Rookie Driver needs Information

As a newbie myself, could someone explain, specific to these three incidents the OP wrote about, how they would be preventable?

 

He mentioned 3,.. but only listed 2.

1: Side fairing came off.

They dont just magically come off. They exhibit damage or stress that should be noted during a pre-trip. Cant tell you how many trucks I see going down the road with flapping body parts that are ready to fly off. Potential road hazard, if not potential accident waiting to happen.

Whether caused directly by the driver or not,.. doesnt matter. If you jump in that truck,.. almost anything that happens after you turn the key and drive down the road,.. mechanical or not, is your responsibility. You pre-tripped that truck. Its your baby after that.

2: Guy was in his blind spot and he lost his mirror.

If someone made it into a blind area, if the driver was attentive enough he should have known there was a vehicle missing and should have acted accordingly. You dont change lanes or assume everything is clear until you know where everyone is. Lives depend on this.

As a professional driver we need to pretty much be telepathic mind readers. Learn to understand and read traffic patterns and you can predict with 90 - 99% accuracy what another driver will do.

Did a car just change lanes with out using a signal? Why? Are they drifting in their lane? Chances are they were doing something where one or both hands were doing something not related to driving. Texting, eating, drinking, doing makeup, talking on the phone, reading a book, pulling hair curlers out, I've seen it all. This person needs to be avoided as they are dangerous and difficult to predict.

Get into the mindset that you are a professional driver. You are not on your way to the mall. You are not going out to church. You are in control of an 80,000 lb machine capable of incredible destruction and death. That text or email can wait. That song you dont like on the radio can wait. Pay attention and stay focused. It only takes a brief moment for an 'incident' to become tragic. In my opinion,.. short of sitting at a traffic light minding your own business,.. if your truck is moving,.. they are almost all preventable in one form or another.

And before anyone comments,.. no I am not perfect. I've had only 1 accident in my entire life. And yes,.. it was my fault.

Hurst

 

Well they say wish in one hand and ish in another.

I would advise you not to have another incident or do anything where the out come becomes termination. You may find that your short bit of experience and incidents on your record may make it impossible or at the very least very difficult to find new employment. You may end up working for a company you come to despise and wish you had your old job back. Unfortunately this is how trucking has become,.. particularly for new drivers and working with the mega's.

Get some time in the seat. Work on not having any more incidents and become a professional and master of your craft. Once you achieve that, you can write your own ticket.

AC/DC song lyric:

"Its a long way to the top, if you want to rock n roll"

Hurst

 

AC/DC is having a rough year; Malcolm Young has terminal dementia and the drummer, Phil Rudd, got arrested hiring a hitman.

Yes, that legal jargon, is important though. Simple words such as "will" and "shall" can make or break a case.

 

A hit man? Hah,.. do it yourself and dont tell anyone!

Dementia,.. yeah,.. every now and then I forget to turn the light out in the fridge.

Hurst

 

How about a pre trip for begginers meaning how do you lose a side fairing without seeing it flapping in the mirror for one and two if you're u do a basic walk around your You would see it's loose. Point being pay more attention but at the same time don't rip the steering wheel off driving down the highway relax and let the truck do its thing. Stick your one year there and hope for the best. A year behind the wheel passes fast.

 

How do side fairings fall off?

From a fellow rookie with no 'incidents' of any kind, slow it down and put a little more thought into what you're doing. I've found the times where I've almost screwed up have been when I wasn't focusing. Even if it's at someone else's expense, take your time.

 

They are generally bolted on. I believe some of the newer ones use plastic 'snaps' to hold them in place. KW T660 have tool boxes under the passenger door. Most people dont know about them unless the fairing has been removed.

They are plastic and wear out. That or if you or another driver hit something and damaged something,.. well,.. same as that plastic bumper on most cars. They will and do fall off. Thats why if you look under the hood of most older trucks,.. they have probably 100 or more zip ties holding and preventing lines and hoses from rubbing on anything. Trucks shake and if you take into account that they run more miles in 1 yrs then many cars see in a life time,.. how many parts have been replaced in a car by the time it reaches 100k mi? My wife's POS Hyundai was brand new and had interior and exterior trim and various other plastic bits coming loose before the car hit 20k mi. Couldnt wait to sell that car.

If you pay attention,.. during the course of a day I see at least 20 - 30 cars with bumpers or some kind of plastic flapping in the wind. Where is the DOT police for them?

Hurst