How much grease monkey stuff you have to know as a new company driver

No kidding. Could you imagine how rich mechanics would be back in the days of manual slack adjusters if every driver had to call them to adjust the brakes?

 

Exactly. If you get paid by the mile it makes no sense to sit and wait 4 hours for a mechanic to come and put a splice in a blown air line. Do it yourself and be back on the road in 15 minutes or less. $0.40/mile at 55 mph is $22/hour. 4 hours waiting just cost you over $80 (assuming you'd be traveling on the highway for those 4 hours)

 

I wouldn't waste my time trying to talk sense. It's why some work for those outfits, they don't want to work on stuff and that's their choice.

 

I learned I could change the left inside front tandem tire with just 1 hand today.

(012: BREAKDOWN)

 

Just another example of a company not trusting their own drivers

 

Hey' that's all fine and dandy but here is the thing, your pre-trip is supposed to catch things like badly adjusted brakes.

I know the company "forbids" you to repair but they can't forbid you to check, right?

If they do, then I wouldn't even consider working for them, they are what I think is a company that endangers your CDL and life.

I don't want my drivers working on my trucks either unless they ask. It is odd but how often do you replace a light LED? I pay for that with no problem however I expect them to do a proper pre-trip and post trip on the truck and every trailer they pick up no matter what others say.

 

Problem is, the "I'm just a driver" crowd has never taken the initiative to learn what all of the parts and pieces are or how they work. They don't HAVE to, because they are "just a driver" and simply make a phone call when something breaks. They pat themselves on the back, though, for "acing" their pretrip at the DMV...had that list of parts memorized and recited it perfectly for the examiner. Problem is, because they don't know what they are looking at or how it is supposed to work, they don't have a clue that something isn't right until it either quits working altogether or the DOT catches it during a random inspection.

I would much rather have a driver with some initiative who WANTS to learn how the truck operates and is WILLING to get his hands dirty along the way.

Trucking ain't for sissies. If a steering wheel holder is all you aspire to be, I have no use for you. Man up, get the job done, and get the truck back to the yard.

 

I understand just fine. I understand that you agree with the policy, that you think that is how it should be, and that is a truly poor attitude to have.

If you really put in service calls for things like bad pigtails and gladhand seals, brake adjustments, etc, then your company most be paying out a significant amount of money in service calls, money that could go to higher driver pay. If you are ok with that, then great, enjoy.

 

well you see you put the oil in the oil hole. pull on those black things that make those other things spin, you put the green or red stuff in the green or red stuff hole that supposedly keeps the power thingy cool, oh and you carry that big heavy thing to thump them roundy things that sometimes go boom because stumbudy didn't do the whole thumpy thumpy to thems that one time. Oh you mays needs to knows how to change those burning thingys that some trucks have lost of that look real purdies at night...that's abouts alls you'lls needs to knows about turning one of them shiney thingys.

Honestly speaking you should know how to add oil, and coolant to the truck and change most lights. you may also want to know how to change the fuel filters just in case as well as adding air line antifreeze just in case an air dryer or lines freeze up in the winter.

 

most of our equipment is brand new. we do not have all that many service calls, so yeah, that's fine with me.