Driving a semi into Brooklyn, NY.

It's been many years since I drove in the city but the one thing I remember like yesterday is, no right turn on a red in the city. I was in the Bronx pulling a enclosed car hauling trailer, I tried and tried to make a right turn on a green but the traffic was so bad I couldn't make the turn. Finally I said the heck with it and made the turn on a red, the next thing I saw was a guy in a brown uniform running on foot next to my truck yelling NO RIGHT TURN ON A RED IN THE CITY, I just waved and kept on going and never heard any more about it. I wonder if they still have those guys running around in the city?

 

Just remember there are NO 53' trailers allowed in the city except for going thru on the interstate. They are getting bad about this the last couple of months. The fines are steep and if you have a sleeper on your tractor they will write overlength on your tractor also.

 

It's a place of run over or get your ### run over. Watch for stupid ######## trying hang on the back of your trailer and opening it up at stop light's so make sure it is locked up tight. Sleeping there. You can pretty much forget it! Clearance, I've never had an issue but I've seen sign's removed. If someone on jump's up to your door and offer's you help to get around for a price... DON'T! If unsure about clearance call the police. Best to watch other truck's (local) if any of the same heigth if any to give an idea of where you can an can't go.

Depending on where you go and what street try and have someone from your pickup/drop or rider help you because some place's you have to block the entire street to get into and it's more of a pain in the ### than it's worth. That's why I don't do anything in the NYC area other than runing 95 straight threw to go north or south of it. Never delievered in Brooklyn but have in the Bronx but to me pretty much the same #### thing. Did it once, will never go back. I don't think any company could pay me enough to go back on top of the miles for the trip there.

Not sure if any regular dock exsist around there. Haven't seen one but the two place's I have been was an alley dock meaning literally be in an alley or a "black dock" (what I call it) where you can't see the dock at all because it's inside a building and I've done a lot of those and only a couple have been easy because the sun was facing the right direction to face in side to see other wise you almost can't see anything at all and it's hard to get lined up. Hit a few around Chicago like that too.

Best I can say is aviod NYC like the plague. Not worth what any company pay's. Some guy's don't mind but they seem to make a hell of a lot more but to me it's not worth it. Tight corner's, pole's, sign's, people, traffic, OMFG! Never again. NYC should be forbidden for truck driver's and a complete nightmare before they even go in. I went over the GW bridge and into town during a Yankee's game and I'll stop right there and leave it a lone because that was a little better than two year's ago and it still piss' me off just to think about that cluster ####!

 

Larry, i graduated from Sheepshead Bay H.S. 1n 1974. What J.H.S did you attend? i went to Marine Park J.H.S. most of my friends lived right on the divideing line and went to Madison. il left in 1977 and moved to Arlington TX.

 

Jumping on the tail to rob your freight at the light, and jump on the running boards to help with directions...two old "fear rumors" never once saw it and I delivered and P/U in Brooklyn and the Bronx many times over the years. I will guess that the one time you delivered in the Burbs had two stops..just to give you the benefit of the doubt...or is that also part of your passing of phony information from stories you heard at truck stops also?

 

Why do you say "giving him the benefit of the doubt". When you are most certainly not. He never said somebody jumped on "his" running boards, we have ALL heard those stories in the past, and I tend to believe some of them. The ones I don't believe if nothing else, it reminds us to CYA when I go to those places. You cant say they are fake or real anymore than I can.

I have had people jack with me in big cities plenty of times. Rattling the padlock on my trailer all night in San Diego to the point I had to move. Some jack ### in Chicago pulling his 4 wheeler behind me as I backed to a dock. Hoping I would hit him and he could sue. Bums and thugs lingering to long by my truck. I got so sick of A Holes lingering by the back of my trailer in big cities I finally took on a policy to tell them move it along or ill call the cops the first time I seen them eyeballing that ramp gate. Who could forget the fake lumper that wanted me to pay him up front lol. A cop in Chicago that stopped me from going into the ghetto THANK GOD he stopped me. He said "you really don't want to go there", and then helped me do a u-turn on a busy intersection. I could go on all day with stories that happened to me.

Like I said, if nothing else the stories remind us to take safety precautions, and keep on our toes.

 

Just my point...stories...I have never seen any evidence of it actually happening. The OP is asking for sound advice about the NYC area and how to handle all the BS he has obviously heard...so by buying into the stories, now he (or others) are thinking the worst and scared of what MIGHT happen instead of reality and doing the smart, logical thing. Common sense, not nonsense will keep drivers safe out there on the road! Let's stop the BS'ing and exaggerating stories, that we all know aren't true, and stick with legitimate sound advice...this isn't some fun and games initiation into some beer drinking fraternity on some nonsense college campus...this is real life and a new and different way of life!

 

i definitley have to agree with you. that is the biggest urban legend story going as far as running N.Y.C.I'm aware that truckers have been robbed at one point, why is it that every time drivers get together and talk about NYC the same lame *** story always comes up that they got lost, asked for directions and were directed to a dead end street and robbed of their load of 3000 lb paper rolls???

 

This happenned at Key Foods in Brooklyn{Canarsie} on Farragut Ave {I think}. About 1994 {I think}. Guy was sleeping in his truck on the street waiting his apt time. Someone sprayed ether thru the sleeper vent. The guy woke up and bailed out without thinking and he was robbed at gun point. I had to weigh my tanker in for my delivery across the street from Key Foods. When I got there at 7am the cops were still there doing their thing.

 

My first time through Jersey no one told me I couldn't take a truck onto the garden state parkway lol.