Dump Truck Rookie

Discussion in 'Tanker, Bulk and Dump Trucking Forum' started by mightytrucker, Jul 13, 2016.

  1. Eaton18

    Eaton18 Road Train Member

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    Sep 3, 2011
    Waverly, KS
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    Dump truck? What flavor? There's 10-wheelers, and the various semi versions, like belly-dumps, side-dumps, and end-dumps. Heck a grain-buggy is a belly dump. Now for the end-dumps you have frame and frame-less. The frame end-dumps are more forgiving than the frame-less.
    I'll repeat a couple of the aforementioned cautions and for good reason...
    1. WATCH FOR POWERLINES.....
    Yep I've managed to clobber 2, both times I was clear of them while dumping, ie; my bed was going up. However when I rolled forward and my bed coming down, I didn't clear. These sites were where we had to dump real close to powerlines. :oops::oops::( We have a couple other drivers that has hit lines, one took down a major line, damaged cars on a highway, blew out all the tires on his truck, and left a few thousand people without power for a few hours. Mine were small lines, in fact one of them just powered a area light. Another driver had the electricity arc from the line to his bed. He was beside it. I dumped a couple of hours later, same spot without having it jump across.​
    2. Make sure you're as level as you can be.
    Currently I haul sand into a couple of construction (asphalt plant) sites. The ground is dirt, and lately mud. One of them is just plain not level, the ground slopes in every direction. This one site I've resolved myself to my bed is going down, every time I dump. Several of us have complained to our dispatcher, but all we get is dump it. So far for some reason I've not laid it down.
    One big point, don't be afraid of telling the person, loaderman, whomever is telling you where to dump at their site, you're not going to if it's not safe/not level. I've had to a few times. They ##### if I'm too far away from a pile. I just tell them, you got a loader with a bucket, learn how to use it, or do you want me to show you how? Or our boss/owner, has us tell them, Write me a check for $150k and I'll do it.​
    We've had very experienced drivers lay beds over. They are unpredictable. It's just not that the bed is level, the tractor should also be, to some extent. A bed can go down due to material being stuck in the nose or on the walls. So learn about the materials you haul. For instance, screenings or fly-ash, or rock-chips. These materials under the right conditions (weather) will stick. Watch that bed as you raise it. You will see if it starts leaning early. If so don't continue until you've done something to correct it. However sometimes you can do what's called "stringing out the material". This is where you don't put the bed all the way up.
    Again not knowing what sort of dump you're going to be driving, here's yet another tip, if you happen to pull a split-tandom trailer. I pull a 39' with a 10' spread axle. The front being a lift-axle. The suspension is air, so the lift axle must be raised before raising the bed. If not you might hear a loud boom. That would be one of the airbags blowing. They will go at sometime anyway. I've not blown one while dumping, but have had one go while tarping. It will scare the begeesus out of you, darn near wet and mess yourself. :)
    Had to edit, just thought of another real important one...
    Make sure your end-gate (tailgate) is open. We have the air locks AND safety pins or turnbuckles. You'd be surprised at how much force 26 tons of material has. One of our drivers blew out his tailgate because he got in a hurry and forgot to unlock his. When you're finished make sure you lock your tailgate. Our trailers have the valves to release the gate and to dump the suspension near the rear. The boss will not allow having these valves inside the tractor. Reason... so we have to look to see if we're level and that our gate has been released. Simply opening the valve for the gate if the turnbuckles are still screwed down does no good. We also have a grain door or some call it a coal door in the center of the end-gate. The turnbuckles (safety pins) must be in place to dump through the grain door. If not that end-gate could come blow off with you or someone else standing in it's path. Those gates are heavy, and you'll be lucky if you survive being hit by one that is accompanied by 20+ tons of material. ​
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2016
    Reason for edit: Thought of another tip to add.
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  3. CC Rider

    CC Rider Bobtail Member

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    Jul 21, 2016
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  4. CC Rider

    CC Rider Bobtail Member

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    Jul 21, 2016
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    If you're stuck and you give it too high RPMs and come off your clutch too fast you will shear your drive shaft. Try backing up and going forward backing up and going forward or rocking your truck and then pulling out on the forward momentum. Also remember to shut off your PTO as soon as your bed is up in the air and don't make a habit of moving without your bed being completely down.
     
