18 wheels on that semi or 10 ?????????????????????????????????

"semi" retired, your response doesn't seem nasty to me. But we're not talking about back in the day. And I acknowledged in my post that people drive with flat tires all the time and the penalty is if you get caught. But because of the regulatory pressures the drivers and carriers who want to insist on pretending they're truckers from back in the good old days like Smokey and the Bandit will either comply or get out eventually. No more doing speed (or other drugs) to stay awake and drive 24 hours a day and all that. Even though there are scenarios where the regulations are a real pain or create nonsensical situations they do have the effect of putting upward pressure on rates (and therefore pay) whereas having no regulations would put downward pressure on rates (and pay). They also put pressure to create better working conditions for those who don't want to work like they're a machine themselves. I don't want to do drugs in order to stay awake around the clock and do nothing but drive as much as humanly possible. Although I know there are plenty of people who would do it. Some because they want to and some because they think they'd have to "because everyone else is."

 

Hi Jaguar, I know the last thing one wants to do is argue with a cop, but trucks causing fires, I think, is the biggest load of baloney there is. I heard that on the news the other night, that one of the fires in S.Cal. was started by a spark from a truck. Come on, like trucks run down the road spewing sparks. Just another feeble attempt for the public to point fingers at those pesky trucks. Or lawnmowers, I don't know, my lawnmower doesn't emit sparks. How stupid does the news think we are? I still see people throw cigarettes out the window, and GASP, these fires are probably started by some fruitcake that actually gets off on that.

 

Hi again ED, it's funny you mention Smokey and the Bandit. Truth be known, when that movie came out, it spawned a whole generation of "outlaw truckers". I wanted to be "Snowman", and thought what a cool way to make a living, and I wasn't alone. Songs like "Convoy" and "8 days on the road" were all inspirations for me. Like I said, things are very different now, and 1 has to play by the book, but I like to share my experiences so younger drivers know that's how it was.

 

I would rather have super singles on company trailers. The trailer my dad is assigned has super singles. He saved several hundred pounds.

 

ED and I come from way back in trucking. The gross for a 5 axles was 73,280 lbs. Not the easy 80M lbs that we have today. We are making less today hauling 80M then we did moving 73280. Boot leg? Yeah, I did that a lot. Most of what we did back in the day would turn some of these precious do it by the book nincompoops into a white haired nervous wall bangers today.

Today many so called truckers would say that what ED and I did as the norm, is a " you a gonna believe this shi+ story. "

Try to boot leg a 14' hi 12 foot wide load through three states today. Not happening.
I had a Ky chauffeurs license, Ill tags on tractor IN tags on trailer and only ran 1 log book. I found I could do as much on one as many needed two for. My body told me when to stop and rest .

We , meaning truckers and the cops"" worked together. We actually sat at the same table and shared coffee or a meal together. We knew many of each others kids and family by name, Whether or not they like to fish or fly or restore old cars. We got along as a rule and if there was something coming down the pike as far as changes quotas we got the word in person.. I used to go up in a Cessna 172 with a ILL HP. It got me out of a ticket one day. Nuther story.

We Even compared our back up guns. I sold my little 22 semi auto to one officer right there in the restaurant.
We would help stop traffic or crowd the offending car in to the ditch or guard rail for them. We were asked many times to keep a look out for someone.
There was no Us against Them attitude like today. . We had respect. We earned that respect.

NO 911 back then. No cell phones, no texting. Wanted to communicate? , You actually talked to someone. No hiding behind electronic walls. ATT had banks fo phones in rest areas, Truck stops. Some TS had a room of phones for drivers to use. real drivers carry a pen to make notes with. Professional drivers had the pen and a note book to use.

