Told this story a few years back...
Was running down i81 in PA, 1am, when I saw a truck on the shoulder, with the trailer on fire. I slow down and I see the driver with his interior light on, holding the phone to his head. He was probably calling Night dispatch and asking what to do.
I said on the CB, “Driver, drop the trailer!” A few minutes later, I hear another hand say, “I wonder if he knows that he should drop that trailer.”
Every company has their company policy. Some drivers have to keep their idling at a certain level. Some can’t drop their trailers without authorization. Some can’t add additives. Some can’t think for themselves. Some have authorized fuel stops. Some have weapons policies.
But bad things happen. A few months ago, I made a comment about the number of trucks that got flooded over in the Loves in Baytown Texas after Harvey. How in the heck does something like that happen when you have an entire week to clear the area? Well, the drivers had to wait for the desk jockeys to make a decision. And they got flooded.
In the big blizzards, when the road gets shut down, the truck stops are going to run out of fuel within 4 hours. And here you are at an unauthorized fuel stop. They will allow you to run out of fuel in a blizzard.
I got stuck in MinotND one winter, waiting for a load. I had some woman call me and tell me that I had been idling the truck for 24 hours and that was unacceptable. I told her that when the sun was up, the temperature outside was 3 degrees. She tells me, “Driver if you are cold, turn the heat wide open for 15 minutes, close the curtain to the sleeper, bundle up, and turn the engine off.
I have a company policy: Staying Alive.
Cold weather starts
Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Gunner75, Jan 1, 2018.
Page 4 of 7
-
-
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
-
Turn the truck off when it's very cold....ya ok ... and when it refuses to start they will probably want you to get on a bicycle with a small generator to charge it...
Grubby, Bean Jr., snowwy and 1 other person Thank this. -
-
-
-
Bean Jr. Thanks this.
-
As a company driver my theory was if they let me bring it home I plugged it in .. if at company yard I plugged it in so to return the favour of bringing it home I did the same
Oxbow Thanks this. -
-
Did somebody say ether?!!
Diesel Dave Thanks this. -
here was about a week ago or so when i wasn't paying attention to the forecast and was caught a little off guard by a -20* morning
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
Page 4 of 7