Down-time activity. What do you do?

A lot of it will depend on your company, and how the loads are being handled.

I have ZERO down time through the week. And take mine at home on weekends.

As an OTR driver, you can pretty much do as you want during extended down times. Provided you have the money

I've went to the movies, casinos, fairs, crossed the border....a whole range of things.

Of course, you still have to be down somewhere you can actually do something. Spending a 24 hour period in BFE isn't pleasant at all.

 

1. Fishing. Run by the local Walmart, pick up your license and whatever else you need. Alot of places you can bring the truck.
2. Break out the grill. Want to party? Get on the radio and annouce that you are firing up the grill on the back row of the truckstrop.
3. Cab ride...take it to get to interesting points where you cant get a truck. I'm into sportscar racing. Theres tracks everywhere and the SCCA normally has little races all over the place (scca.org). Ive been to the Grand Ol Opry, Ive seen ELO, John Fogerty, the Eagles, and bunches of other all time great bands play.

 

I have fun. In another thread, another trucker said that he gets out of the truck for 34 restarts. I do too. I have the internet in my truck and I use it to find activities in the area that I am in.
Yes, trucking is a lifestyle, but what law says that we cant have fun?

Got a trucker friend that lives in northen Michigan who bought a big boat with dual 454s for fishing on the Great Lakes. Have another driver that goes ice fishing in Minnesota in the winter. Gonna take a couple weeks off to go hunting around Christmas.

Work hard. Play hard.

 

My boss designed a special attachment onto the back of his flatbed trailer that lets him load his harley onto it. It doesn't sit on the deck, but rather behind the deck. I think the attachment has lights on it to replace the ones that are blocked by the bike. He loads his bike on board, takes his wife along, and since his son is the dispatcher they line up trips to take them wherever they want to go with a few days down time and they go for a ride!!

 

I have seen pedal bike on numerous trucks, usually at the headache rack. Just a thought. I like triplesix's idea about going fishing.

 

And if you ever get your downtime in Ontario, CA.... They have a car rental station at the TA east. Never used it myself, but that would be a lot better then bobtailing to the beach, Hollywood, Disneyland, or wherever!

 

Goodmorning, when i wanted my downtime i call my dispacth , let him know whats up, that was my first step, i tell him i got my phone,call we he finds me a load, late afternoon, i knew i was good , becuse there would be no loads till morn, i'm not a drinker so no worrys,but i grab my sony, and walked down too the beach at va, its was only a 3 miles walk, heck i usda too do that on farm , getting the cows home for milking,, once i get there i take lot's pic's of the beach, it's was empty, mid week,then i then wacthed a big boat, tall as some buildings in Iowa,a guy walked past me and looked at me real strange like, o -well i never seen a boat that big,it's floating smoothy thru the ocean, a very big oil tanker , then the pillers and dock's, becuse i never seen em before, being from Iowa, i never seen the ocean, let alone walk in it, now i have and it's cold, not like the pretty pic on tv, i seen all the coast line all around the usa, and took pic's of them all, some i even gave too the postcard company, too use , they like that,i take pic's of birds on the fender of a pete 379 , just sitting there, or a bird plucking bugs off a grill,or just taking pic's of kids as they help dad and mom wash the show truck getting for show, lots times i hate in down time is at the dock, they have there load, yet i cannot leave the place, so i just eat and sleep and bs with the other driver's, Everett.