Personality for trucking and getting lost?

Excellent post bigredinternational, and the kind of thing that is really valuable to new and potential drivers
to see the difference between what is promised by recruiters/projections of our fantasies of "the freedom of
the open road", and what happens in reality with life as an OTR driver. So my question is to the real vets
on this board (danc694u, notarps and scarecrow, to name three), that if bigredinternational's experience is
not that uncommon, how does one survive the "first year" or two, so needed by companies to get the good jobs
that many say are out there, if you have that magical 1 to 2 years OTR experience.

Thats a specific question I have had for a while... how do you handle this? In a scenario that you say have
above, do you qualcomm dispatch and say, "OK, I got the load there on time, but delays at receiver now have me
out of hours. Would you prefer that I comply with HOS, park illegally and end up with the rig being impounded,
or drive until I can find a place to park thereby going over hours, and violate HOS?" Or in the scenario I have
seen posted, where you find a T/S and the only spaces left are IdleAire. You park anyway, and an hour into your
sleep, some Barney Fife wakes you up, insisting you move or be arrested. Do you say, "Of course officer, I do want
to comply with your instructions... Can I just get your name, badge number, and the direct telephone number of
your shift supervisor? If DOT pulls me over for violating FMCSA regualtions in regard to HOS, I just want to provide
documentation that I am following the orders of a police officer." What do you do in this case?

 

Trucking on through,

During my 10 original weeks of team training prior to solo, I spent one night in a rest area, one night in Wyoming at a truck stop when snow and the highway patrol shut down Interstate 80, and many nights with an hour or two at the side of interstate on ramps or parked on streets in front of shippers in LA on Saturday morning hoping to not get hit by a drunk driver.

When I went solo, I had NEVER parked a truck at a truck stop except to pay for gas. I had never backed into a truck stop parking lot period. I had no idea that I would time-out at a truck stop and have no place to park.

I remember driving across Wyoming going east one night and I was particularly tired. I tried every truck stop and off ramp I could find and there was no place to park. And if you have been across 80 in Wyoming you know that many of their off ramps are too small for bicycles let alone semis. They have those nice sleep spots every once in a while, but they were all full. What do you do? You drive unsafe.

I was completely logbook legal that night. I was also completely dangerous. There was no place to stay. Finally at almost Rawlins I found an old parking lot to sleep in for a while. Lot of good that did. My stop was Rawlins to trade shifts. Thank goodness for the McDonalds next to the big unused parking lot on highway 287. That place was my safe-haven for 9 weeks straight.

Later I was pulling a load out of Houston to Chicago solo. I had been driving since 10 AM without stopping and I could not find a place to stop in Little Rock, AR. I waited too long to stop. I know that now. But when I finally realized I was in trouble it was too late. I tried everything. I asked my Nuvi where the nearest Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, anything was. I had to stop. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I had been up since 5 AM. I finally found a Walmart a few miles south of the interstate and it was the old kind in a tiny town with "YOU WILL BE FINED $115" for overnight parking signs everywhere. I kept going since there were three patrol cars parked at the pizza joint next door. As I pulled up to the highway to go back to the interstate a few miles north, all three patrol cars raced out of the parking lot. I'm pissing my pants now. I get to the on ramp and there is a head on collision blocking the overpass on the interstate. Thank God I'm going east so I can get on the interstate. I finally get wiser and just decide to take the next exit wherever and go drive until I find a gravel road or something to park on.

I get lucky and I have an epiphany at the same time. Next exit takes me to a small town and I run into highway 70 south of interstate 40. I turn east and a few blocks later run into a CNET filling station used by farmers. I very carefully find a place to park out of the way and park the rig for the night. I am very greatful to have a place to stop.

Lessons here are don't drive until your 11th hour is up. Don't be afraid to get a parking ticket rather than fall asleep while driving. I was raised to be too polite and it is detrimental. Screw the parking rules. It is the lessor of evils to killing someone after falling asleep.

I think CDL training is completely unrealistic in this regard. If there was always a place to park when I needed to stop for the night, I could teach an 8th grader how to drive a semi cross country on the interstate.

I never get more disgusted with our country than when driving across Nebraska and they have those reflector poles at each rest area on 80 to stop tired truckers from stopping and sleeping when they are tired. Nebraska needs more truck crushing car fatalities to get the point of safety I guess. We have billions (all debt financed) to waste in IRAQ but we can't provide safe parking for truckers every 50 miles in our own country. It disgusts me.

