Pre Trip

Gosh, sometimes I open my hood daily. Sometimes more than once daily. I always check the belts and hoses. That's the best way to look at the brakes on the steers. It's easier to see leaks. It's good to leave it open for a minute while idling just to see that everything is on point.

 

I also wonder how many drivers actually run to the streakin beacon or any truck wash and get the truck washed....as well as the motor. Keeping everything clean makes it much easier to catch any issues. I try to go no more than two weeks between washes. Sometimes with snow it's a little more frequent, or if I went to a bad truck wash, like that one in Spiceland, IN

 

i show 15 minutes on my log.

as someone else said, once you know your truck, it goes by faster. i also do a post trip, to catch things as well. don't care if a post trip report is required or not, i write up NO PROBLEMS, and sign it, im old, i have habits i cannot break.

 

my company never pays for a blue beacon. we get our trucks washed once per year..yep...once per year.

i will not wash my truck either, no source of water at the warehouse. as long as all the windows, mirrors, and interior are clean, it's good enough.

 

Lol I have to go down the road looking good. It keeps DOT off of me. Perception is reality, as Vince McMahon always says lol

 

My typical pretrip in the morning takes about 20minutes, throughout my day I'll check tires and belts, my postrip usually about 5 to 10 minutes checking lights and tires.

 

As long it needs to be.

Once I have had the truck a while it's sometimes more familiar to me than a wife. IF something is off it catches my eye immediately. I once had a truck running milk be a smidgen off on it's left front drives showing a little bit of brake shoe outside of the drum with what appeared to be bearing rollers during one of my milk picking up stops. Normally I would not notice but that wheel, both dual tires and axles had begun to creep out just a tiny bit as well as adding a unusual 300 or so RPM loading on the engine during the trip there from the previous farm making me wonder why are we dragging or working harder with the same milk today?

That kind of thinking processes sometimes cause me to be restless and I get to checking stuff. There was a time you can have a malfunction or failing in real time and that rig starts to shimmy or shake or whatever in the process of inflicting additional destruction at highway speed, I would examine the rig in my minds eye and work what I knew of it until I had a probable cause of the problem she is experiencing and in a few moments, if there is time come up with a work around.

Today's computer trucks take all the fun out of it. They flash you a code that is in sanskrit until you have the actual factory manual for that computer and it's hundreds of codes plus meanings to each one.

Shop.

"What's matta now boy?" (I hate that. I am a 32 year old with 11 years experience... old gump is 70 and stays in the shop to escape his battleaxe he refuses to divorce...)

"Truck says low on water in coolant tank"

Wot? The *&^% you say, you don't know anything with these computers get it in here I'll see what's wasting my time with your problems. (I do a slow burn.)

Eventually it does tell HIM that yes it's thirsty, a gallon out of my side box fixes that for a while. But retain the code for his viewing pleasure.

He'll come out and say I put the fluids in MY truck, YOU don't touch it!

Literally just lost a driver then and there. The last time I had that happen, I opened the side box, and tipped a few gallons of this and that reaching for my personal tool box leaving him to clean HIS precious truck and shop floor. Oh so sorry boss.. those things are messy in these shops don'tcha know.

Talk about work place violence.

 

well, we run at night. many sections of the highways and backroads, have either no lights, or not really bright lights. then too, i only pass by 2 DOT scales, one each way to and from, and they are always closed at my time of the night, even during any blitz going on across the country.

many, many years ago, most all places i worked at, had an outside water spigot, and i'd simply bring a hose, and wash bucket and soaps. some places had at least the hose.

now, given retirement is looming, and my DGAD attitude, it don't bother me like it did, when i was younger, full of piss and vinegar and ornery.........

lol

 

Oh dave....sometimes equipment fails between shifts. Seen it. Park and then next morning a flat or a leaking bearing. But yeah I knew this guy yhat his truck would break around 4pm every Friday. Good teamster.

 

I've seen many wheel bearing / seals go bad. When you're doing you're post, and there's oil all over the rim, hmmmmmm, yea that can wait til morning right?

The only you might find now in the morning is tires, and that’s cause of auto inflators.

I do believe in letting the engine being off for 20 or 30 minutes for an accurate oil reading, so that's a big one in the morning.

It's bad mega indoctrination. But with time, and good company, those drivers can be reprogrammed.