hehehehehe hey Buddy....
Trust me, I am far from running the show, and doubt I would want to (happy being a dot on the map).
As far as running the reefer, believe me, I am not fond of the noise either. If you think it is loud being parked next to it, you ought to be in the truck when it is running. I literally have to turn my TV up to full volume to hear it. And when it engages at night, I suffer alongside of you. And that you can bank on.
I notice that a lot of "my kind" are rather inconsiderate though when it comes to the issue. Me? I usually park away from the crowd when opportunity allows me. And if not, then I will usually nose in, which puts me and the cooling unit away from my neighbor's sleepers. It's about the best I can do to "be quiet". But I am mandated to run that thing, so there is not a lot I can do about that aspect.
But I have had a few times where I was parked, reefer running, and then someone pulls in next to me. Then they have the audacity to make mention of it in the truckstop. (they didn't realize i saw them get out of the truck, nor did they see me standing behind them in line). Quite simple. (And I am not directing this at you TinMan) My truck has a reefer, and my load usually requires I run it. If you are looking for a spot and you see one next to a truck that has a reefer, and the noise bothers you, find another space, or nose in so you don't have to listen to it. Unfortunately, there is not a lot more than I have already done that I can do to accomodate other drivers. But I do my best to be considerate to others.
Besides, if it wasn't for reefers, your chicken, McDonald's French Fries, and turkey would be quite nasty. So please be a little more understanding of your friendly neighborhood reefer driver..... we're people too.....
eheheheheheheh
Getting Ready to Hit the Road with Magnum
Discussion in 'Motor Carrier Questions - The Inside Scoop' started by ScooterDawg, Feb 10, 2009.
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ain't nothin' special here..... just another guy doing his best to make money "movin' stuff". Besides, the last thing you would want is an 8x10 photo of me..... hehehehehe scary stuff..... Now maybe we could get IronRydr to pose for you in a turtleneck and white tennis shoes.... hehehehehe (I will pay for that remark, I am sure)
He threatened to buy me a pink camo Peterbilt hat today (and I am not sure he didn't....)
Ya know what? Maybe I can sell pictures of me and Lil' man, huh? And for those of you who know me personally, you know what the asking price will be...... HAHAHAHHAHAHA..... -
Well, here is "The Weekend Update". Gonna make it short and sweet because my internet connection keeps booting me off (low signal) and as of this point in THIS message, I have had to reconnect twice.
Currently in Fort Worth (actually just outside in Weatherford at the Petro) staged for a delivery Sunday night at 10 pm. From there, I drive a little over 100 miles to Sulphur Springs, and pick up a preloaded trailer going to Birmingham and Atlanta. Then with any luck, I will be loaded for NC.
I met 2 of my dispatchers on Wednesday and treated them to some Carolina Barbecue. They sat with me in Lil' Man for about 45 minutes, then they went back to work. Nice guys.... wouldn't have their job on a bet!
BTW, if you like those Cup of Noodles, here's a little something for you. Not sure how long they have been there (because I stock my truck before leaving home), but this time I did a hot load and did not have time to go shopping, so I picked up some groceries at the J. They have these things called Nissan Souper Meals which is like twice the size of those Cup of Noodles. I thought they were pretty good and quite filling. Just thought I would pass that on.
OK, I have now reconnected 9 times, so I am going to quit while I can.
Hope to see you out there!
Arfandrew5184 Thanks this. -
anyway just keep up the great posts and i promise not to start the fan club. maybe... -
If my math is right, and you get your load home after dropping in Atlanta, it looks like you're averaging 2200 - 2500 miles per week. Not too bad.
ScooterDawg Thanks this. -
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Bon Jour ScooTear!
heheheheh
All is well driver!! I'm in PA headed for Canada. Been in TN, GA, VA, OH, PA lately. Hope to get a run to El Paso from Canada. Did when I was with the trainer .. it's a nice long one.
Be safe!!
