Came Across A Driver Who Hates Drops & Hooks Along With Swaps

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by born&raisedintheusa, Aug 12, 2021.

  1. born&raisedintheusa

    born&raisedintheusa Road Train Member

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    Sometime ago, I came across an OTR truck driver who told me that he absolutely HATES & DESPISES drops & hooks, along with HATING & DESPISING swaps. Providing that I'm not mistaken, I believe that the OTR truck driver works for K&B Transportation, hauling beef.

    I asked him why. This is what the driver told me. This was at a truck stop.
    1)
    All too often, many of the trailers received in the swap are absolute junk, in many cases, unfit to drive. The OTR driver said that this puts him in a horrible position, due to the risk of NOT making it through a D.O.T. inspection, (federal or state), if he should have to go through a weigh station.
    2) The original trailer often has good loads with good miles, and is being turned over to another OTR driver. This is in reference to swapping out trailers. Quite often, the 2nd. trailer that the OTR driver must take is already late, with a lot of additional time pressures added to it. The OTR driver also mentioned that he must be sure that he does NOT get a service failure for the original load, in addition to NOT getting a service failure for the trailer that he is taking off of another truck driver's hands.
    3) The OTR driver also said that the stresses of live loads are actually LESS than drops & hooks, due to reason #1.

    NOTE:
    I myself am not a truck driver. I am not able to pass a D.O.T. physical. No reputable truck driving school or trucking company will take me on as a student, and rightfully so.

    God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

    The absolute sheer driving force of our national economy - without truck drivers, our entire national economy would come to an absolute standstill - if not outright be dead.
    [​IMG]
    Over the mountains, through the woods, into the valleys, coast to coast, from sea to shining sea - truck drivers can and do go anywhere and everywhere, every day, every night, all year round.

     
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  3. VA CDL Holder

    VA CDL Holder Medium Load Member

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    Drop and hook is often a "roll the dice' proposition with a big trucking company. Lots of times, I've dropped a really good trailer, both clean on the inside and mechanically sound, only to pick up a preloaded trailer with issues I didn't like or cost me time to have fixed.
     
  4. born&raisedintheusa

    born&raisedintheusa Road Train Member

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    I would like to have been able to go to a good truck driving school, along with being able to work as a company OTR truck driver, driving all 48 states, possibly going into Canada. I would have been willing to drive dry van, reefers, tankers (with or without HAZMAT), and flat beds.
    1)
    I have never married & never had any children. I actually checked to be absolutely sure. Fortunately & thankfully, I never had to worry about child support payments.
    2) I live in an apartment, which would have allowed me to be gone for extended periods of time. The apartment would have also served as a physical address & domicile.
    3) By the GRACE OF GOD, I have never been arrested or convicted of any crimes. Also, by the GRACE OF GOD, I have never had a DUI or DWI. I am EXCEPTIONALLY GRATEFUL for all this.
    4) What family I have left lives 1,500 miles away from me, on the east coast. I live in the Midwest. SADLY & UNFORTUNATELY, both of my parents are gone. My days of parental eldercare responsibilities are behind me.

    God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

    The absolute sheer driving force of our national economy - without truck drivers, our entire national economy would come to an absolute standstill - if not outright be dead.
    [​IMG]
    Over the mountains, through the woods, into the valleys, coast to coast, from sea to shining sea - truck drivers can and do go anywhere and everywhere, every day, every night, all year round.
     
    xlsdraw and Val_Caldera Thank this.
  5. MACK E-6

    MACK E-6 Moderator Staff Member

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    We have this problem in the LTL world unfortunately, due to lazy linehaul drivers that don’t believe in pre and post trip inspections. Meet and turn runs are a huge risk, especially if you are the one that has to pass by weigh stations on the return trip.
     
  6. Wasted Thyme

    Wasted Thyme Road Train Member

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    Never had an issue with any trailer at Stevens. But they are really good at inspecting trucks/trailers often.
     
  7. SoulScream84

    SoulScream84 Road Train Member

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    When I was with Wilson I seldom had a problem with equipment, at worse was a long sitting trailer needing air in tires. Now when I ran with both Frequenty Fd Employees and Con-Way truckload (before they turned back into CFI), I HATED drop and hooks. Cracked/rusted equipment, flat tires, bad brakes, etc... were an issue so many times I asked by dispatchers to keep me on lives so I could have good equipment. I'd rather have chanced long dock time vs shop time.
     
  8. Frank Speak

    Frank Speak Road Train Member

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    I liked drop and hooks when I was OTR, but I wasn’t crazy about swaps because it normally meant I was swapping with some moron that didn’t realize he couldn’t make delivery on time until there was barely time for it to be possible and then I was stuck trying to play hero for the company.

    I much prefer my local gig I have now. Both truck and trailer are assigned to me.
     
  9. Wasted Thyme

    Wasted Thyme Road Train Member

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    Usually that's a dispatching issue. I've been asked to get a load from a shipper that was already late. So that it could be repowered close to the receiver.
     
    lovesthedrive and bzinger Thank this.
  10. born&raisedintheusa

    born&raisedintheusa Road Train Member

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    @MACK E-6
    Respectfully speaking, would you, as a professional truck driver, turn in another truck driver to the company for not doing pre-trip inspections and / or post trip inspections?

    God bless every American and their families! God bless the U.S.A.!

    The absolute sheer driving force of our national economy - without truck drivers, our entire national economy would come to an absolute standstill - if not outright be dead.
    [​IMG]
    Over the mountains, through the woods, into the valleys, coast to coast, from sea to shining sea - truck drivers can and do go anywhere and everywhere, every day, every night, all year round.

     
  11. VIDEODROME

    VIDEODROME Road Train Member

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    I had a Drop & Hook home daily thing last year. The scheduling was kind of weird, but just going out and back was nice. Sometimes there was an issue, but it was usually just a tire and not to much of a hassle. Except one location kept damaging our mud flaps so customer's fault on that one.

    The company ruined it by adding out of the way Backhauls often with Live Unloads. It just wasn't working as a Home Daily waiting in line to unload.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2021
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