Good practices and tips from otr drivers...please

You will find in calif the exits are being numbered now, but, not all of them are marked with a number,

so know the name of the exit you want. Some exits are numbered but the morons put the sign after the exit not at or before the exit. So your past your turn off before you realize that's the one you wanted....
No state mile markers, just county mile markers. The county mile markers are usually black and white and hard to read on the fly with the small numbers and markings they have. This is a major pita, cause when 911 asks where are you , its like how the h-ll do i know?

Basser. Great idea about the sticky notes, i just have to write myself a note to remember where i put the sticky note. Also that works great till you roll down the window and they blow off the dash lol

 

You will find in calif the exits are being numbered now, but, not all of them are marked with a number,

so know the name of the exit you want. Some exits are numbered but the morons put the sign after the exit not at or before the exit. So your past your turn off before you realize that's the one you wanted....
No state mile markers, just county mile markers. The county mile markers are usually black and white and hard to read on the fly with the small numbers and markings they have. This is a major pita, cause when 911 asks where are you , its like how the h-ll do i know?

Basser. Great idea about the sticky notes, i just have to write myself a note to remember where i put the sticky note. Also that works great till you roll down the window and they blow off the dash lol

ANOTHER THING IS IF YOU SEE A BRAKE CHECK AREA AT THE BEGINNING OF A DOWNGRADE , PULL IN AND ADJUST YOUR BRAKES TO BE SAFE.

 

go down in the same gear you needed to use going up. use the jake and save your brakes till you need them. try not to use the jake on ice or snow , and if you do make sure its only one head cause using all three tends to lock the wheels on ice and snow and can cause you to skid or jackknife... When your in the saddle your the boss of that truck. sounds like you had a A-hole for a trainer. he may not like it but if you screw the pooch , it could very well be his funeral too. Out here on the west coast we have some pretty fun downgrades, add a frosty or icy morning and they get alot more exciting. I hauled logs in the coastal mountains of southern oregon and northern calif. sometimes in 3 feet of snow , thats 80 to 100,000 lbs of truck on anything from flat to 16% grades , single lane gravel roads. so going down in the gear you would climb a hill loaded in , contributes to a long and healthy life...

 

Oh im sure at the prime tip top academy they had you do all those fancy things oh my I cant count the load I need to call dispatch please, about 1/3 of this job relies on the driver to make decisions based on his exp and knowledge. If you actually believe that count all the dang boxes loaded on the trk really makes a difference then prime has trained you well .To bad that the other 70% of driver turnover didnt believe the bull prime fed them. Hey that could be why noone whats to work for them......you think? Lol

 

you do understand the difference between regulatory and informational signs right?

Regulatory are like speed limit and such. Typically white background with black lettering.

Traffic control would be speed, stop, yield ETC.

Informational are green, brown, or blue. Exit signs, historical markers or rest area types come to mind.

Street stripes can aid you in looking for and reading signs. double line, single, short lines, long lines etc.

The Manual on Uniform traffic Control Devices can be a good place to start learning more about them.
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/ser-shs_millennium.htm

 

I am proud of you all, my fellow drivers.... No other industry,have i seen the degree of helpfulness to other drivers and the fng's ( friggin new guys) lol. I see everyone jump in with their 2 cents on any given subject , some right , some wrong , some good , some bad. But 99% trying to be helpful and answer someones question.

Remember there is no such thing as a dumb question.

If you don't know the answer, ask!!!!!! Ask!!!!!!! Ask!!!!!!

Its the only way your gonna learn anything...

Chances are theres 2 or 3 dozen other poor ######## who wanna ask the same thing but are afraid of looking stupid.

To see the degree of willingness to help fellow drivers makes me very proud of all of you!!!!

When i hear someone say " oh , he's only a truck driver, it really pisses me off. In this industry are some of the best and smartest folks in this country. Maybe not in book learnin but in plain ole common sense and generosity and personalities....

Good speed fellows!!!!

 

Best restaurant in escondido albertos on valley dr....

 

i like the carne asada burrito or the california burrito.

There's 2 one on rose off e. Valley parkway. Behind the chevron station and the other off econdido blvd. Between mission and washington st.

 

I believe that when I'm given a load that says the driver is required to count the freight, that I do my #### job.

And for the record, I'm not employed at Prime anymore. I left to go back to school, and have a part time job working weekends for a mid-sized dry van carrier, that *gasp* has the same policy on driver count loads that Prime did.

 

Let me guess you left prime because you had to count the load?
The albertos behind the chevron thats the one I remember..