Knowing when to leave

Sounds normal truckdriver stuff to me.

 

How did the DOT notice the play in the 5th wheel?

 

you are young. as a result, you didn't know any better, at first.

what i have done, for a whole lot of years, is i drive by a place that i see wither an ad for employment, or someone tells me about. i check out (the best i can from a distance) they equipment.

i see old, decrepit, i drive on by.

i see shiny new, many times, i drive on by

i see what looks like well maintained, i stop in an talk, then fill out an application

the road test, i usually ask if that IS the truck i will be driving, if not, then it is very often an exact match to what i will be, and i can get a good idea on things.

i usually ask to visit the shop (if they have one on site). sometimes, i do know a mechanic, sometimes, not.

i do not want brand new, did that once, pay sucked, no benefits, BUT IT WAS a NEW truck....screw that, i cannot eat with low pay, all because they have a nut to crack, paying that thing off.

the old, decrepit trucks/equipment, speak for themselves, and i'll leave that job for the hard up drivers that cannot find a better job due to thier past.

the well maintained trucks/ equipment tell me at least they take care of them and make money with them, and are probably paid off, meaning i can garner a higher pay, and benefits package.

you (the o/p) choose that job, you have no one else to blame, but your self. you SHOULD HAVE LEFT SOONER, but you did not.

not our problem, but i will as i say, chalk that up to being inexperienced and maybe in too much of a hurry to get working....they must have sold you a "bill of goods", to get you into the door.

now, you do realize, the possibility exists that you have PSP points for that 5th wheel..>??

did you check into that..????

i hope you don't..........but check into that.

 

Thank you for sharing. Glad things worked out for you in the end.

 

Sounds like the rat infested junk I had to drive when I first got into this business back in the early 80's. It was all I could do to tough it out until I had enough time in to get on with a better company. Glad you made the jump, now you know what to look out for in the future. If someone doesn't respect you enough to fix the truck, it's time to move on...pronto!

 

i am glad you are out of there as well. take what you have learned from that and make sure you make a better decision(s) regarding future jobs.

 

G. Anthony, To someone without experience what you say above sounds like wisdom. However, I am not sure I would be able to discern what is "well-maintained" by a visual drive by just because I don't know what I don't know. For those of us without any or with only minimal experience, what are some "red flags" or other consistent things that might help us identify well-maintained equipment vs equipment that has seen its better days? I imagine you and others will have some tips and pointers that would be helpful to us.

Thanks