My Experience as a Line Haul Driver

Discussion in 'Motor Carrier Questions - The Inside Scoop' started by American-Trucker, Apr 14, 2012.

  1. American-Trucker

    American-Trucker Road Train Member

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    Monday:

    Got to work, and found out i had to do the KY run....620miles! Big money but way to long of a #### run...got back and went home, never worked the dock took so long to get there and back it was late like 8pm or so.

    Tuesday:

    Another driver attempt to start a fight with me over a truck...I had been waiting for a truck since 7am it was 845 when he strolls in as my truck was comeing into the terminal. He gives me some BS about it being his "assinged" truck. I ended it real quick, he spent the next 3 hours sitting on his cooler outside the shop like a good lil porta rican POS. (p.s this is the guy the stole the keys to my truck) anyway i did my run came back worked the dock till 8 and went home.

    Wednesday:

    Started off ok, i was waiting for the night shift guy to drop his set so i could take my truck and i see a brake chamber dragging on the ground from under the trailer. I ask him if he pre tripped the trailer, he says "ya it was fine, and ya i know its dragging that happend about halfway back"(150 miles away)

    WHAT A F'IN IDIOT!

    Then i get my set together and go to leave. They just promoted a driver to a safty guy so he was in the shop checking everything giveing the shop guy a hard time. I had a trailer door that would go down, shop guy pops the wheel back on the track and puts the door down. Mr safety comes over in his lil polo shirt and says "did you fix that for and hour or for good?" shop guy looks him straight in the face and says "i fixed in 3 min, its going to nashville its good enough" and walked away from him.

    Then he goes threw my log book, DOT card, license, hazmat stuff, and i left.

    Made it 3 MILES, and sat on I-85 didnt move an INCH for 1.5 HOURS. a bunch of trucks (including one of our city drivers) and a bunch of cars decided to play bumper cars, except in there version the game doesnt end until they scoop you into a body bag... Closed I-85 for 2 HOURS, all the trucks/trailers were trashed, drivers were ok though. Cant say the same for the cars, they all looked like crushed beer cans....oh well. I dont know what happend yet but PRIME was in the front of everything else and he had rear end damage so my guess is something happend in front of him and he casused a chain reaction, just a guess from what i could see.

    as if we arent short enough on trucks we now have a crumpled pile of yellow crap...nice


    i do my run, get to the swap, and the lead trailer door is wide open....i ask the driver WTF was that about he says "the latch wouldnt move so i just pulled it down and left....


    MORON!

    I get back spent from 615pm to 830pm unloaded my pups fully loaded.


    Ok so we have this "head dock guy" the i think in mentaly retared, he looks like one, acts like one, and sounds like one. Anyway i tell him i need another trailer i had 3 HUGE creats for the Army that wouldnt fit (soldiers stuff comeing back from over seas) he says hold on, he reloads the trailer so that 2 fit and drives away from me...so i go grab the 3rd box and bring it to him and say where do you want this one? he says "did you try it?" i said no im not retarded i can see this 15' box isnt going to fit in a 3' spot...he gets all pissy and says just F###### try it!

    i said ok do it the hard way, i drop it, slid it in and only 3 feet fit on the trailer, i scan it to the trailer look at him and drive away and say "have fun"

    2 hours later he says "come look at this" he reloaded the whole thing so it all fit wasted 2 HOURS doing it and says "you drivers need to learn this is YOUR job to rework trailers" i said "and YOU need to learn we dont work for free, we get paid to scan freight, if we aint scanning we aint getting paid, im not working 2 hours for free" and i drove away from him he just stood there confused...


    I've had about enough of this crap.
     
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  3. rachi

    rachi Road Train Member

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    So AT, are you looking around for another company? you getting antsy for the open road? Dream'n about lonestar?
     
  4. American-Trucker

    American-Trucker Road Train Member

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    of course im looking for a new job lol. I've been looking since my first day here. I do miss OTR but i just started dateing someone so i really dont wanna go back OTR, i might do a home weekends thing as long as im home fri night and dont leave till mon morning. I do miss lonestar but i dont want to do 5 weeks out at a time again at least not right now.




    American Trucker
     
  5. CenutryClass

    CenutryClass Road Train Member

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    I know central blows donkey nuts, but take it from me. Dont hold up what you want to do for any woman. If you have to be gone for a while, and she waits for you, then she is a keeper. Women come and go, make that money dude.
     
  6. wsyrob

    wsyrob Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

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    That might be the worst advice I have ever seen on this board. Relationships, family and friends are far more important than money.
     
  7. vikingswen

    vikingswen Road Train Member

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    I don't know about that. He is only 22 years old. I know family and friends are important, but don't forget to grow up and live a little before getting all serious with relation ships. I was there at his age and turned down a job at a trucking company in Germany that ran Europe, Africa and Asia. That was 20 years ago and I am still kicking myself for doing that. Here i am 43 years old and applying for otr trucking jobs to go back to driving. I have an ex-girl friend and an ex wife, but did not get to see all of Europe and parts of Africa and Asia. I wish somebody would have given me that advise than, but like all kids would not have listened to it anyway since I/we know it all at that age.:biggrin_25519:
     
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  8. CenutryClass

    CenutryClass Road Train Member

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    Thanks wiseguy,but comprehension might have eluded you. I specifically mentioned women. At 22, he is dating, not trying to get mrried. You never know if things are going to work or not. why jeopardize earning potential for some woman who could come or go whenever.
    Ive seen it happen in my military life, so I know what Im talking about
     
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  9. CenutryClass

    CenutryClass Road Train Member

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    you hit the nail on the head. thanks!
     
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  10. skateboardman

    skateboardman Road Train Member

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    one of the best posts made on this forum, it is like i tell my daughters also. get yourself a career and dont depend on a man for anything, it also works in reverse. if she dont hang around if ya have to work, she aint worth having.


    but then again , he should just take her with him, how much room could a blow-up doll take up?


    i am like larry the cable-guy, forgive me jesus.
     
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  11. American-Trucker

    American-Trucker Road Train Member

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    well today was interesting,

    Got to work, truck was there n waiting so i fueled then went in for paper work. They tell me i'm gonna take a MT van to our Rocky Mount, NC terminal, to get paper work, then go to a shipper and get a load then bring it back to charlotte.

    They were close but not quite, drove 3.75 hours to the terminal, then they tell me to drop the trailer. Took them 45 min to get the paper work ready, then i was told to bobtail 73 miles further east to Washington, NC to the shipper to grab the loaded trailer then take it back to Charlotte.

    Took 1.25 hours to get there, 15 min to hook n pre trip the trailer, and 4.5 hours to get back to charlotte where i found out that it wasnt getting unloaded, so i dropped it and came home at 630pm! yay


    Long, hot, sweaty day (ac broke on the truck) but at least i got out early.




    American Trucker
     
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