Tricks of the trade.....

i was desparate,after losing my job to a reckless driving ticket i got '06 in Chlt.,nc,new to the over road game,force to move to georgia i was forturnate to land a job with a lease contracting co., with a reckless.....unbeleiveable.....i felt so obligated to do a good job despite them bein rude to drivers,dispatch hanging-up when ask for diections, and finding reasons to take money we worked hard for.
This company tag my DAC so bad.My drive tires got stuck in the mud on da side near a pilot truckstop one rainy sunday morning fortunate to find a place to park,luckily a co-worker was park at the truck stop that had chains to pull me out,this company tag my DAC stating stuck needed tow,i also had my DAC tag on the terminal yard that next morning bobtail,pulling in to bay area and tap the bay door enterance,struck stationary object very minor damage to the already damge bumper held together by plastic tied downs.......i rebuttal that,but was let go for 'company policy violation" i never knew what it mean until my unemployment determination came in the mail,at which i won, stating company felt i was responsible for two fail inspections due to bad trailer bein cited at scale.
might this be detrimental in me getting wit a decent company?and is there any advice on a company that ill give me good mile a week,AS WELL AS DECENT HOME TYMES??

 

Yeah roadrunna- turn in your CDL and try wal-mart they get you home everyday.

Rule number 1 in trucking- don't hit stuff.
Rule number 2 see rule number one.

 

if you have to slide your 5th wheel, put the landing gear down on the trailer and take some of the weight off the 5th wheel. It slides alot easier and won't jerk the cab around as bad...

 

Not an additional piece of equipment, but a tip for finding some locations "in the country".

Some towns have their industrial parks and other such businesses off of two-lane roads. Often, you can't see them until you're up on them, or past them. So, for those who don't use GPS, keep this in mind:

You will frequently see familiar-looking skid marks on the road at just about the point you want to turn.

I've used this type of reference point numerous times over the 11 years I've been OTR.

 

...and as I was sweeping out this trailer to be loaded in the morning, let me add this bit of learned-wisdom:

If you have to climb into the trailer, be sure to either latch the doors in the open position or, if there is not enough room (say you're between two other trailers and can't swing the doors all the way open), be certain to return the door latches to the closed position. If you don't, they can swing closed in the wind and the latches can actually latch enough so you can't get out.

Just about had that happen to me last summer. Fortunately, after a few good pushes, the door opened. But it was gettin' hot FAST!

 

Might want to post this in another category has nothing to do with this thread at all.

 

lock your padlock on latch also so someone cant lock you in . i have seen this happen

 

I saw this happen in Chicago to an Eby Brown driver only he did it to the guys that tried to rob him. These two guys jumped up in his trailer as he was unloading things into the store. He comes out and see's them they pull a gun on him so he amazingly stays calm tells the guys they don't want what they have in their hands that the cigarettes are up in the nose that they could make some real money on them. well they fell for it and as they go to the nose he grabs the rope and closes the trailer door on them. He also set the reefer temp to -20 degress and waited an hour or so before he called the police. I bet they thought twice before trying to rob a trucker again!

 

This one is for all of us new guys out there. My is a truck driver and he told me this one.


When your looking in the mirrors while straight backing. Which ever mirror you can see most of the trailer in. Turn the steering wheel in that direction. So, if the trailer is in the right mirror, then your going to want to turn the steering wheel (A.K.A Mouse) to the right and it'll straighten the trailer right up.

 

I carry a can of PB Blaster. I have used this stuff on some old MS Carriers trailers where the tandems are stuck. Sometimes you can see areas where the holes are that are rubbing. When the metal starts to rub this causes major friction. Blast it with some pb blaster and get a set of wheel chocks. This will help against the tires sliding and getting dead spots on the tires.