OK experienced drivers, post your most recent rookie mistake!

Locked myself out of my truck a few weeks ago (actually the shop did it), used my hidden spare.....but didn't put it back...locked myself out of the truck three days ago...no spare.

 

Last year, I was still teaming during the Christmas insanity and we were running UPS runs...very little communication with our own dispatchers, everything was handled via UPS. We had been Bobtailing to pick up loads, sometimes in excess of 200 miles so...

My co driver and I had ourselves a...heated discussion when we switched shifts, the kind that still causes total silence in the truck when the shifts change back 11 hours later....I get up, check our driver tech, see that its set up for a UPS hub, see that our truck GPS is set up for the same hub (we always made sure everything was ready to go for each other when we switched) go inside, do the shower and coffee thing. When I come back, he's asleep and I (still fuming) take off. I get to the hub...

UPS: whats your trailer number
ME: trailer number? I'm bobtail, picking up a load.
UPS: what hub are you coming from
ME: blah blah (I don't recall now)
UPS : where's the load coming from blah blah driver?
ME: (frantically yanking sleeper curtain back) were we supposed to have a load on us ?!
Codrvr: Yeah, it wasn't loaded yet, is it not ready? Where are we?
ME: (lots of words that aren't allowed on TTR and that my mother would not approve of...)

long story short, I BOBTAILED, UNAUTHORIZED, 520 miles and LEFT a UPS LOAD behind, not just any UPS load either, it happened to be one of our companies biggest accounts, contracted through UPS!!

I thought I was going to get fired over that bit of idiocy.

Would you believe that not only did I not get fired, charged for the fuel, or even "talked to" about it...they actually PAID me for those miles...lol

really thought I was going to lose my job over that...as they had JUST rolled out a whole bunch of new rules about unauthorized Bobtailing.

Whew....

 

My most recent SNAFU! Winter driving in the oil patch this kind of thing is bound to happen sooner or later.
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I like say I took the scenic route

 

You can't park there.

 

I never pulled the air lines out, (more than three times.) Carry spare lines, glad hands, and make sure no one saw you do it. Don't admit to nothing.

 

Drop a loaded wagon down on the frame, bet you only do it once!

 

Never pulled on lines! Glad I haven't, as I don't carry spare lines with me. That would be an awkward conversation with the shop/safety!

 

Well.. I am still a Rookie.. but, I was at a TA got parked and went inside.. Came out.. climbed up in to my truck only to discover some idot got in there and moved my friggin GPS.. from the dash where I had it to the window.. So I go about putting it where I like and realize they also took my Xm Radio and just at the very moment I see they exchanged my CB for a different one.. I hear a my curtain unzip... I turn to see a rather big guy with a WTF look on his face... So I give him my best WTF look and loud.. What the Hell you doin in my truck??? He laughed and said.. "This is my Truck, you parked there" and pointed directly across where sure enough.. was my truck..

It really did not dawn on me I was in the wrong truck.. even all the clues.. GPS in a different place, no XM Radio, different CB, and there is actually more.. but.. being in the wrong truck.. just escaped me...


Now, they were the same make, model and color..

And I am very lucky he didn't shoot me or worse.. someone jumping in his truck and moving his GPS to the dash... but fortunately or me.. he saw me get out of my truck right across from him and so when he saw it was me that climbed in he knew I was thinking it was mine... we had a few good laughs over it..


Now.. I always make sure I am getting into the right truck...

 

You just made the other guy on this thread that did the same thing, feel better...lol