USA Team members

Well you should be ready and willing to help an employee of USA Truck, wherever or whenever. I'd like to wish that all truckers would help each other out but THATs not gonna happen. At the very least though, a fellow employee.

The two most frequent causes I've had to help are backing and setting tandems. The amount of times that I've had to do it tells me that these are areas that the trainers are not covering as much as they should be. I don't mind helping at all because lord knows I've needed it before and someone was kind enough to spot for me. The thing that pisses me off the most is when somebody is trying and trying to get parked or docked and just can't seem to do it. There will be a host of other drivers there and they prefer to sit and watch while laughing and talking trash on the cb.

 

Back while I was still driving for USA I was in Columbia SC trying to get loaded. Another USA driver came in and went to back into the assigned dock. He actually got out and did his steps to find his pivot point. The docks there was a madhouse so I got out and helped him into what was a tight back. He had just upgraded. We both got a good laugh when I told him to beware of the cussing yard dog drivers.

 

Its funny that you mention walking out the pivot points. I actually do the same thing. Although I had what I consider to be an excellent trainer, he didn't teach that. He just eye gauged everything from the seat. I carried the habit over from the Army. In prepping for just about any event that is not in a classroom environment, leadership personnel do whats called a "terrain walk." Its to get a feel for distances, obstacles, avenues of approach, etc. It actually has a role in trucking too. I do my own terrain walk on many docking and parking situations. The only time I don't is if I'm the only one around or it is insanely easy such as a complete straight back with at least one truck length of room in front. This helps me, as you said, identify all pivot points by my feet and identify markers while relating them into known distances. Much safer and more accurate than dead reckoning.

Unfortunately, many trainers may not be teaching this technique as I still see most of the younger looking drivers in our fleet, at best, walking to the back of the trailer glancing quickly and hopping back in the seat. I guess it qualifies as GOALing but to me its just more of going through the motions. I actually was talking to several students waiting to upgrade when I was at Van Buren the other day. Only one was actually attentive when I was trying to explain the "terrain walk." The other 2-3 were of the "ya ya I know it all already" attitude. Its funny though, when you ask one of those what the purpose of GOALing is, many can't even tell you.

 

I thought this was a thread saying you can run teams with USA trucking. What a letdown

 

"Hey" that's where my TV went. When do I get it back?

 

I got something to gripe about. To the person who c r a p p e d all over the seats of the toilets upstairs at West Memphis........WTF??? We aren't in Turkey and you aren't a chick. Quit with the squatting and sit your self down to take a dump like a normal person. If you are scared to touch the seats then they have a nice holder full of ##### gaskets available directly in front of the stalls. Good Lord! Probably the same loser(s) who destroyed all the laundry equipment there. West Memphis used to be in my top 3 favorite terminals. Its getting rattier every time I go.

 

He probably ate at the Waffle House down the street. He didn't quite make it to the seat.

 

When I worked for USA.. My favorite terminal was the South Holland terminal. Although the only shower they had wasn't so private, everything else I liked at the time.