Worst dayvdriving ever...

Kmac, I have to commend you for being one of the coolest tempered person, because I know when I dispatched drivers into N.J. it was a nightmare. We didn't have refer trailers, but we had 53ft dry vans that would deliver cabinets, and some of these were delivered to residences. People would get angry at the driver when they found out that we only delivered it to the driveway with no inside delivery or the cabinet receiver would not have an accessible area for a 53ft tractor trailer. We would have to call the consignee, and tell them that they would have to get a truck to merry up to the back of the trailer and off load it. Just remember that you as a driver do have the right to refuse going into an area that is not accessible in fear of causing personal or property damage. The right thing would have been to get ahold of your dispatcher, and tell them that this is not an accessible area, and that they need to have the shipper figure out what they want to do.

I am glad that you got an attorney that can help you fight the second ticket, and I am sure that you will have a better day today then yesterday. I know me personally when having to deal with consignees in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts was a pain in my rear end for the way they would treat you especially the logistic warehouses that made you have appointment times, and then take forever to load you or unload you. I know that a lot of drivers do not like running the northeast for those very reasons.

 

Kmac I am truly sorry you had such a bad day but you sound like you handled it how a professional driver should, so hopefully that will go a ways for the police involved to not stir up trouble for you any more than you already have. Good luck and hope things work out being not so bad in the end and you can years from now tell it as a trucker story

 

Wow Dude sorry to hear what happened to ya. Ive been downtown manhatten going to Javits for tradeshows and i know its a pain but ya kept your cool and thats what counts and ya did all the right steps so Kudos to ya for following up. Now come run out west.. wide roads and just as insane people but at least ya can get somewhat out of their way..lol.

 

See another good reason to not go to the North East ! sorry for your bad day man. you have to be commended though as I would have burnt the truck down !

 

You handled the situation with extreme and utmost professionalism. That said, not sure I could have done the same. When I saw the tight area/street I probably would have called dispatch and told them it's an unsafe situation and they need to do whatever they have to do in order to get the truck offloaded but in no way would I have attempted it. Thanks to drivers like yourself, new drivers like me gain great insight on what to do/what not to do in situations like this. Your replies to the officers were superlative and contacting an attorney was probably your only recourse. Until companies are forced to realize some areas just aren't conducive to big trucks these type nightmares will continue. Companies need to provide just compensation for these type deliveries and use only the drivers who are willing and able (NOT saying you're not able) to do these type deliveries. Forced dispatch to unfavorable conditions breed unsafe practices. What do they expect? Good luck with your case, driver. Hope everything works out for you.

 

Sorry to hear about your day. I know personally how much jersey city sucks and doing ltl some of the places we get sent into were made for six wheelers, not 53's. Nice job on handling yourself like a pro and definatly fight the ticket. No evidence of the second hit there should be no ticket. Also jersey is a corrupt state so slide the judge some cash and youll be good to go.....lol.

 

What was this about 53's being in places they shouldnt? Lol

Note i was standing on the curb across the street from the dock. I dont know who thought it would be a good spot for a warehouse. A road truck would definatly be blocking the road.

 

Sorry to hear your woes...

If you, and all others rolling into unknown ports of call, have a smart phone. Before heading into them look up the receiver/shipper on google maps with satellite view. You can see where the driveways are, guard shacks etc. You can even see the tire tracks where all the regular trucks have driven! Great help.

You can also see if they have room for overnight parking, etc...

Mikeeee

 

Good advice but Google Maps is not always up to date. I have pulled places up before and Google Maps shows nothing but a dirt lot. Next step would be to call the shipper/receiver and ask for someone in shipping/receiving and get directions. And let them know what you are driving.