Starting At Melton 16 Nov.

My company used to put all their drivers up into 1 motel when they were at HQ. Drivers going to orientation would mix and hang out with the veterans. The problem was there was a bar right next door, and some of the rookies wouldnt be able to pass the drug and alcohol test Monday morning. Some deskjockey came up with the bright idea to separate the rookies from the vets. So, you'd have a bunch of guys coming in with flatbed experience, and either no OSOW experience or supposedly had heavyhaul experience but actually didn't. When I used to run Canada, I would meet these drivers on the weekend. They had never stretched an rgn, or broken one down. I would bring an rgn up there and show them how to work it. All the veterans would do it. Lots of the rookies would ask for our phone numbers and would call us if they had questions. It was a safeguard. Now, the rookies do not meet the veterans and build a comraderie. Safety rating plunged straight through the toilet overnight. Safety asks me what are they doing wrong, and I tell them, "trying to hold adults' hands."

Secondly, I drink. I have no problem with other drivers drinking. But I thought it was a huge mistake to pull those new guys out of the motel because there was a bar next door. If an adult doesn't know when to quit drinking so that he can pass a breathalizer, wouldn't you as an employer want to know BEFORE you put him in a truck? It is a huge mistake to try to hold a driver's hand. How can you be sure that he can be trusted on his own if he's always had his hand held?

Driving and shifting gears is like walking and chewing gum. If a person cant walk and chew gum, do you ban chewing gum? Or do you attempt to hold their hand so that they will be able to walk and chew gum. These aren't children. Children are willing to learn. You dont teach them to crawl, they learn on their own. And one day, you see them stand up and try to walk.

Some people are too fragile mentally. The stress, the traffic and the daily grind gets to them. They pop a fuse and have to get out of a truck. They couldnt handle it.
Some people have to concentrate in order to drive without hitting anything. As soon as they have a lapse in concentration, they're all over the road and their speed fluctuates by 20 mph, and theyre knocking people off road.

Most drivers are solar powered. A vampire driver can run all night, every night safely. By your theory of it being dangerous to teach rookies on a manual transmission, the same would apply to rookies driving in the dark. Which is easier to do...learn to drive all night or shift gears? Well, most drivers can shift, but most have difficulty driving at night.

Some guys run in the snow. Most park it. Which is easier...to learn how to shift or to learn how to drive on icy roads?
Ol P69 and I are in the southeastern US. But we have roamed all of North America. You cant pull over every time it snows and expect to make money.

Some people think that rookies should learn on a van, then move to flats or tanker so that the can concetrate on their driving. I think that's another example of handholding. If I were a rookie, I would want to learn on a manual. I would start with an open deck trailer. I'd want to drive at night to get accustomed to night driving. I'd want to run through the mountains roads. I would learn how to chain up. I would learn how to run on icy roads. Why? 1.) Because I would shooting to get my own truck 2.) Because in our line of work, we have less time than any other types of trailers. When it's time to go, we have to go. The goal isn't just to get a job, the goal is to be good at what you do.

Hey Mac...aren't you glad no one held your hand?

 

I grew up in Canada driving through the ice and snow, so color me a hypocrite. Maybe I didn't get my hand held.

Tbh my posting lately is to try not make this place be so negative and maybe I'm spreading the rose colored glasses a little too thick. I'm just tired of the bickering.

I realize y'all are just preaching safety, I just get weighed down on negatity.

 

Apologize for the mis-information then. I was told by several people as well as drivers who were already in auto's that Melton was slowly converting their fleet. That whats going around the rumor mill.

Hurst

 

Friend, Im not trying to be negative or add to the negativity. Some people need their hands held. Some of us dont. The problems come in when someone tries to do a 'one size fits all.' ColoradoGreen prefers a 2 stick. I prefer an 18. My first solo gig at age 22 was in a 2 stick, after only 1 month OTR running team with a ClassA permit. Colorado is a fairly new driver. He's a solid driver. It would be unfair to say that it's dangerous for new drivers to drive a manual, when Colorado shows every single day that he can do the job and do it well.

I know you didn't have your hand held, because if you did, you wouldnt have gotten the job that you have so soon. If you had your hand held, you would have done 1 year in dry van, 5 years on a flat, THEN an RGN.

 

I wasnt trying to start a debate. I apologize for any misunderstandings. But I still stand behind everything I said.

In fact just today at a Pilot this morning. My wife went in to get some coffee. Guy came up an asked me if I would help him set his rear tandems. Sure no problem.

They had him in an auto,.. tandems had to be slid forward 2 pins. Problem was truck got over excited putting it into reverse. Even I was like WTF!?! First it shudders,. then it starts to roll,.. you have to be quick on the brake else it wants to keep pushing even after you let off. We both looked like a couple of rookies trying to slide the tandems with what looked like a brand new Mack.

I was thinking of this exact post the whole time I was helping him. Real nice guy,.. I felt bad for him. He's trying to do the right thing,.. but the company is hurting his potential with the equipment they gave him.

Hurst

 

If you hit a lady who cut you off, it sounds as if a simple dash cam would have sufficed (I've put my personal one in my truck). Having a camera on you at all times is just kinda...I dunno....weird. Would you like to have a camera on you in your house? If you aren't doing anything illegal, why should you care?

 

The camera can only be activated by 3 ways hard brake accident or pushing the 2 blue buttons on the side no one in safety can activate it therefore it doesn't bother me

 

To add to my post last....with the camera facing at me also it showed that I wasn't being destracted by radio or phone or not paying attention I was 79400 of drill pipe sorry but u can't slam on the brakes

 

I see what you're saying, but I think a simple dash cam would have showed what happened. She cut you off and you reacted, both of which would be shown with a view of what's happening in front of your truck. She would have lost that lawsuit with or without the driver facing camera because it's illegal to cut other vehicles off. I just don't really see any sort of advantage a driver-facing camera presents over a regular dash cam that records what's happening in front of you....unless you're a company who wishes to keep close tabs on why their drivers are hitting the brakes. It also saves the company a bit on insurance costs. Just more inconvenience to the drivers for company profit.

 

I will throw straps / chains any day.