A ND R works you to death

Oilpatch, steel mill, paper plant, feed mill... Take your pick. Dry bulk ain't for everyone.

Yeah, we all have our bad days. I've blown up at dispatch and threatened to park my rig where the sun doesn't shine on more than one occasion. It happens to the best of us.

 

I spent a few years on drilling rigs and work over rigs. Went back trucking after the 2014 down turn. I really appreciate trucking now more than ever before, LOL!

 

Hydrate when it's hot. Wait until heat indexes approach 150 and get back to me.

Ive had 150 plus in the sleeper a few mornings when the A/C burned up in the summer time and pumped heat instead poaching me inside. Takes about 3 gallons of sweet tea over 6 hours or so before the body gets working again. Either that or dead, one or the other. The last time that happened I had the Savannah Truckstop build a complete new air conditioning system replacement at a cost of about 1600 dollars against the company via comcheck. I think they are still yelling to this day.

With that said, if you don't hydrate and keep light clothing on hand and pace yourself, the heart or whatever else will fail in your body. You cannot live life worried about that sort of thing when there is work to do. Just hydrate and keep at it until it's done.

There is or was one load I actually quit unloading one evening when it got really hot. I bobtailed home almost 200 miles after a suit stood inside my trailer trying to get me to finish lumping it. (That was on top of about a thousand miles overnight on bad food and little fluids, directly leading to the failure in the heat) company sent someone else bobtail up there to finish it. I lost a week. But that's ok. Not ok with the Suit however.

It's pertty rare to quit work when it's hot. Here in Arkansas you learn how to be hot in the summer when it's 135 in the shade two months of any given year. Whatever work outside can be postponed until night time or contracted out.

 

That's Cute you think that is HOT....

 

Drink water when it's hot, get some exercise and stop hitting fast food at truck stops when you are hungry. It's not that hard.

 

Get up earlier, like before dessert!

 

That’s kind of extreme dude. I work at A&R and they don’t force you to kill yourselves. Quite the contrary they are always pushing safety and taking care in weather extremes. As my dispatcher once put it “take care of yourself, it’s pellets not plasma.” As an adult human you have to be responsible for your own health. You should know when something is wrong with your body. You have to stay hydrated and keep yourself generally healthy. This job isn’t just holding a steering wheel. It’s very physical but if you know what you’re doing it’s very rewarding. I’m 51 years old. Started driving trucks when I was 15. Been around the country including Alaska. Seen many companies. They all have issues. But A&R is by far the best company I have worked for. They actually care about their drivers. At least that’s what I have experienced here. Trucking period isn’t an easy job. Being a bulk tank driver your are part of an elite team of guys that are doing more than keeping their seats warm. If you are a worker you’ll do well. If you’re lazy and unhealthy this job isn’t for you.

 

This may have been true until a few years ago around here. Then the Marcellus Shale boom hit. And now the dry bulk market is flooded with a bunch of door slamming, steering wheel holding idiots. And the haul rates have shown it. And not just in sand. They became desperate after the bust, and began hauling cement and fly ash. And doing it cheap, too.

 

I have noticed that some people wear thick coats in the heat, finally asked one why. He said the moisture is trapped inside the coat keeping him cooler. Another thing I learned is not to drink cold water if wanting to hydrate, hot water will be received by your body much better.