  5. CC Rider

    CC Rider Bobtail Member

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    Jul 21, 2016
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    Do not put them down above 30 mph or you'll create a flat spots on your tires
     
  6. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

    34,017
    42,098
    Mar 5, 2016
    White County, Arkansas
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    CHECK your GATE which is the hook on the back of that dump truck. I bet that is a item best thought of near the top of the list.

    Make sure your PTO is out of your box when you get all done and ready to drive for another load.

    When empty and the rains come, you will SLIDE on braking. Have a care and add just enough to your wheel to break the slide while getting OFF your brakes and stay off them. You might have a beaver trailer on there to your ring hook. Be gentle with it, you can do a few things you cannot do with a trailer 5th wheel and you can do a few things you cannot do with a beaver (45 degress is plenty do not jack it any tighter)

    Watch out for that customer Cable above the driveway when you are pouring out your stone on a half locked chained gate roaring down the thing as your box rises layer of stone coming off there for a hundred or two hundred feet. You are probably going to snap it.

    Do NOT dump sideways, meaning on any terrain that is not level side to side. That Hydralic tube will SNAP your box goes over and FLOP your ### is halfway out the window being ground into the dirt by the cab on your neck along with the #### like chains, binders and crap pouring onto you from the pax side.

    When you are in a single axle making a dump... DO IT SLOWLY and GENTLY. if it is rain and that stone is powdry it might get stuck and have you flip backwards until your box is on the ground and you are looking straight up at the sky in your cab (YOu did wear your seatbelt too right?)

    Do not panic and stay put. Someone with a backhoe will flip you down quick enough. So what if you flip They get you unflipped on the job.

    Remember Deseil cleans black top material from inside a aluminum dump box. You will learn to like pouring Deseil and scraping inside that box every day. It's the only way to keep it clean and dumpable.

    Fuel up every day. Do not neglect this.

    Check your #### before you go anywhere. DOT loves mr dump truck. For a variety of reasons.

    If you get a Dump with airride, you do not allow anyone to push you from behind. No matter what. If something happens and a tow is needed, do it from the front. I hope you get a dump without airride, one less thing to break when you dump tons back there.

    If you got a Tag axle... raise the #### thing before making turns. Save that tires.

    DO not cross a bridge with that tag up.

    DO not get caught by the man crossing light bridges. However... familiarize yourself with a tiny 6 inch index card sized sign at the foot of the bridge on both ends that details exactly what it can stand with fire truck equiptment in terms of axle weights. Make sure you are lighter than the firetruck weight signs for that particular bridge.

    Do tarp that load. Don't show laziness by failing to tarp. Failure to tarp tells me you don't give a ####. Go home and stop offending me sir.

    See where Im going with this?
     
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  7. mightytrucker

    mightytrucker Bobtail Member

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    Dec 2, 2015
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    Thanks for the input guys!
    Just started last week and things have been going great!
    I have a question in regards to pay.
    What is a fair wage in this kind of job?
     
  8. belowspeedlimit

    belowspeedlimit Medium Load Member

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    Apr 26, 2013
    Oil country
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    Where are you?
     
  9. mightytrucker

    mightytrucker Bobtail Member

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    Dec 2, 2015
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    In boston
     
  10. gwilli89

    gwilli89 Light Load Member

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    May 4, 2016
    Illinois
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    Haha I'm not even gonna attempt to answer that. I hauled dump in Central Illinois for years. And our pay scales are way different than out east.
     
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  11. belowspeedlimit

    belowspeedlimit Medium Load Member

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    Apr 26, 2013
    Oil country
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    Up in NE Alberta going rate is 28-32 per hour.
     
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