what bad trucking habits have you acquired

Chill on the energy drinks. I'm permanently sensitive to them after years of abuse. Heart murmers to the max!

 

Jumping out of the cab and off the deck. Haven't fallen yet but I'm sure my knees will go as I age.

 

With me it was all the stay awake pills they used to sell at the fuel desk.

 

Not directly truck related:

Forgetting the parking brake on my forklift and chasing it as it rolls backwards into a cow pasture.

 

Even at home I poop in a bucket

 

Bad knee so you don't wanna push the clutch in... but jumping off the trailer is just fine.

 

Of course it's not fine, and is the cause of the bad knee to begin with. But funny thing, you never remember it hurts when you jump off that trailer. It's the landing that reminds you.

 

Not religiously doing a walk around before moving the truck. As a flatbedder I must do this to make sure the winch bar, straps, chains, and dunnage is all put away and secured. Nothing is worse than almost getting on the road, taking a look in the mirrors, and discovering a 4x4 is unsecured on the deck or a side box door is swinging wide open.

 

I did that when i was young,but seriously it will catch up to you. Your back and knees take a beating doing that.. I know of a guy that jumped off a flat and got his arm caught in the rubrail and broke his wrist and jacked his shoulder pretty nasty. I guess off a step deck wouldn't be to bad but a flat is dangerous.

 

It's not so bad if you do a full gainer with a half twist and stick the dismount.

 

I had gotten into the bad habit of just doing a tug test and not checking the jaws when hooking up. Then last winter, on a morning it was below zero, I hooked up, tugged, pulled out of the dock, made a left, and closed the trailer doors. Then I made a right to head out the drive. The trailer came off the 5th wheel when I made the left hand turn onto the street. I noticed it in time to not drop it onto the ground, but the the way I was turned and the angle of the driveway made it impossible to just crank the landing gear down and re-hook.

It took 3 forklifts, a yard truck, and 1 hour of all 3 of us working in subzero temps to get it to where I could hook up again. I don't know how it managed to stay hooked through a tug and 2 turns, but now I'm super paranoid about it.

Now I visually check the jaws every time like we're supposed to. And tug. And watch the trailer like a hawk for the first few turns.