Instant O/O and Load boards

ouch! you run over something in the road?

 

It's the simple things that get you apparently. I've gotten into all kinds of messes, you take your time and make as many moves as necessary to get out of it. This was one of those short yellow hardened concrete posts right before getting onto a scale at a receiver. Two wide turns to line up, just wanted a few more inches to the right to make sure the trailer was going to straighten up nice and centered on the scale, and then there was that terrible sound. There's so many things you can't see from the cab.

Right now I'm at a Pilot in Columia, SC. It's just an alley with trucks facing each other. These guys are doing 90 degree back-ins and there isn't an inch in front or back of the truck most of the time (no lighting either). These drivers are serious! The ones that get out and look get beaten up on the CB... it's really mean out here. Most try a couple attempts to back in and just pull off never to return. I don't know what it's going to take to get that good. There's just no way to be absolutely sure. When you have 4 inches of travel to make a maneuvering decision to improve your position, you turn the wheel the wrong way, or too much or not enough and you are wedged in there for good. Good luck asking a fellow trucker for help. They'll be knocking on your window all night just to laugh at you.

 

well man its like this it takes time to get that good...
heck ive been out here nearly 12 years and i find myself in a jam from time to time

never hesitate to get out and look your paying for the truck to heck with whatever any of these supertruckers think or say on the radio(mines usually off when backing or at least real low)

dont get down about other drivers truth be told theyre just steering wheel holders and have never seen what a real driver can go through..

keep your head up and TAKE YOUR TIME go slow go slow go slow and things will turn around and become easier

trucking is a patience game gotta have a lot of it

 

That's the learning curve... unfortunately you're learning it on your OWN truck. Go look at just about any Swift, Werner, Roehl... training company truck. Note the things that are bent up and busted: right front corner of the bumper, bottom of the steps, fairings, right front wheel, mirrors... ask yourself, "How did they do that?"

The good thing is, you've already learned the hard way that you need to remember what's on the right side of your truck. You won't do it again because that yellow post will be burned into permanent memory now.

You need a thick skin, or mad skill, to leave your CB on and attempt backing in at a truckstop with tight parking (cough... *Pilot*... cough cough). But sometimes drivers will actually help you over the radio... ignore the Billy-Big-Riggers who tell you over the radio that they backed more miles than you have gone forward. There are a lot of wheel-holders who will cut someone else down just to make themselves feel better. They get off on that sort of thing and probably go pleasure themselves to Cat Fancy magazine afterwards.

Get out and look a billion times if you have to (I still do). To hell with what everyone else thinks—they aren't making the payment on your truck—you are.

 

Truer words were never spoken.

 

and the one thing that gets tested the most

 

lol... every time I drive through Altanta during rush hour, "Go to your happy place... go to your happy place... go to your happy place..."

 

i wish i had elastic arms so i can reach thru and choke the life out of the moron in front of me

but go to your happy place works too

i Hate that town

 

most of them got there early and didn't have to 90 in they are the ones who think they are super truckers. just turn the radio off and ignore them. the ones that really mater are the truck on either side of the spot you are backing into they will watch what you are doing and if they just sit there and let you back into their truck its their fault too for not saying something

 

What's Up PP. Sorry to hear about you truck. Unfortunately, these are your growing pains. Most truckers have the added benifit of going through training for a month or more to figure these things out. But don't let it get you down. I myself, and probably most people, learn best when place into an akward position. (things that hurt us, we usually don't do it again. Things that feel good, we do as often as possible)The good news is you won't forget this one. So keep on trucking.