Some advice for a new P&D city driver.

Buy a viaduct map, and ALWAYS, when in doubt, get out and look. ALWAYS. Never guess. Pull over, and look at your map, or call dispatch. Watch your turns, ALWAYS know where that back part of your trailer is. When you approach a Viaduct. Pull to the right and go slow under it. Dont worry about the 4 wheelers behind you, they can go around. This is just a start. You can do it. Dont be afraid to pull over and look or think about what you are going to do. Good Luck.

 

I ran P&D for about 4 years here at Con-way before I started running line-haul. The terminal covered a huge territory and I didn't know one road other that I80 when I started doing it. I had the same run for 3 years but by time I decided to run line-haul, I knew just about every stop on every run so it just takes a little time.

As far as planning your route, if you can, ask other drivers or your dispatcher (mine was a former driver here) what the best way is. Not sure what all your route entails but my stops were generally set up to empty out at the furthest point so I would just deliver my way out to that point unless I needed to make an early deadline or something.

Just be careful and take your time. No stop or deadline is worth any blemish on your record - don't let pushy dispatchers have any effect on how you do the route. I didn't screw around and they knew that so if I pushed back a little that was the end of the issue. Be courteous to your customers and get to know the other drivers on your route - it will help you a lot in the end..

 

Get a map for the Greater Buffalo area. Sam's club should have them for about $11.00. so does Barnes and Noble but they are more there. I got one for for Pittsburgh. Helps alot to find steets. I was like you, I know where to go but can't get there by truck. Now I have a GPS(TND500) but I still rely on my maps and on other drivers if I'm not sure of a stop.

 

When going to a customer that I have not been to before I like to call and get directions from the shipping / receiving department. Usually these folks will gladly give you good, accurate "truck friendly" directions from a main highway to their location. In the Detroit Michigan area I once went down a road that led me to a low bridge, it was only 12 6 and there was now place I could safely turn around and backing up was not an option due to a curve before the bridge ... I called 911 and explained my situation to the local police department, they were real cool and sent a patrol car to hold up traffic while I backed the truck up to an intersection where I could turn around ... the responding officers gave me directions to the shipper and I was able to safely get out of a bad situation.
The buffalo area is full of low bridges and New York State tends to mark bridges about a full foot lower than they are! Check the front of your road atlas for a list of "Actual Low Clearance Locations"

 

I cannot think of a harder metro in this country to run local than Pittsburgh. One of our city terminals there used to borrow me from time to time for P&D and I figured it out without running anything over - props to you guy's that run that daily.. Stressful!!

 

I use a gps for the most part definately take your time and soon if they keep u in the same area everyday u will get to know it, I will be running d.c at my terminal starting. Feb and I hate d.c but it will be good for me . A 4 day wrk schedule and hopefully the same route. Time to buy a map.