ok, what NOT to do in a truck stop...

I take a lot of pride in the fact tht I haven't backed into anything in almost nine years. I will get out and look 20 times if I have to. It's easier than having to deal with the upset trucker that I slammed into.

 

How many drivers do you see backing up that are.....

1. talking on the cell phone
2. Have the radio blasting.
3. Have a co-driver or passanger sitting next to them.
4. Have the CB turned off.

And they will still back into a tight spot and wont get help. It only takes a few min to get out and look.

The other thing I hate seeing is that a guy will be trying to back in a tight hole and there will be two or more drivers there that will watch and no one will go help the poor guy. That is total B.S.!!!!! We are out here doing the same job and WE ALL NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER.

I had a driver wake me up one time to help him.....I did not get mad at all.
Told him no worries Im glad to get up and help.

 

i would have no problem with someone waking me up to help him out backing into a spot if it means he wont hit a nother truck, the time i sit at truck stops, sometime as early 2pm, till 9am the next morning, but from 2-9 i just sit there, listen to the radio, wacht tv or a movie, or do something, and when i see a truck pull into to what i no is a tight spot, first ill get on the radio and see if he is on, and if i get no response within 30 sec ill get out, go over and ask him if he wants assistance, now iv had to do this about 9 times already, and 8 times they were very thankful for the help, specialy the guys that are backing inbetween o/o's.

i did 6 months at school, and i did some training with the company that im at, and they both told me the same thing, " when your pulling into a truck stop to park, **turn on your C.B** cause other drivers that are wacthing are looking out for you on ur blind-sides. "
thats no joke, for the drivers that are newer then i am, the best thing to do is turn on the cb and listen to drivers telling u to stop!!!, and im going to keep saying this... ****GET OUT AND LOOK****, if ur holding up other drivers, just look at them tell them ur sorry, chances are they will not mind at all. dont let the people ur holding up scare you, and make you rush.
rushing is the worse thing to do, it will only screw up your whole day. most people no that ur driving a rig that takes some time to manuver.
again!
G.O.A.L!!!

 

Roehl's driving school mentioned several times to turn the CB off while you're getting into a parking spot. And even if someone's helping, they want us to get out and look.

"Hey Swift, you've got plenty of room over here!"
*crunch*
"Was there an accident on the other side of the parking lot?"

Heck, it could even be a different nearby truck stop with another driver for the same company.

 

hey CMoore, i guess what ur saying is true, i never really thought of it like that, however, when u work for a smaller company such as myself, and you no that your that companies only truck in the area it would work out fine. i guess its moore like 50/50,
but the most important thing is to GET OUT AND LOOK.
im going back to my school next weekend i think, they has asked me to come down just to talk to the students, being that im so new, and i can go back down there, no what they have learned already, and give them some insight on the real deal being such a new driver,
and ill be sure to def tell them to GOAL.

 

Just wanted t add a funny nobody else said yet....................

DON'T LEAVE YOUR DOORS UNLOCKED you might wake up staring down a crack-head lot lizard in attack posture...................

 

thats the expression if i woke up to that haha. but def true, you prob shouldnt leave the doors unlocked at anytime, weather ur in the seat(s) or not,
last week i had this bum looking guy climb onto my truck trying to offer me directions, and im not sure where, i just yelled at him and told him to get off my truck, and i started driving, he got mad, but he could have and flattened..... i dont ever leave my doors unlocked, when im in it, and when im outa the truck my doors are always locked, but more for the sake of the stuff i have in my truck.

and also, the way you say that, has that happened to you...?

 

I am guessing new drivers don't want to appear "new" and "green", so they don't get out and look? I can't tell you how invaluable all of your comments are!

 

This happens everywhere, including the construction industry. I have been backing next to an excavation where the edge is "camouflaged", otherwise hidden and my drivers went off into the hole. Nine guys including the foreman were watching. The next time I had to back, I sat and they got pissed off. Some people just love to watch others screw up and then the same get pissed when someone learns not to repeat a mistake.