Random LTL Rants (all are welcomed)

Ok, that's interesting, thanks for that, learn something new every day !! I guess if I ever took my class 1/A, I would learn about all of this. It's just fascinating. We can't fill our buses with kids on board. I once saw a driver unload the kids off the bus so she could get fuel, made them stand near the bus, big No No, some bus drivers are "out to lunch" with kids safety. We also have to do 10 kms/hr less the speed limit on highways.

 

I know, I really do need to get that license, I'm apprehensive, I would still have to find something local as my kids still need me at home. My kid's friend's dad is a trucker, he does hauls to BC and Manitoba once a week, mostly he's local, but I need to pick his brain too. I think the manual tranny will be my hurdle.

 

It's just the fact that if a fire started somehow, there's no rescue of kids on the bus, like I was saying, lots of safety, maybe more than what's needed, but better safe than sorry. It's just a written rule that we all follow. Never really got a solid answer, just was told never do it. Another thing might be the fumes too. And a lot of buses are switching to propane, so that's more volatile.

 

My school district where I went to school a decade so ago by now, well I graduate high school a decade ago, (wow time fly's) but they had there own diesel pump and the drivers would get fuel before or after there run, usually in the morning time the drivers would get to the bus garage some school districts actually have a real garage ours had a lot that was fenced in, but you get the point, they would get to the bus park, do a pre trip inspection and then load on fuel before or after there run, you know get back from there run and fill up before parking the bus for the morning.

Heck I'm not even supposed to get fuel when I'm under load, which means I still have stops on the trailer, now if I have a back haul that doesn't matter because the trailers just going to sit until transit can get to it so that doesn't count, but I can't believe a driver would go run a route and have to fuel mid route, that's all stuff I would do before or after the day. When you have a route to run, you don't have time to screw around doing that stuff, do it at the end of the day or run when you have time and don't have to be anywhere.

 

@jess4040
If you have absolutely nothing better to do ever here's the link to my write up about South Carolina School Buses
Information on South Carolina School Buses.

 

Ya, does sound weird to refuel mid-route. I'm with you though, easier to get fuel before or after run. We too have our own pumps, so convenient not having to use a card lock or pay, and better than filling up a Flying J or stations that have diesel if you can get in, having to deal with other cars. I've really become cautious of where I go as I don't want to get stuck not able to get out. And I hate backing. My trainer was an ex-trucker and always said I was a good driver, so I'm hoping I'll be good at tandum or eventually my class 1/A. I hate driving downtown or when the roads are narrow, tail swing and all.

 

Trucking especially in our line of trucking you'll do some backing. Cowboy on here works for FedEx Ground and even though he is a linehaul guy he does a ton of backing all night long, because 75%of his day sometimes is nothing, but building sets of doubles in the yards. He'll build 9 sets some times and if you've ever hooked B-Trains together or worse American "A" trains hooking 9 A train sets up is a lot of work after a while it's nothing but switching trailers and in and out of the truck lots of walking and up and down.

Twin Screws like these:

Out in Ontario they run because they have some fun backing spots , I can only imagine the places they have to go to.
Quebec even has a couple single axles:

I know in big cities like Toronto and Montral if your on a down town route and I know from experience here in Cleveland, USA you end up backing to some docks that are inside of the actual building, that truck probably goes on some special down town route with low ceiling clearance and some dock inside of some basement probably has to back in off the street and then hug the wall and do an ally dock back to get to the dock and probably only has 1-2 feet above him for ceiling clearance.

However Quebec has the twin screws as well, I noticed Ontario and Quebec the twin screw straight trucks are pretty popular.


Here in the US twin screw straight trucks were kind of a rarity, however maybe it's just me, but I'm seeing them more and more I think. They seem to be gaining popularity among distribution fleets.

One our drivers at my yard used to work for BFI doing front load dumpster collection he said that was one of the toughest driving jobs he had driving wise, it was all back up all day long.

The trailers well the B-Train trailers:

Tail swing won't be a problem, but off tracking is what you have to watch out for. I know though with a bus or straight truck the rear end sticks out a good few feet after the back axle and you have to watch for that. My straight truck is pretty rusty have not driven one in years.