Latest report on Fozzy's new trucking adventure.. likes, dislikes and things that still bug the living heck out of me.

Still driving the feed truck. Very easy work but.. trucking is what it is.. and really has in this old ancient driver's opinion gone down the tubes.

GOOD:
GPS - its nice if you have your head out of your butt and have some experience on how the world works. Even as worldly as I am.. I have to wonder sometimes what this thing is thinking
TOLL PASSES - Very nice, no more screwing around with comchecks etc and trying to get reimbursed for money for tolls. I run as many toll roads as I can in TX as the alternative roads are normally choked full of Texas idiots who cannot drive five feet without running into each other
EXPRESS LANES - in Texas, they are appearing all over.. they are GREAT!!!
75 MPH Trucks - Nice to have when legal.. I do NOT run the truck that fast unless its legally allowable and some idiot is sightseeing down the interstate.
ELECTRIC PALLET JACKS - Makes unloading 40k of pallets easy as pie

BAD:
TRUCK STOPS - What the heck happened? All truck stops and even almost truck stops had cafes in them were you could drag your tired arse into and plop down for some coffee and a mea and some general BSing with humans.. some worth talking to. the VAST majority of truck stops are now gas stations with fast food or some hideous hot box. No interaction, no real place to unwind or wind up for the day. I think this more than anything has led to the biggest problem in trucking today.. the death of any camaraderie and the death of the "brotherhood". It's a solitary, dreary mess out there.
ROADWORK - When did these states (TX for sure) Decide to try and not only repair but MOVE the entire interstate system at one time?? No more short little annoyances.. 200 miles of construction zone!
TRUCK DRIVERS - Bad! Worse? Just generically bad skills and selfishness on display. I was fueling and needed to take a break soon.. After fueling, three drivers were all trying their hand and maneuvering into parking spots or something (i really couldn't tell what it was that they were doing).. but it was quicker to leave the truck stop and head down the interstate 5 miles to the rest area so I could actually take a break. Drivers cutting in too close at high speed, drivers staying in the middle lane at slow speeds causing havoc as the super truckers bear down in them.. its sometimes pretty darned scary as I think I'm the only one paying attention on how close these morons are coming to disaster
PARKING - self explanatory.. Not sure when trucking became a 9 - 5 job, but parking after 7 is usually a chore. I am glad that lots of my delivery spots have large parking areas.
TRUCK CAMPING - I did it for years, I still dont really like it.

Yep.........I'm getting a camera to carry with me now. Tired of the foolish professional drivers making unprofessional moves around me. I refuse to stay in any truck stop, of course running for Wal-Mart makes it easy, allowed to park at any I find before my clock expires. But, the truck stops are a complete joke, everyone is in a hurry, it's like the Wild West at times.

How about the ELDs? I only have 2 weeks worth of paper logging experience, I prefer the electronic once I learned some tips and tricks for it. It's cleaner for my line of work of multiple stops within 10-15 minutes of one another but in different zip codes.

The drivers in general........non English speaking, can't understand No Trucks is there for a reason. No understanding of the bridge laws so they ride around with their tandems all the way back because "well I was of legal weight on drives and tandems then." Oh the sign says 12-5, I'm good.......... Can't back to save their lives or attempt a tight back with tandems all the way back then can't figure out why they are running out of room and can't make it.

More or less the same here. a lot of the feed stores have parking around them. I try to get to them.. but with dispatch being someone who's last job was working in a payday loan store.. its sometimes just not doable.

I've always liked the electronic logs, I ran them when Werner started them back in the late 90's. For no other reason that it keeps the management types from demanding miracles.

Well, I see that tandem thing around here all the time. IMHO like most other issues that bother me.. its sheer laziness on the driver's part.

Pretty much officially done with this outfit...

We (drivers) got sent a text from the boss that there was to be a driver's meeting Tuesday (today) at 0800. I got there and walked in and sat down. The manager started the meeting and discussed loads and routing, asked about truck issues.. then dropped the bomb that this was a ruse to complete a company ordered drug test. This was a hair follicle test (never did one of those before). Instantly one of the drivers fessed up with "I'm not going to pass the test". I was dumbfounded! I'm still pretty shockable even as long as I have been doing this. Within a couple of moments.. their "lead driver" fessed up that he too would not pass the test. I was even more shocked. Now I thought at this point we were undergoing a DOT random urinalysis, and I offered the only option (that was still not really proper). I told the drivers that they needed to resign and walk the hell out and go find a job. But then the boss said that this was a company test and not DOT. The boss told them that he was putting off the test for them and they could leave (go out and drive). I was shocked... I am still shocked. I am looking for work as we speak. As far as I'm concerned, this company is on borrowed time. I did talk to the boss after the meeting and told him that he was REALLY on thin ice, he agreed and told me that he was contacting his bosses.. I will wait and see.. but what the actual FARK!

Check out www.blackvue.com one of the best dash cams I have seen, I run this in my personal truck and it's pricey but worth every penny.

I went with a WheelWitnessHD. Has done just fine thus far, I've actually seen less stupid since I started using it. Had to upgrade my SD card to record more than 4 hours before it started overwriting.

Yeah, recommend this too. It would be a lot better if they drop their price a little bit.

Before I retired, I worked for several companies that seemed to send me for a drug test every other week. I think they picked me anytime they need a clean test. I know there were other drivers that were using. Things changed a lot after DOT visited the company. They were facing fines that would have shut the company down if they did not clean up their act.



Even worse for everybody, here in Florida, the second most popular commodity is "SUNSHINE". Second only to drugs. You do not know which drivers are straight and sober, which ones are on weed, who's working on their 4th can of beer, or who's on heroin or crack. But they're all out there on the road. You have to drive like every one of them is aiming for you, down here.


Last October, I was on my bike (as in motorcycle) and in a head-on collision with an on-coming car that decided to make his turn directly in front of me. I went over the handlebars, bounced off the car, and I doubt I was mistaken for Superman flying through the air. His mother's car was fully insured, but the guy had not had a valid driver's license since 2009.


In the other states where they've made weed legal, be careful. Be very careful of who else is on the road.


BTW Fozzy. Good to see you're still around.

Nice to see someone on here that isn't a sports bot. I take it that you got clobbered by a left turner? That sucks. There really is no defense for it either..... and rarely do the four wheelers suffer any real penalties for it either. Sorry to hear that. I have moved on from the feed job.. for the reasons stated. Also the fact that I am as close to broken as it comes.. Arthritis and a lifetime of grunt work has just taken its toll on me.. too many years of working while damaged... it paid the bills.. it raised all my kids.. but i'm friggen worn out. I pull an MRI wagon.. not much driving.. run either a 3 on 4 off or 4 on 3 off schedule. We stay in pretty nice hotels when out.. I get paid $25 a night to stay in the hotels, paid by the hour etc etc.. I'd still rather be a CDL instructor.

Been a long time since checking in here, Hows the job hunt going Fozzy?

I don't know where they get some of the "drivers" out here now, I've had them going up a hill in the center lane at 38 MPH in a 65 no 4 ways and never move over into the truck lane! What do you do? the left lanes full of cars doing 65+, if the truck lanes empty I'll pass them on the right(going 60mph) and even then they don't get the message.
A week or so ago I pulled into my fuel stop and the place is backed up, I jump in the only lane that doesn't have a line, just the truck at the pump, after getting fuel he got in his truck for a bit then comes back and tells me he has to set there for 30 more minutes! He's taking his break at the pump! I call um like I see um, and he decided to move but just the idea of it WTF????