Your neighbor thought nothing about sending their 16 year old with you to uncle Jims 3 states away. Trucking Life was so much better. Yes! Trucking was harder then but we weren't afraid of hard work like so many today are.
I miss the old days in trucking. We stuck together, we helped each other. we thought nothing of assisting another driver at a dock getting that floor load up and on pallets for him. It was thank you for the reward. help change a tire on the shoulder of the road.
We pulled your loaded trailer down Black Mountain or Mt Eagle ( before it was an interstate) if you were unsure of inexperienced. It was what we did.
The men and women in trucking back then were proud to be truckers, we were treated with respect because we earned it.

 

real drivers use paper logs. That legit old school than dealing with elogs. Have bar fights like from Convoy 1978.

 

Well said, Gordon, it's why I don't drive today, just not the same. Time wasn't such a concern, you got there when you got there, ratchet jawing with your buds over coffee, and getting out on the big road, all running together, or waiting and helping a fellow trucker was of prime concern. I too miss those days. And yes, there were a lot of drugs out there, but me and my friends had just as much fun without them.
This, my friends, was exactly how it was(although, I don't remember the Army part, look at all the cabovers!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le2bPRGvKXE

 

Everyone keeps saying that the SS's have a smaller "footprint" and therefore less rolling resistance. I just can't see it and it bugs the crap out of me everytime I see one of these threads. We had a set of SS's from Continental in our shop that they sent us to test. I took 2 duals off the rack, rolled them over to the SS and put them side by side. There was more rubber touching the ground on the SS than the set of duals. Maybe the ones they sent us to test were wider than a normal SS? I have no clue. But we measured the width of the tread (only the tread) on the duals and then measured the width of the tread on the SS and the duals came out to be a few inches less rubber on the ground. I could see less rolling resistance due to the fact that the sidewalls on the duals will cave in a little and that will cause slightly more friction/rolling resistance. But, with the extra rubber on the road on the SS, it would seem like both would offset each other. Either way, I'll stick with my duals so that way when I hear a loud boom, I know I can go a few miles to the next truck stop and pay $35 to have a spare swapped instead of $300 for a tire and $300 for a wheel and $150 to have them come out to me.

 

275mm x 2 = 550mm treadwidth
445mm x 1 = 445mm treadwidth

Obviously there is some variance between tire makes & models, but SS are ~20% narrower than duals.


Singles weigh less which:

*increases payload/decreases weight at same payload
*decreases rotational inertia increasing acceleration at same load (or requires less load for same acceleration)
*Increases sprung to unsprung weight ratio (smoother ride)
*They usually have better rolling resistance which decreases engine load at same payload/speed


Cons:
They cost more to buy/replace.
They aren't available at as many locations
They don't offer many choices for mud/snow
They tend to wander more on rutted roads
They tend to wear faster

 

Ed, One thing for sure, in the day he speaks of, & the days I was out there, where a much different time in many ways.


I would never recommend anyone to drive as we did, the reason being is there is probably 100% more traffic, than they were in our days.


If someone wants to correct me on the amount of traffic, go head, I was just guessing, did not look it up.


With the much more traffic of today, its not near as saw out there, & very easy to kill someone. I'm very thankful that I did my days without wrecking or killing someone, yet I saw a few that did.


The sad thing was during the changing years. I could give some incidents, but it would take up much space. Some of the drivers in the changing years I'm speaking of went to using crank, cocaine, smoking dope, they were not safe to be around. Some of them had been my good trucking friends whom I had run up & down the road with many times, who I had helped, who had even helped me, yet when they did that I avoided them.


I can see the need to change, but in the days of "semi" retired & my trucking days, I agree with him, it was fun, but those I spoke of ruined it for everyone.

I going to mention one trucking friend, he lived in my home town, he got on that other stuff, & he went crazy as far as I'm concerned. He started selling dope here at home to the young school children when home, just to support his habit, his wife divorced him, moved to anther state along withe their daughter. a few months after that he got caught, them off to prison. This happen to several truck drivers, & they messed up trucking for everyone.

Oh, when he went on that stuff, I avoided him like the plague, people like that will get you into major trouble. But in that day they were many of us out there that caused no trouble. We did so in order to make a living, & spend time at home with wife & family. I've still got my family, Sunday was my 46th anniversary.