Most Important Questions From New Drivers Threads

when working with different weight loads to take the weight of the drivers you mover the 5th wheek back and form heavy loads you move the tandems forward is this the right assumption for loads

 

any help is apreciated on the subject

 

I generally don't move the fifth wheel. As long as your steers are around 12000 lbs, leave it alone. Some of my reasons for not moving it include:
1. One hole on the fifth wheel transfers 500 lbs while one hole on the tandems averages 200-250 lbs. Easier to adjust weight with the tandems.
2. The fifth wheel is a pain to move.
3. It is possible to move it too far forward, towards the cab, and increase your chances of hitting the trailer during a tight turn.

I do adjust the tandems so that the weights are legal. I, personally, prefer to have a bit more weight on my drives than on my tandems.

When adjusting the weight, think of a balance with the center on the tandems. By moving the center (Tandems) toward the front of the truck, you are shifting more weight to the back of the truck. By moving the center (tandems) to toward the back of the truck, you are shifting more weight to the front of the truck.

I hope this helps a little.

 

You usually don't have to move the 5th wheel at all. You just set it to where you get close to max weight on the front axle and leave it. All the adjustments can be made with the trailer tandems unless the load is just loaded wrong.

 

Hi my name is Tony, i'm 21 years old and i live in Tucson, AZ.
I'm in the middle of getting some grant money to help pay
for truck driving school. Part of my assignment is to get 3 interviews
of current truck drivers to help me decide if this is the career for me.
They told me to flag down some truckers and ask to give an interview,
but i don't want to bother people on the street. So i figured a forum would
be best, and here i am...So i'm going to post the interview questions
below, my email is in my profile, if u have the time
or care please email me back, it would be much appreciated!

Name of person interviewed:_________________________
position: __________________ Company:________________________

1. Are there jobs in the field:
A) Within your company? B) In the community? Explain:

2. What skills are required?

3. What training is required? (i.e. software)?

4. What certification or licence is required?

5. From which schools do you hire?

6. What do you feel are the satisfactions or advantages of the work?

7. What are the drawbacks of the work?

8. What is the potential for advancement?

9. What is the salary range for the entry level? ( respond with a dollar amount):

10. Other?

 

This is a trucking survey? Looks pretty office dronish. How bout this: Do you hate surveys? You might be a truck driver.

 

it is what it is...dont care for it then dont reply. if someone has the time please help me out... thx

 

I am going next week to a my training can any one tell me what kind of drug testing central fridgerated company because I was taking pain meds from my doctor and if I need a note or what if its a hair or a u.a test

 

Prescribed medications come under the heading of medical treatments and do not require a disclosure to the employer in the same exact manner in which other medical issues are confidential and do not require disclosure. As long as you are currently not taking any medication which can adversely affect your abilities to safely drive a rig, you are not obliged, nor can your employer demand, disclosure of said medical treatments. Now, this does not apply to any health or life insurance companies with which you sign up for your benefits.....they get to know everything

The TEST will be a urine screening. Most prescribed pain meds are water soluble, clearing the system rapidly.... usually within three to five days of one's discontinuing their medication usage. However, if the 'prescribed' medication is THC, it could take up to a month or so to clear the system because it is a fat soluble substance and the residual products of THC are stored within fat cells.

If the testing facility (which is independent of the employer) has an indication of a positive test, the medical officer will contact you directly (cell phone or other phone number) and ask for an explanation. If you tell the medical officer that you had recently discontinued a course of prescribed pain medications, that medical officer will contact the physician, who gave you the prescription, to determine that what you are claiming is, in fact, that truth. BTW, a positive on THC is NEVER accepted as a treatment by the drug testing facilities, and will automatically be reported as a positive result to your employer without further review. The same applies to those who think that, upon receiving a positive test result for opiates, they can claim they were a victim of poppy seed consumption.

Once the medical officer verifies your statement as true, the test result will be marked as a total negative for drugs and that is all the employer sees. Please note: the drug testing facility is required to follow a universal protocol as established within the FMCSR and Dept. of Labor which grants employee confidentiality under specific circumstances.....one such circumstance being legitimate doctor prescribed treatments. An employer NEVER sees a positive test result UNLESS the individual is first contacted by the testing facilities medical officer and the medical officer is unable to verify the statement given to him by the person tested. However...and this is critical... you had ###### well not even think about pulling the wool over the eyes of the medical officer, because they are great bullcrap detectors and have ways of absolutely verifying what is true vs what is false, including lab measurements that would indicate a decrease of drug metabolites vs higher levels which indicate use within a day or two of testing.

Summary: Don't take the test until you are at least five days off your medication. Bring a detailed reminder note, so that you can accurately relay information to the medical officer of the testing company: your prescription number, the exact name of the drug, the dosage you were prescribed and how often you took it (every six hours, every 8 hours, etc), your doctor's name, address and phone number (his office fax number would be good to have also). Keep your cell phone handy until after your employer recieves your test results. If your test results come back to the employer, and you have not recieved a call from the medical officer (and you have not done marijuana... the THC thing...) then your test result came back negative.

I would also remind you that, as a new employee, there may be frequent, random drug testing during your first year. I had several. So, make sure you are able to work without the use of narcotic pain medications. If you are currently driving when a test is performed, that is to say that you are either not just starting new employment or are returning to work after a medical leave, you are not allowed to have ANY narcotic drugs in your system, period. If such were the case, your urine screen would be reported to the employer as positive. Having a prescription, under those circumstances, will not provide an exemption.

Good luck on your new employment.

 

Great post Bbqguy,

I'm not on any meds, but its good to know how the process works