Must have tools/parts you keep on your truck?

Mini torch for butt connectors, 50ft air hose + a whole bunch of other nic nacs

3/8 impact forgot that. And we pretty much stay within 250mi of the house

 

Pliers,vice grips.Flat point and Phillips screw driver.Good setta star bits and socket set.spare bulbs and hoses and clamps.And a good hammer.

 

Time involved and incidents will give you the best ideas for inventory. As simple as a glad hand seal up to an alternator and more.
Picked up a trailer recently. Bolt was gone in cross shaft between landing gear. Had a bolt and about ten minutes, fixed the problem
Nuts ferrule, inserts for every size air line. Push locks for quick fixes. I carry to much stuff (such as jic nipple to bypass air dryer, never needed it). The members have hit nearly everything. Most of the succsessful members put much effort into getting their truck home. There is pride and satisfaction and of course $$$ involved, being self sufficient and getting your truck through the run and home or to a shop if needed.

 

Well, with all respect, most drivers coming out of training couldn't change a headlight bulb, not that it's even allowed at a scale. I believe, with an equipment failure, a qualified mechanic must do the repairs. Besides, trucks have evolved to the point, tools don't do you any good anyways. Who cages a brake chamber or turns a pump on manual anymore?

 

If you had a driver out on the road and he had a minor problem such as a tail light out or a broken wire or a leaking airline wouldn't you rather have him fix it himself and keep the truck moving. Not to mention the money you'd save in on-road repairs by a mobile mechanic? You might make your appointment time too, instead of being late and having to reschedule and losing revenue.
You're right about a lot of the new drivers not knowing how to fix things but a lot of them can too. And they all can learn.
Give the new guys a break, give them credit for having some sense. Most of all, give them a chance to show that they can do more than turn a steering wheel.

 

Angle grinder for the boots at Walmart.

 

Can't do it. I had a friend whose trailer lights were blinking, cop pulls her over, she said, "I can fix this with a paper clip", cop said no dice, a qualified mechanic MUST do the repairs, especially at a scale. You certainly have more faith in drivers today than most of us here. Not sure why, and not to be nasty, except, you must have a vested interest in a company, and you HAVE to put up with what's available and deal with the problems later. It's the cost of doing a trucking business today. Good drivers don't walk in off the street anymore. It's generally the people who can't do anything else, or are out of options that are applying. I've dealt with young people that didn't know which way to turn a nut to tighten it. You want that person driving a truck?? YOUR truck? Being constantly disappointed by what comes through here for drivers behavior, I certainly wouldn't want to put up with the "learning process" for new drivers. "Learning" can have dire consequences today, where years ago, and not to sound ####y, but we knew what we were doing, we didn't have to be taught.

 

You're right, I do have a "vested interest" in our company. That goes along with being an owner. We're not a huge company, just twenty five power units and forty trailers but, after being in business over thirty years, we've figured out what works for us and what doesn't.
I agree with you that most young people today don't have a lot of mechanical knowledge. That's okay, we don't hire anybody with less than five years of experience and being in a rural area we usually hire somebody we already know.
The people we hire come from a logging or farming background and they're almost always mechanically savvy by the time they get to us.
The way we do things probably wouldn't work for everybody but it works well for us.
We don't expect a driver to be able to do major mechanical work by the side of the road but if he can fix a light or a hose or piece some wiring together to get the truck home it's considered part of the job. They get paid for it, too.
I understand your sour view of the new drivers these days. I recognize your negative attitude toward trucking in general but new people need guidance more than they need blanket criticism.
Are new people generally a PITA? Absolutely. But you and I were new once upon a time and somebody helped us. We did dumb stuff and we made mistakes We learned and we grew and when it came our turn to teach...either directly or by example...we did what we could to help. Most of us did, anyway.

 

Yeah that right there weeds out most of the slackers Lol