minds of morons..if something happens behind me, so be it, if something happens ahead of me, like you said...after my exit.....

Found out our boy that wiped out.........was doing 50 mph at the time...........he had the gall to blame dispatch for giving him bad info. If your THAT dumb to not realize how bad it is yourself when you get out there........smh. Mind you, he told me the roads were real bad behind him, yet he never slowed it down?

That made my toes come out the bottom of my slippers, when I read that. :roll3:
We get a lot more experience driving in conditions like that in Northern Michigan, and the absolute worst, is bobtailing on icy/slushy roads. Up here, we don't leave the yard without a trailer, even to just go across town, for any reason. Too dangerous.

Mr.Ford, I also came from a construction background, before I went into OTR trucking. I noticed a big difference in what people skills are needed to get along on the job. My biggest adjustment was learning patience. Second to that was learning diplomacy.

Third was learning the politics and pecking order that you see at your pick ups and drop locations. Bring candy with you. ;)

there will ALWAYS BE those that think they are the best at what they do and can do no wrong.your co-worker needs to be fired.

As far as I know he is still here, he told the office that next time there is any weather, he will refuse the load...........

Hog, I learned most of that at my last job. 15 years worth! Funny thing is when a Wal-Mart store tries to reject a Wal-Mart DC load. I just cackle and go OOOOOOKKKKKKK! Simple call to the office and it's taken care of.

Strike ONE!
Strike TWO!
Strike THREE! YER OUT! and that's why I'm a fleet of one. I have little to no patience especially with people that should know better.
Diplomacy? ahh, nah let's not even go there.
pecking order? I don't care who you are.

Well he did slow down to 50mph.
To each there own, a couple winters ago I was talking to another Crete driver(going to the same place)and he was moaning about how bad the roads were and I was overtaking and passing him at that very time.
Personally I think he wussed out and canceled because he didn't want to drive in the snow and overnight. I didn't think the roads were that bad and proceed at about 50-55.But keep in mind that I do that same run on the same roads every night and have for 10 years now.
This is one area that I do keep my mouth shut, I will not tell anyone to hurry up or go faster!

I didn't get to go to the same place and deal with the same people, over and over.
I ended up going to someplace new most of the time. I had a few picks and drops at the same location, but not very often.

The trade off was, i went through 47 of the lower 48 states and Ontario & Quebec during the course of my career. Met new people all the time.
I would have liked to skip the eastern seaboard completely. Union places were the worst, especially to independent drivers.

I was going across Illinois on I-74 this winter. It was slick and I was running around 50mph and felt that was the max for the conditions. I look in the mirror and there is a CRST in the hammer lane passing everyone. He gets to me and gets the tractor and about half the trailer by and loses it. I am very thankful he jack-knifed it into the median and not in front of me.

Experience is key! So is using your head! I'm certain you run into conditions where you go nope, time to back it down or shutdown. I was slowing down the more I rolled into the teeth of the storm, on the verge of calling it quits for a bit, using my head and previous experience with what I was seeing and feeling. The conditions in that area where definitely not safe at anything above 35 at best and even that may have been slightly too fast.

experience also proves you also don't want to go less than 35/40mph, because some decent size snow drifts can knock aboot 10mph off your top end.
If there is a 4-wheeler buried in there, you want enough steam to knock it clear of your trailer, otherwise your tandems will go right up over the top of it, and you'll drop your load over, even with extra load locks.

I'm not shy about pulling the plug, I've done before and I'll do it again. It's rare, one time I finally said enough and stopped at the Petro on I90 xt41 in NY I went to the end of the lot and turned the wheel to the right and the truck kept going straight. I backed up and tried three times and it was just to icey and wouldn't turn right I finally gave up and turned left and parked behind the shop. If I ever pushed to hard and too long that was it.
My real motivation to make my stop is the fact that I park my truck and go home for my break, that and I don't sleep well in the truck. (some trucker I am!)

Here is a trend I'm noticing about truck drivers, we are some ignorant folks! Parking in no parking zones.......hey re-re, your now blocking the only exit! Or trucks who have zero business there, parking on Walmart dock areas and blocking it up/making it extremely difficult to get into without hitting something. It's disgusting and very frustrating! 1 store we deliver to, trucks park right in the way, hey idiots, behind you, the way you came in is an actual truck parking area WITH signs signifying it and ZERO trucks are parked there! I stand on the horn just to piss them off!

I understand truck parking is hard to come by these days and getting harder, but come on, think beforehand! We have 1 rest area that only has 1 exit. Regular cars have to use it to get out, but trucks typically block it completely up so nobody can get out! At another, they crowd around the entry, making it VERY narrow even for cars to get into. It also gives off the illusion at night that trucks are scattered across the road and blocking it. Many night drivers freak out and slap on their brakes. As you go past, you see spot after spot available............yes, let's all crowd around the entry though!

Sorry I'm ranting........just pisses me off at the level of ignorance by "trailer drivers"

Well, I had a situation - I accepted the load of watermelons. I have been told by my dispatcher that everything is ok just get there and pick it. OK.
When i got to the location it was raining hard and the TM told me, that these watermelons are yet to be gathered. So I spent 28 hours waiting for the loading just for additional $150.
Now this dispatcher is my former dispatcher. But I got aquainted with the TM - he is a really cool guy, and now I get his loads directly)))