I BLEW IT...and ended my career!!!

Guess I'm not doing enough lol. I have 10+ years driving commercially and have no incidents.

 

To the OP, I wouldn't say you totally blew your career, but some introspection is definitely needed as to whether or not you can gather the patience and attention to detail needed for this profession. Just winging it or "taking the plunge" won't cut it out here. If in doubt, throw the four ways on, stop and figure things out using some common sense.

As far as GPS's go..... They are a (sometimes) useful tool, and sometimes they are worthless. Mine for instance, a Cobra, sometimes will route me exactly where I need to be and other times drive me around in circles as it did in Bellefonte, PA because it was trying to get me off the length restricted streets even though I had to take those streets because of the customer location. Then it even let me drive past the street I needed to turn on to get to the customer. Dispatch finally got me a phone number for a driver that had been there, he had the same problem with his GPS. Another time recently, the GPS had me right in front of the plant I was picking up at only to tell me to turn in the OPPOSITE direction of I needed to be, I didn't follow it of course. In New Castle, PA the GPS took me right to the front door of a customer. Problem was, the docks were off a different street. I called the customer and they gave me the directions to get to the dock which was down a one lane, two way alley clearly not designed for trucks. Up and over the sidewalks to make the turns

I usually prefer to call the customer's shipping or receiving department but even then those directions can be spotty at best if the person one is talking to has no idea about low bridges, weight restrictions, etc., been there done that too.

I still do have a motor carriers atlas as useless as they are for street level mapping, I usually use it to compare the GPS routing to get to the city a customer is in to see if it makes sense or not.

Google maps can be good and bad as well. Not all locations have satellite view so you still may be in the dark as far as what to expect and if you use it for directions you can get yourself on streets you have no business being on. My dispatcher gives us Google directions for new customers and sometimes they are right on, sometimes they're not even close. He gave me Google directions to a customer in Norwood, OH and they had me exiting onto a residential street barely wide enough for one car and signs everywhere proclaiming NO TRUCKS I had no phone number for the customer so I flipped around on the ramp, plugged in the GPS and it took me right where I needed to be.

I'm a big fan of using anything that makes this job easier, but it does take a fair amount of common sense to weed out the wheat from the chaff.

 

If everyone had the same hireing views as rodknocker does can you imagine how many more accidents there would be?Why would anyone wanna hire ones with incidents/accidents before someone with a spotless record,does'nt make any since.Rod if you ever get a recruiting job plz post the company who you're recruiting for so I make sure not to apply there..

 

So are you saying anyone whos never did some mishap in this field aren't doing enough?Why would you say such a thing.Those are the drivers one should seek advice from.This entire post is silly nonsence,can't believe you have 23 yrs under your belt.

 

Wrong lesson. GPS is just a tool, but an imperfect tool, it is easy to misuse. Get back to us after the first shipping clerk gives you the route they use to get to work in their 4-wheeler, where your truck won't fit. Or mistakes your approach from the N as being from the S, and even though you're 200 yards away, you turn L instead of R off the freeway, as instructed. Happens every day.

 

People that uses the GPS needs some common since also.GPS takes you on a no trk road,there are signs that say no trks.GPS takes you under a low bridge,there are signs that tell you what the Clarence is.Part of trk driving is read signs and plan your route.Don't depend on the GPS to do it all for you.

 

I have a GPS mainly for when im close to the customer and can't see the street sign due to maybe a glare or its raining.But I still always get the directions from customers.I plan my route from the atlas then see what my gps says.Never have I depended on GPS to do my work for me.You plan your route only from the gps without even glancing at your atlas,thats going to sooner or later get you in some serious trouble.

 

I use my gps as an added tool, I like being able to see the next street coming up long before I can read the actual sign. That being said I argue with mine more than I agree. The guys who relie on it are helpless without it. I was in Calgary ab last winter and a guy came up to me and asked me which direction the border was and what roads he had to take to get there. He didn't have any kind of a map and his gps died on him.

 

Doing that 1st over for the 24th time I see. Persistence is good I guess.

 

Its understandable why rod feels the way he does.Can't ecspect too much when hes done those things the op did and then some.Wonder what the then some things hes did.I spose he sees what happened with that USA driver 2 vidoes of him are on this thread,I suppose he feels that's just a mishap it happens id hire him.