New drivers please read - Hook up procedures...

A lil grease on your face will make the story more convincing.

 

Yeah? Well I dunno. It is dirty under there and I just might get my hands dirty, not to mention my shirt!

On a serious note, I dropped a pup off a converter dolly one time. Fortunately, the pup was empty and I was in the yard, just moving from one place to another. Of course the first thing you do is wet your pants as you are looking around wondering which one of the bosses saw this elegant move. I was lucky.

 

Know of a guy who drove 30 miles to get a load of gas at one of the Charlotte NC terminals with the jaws not fully closed on the 5th wheel. He pulled under the rack, loaded and pulled forward to the gate to pick up his BOL at the kiosk. After getting the BOL he pulled forward enough to break the electric eye and the gate opened for him. There is a fairly steep incline which leads to a RR track about 75 feet past the gate. As he was pulling the hill the tank dropped on the nose busting the 1st compartment open and then the bulkhead between 1 and 2 gave way ... 4200 gallons of gas came rolling back into the terminal like a tidal wave ... one spark ... just one ... would have killed everyone. There are some things in life that are worth checking ... and double checking.

 

Seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it.
All it takes is to bend over half way and poke your head in enough to see if it is secure. A flashlight in low light conditions helps.
Takes all of 3 seconds.

It's about the same when first getting under a trailer.
How much time and effort does it take to Get Out And LOOK to make sure the trailer is not too high - especially if you don't feel it lift as you are backing under it?
But I sometimes see drivers trying to raise the landing gear enough to clear the fifth wheel after they got the kingpin wedged in front of it.
It's a LOT easier to lower the gear to align it than it is to raise it far enough to get it clear, and less possible damage.

 

BTDT, learned my lesson. To make matters worse, the trailer was loaded and I already had a broken rib. . .
(fortunately one of the shipper's employes took pity on me and helped me out. I'd probably still be there crankin' that darn thing.)

 

Absolutely nothing except gave me a warning on my company record. They were cool as all get out about it. Great bunch of guys and gals.

 

I've never been charged to pay back expenses at Swift.

However...
I once called in that I was stuck in the mud.

The receiver said to go to the end of the street where I could turn around to approach the dock in the right direction.
I did that.
But, the night before it had rained really, really hard. The turn around spot turned out to be a foot of mud.
I realized a little too late, and I got stuck.

I also realized that, in the end, it was my own fault.
I could see the wet ground, but instead of getting out and checking I simply drove into it.
I decided to pay the $200 tow charge myself.

There was a little damage to the truck, which I got fixed at a terminal at my next service.
Swift never charged me, or said anything about it.