mistakes that let everyone know youre a rookie

My 1st solo run in NYC I where I was delivering found out I couldn't get turned around or into the dock from the street I was on. The area wasn't made for a road truck so in order to hit the dock I had to back up about 2 miles down a ally street. You ever heard give me 40 acres yup that was me trailer pointed towards the road and cab right to the dock.

 

My first year of driving, I took a wrong turn and ended up on a narrow dirt road. I couldn't get turned around until I saw a church up on my left that looked like they had a fairly large parking lot in back. I turned into their drive and drove around to the back of the church only to discover several cars parked preventing me from be able to turn around and I couldn't back out either. A man at the church told me that several of their church members had gone on an outing and wouldn't back for a couple of hours. I had to sit there in my big orange truck for two or three hours until the church people came back and moved their cars.

 

That was a terrible story, but hey, we all have to learn. One thing I did was drive the rocky mountains with my right steer brake hose completely cut in two. I never thought to look down there.

Using my Dre Beats machine

 

A few questions for the drivers out there. Do any of the companies you drive for teach you about oversize loads and how to drive around them? I've talked to trainers from many different companies and only one out of 50 or so that I've posed this question to could say that they instruct their students about heavy haul and over dimension loads! That guy had previous over size experience.....

I've been an owner operator for over twenty three years and 20 of that have been in heavy haul and over dimension freight. 19 axle set ups,Schnabel's, Nacelle trailers, wind energy trailers, 3 axle RGN/MGN, 2 axle RGN/MGN and stretch trailers. All of them have their own characteristics, risks and purpose. All of them are also designed to haul heavy, wide and tall. The widest load I have ever hauled was 19' wide. Lots of challenges, patience and planning went into that one!

Things to consider when approaching an oversize load, no matter the size or length:

(1) If you see and escort/pilot car at the rear and/or front of the trailer, nine times out of 10 they are in communication with the driver and will let them know that you are approaching.

(2) If you do not see an escort/pilot car maybe a quick shout out to the oversize load on channel 19 to the driver to (a) let him know you are coming up on him and (b) you would like to pass---most drivers will acknowledge that and if it's safe to pass they will tell you to proceed to pass.

(3) Oversize load drivers have to be in constant alert of their surroundings---examples---width of their load in comparison to hazards on the road (broke down vehicles on the shoulders, narrow lanes, guard rails and/or cement barriers, construction barrels/cones etc...)

(4) weight of their load----all oversize loads have to follow designated routes, issued by each state they travel in and they have to abide by the rules, routes, regulations and provisions. Some states require you to "center-line" bridges based on your over all weight or the condition of the bridge you are crossing.

(5) Some states have speed provisions as well...Ohio for example no matter how wide you are requires you to travel at 55mph..no more. Virgina also is 55mph. Some states say 5 mph less than the posted speed limit. Others may say "May travel posted speed limit". All of these of course depend on the width, weight and height of the loads.

(6) IF AND ESCORT/PILOT CAR IS BLOCKING THE LANES OF TRAVEL.....DO NOT GET PISSED OFF AND RIDE HIS ###!--He is there for a reason and when it is safe for you to pass he/she will move back behind the load and at that time you should pass with caution. Give the load you are passing the amount of space it needs and get on down the road. If your truck is governed at a certain speed and you will not be able to pass within a reasonable amount of time--just have some patience and common sense and pass when you know you can do it safely!