Tinman!ScooterDawg Thanks this. -
Good to hear from you Buddy..... Safe trip! -
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Well, I just got the word a little bit ago that when I finishing up this load I am under, I will be carrying a "top secret" load to NC tomorrow afternoon. That's about all I can say about it.
So I will finish up this load tomorrow am and pop over to the other load.... head to NC, deliver Thursday morning then shoot on home for a nice long break..... Thurs pm through Monday or Tuesday.
Perfect place to say something to up and coming drivers.....
Over the last week, I have had to alter my sleeping schedule by at least 12 hours three times. Now this may not sound like much, but when you have to do it every other day, it can be, shall we say, an issue if you don't approach it properly. And if it does become an issue, it could potentially cost you or someone else their life. Keep in mind that you MUST do all of this within the HOS laws, making sure you have at least 10 hours of sleeper or off-duty time in between your driving time. Here's how I did it:
Wed AM, found out I was going to be rolling at 7pm to pick up a load 2.5 hrs away from where I was (Fargo). Drop Trailer going to Fort Worth, TX. Being that I was freshly rested (is that a phrase?), I was not at all sleepy, and this was a total surprise to me. I was also in the process of completing a 34 hr reset, so I couldn't do anything but wait. I got another shower prior to leaving and did not eat anything more than a pack of Nabs (cheese crackers) and a Pepsi to avoid "food coma". Knocked down a cup of coffee and hit the road.
One of the best ways to stay awake when you are driving is to talk to someone on the phone (I recommend a headset). I was fortunate enough to have a good friend to talk to for a few hours (free nights and weekends), but eventually that ended. I listened to music and spent a considerable amount of time looking around. It is a proven fact that when driving at night, if you look away from the road in front of you at 90 degrees, you will break the hypnotic effect of the dotted white lines. Being the you must pay attention to what is in front of you, you can only look away for an instant, but that is all it takes.
Drinking coffee can keep you awake, but it won't necessarily keep you alert. What I did to come back to life was to pull off, either in a rest area, truck stop, or off / on ramp and got out of the truck for 5 minutes. Mind you, I was in the middle of friggin' NOWHERE! (ND, SD, Iowa) so traffic was not an issue, but you need to consider that. Another thing to consider (especially the ramps) is your surroundings. You never know who or what might be lurking in the shadows. And that in itself will help get your mind moving. What I did at the ramps was to stop on a downslope (hence the ability to accelerate out of there quickly), turned on my high beams on the approach to see what was there (all sorts of LARGE wildlife in these areas.... bears, large cats, Bubba out for a midnite stroll). Then I got out of the truck, left the door open, and stood on the dark side of the cab so I could see everything around me. I stretched out, did a couple twists and turns and took some nice deep breaths. Then I was back to 100%, jumped in the truck and off I went.
Remember, at night, you are on your own, and regardless of how safe you might feel, you are VERY obvious to others. And there is a substantially lower chance of getting help from a passer by.
I also watched my log closely. At around 3:30, I could feel myself becoming drowsy. I am a rather stoic person, but I knew that nothing would resolve this except sleep. SO I pulled into a rest area, climbed in the back and took an hour and a half power nap. I knew that my log would allow me to do that and still get to my target stopping point. 1.5 hours later, I was up, felt like a million bucks, and drove the rest of the way through to Omaha to bed down for the day. Before I laid down, I went into the restaurant and filled up on low-carb, high protein food (meat, eggs) and the full belly made it much easier to go to sleep.
Then I woke up that evening, and I was "converted" over to a night schedule. Showered and ready to roll.
Hopefully some of this might help you when (not if) you are faced with having to do this. Just please remember, NOTHING will eliminate fatigue except sleep.... period. These high energy drinks, coffee, caffeine, or whatever will give you a false sense of security and the sleepy monster will slap you in the face. And you might not realize it until you open your eyes while your rig is rolling over. Don't be stupid.
Safe Travels......
arfandrew5184 and chico9696 Thank this.
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