Another Round of Questions

1.the tractor you're describing sounds like a yard shuttle. There are other names, but they are used to shuttle trailers around the yard, and on occasisions, between yards.
3. If I'm bobtailing to a load, I have a load assignment. I know what it is (generally speaking), what the trailer number is and where it's going. Again, generally speaking, a driver will haul only one type of trailer with a company. It's rare a driver pulls a van this week, a tanker next week and a flatbed the week after.
4. Never hauled livestock. Maybe someone else can answer this one. I have pulled tankers and I've been told by livestock haulers that it's similar in that your load moves around on you.
5. That's what we're paid for. Keeping it where it belongs and delivering on time and safely.

 

here is a pic of the Yard truck you may have seen.
yes driving throught the const zones suck!, sometimes when they "make lanes" with cones some of them are really big and wide, and u dont always have to reduce ur speed, other times, they are soooo small and they will have to reduce the speed limit, and often times you need to reduce ur speed even more cause they lanes are that tight, and if the workers are working right there, say on a bridge, it makes it even tighter, so its more common then one would think for us(truckers) to put our 4way flashers on when we see traffic coming to a stop, or coming to a slow down to warn others behind us that something is going on ahead...
hope the pic helps.

 

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1. We saw a truck pulling what I will call a standard enclosed trailer. I think I read they come in a few lengths, but I do not know how long this one was. The truck was the craziest thing I have seen. It looked like a flat front/cab over that was cut between the driver and passenger seat, then cut along the passenger floor. There truly was only enough room for the driver, it looked like he sat in a little box. Any ideas?


As others have said ... sounds like a yard tractor. Also called a yard dog or yard goat - which can also refer to the person driving it.


2. About 2 hours in to the trip there was a car fire on the highway. It was about 1:30 am. I could see the fire, fire trucks and cop cars. The trucker that was the first to go thru the area slowed of course, but what I saw next was great. He put on his flashers as he approached the area. Thanks to that driver! I do think it helped everyone around the area take notice, as the fire was not enough.


All truckers will does this automatically ... turning on thier hazard lights in any situation where traffic has become ... well hazardous.


3. Not sure how to ask this one. As a driver, if you are driving with no trailer, and you are going to get a load, do you know what it will be? Like if it is liquid, flat bed trailer (is this the correct term) or enclosed (should I use a different term).


As stated, you almost always pick up what the company you work for is hauling. Enclosed trailers are called vans or reefers if they are refigerated.


4. Is it worse to haul a big load of cows or drive one of those loaded car haulers? This popped into my head after seeing both at the same time.


Never driven either. Can only tell you which is worse to be parked next to.


5. Driving thru Wis. And having more road work. I actually got a little angry at how close the large cones are to the side of the road/rumple strips (that's what we called them while stationed in the UK), I cannot imagine keeping a big truck in between that? How do you deal with that?
Thanks again for your patience.


How do we deal with it? ... Very carefully!

 

<<<Never driven either. Can only tell you which is worse to be parked next to.>>>

Being a car hauler...I apologize.

 

<<<<4. Is it worse to haul a big load of cows or drive one of those loaded car haulers? This popped into my head after seeing both at the same time.>>>>

As for loaded car haulers (portable parking lots)...I have had many comments from drivers pulling other types of equipment tell me they "could not stand to drive one of these with that hanging out over your head". It's all I ever hauled so it's not even a concern to me. With a stinger-steered unit, the wagon'll follow you around a McDonald's drive-thru if you could get the truck thru it.

 

Cows will moooo've (couldn't help myself) to the wrong side when going around a curve... kinda spooky until you get used to it.