(7) Following distance: I see this time after time after time!! Why in the world would you want to tailgate another vehicle??? I just don't get it!! Most OTR trucks are grossing close to 80,000 lbs. If you are riding someones ### and an emergency braking situation happens, you will most likely rear end the vehicle in front of you and possibly even run over top of it killing the passengers in it. Of course if you rear end another tractor trailer you are more than likely to cause a chain reaction accident including jack-knifing yourself and the truck in front of you. Is it really that much of an urgency to tailgate the vehicle in front of you when you can wait a few more seconds??? How about the trucks and 4 wheelers that break their necks to get in front of you to either (a) slow down once they do get in front of you, where you have to pass them again or (b) get off at the next exit------REALLY???? You have such "Hot freight" that you couldn't wait a few more seconds to stay behind the vehicle in front of you to get off the exit??? Blows my mind....LOL! Most heavy haul trucks are grossing over 80,000 lbs---your average 6 axle set up could be up to 120,000 lbs....9 axle or 13 axle could weigh 170,000 lbs---a 19 axle could weigh 250,000 lbs... you might even run across a Goldhofer platform trailer that could gross up to 800,000 lbs!! So, just think how your truck reacts, handles and stops grossing 80,000 lbs and you may start to understand and respect the heavy haul trucks you run across in your daily travels.

(8) Simple respect and being courteous to your fellow drivers will go a LONG way while you're out on the road. Not only to other truck drivers but to the 4 wheelers too. Remember, we are supposed to be the "Professionals" and we expect the 4-wheelers to make mistakes and be less knowledgeable about the trucks that they share the roads with. Always, Always anticipate that the 4-wheeler will make a mistake, cut you off or even put themselves in a bad situation. That being said, there are still plenty of "super truckers" out there that are one step away from screwing up big time. Just because you choose driving a truck for a profession does not automatically make you a "professional driver"!!

There are many more things I could say about over size and heavy haul but I'll save that for another forum and if you have any question feel free to send me a message. Trucking use to be a profession that was looked up to, by many. Over the years, drivers themselves have created the images and bad reputation that our industry is plagued with. Drivers that speed excessively, tailgate, cut people off, constantly running over their hours, keeping crappy equipment, language, personal appearance---which includes bathing on a regular basis...LOL, being a "CB Rambo" and not helping your fellow drivers...4-wheelers included, have all contributed to the over regulation of our industry and the way the general public views and stereotypes us!

Take pride in your profession, be patient, do the right thing and keep the shiny side up!!

Just my 2 cents worth.....

 

Forgeting to open the trailer doors when docking. and forgetting to close them when leaving. ive been driving for a year and i still occationally still forget that.

 

Well....today I ripped a side skirt off. And ripped a landing foot off. And the leg on the other side is bent up to the subframe. Don't ask. Smh.

 

Signing on with Swift for training.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

 

I bottomed out a trailer with a sideskirt and ripped the support beam off once. Duct tape fixes everything.

 

1. Pulling "a little" too far forward under the cement silo to be loaded. My front tires were actually off the scale, so cement was spilling down the sides of my tank, but the scale showed me as only being partially loaded. The cement plant manager and I were bs-ing and watching the scale, not watching the truck being loaded. My tanks were overloaded, and he dumped about another 10,000 pounds of cement down their sides before we noticed. What a mess!!!

2. Pulling out from under a loaded cement trailer without putting the landing gear down first.

3. Jacking a double-set of cement trailers so severely in reverse maneuver that I pinched holes in the air lines. The trailers were rendered immobile in front of the gates so nobody else could get in or out of the yard for the rest of the day.

4. Sliding down the side of the mountain at the quarry sideways/bass-ackwards with a loaded set of bottom-dump trailers. I lost control of the truck at the top of the mountain (freaked out and stabbed my brakes). The weight of the trailers... gravity... and the loose gravel road... (I guess?) caused the trailers to come-around on me, and then drag me and the tractor down the mountain. I was too inexperienced in bottom-dumps (and doubles), and thought if I tried to stop the descent, I would throw the truck and trailers into a roll. So, I rode the out-of-control set-up to the bottom while watching my life flash before my eyes. I was lucky nobody was injured or killed, and no property was damaged. I went home early, and transferred to the cement division the next day!!!

Trucking is always adventurous, and can be more adventurous for some of us than others!

 

Bungee cords is holding mine right now.