Angry residents target truckers

True enough! But, most State and City Engineering positions require that college degree today. Problem is, most never get off the seat of their pants to go out and get acquainted with the community they support.

If you are going to put in a street light, it must be justified. This can be done by sitting at your desk and monitoring traffic accident reports by location. If you are going to put in a Traffic Circle, you better make sure there is no truck traffic, because most circles do not allow for trucks to get around them.

If they are going to plan an industrial warehouse center to include truck stops, then housing communities and shopping centers need to off a different exit.

Certain jobs that require a college degree should also require a common sense level; but then only about 10% of those with college degrees would qualify.

 

Lucky
Boy are you right. It is truely a shame when a person spends a small fortune on truck driveing school and they get weeks of log book time and and so few hours learning to dock etc. I know and you know someone with 15 hours of driveing experience should not be on the road with a trainer let alone by themselves. heck as posted, half of these guys and gals can't read a map. No offence intended. You would think schools should teach the basics or be held responsible for passing untrained drivers.

 

I was in the GP mill in Searcy, Ar when a guy approached me wanting to know how heavy you could legally be. He pointed to his truck and said that he had just bought it. I told him the weights and in my head I thought "you had better get a good bankruptcy lawyer". I mean this guy was serious, he didn't know.

 

There is another new Peelot that just opened in Danville, VA. I was excited because there was yet another opportunity for me to gather my eleventeen thousand fueler points. My enthusiasm diminished on my first visit, this past Saturday evening. They built this Peelot on Hwy 58 at the Hwy 29 junction. It sits on the Eastbound side of Hwy 58 just mere yards from the Hwy 29 ramps. In addition to the new TS, there is now a new fast food joint over on the West side, complete with a crossover to the eastbound lanes. This same crossover serves the TS patrons who want to go West on Hwy 58 and/or get back to Hwy 29. This is very hilly terrain, and the speed limit is 45 mph (meaning folks usually run 55). There are no traffic lights, only stop signs on the side roads. If you're leaving the TS going East on Hwy 58 it is fairly easy. However, turning left, watching two lanes of traffic coming down the hill on your right, watching two lanes of traffic cresting a blind hill on your left, all while trying to navigate past the soccer Mom in the minivan coming at you from across the highway is nearly mission impossible. Eventually, you realize the only way out is to put the truck into the intersection and hope the self preservation instincts make them stop.

Who's to blame? Developers, city planners, or traffic engineers? No it'll be the trucker with the four wheeler buried under his trailer.

2xR won't be going back there until a light is installed.

 

I just do not understand why truck stops can't put in place a pipe line pee drop for truckers rather than have the problem with everyone dumping pee in the parking lot. Then again, if truck stops did, would drivers be smart enough to use them?

 

Can't say as I blame you. I would not go back either.

 

But, from what I have heard, these schools get subsidized by government, so they don't have to train; they just have to graduate so many; qualified or not!

 

But not me, had to pay outa my own pocket! Many didnt! But had to sign a sheet saying got 160 hrs of training...let us out 'early' cause we did so good...but they teach just enuf to get a CDL and nothing more!! Everything else is thru your trainer afterwards..

 

I think I told the story a while back about the time I was driving for May, out of Nampa, Idaho. I unloaded in Atlanta and went to Stone Mountain for a load of soap for Chicago. I backed into the dock that Thursday night and the fork lift awoke me in the Am. I was loaded ahead of another May driver who was late getting there.

As I was preparing to depart, he approached me and asked if I could help his with his log book. He left Namp and drove all the way to Atlanta without one complete log sheet and had no idea how many hours he had left to run.

I showed him how to do his logs; got him all straight and then I departed after telling him how to get into the warehouse in Chicago.

Monday morning I was sleeping because they had unloaded me the evening before. The May driver came in one our late. Now, this was only from Atlanta to Chicago, from Friday to Monday morning????!!!

First, he ran the portable scale on the north side of Atlanta and they took him back, looked him over and fined him over $100 for running the scale.

Next, he thought it looked closer by going up through Ohio to get to Chicago????? You figure this one out.

School Trained? Yes! Driver Trainer time? Yes! This was in 1990.

Most of us know many of these type stories though, if we have been out there a while. Yet, the CDL made us all professionals!