I am so new new to trucking. . Starting my 4th week of traning tomorrow with local mid size fleet company. They prob have 300 trucks.
The good
1. All new trucks , from what I can see. The oldest unit is 2018.
2. Pay is weekly
3. Training is good. One on one training.
4. They have their own shop to fix trucks. They inspect every truck at the end of the day.
The not so great
Safety is Yes important , but this could be a bit too much.
1. You can not hit the speed of 70. The company let people go after 4 chances.
2. Trucks are governed at 63 MPH on gas , 65 on cruise. You will hit 70 going downhill , so you have to watch your speed at all times.
3. Cameras on you and all kind of alerting devices in these trucks. This truck hit the break on me , and that was scary. It did not pull right as hard.
I already hit 70 three times during training. I dont know if I can survive these rules. I like to be safe , but govened trucks create unsafe sutations at times.
4. The truck will slow down if you approach too close. The distance is insanely big. If for whatever reason , the car infrint of you slows down , the truck has an adoptive cruise system , and it will slow down to adjust the distance. Some people are doing 55 on a 65 , and I am kinda forced to stay behind lol..From time to I pass on the left and pray not to hit 70. Do you see the dilemma..
Is this the norm for most companies ?
Is the safety policy for this company an over kill?
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by easternguy101, Dec 5, 2022.
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It's their truck so they can put as many saftey devices as they want. That being said it's up to you if the rewards outweigh the cons.
My company also has a lot of saftey rules and a camera in my cab. Been on the phone many times for events but you get use to it.Eddiec, snowlauncher, tscottme and 2 others Thank this. -
The speed is fine. Both the 70 limit and the adaptive cruse.
If you can't maintain your speed going down a hill, just park the truck.
If you have to tailgate just park the truck.
Cameras are annoying yes, but it's getting harder and harder to find a starting company that doesn't use them. If the alerts are too many, pay attention and adjust your driving accordingly.Accidental Trucker, bryan21384, 88 Alpha and 4 others Thank this. -
Another reason so many companies have such strict rules is because as a 'prodessional' driver, you are ALWAYS at fault even if the person that hit you was under the influence.
Even heard of a case of a driver bring rear ended and someone like the hammer went through the drivers logs and found a issue a few days prior and got $100k+ even tho it was the cars fault. Used the argument that if driver spent more time on a pre/post trip from a few days ago then his whole timeline would of shifted and he wouldn't of been there at the time to get rear ended and driver was found at fault.
Because of this unfair bias for drivers all companies have to protect themselves as much as possible. Especially small outfits since a single incident could bankrupt them.RockinChair, bryan21384 and tscottme Thank this. -
Whoever's name is on the door sets the rules. The things you mentioned can all be controlled by you driving safely.
bryan21384 Thanks this. -
Just set the cruise on 63 or 64.The freightliner I drove would let you go 5 mph over that going downhill but sometimes it would go to coast when doing that.Thats when it would go over 70.Bossman sent me a picture of my speedometer at 76 in a 65 mph truck.
It only happened once.They did something with the computer,slowed it down after that.Manual mode may help if you're in hill country,keep your speed down. -
newbietrucker91 Thanks this.
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It's their truck. Your choices are clear, drive it the way they want it driven or find employment elsewhere. I agree that the nanny features are a PITA but a lot of drivers have found a way to coexist with them. You can too.
Eddiec, bryan21384, 88 Alpha and 3 others Thank this. -
bryan21384, ZVar, gentleroger and 5 others Thank this.
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Keep the truck at 65 or less and the 70 mph limit isn't a problem. You are not being paid to drive like a 4-wheeler in a big truck, but like a professional truck driver. BTW, the slower you go the less stressful is the traffic. There are a TON of fleet trucks limited in the 63-70 mph range, most of my trucking was done at 65 mph. If you drive 1-3 mph slower than the other trucks you will not have to pass.
The lane departure and the automatic braking are really annoying. My automatic braking system would randomly activate with no warning. I suspect you will soon notice your system goes off sometimes also. There is nothing you can do other than drive with more following distance. You are getting paid to drive how the company wants you to drive. If anticipating your truck speeding up when it goes down hill is too much you probably should work for another company or leave trucking. There are LOTS of frustrations in trucking.bryan21384 Thanks this.
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