My Experience as a Line Haul Driver

another crappy week, so bad i've blocked out whatever happend and dont perticuarly care to post about it. But i do have 2 other interesting things i keep forgetting to post about.

the wednesday before i went on vaca i got my first ticket...been driving for 8 years, 4.5 of which in a truck...NEVER a ticket until then i was comeing south on I-26 going down the hill right before the green river bridge, it goes down hill with a right curve at the bottom to the bridge. I had a 75,000 lbs gross set, and a 200hp day cab, and on the other side of this bridge is a 6% grade UP HILL. So as i come down the hill and around the corner there is a WERNER truck doing 15mph with the 4 ways on, and 5 cars on his butt...i had maybe 100 yards to make a decision. Hit the brakes, jacknife kill everyone in the cars and fill over the bridge and fall 200 + feet to my own death.....OR put my turn signal on, move to the WIDE OPEN left lane and pass the idiot doign 15 mph and get on with my day....so thats what i did....3 miles later as im crawling up the hill at 12mph i see blue lights behind me....NC State Trooper dipsheet wanted to give me a ticket....Left Lane Violation $238! WTF! then he proceeds to tell me just go to court they'll knock it down to a light out or somthing.....so what your saying is, i just need to pay the state the $188 court fee and you dont give a sheet about safety or laws? ok see you in court with my lawer smart arse...i love when cops open there stupid mouths lol



THEN during the Newark Airport mess, since i had to change airlines i had to leave the security area, go out and check in with the new airline and then come back in, well at security there was a 70 somthing year old woman and after she walked threw the x ray thing the woman TSA lady says "i need to check your bra area" the the old lady just pulls her shirt up showing EVERYONE here saggy boobs and her bra hahaha the TSA woman was like "OMG OMG NO we dont do that here!" haha too funny i guess when you get that old you just stop giveing a sheet lol





American Trucker

 

today is how everyday should be:

got there, grabbed a truck, fueled, hooked my set, left, got there at 1115am, headed back at 1200, got back at 330pm with a MT and a pup with 18 pallets, had it empty by 430, and worked on other guys trailers until 715 (for extra money).


as far as the ticket goes im not worried about it, if you had it knocked down but it still shows as that you need a lawer to fix that you let yourself get screwed. We have tons of drivers here that have gotten these tickets all said they got knocked down to defective equipment, no points...



American Trucker

 

crappy day,

Started off great, got a truck, fueled, hooked out the gate at 730, parked on the shoulder of our road at 731...no speedo! mother ######! Put the GPS in the dash so i could see how fast i was going, then headed out, got there at 1115am only to be told the other driver never showed up for work so i need to take it to Knoxville, TN...no biggy only 45 min further up the road....sure it is....


I was transfered to the Knoxville terminal manager for directions to the terminal. I verified the directions from the GPS, he says "no dont go that way theres a firehydrant thats a PITA with a set, go this way...." I verified the Exit number 3 TIMES! so i follow his directions word for word. "turn right at the first light" as i make the turn im think WTF thats a hill! So i drop to 2nd gear make it threw the turn and out of the intersection and the truck says "#### YOU!" and stalls out...

I slam on the breaks because i started going backwards QUICK and i had cars on my butt. Start it up put it in first and as soon as you let of the clutch it jumps and stalls out...WTF! i only had 15,000lbs of freight....ive been up wayyyyyy steeper hills then this....crap!

Sheriff comes over asked what i was trying to do i said "move...." so he says "want me to stop traffic so you can back up?" i say ummm no i have a set, so he says ok and leaves...WTF! I call the terminal manager and tell him whats up, he says "ya...um i kinda told you the wrong exit number....oops" then he says "im gonna come out there with another tractor and a chain and pull you up" im like ya ok....

Another sheriff comes by and does that same stupid questions and leaves....

Then a guy walks out of the parking garage i was blocking and says i just called the cops they should be here in a min to help you, i told him they already came and left and hes like your kidding! lol and he walks away...


Meanwhile ive tried to make this 5hp truck climb the hill so many times ive gone back 15' and im 3' from the intersection.....arggg


Then 4 bike cops and 2 cop cars show up...and there like #### i dont even like walking on this hill...they're like so whatcha gonna do? i told them he was on his way, so they just stand around talking until he gets there. then they see his POS sterling and say yea thats not gonna work, i look at the cop and say "ya think?!"

So we're looking at this and the terminal manager says give it a shot... so i did. They blocked the intersection and i had to do a 90* BLIND SIDE back WITH A FREAKING SET with 100 people watching all pissed off, 6 cops saying "come on straight back, whats the problem" and the terminal manager like crap! lol

10 min later i was back in biz, got to the terminal dropped the set grabbed a MT van and headed back, worked the dock for 1 hour and came home at 715pm.

the truck was just super! no 3rd or 5th gear, no clutch brake...like NONE like you have to grind it for like 3 min to get it in gear if you didnt have it in gear before you stopped, rattles like its gonna explode, wheel stops are gone i guess so when you try and turn hard the wheels will just keep turning until they bind up...WTF!


Also on my way up, i had a O/O blow my doors off, then after he passed me and was about 3-4 truck lengths aread of me, i heard this loud sound like someone banging pots n pans together i was thinking "WTF is falling off my truck!" i mean it was LOUD sounded like it was just outside my window...then i see something bouncing between the axles and the trailer on the trailer that just passed me, then out it came like a freakin bullet! a HUGE 18" x 18" (im guessing) piece of metal and THICK! goes bouncing down the road at 70+mph in front of me, bounceing 3-4' in a the air...im like CRAP that sheets comeing threw the #### window or gonna destroy one of my tires if i cant miss it, luckily i missed it by about 3'! that thing could have killed someone in a car if they were behind him tailgateing....




American Trucker