I'm having one of those days today. It culminated in a fiasco getting parked for the night.
Anyway, I was driving late last night and stopped about 4:30 this morning. I was taking advantage of the new 7/3 split and had already had a 3 hour off duty stretch earlier. So, only had to take a 7 hour sleeper berth rest and I got back on the road. However, only had around 6 hours of drive time and 7 on my 14. Enough to get me close enough to make it in to my delivery tomorrow. Anyway, didn't sleep well and wrestling with a sinus infection. I take sudafed for those, as I get them fairly common. Normally it doesn't effect me, but today, I think it did.
Anyway, I get to a Flying J with about 1 hour on my clock. I've already reserved myself a parking spot, so I know I'll have a place to park. The place is in pandemonium with tons of truck traffic. The reserved spots are slanted, require you to drive in and set up against normal traffic flow and you have to angle yourself into the spot from your blind-side. What a mess, I swear it was like I was in my first week of driving. I just couldn't get it. Finally, I just give up. I go across the street to a Love's, which is packed full. But, there's a road behind the Love's where trucks are parking. I managed to get a place there and get shut down. Important thing is I got parked before my clock ran out (I still had close to 40 minutes on it), I'm in an OK place to park and I didn't hit anything. Some days you just gotta settle for what you can I guess.
Am I the only one who sometimes has days like this where you're just not up to your normal level of competency so you have to adjust?
Ever have a day you just aren't with it?
Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Six9GS, Nov 17, 2020.
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Yeah it happens.
Happened to me the other day. The trigger was some impatient posterior-face encroached upon me while I was backing.
Had to stop the maneuver to avoid hitting him and had to wait for him to go around me. Then I just couldn’t get back into the flow of the move and it took about 6 attempts. I was embarrassed.Lumper Humper, Dale thompson and homeskillet Thank this. -
no, you should be well rested, have plenty of hours and have no problem finding parking, technology has made everything better and easier lol
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I had one the other day, but the situation was a bit different in that I wasn’t driving.
I was delivering to a consignee in SoCal right as they opened in the AM. Another locally based OTR truck was in line in front of me. Docks here are fairly tight but nothing too terrible. Other driver checks in, goes back to his truck and starts trying to hit a dock. Meanwhile I finish my check it, return to my truck, he waves me by him as my dock is a few down past his. Back into my dock with little trouble, take my key inside to the unloader. At this time the first driver is still trying to hit his assigned dock and asks me to give him some pointers, says he has only been driving a short time. I figured no problem, I dabbled some in training a few years ago and felt like I was pretty good at getting people backed in standing next to the truck. Boy was I wrong for this day anyways! I jockeyed this guy around for a good 20 minutes and got him no closer than he was to start with. In the dock but still crooked as hell. I felt terrible leaving him hanging but I just couldn’t get it done. By this point another local driver had showed up and offered to back the truck in for him. I’m not sure who was more embarrassed, myself or the rookieLumper Humper and Dale thompson Thank this. -
Welcome to trucking.
jbatmick, bryan21384, Lumper Humper and 3 others Thank this. -
Yesterday was a miserable day for me. I hadn't slept well the night before.
I had one drop in Ohio and a pickup in Chicago, headed for Atlanta. It was a 14hr day.
My 10hr break was up at 0230.
It is now 0715 and I'm just now putting on my boots.
I feel GREAT!
And if my company were to have a problem with this, "the keys are in the truck."
Driver's gotta go..... -
I noticed a long time ago that my backing skills seemed to deteriorate according to how tired I am.
Finfn1372, 88228822, bryan21384 and 9 others Thank this. -
Don't let the trucking press or the MSM hear about this sort of thing. They will demand autonomous trucks for sure....
D.Tibbitt, tscottme and Lumper Humper Thank this. -
Um, what's 35 times 365? Yeah, it happens,,
Finfn1372, D.Tibbitt and Lumper Humper Thank this.
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