BRI

 

Your company most likely tell you to keep everything legal HOS, parking (they will charge you the parking/impound fines). I don't know about anyone else but I have parked in IdleAire slots many times and was never bothered. As for old Barney Fife I had a CHP DOT officer (I asked him) tell me if a police officer tells you to move, move but do get the officers name and badge number it may not help if you get some hard nose who wants to impress his bosses.

 

I was asked to reply to this so here is my take. You are working 60 hours a week now add 10 more hours to that for trucking. This can be a very frustrating and stressful job at times. It is fast paced and everyone wants something yesterday except for the people loading, unloading you or working on your truck. They seldom are in a hurry. Trucking does have it's good points and for the most part I enjoy it. I do have days when I wonder why I put myself through this, but that soon passes. This is a job that you can not explain to anyone who has never done it. The only way you will know if it is for you is to try it, but keep in mind it takes a good year to start to get the hang of things. There is lots to learn. Once you are familar with the lifestyle and have made the adjustments then and only then will you know if it is for you or not. Keep in mind you can do this job for 20 years and in one split second some action or reaction can change everything around you. Now that is stressful.
As far as the other questions. You are always learning something in a truck. Learning where to go, where not to go. Where to park, where not to park.......

 

i suppose i dont have enough experience to give a full informative answer.....
but i felt the same way as you did, i was fed up of taking *^!* and having a buzzer go before id finished my coffee , or being PA'd before i'd even wiped my #$$.
so, late in life, i decided to do a job that i loved to do as fun,......... drive.
after doing driver training and passing my CDL i managed to get a "job'
it didnt seem like much, an old truck, part time, low pay (half of what i was used to)......i took my first run ...heres the keys drive to toronto and pick up at 3 places and come back simple enough, if you say it fast, i was trembling for sixty miles, doing 90 km/hr max white knuckled butt cheeks clenched.
but after a while i relaxed somewhat... and it got easier mentally that is as i had an excellent trainer and i often asked the empty seat beside me and still do "what shall i do here larry" i still respect the enormous responsibility i have, and every day has been a learning experience and a challenge ... but all on my terms.
i love to drive and if you do too GO FOR IT cos its not a job if you love what you do

 

That was really well written BRI, you've pointed out alot of the nuisances that make this such a stressed out job. I can identify with just about everything you've touched on, but it's not just the reefer business, its dry van, dumps, flats, they all have their own unique problems. I have managed to make it so long in this business, and make a decent wage, when being paid by the mile only because I never, ever had a problem cheating my log book. I live with no general sleep pattern, I can exist on one four hour continous sleep, with a nap or 2 during the day. I've made just about every dumb mistake a driver can make, missed turns, wrong dock, driving too late, no place to park when I know I need it. etc... etc... I've tried the 10.00$ an hour job, home every night, but I end up missing the one part of the job that has always made me happy. The driving part.

 

Here is what I think a new driver needs to know to "make it" as a driver.

1) don't even think about driving without a TV in your truck. Get a 200 dollar TV from walmart and you'll have something to do when waiting at shippers/recievers.
2) do everything you can to get a generator on your truck so you can have heat/cooling/electricity 24 seven and never have to deal with anti-idling laws
3) drive team if you aren't a lite sleeper. I loved driving team for the companionship and seldom having to worry about parking issues.
4) don't budget for more than $35,000 gross annual wages. That way if you make more you'll be ok.
5) don't be married or have kids.
6) put a bicycle in your truck so you can get exercise and go somewhere when 34 hour restart makes sense.

If you can live with all this, GO DRIVE

BRI

 

a bicycle? i was thinking more of a moped type as the only places worth going always seem to be 30 miles from where you parked.

and who wants to be seen riding a bike with that granny basket in front with your groceries in it?

 

All I need is my ipod and a few good books (or audio books), and a couple bags of food that don't need to be refrigerated & I'll be all set.

• Not married (no girlfriend - for now)
• No kids
• Don't have my own place (renting a room for $150/mo from a friend).
• My family is so spread out that just about anywhere the company takes me I may find that I'm doing a reset within 20 minutes of a family member or friend.

I think I may invest in one of those little electirc coolers & a couple of small fans (for when I can't idle).

I'm starting training later this month.

 

LOL I don't know about you but I think riding a moped 30 miles when you haven't had and real sleep in a week may be pushing it. Maybe after a 5 hour nap or something... where would you put it anyway?