experienced driver wants to tell newer drivers some things

I went into OTR trucking cuse I got sick of working 6, 10 hour days for a year or 2, then laid off for a few months. I spent 10 years on the road, paying for a home I only visited, and spent most of my time off working on. I got off the road to work roll-off for the local trash company, teamster union pay, over 25 per hour, plus all the overtime I wanted. It was great till a co-worked ran over me with the truck, 18 months to walk again, but you can't tell it ever happened. Part of my settlement was retraining, with a college degree. Now with the economy in the dumper I'll have to get back into trucking. I live in Vegas, there nothing in my field. Because I left OTR, the trucking companies would rather hire a guy out of school, before they hire me with a perfect DAC, and over a million miles in all driving conditions.

Some things never change in trucking. The recruiters still lie everytime their lips move. Now with the Mexicans coming into this country, guys like Moyes will screw over U.S. drivers more than ever.

 

Just found this tread, Thank You Medicineman for a well put post.

 

The real problem is "most" newbies DON'T wanna learn they want someone to do it for them, I can't begin to tell you how many times over the years i've been asked by a newbie if i'd back their truck into a dock and the answer is always the same NO!!!!! but ill stand out here all day and help you and guide you if you'd like and some even have the nerve to get peeve'd cause i won't do it for them.

 

How many licenses do you have sabliz??? Just pickin...you said they would take care of you.

 

Hey Polecat,
I just moved to vegas, I am fixing up a house I purchased. My family is moving here at the end of school year from Elko.
I am looking for a team drive to drive with me. I am about to get back on the road for a while. You probably know a team make a lot more money that solo, I also am buying another rig in 2 weeks,Would you be interested. I am a non smoker and cant handle smoke. Email me Direct at LLL14@aol.com

 

2 goals for every day:
1. Don't hit anything
2. Don't kill anyone

 

First let me say that I have been driving since 1977. I have taken a few years off here and there to raise my children, but I probably have 15+ yrs experience, with the majority of it running team with my hubby. I just recently went back on the road running solo, after being off the road for 15 yrs. My first 2 wks were spent on the east coast, which I haven't been to in 20 yrs. Every thing went great. I have had drivers comment that I am doing a great job (this is feuling and washing my windows), I slide my own tandems, drop my own trailers. As my hubby says, "If you can't do the job, you don't need to be out there". Yes, he can be cold hearted sometimes.

I have noticed there are so many "newbie" drivers" out there. One in particular really got to me. I was in Ma. loading, and there was a PAM driver trying to back up to the dock. I don't remember if she was on the phone or not, but I went on into the receiving dock, and about 15 seconds later, she whammed the dock. No, she did not bump it, she WHAMMED it. I made a comment about it, and the guys on the dock said it was the second time she did it. Now let me say that she was by no means straight with the dock, heck, she wasn't even centered with it, but the guys managed to put the dock plate down to load her. I don't know how long she had been trying to get to the dock.
I go back out to my truck and she told me (while talking on the phone) that she had only been driving for a month. She gets loaded and starts to pull out. I guess she figured she needed more room, and she backs up and cuts her truck shorter, and in doing so, her trailer doors scrap the short container trailer in the next dock. She continues on out the drive, stopping to shut her doors. I make my circle to get lined up to back in, get out and open my doors. I notice she is having trouble shutting her doors (still has the phone to her ear), I asked her about it, and told her she was on an unlevel area, and if she got on level ground her doors should shut fine. She really didn't understand what I was trying to tell her, but finally figured it out, again telling me she had only been driving a month, all the while she still has the phone stuck to her ear. I offered her some advice.... anytime you are driving or doing anything pertaining to the truck, you need to put the phone down.
After I loaded, and was pulling out the drive, she is sitting in her truck with the phone still stuck to her ear. Thankfully she wasn't driving down the road.
After some thought, I did call her company safety dept., and told them what had happened. They seemed more concerned about her reporting scraping the container trailer than anything else. Oh, they told me she had only been driving for 3 weeks. I did stress to the safety person, that she may have a ton of potential, but in my opinion she really needed more training.

Now here is the thing, back in the late 70's, I had to be 10 times better than any man out there, because I was a woman. Things have changed dramatically for women drivers since then, thank goodness. But some of these companies are putting drivers (men or women) out in their own trucks without the experience or training that they need. This really scares me.

 

Bridgeburner, Thanks for the job offer. I just finished a road test with a private Mail carrier, and I've got the job. This is a drivers dream job. paid by the hour, real per diem, and home every other day, and new equipment. I was #### lucky to snag this job. Experience does pay.

 

You are right you are a newbreeder, did you ever think that all the so called cb jerks are newbreeders like you. ????????

 

Txladycando: We'll just revert bak to the 70's way of training: Here's the keys, there's your truck. Don't run into anything.