A Typical OTR Day

simple as this... never one day, or one week is the same..in a 24 hour period you can go from driving during the day to driving during thru the night.... i wish i can go into specifics but its as simple as that...

 

here ya go, I just made these the other day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDvwk71xm08

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOH4ySDyb2Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyyhlA78cj4


American Trucker

 

The only thing that stays constant is the change......



safe miles,

Larry

 

Just in case that doesn't answer what your looking for I'll put it in writing:

Wake up, warm the truck up, pre-Trip

Drive up to 11 hours, with a possiblity of a fuel stop, usually for me when I drive a full 11 hours I'll stop once for a bathroom break and once for fuel.

Then you park, do your log book, eat/shower/Forum. Sleep

then repeat!



American Trucker

 

0300: Wake up to the sound of some jackhole lighting off his jakes in the middle of the truckstop. Try to go back to sleep. End up tossing and turning until

0400: The alarm goes off. Groan. Throw on least-nasty clothing, grab coffee cup and get a fill-up. Pre-trip the truck, making sure no one stole your chains, pulled your 5th wheel or siphoned your tanks during your five hours of sleep.

0420: Re-check directions to shipper and get rolling. Hope against all hope that you've balanced the distance-to-traffic ratio correctly to make your 0700 appointment.

0600: Arrive at shipper. Gate guard(in that tone of voice that lets you know you're just a little bit lower than something he scraped off the bottom of his shoe)tells you to get in line, turn your CB to Channel 8 and wait to be called. If you miss your call, you go to the back of the line. No, there's nowhere around to eat, and no, you can't use their bathroom.

0940: You get called on the CB to report to Dock 1087.

0950: You finally get to Dock 1087 only to find that the trucks in the adjoining docks have left you with, maybe, if you're really lucky, one half-inch of clearance on either side to back in.

1010: You manage to back in without hitting anything.

1011: You pull forward and open the trailer doors.

1015: You get backed in again.

1017: The Dock Supervisor(with the requisite snotty attitude)tells you that you have to count the freight and it's your responsibility to make sure it's correct. You nod and smile, using every micron of your self-control to avoid punching his teeth down his smarmy throat.

1230: The trailer is finally loaded, the freight count agreed upon, and the bills in your hand. You pull out, close the doors and head for the gate.

1258: After the guard treats you like you're attempting to make off with a nuclear warhead, you're finally allowed to leave. Doors closed, locked and sealed. OK, let's find somewhere to pull over and catch the logbook up.

1302: Get honked at and told to move.

1307: Get cussed out and told to move.

1316: Get honked at, cussed out, threatened with arrest and told to move.

1325: Finally get the opportunity to catch the logbook up. Make it look legal and hope. Satellite Dispatch and tell them you're finally rolling.

1330: Receive reply from Dispatch demanding to know why you're leaving so long after your appointment time, and informing you that you'd better not be late on the other end. Request for delay pay met with satellite equivalent of evil laughter.

1610: Finally get out of the traffic and out on the highway. Put it to the floor and drive, stopping only briefly, when bodily functions make it imperative.

2345: Pull in to the closest truckstop to the receiver. Wait 16 minutes so you can log your fuelling 'legally.' Fill up, make sure nothing fell off or is on fire. Find whatever space you can squeeze into, and drift off to sleep with the lovely aroma of piss and diesel wafting through the vents.

0300: Wake up to the sound of some jackhole lighting off his jakes in the middle of the truckstop. Try to go back to sleep. End up tossing and turning until...

 

Excellent.

 

Hey, Penguin -- nice post. But somewhere between 1230 and 1258, don't ya' have to fight with your tandems to get your axle weights legal?

 

I was assuming one of those 1-in-50 sorta-light loads, since if I went into complete detail I think I'd be bouncing off the character limit for one post.

 

OR....Sleep right through it and wake up when the alarm goes off...Like I do.

OR....Get up, Make the bed, Take a shower and do a pre trip and get rollin'...Like I do.

OR....Run a flatbed and hardly ever deal with appointments...Like I do.

OR....Arrive at shipper/reciever get checked in and get loaded by someone that treats you with some respect most of the time (because there are always exceptions) Have something to eat on the truck and a microwave to cook it in...Like I do.

OR....Ask to use the restroom and they say "OK, It's right down the hall."...Like I do.

OR....Dock? What dock? I'm already rollin'...Like I do.

OR....Leave enough room for the forklift to get to both sides of the trailer...Like I do.

OR....You back into the back row at the truckstop and set up the grille and get to cookin'...Like I do.

OR....Doors? On a trailer? Where?...Like I do.

OR...Mmmmmm......More grillin' and chillin'! Hey Look! There's REDD! "Hey man, Let's eat!"

OR....I'm already three hour into my trip and chattin' on the phone with HANADARKO or REDD or OLDNEWBIEWHATEVER or someone else...Like I do.

OR....I'm still rollin' down the road....Like I do.

OR....Still rollin'...Like I do.

OR....Just rolled across the scales somewhere...Like I do.

OR....Cruisin' down the road listenin' to the disgruntled dry van/reefer drivers cussin' at each other...Like I do.

OR....Maybe you should try not parking in everybodys way...Like I do.

OR....Sattelite? What's that?...Like I do.

OR....I'm still rollin'along, Man"O"Man, I'm almost to the destination...Like I do.

OR....I'm at the shippers gate and have the grille set up and I'm messin' around on TTR while I wait for the coals to heat up...Like I do.

OR....Just finished up my supper and put the grille away, Now it's time to relax and watch some TV or mess around on the computer before I go to bed...Like I do.

OR....Sleep till the alarm goes off, Get up, Make the bed, Brush my teeth and get the load untied before they get there so I can get out of here early and get reloaded and go...Like I do.



I'll stick with flatbeds...The other way just seems to suck too much!