Some pre-trip questions

Pre trip. What is the pre trip you speak of?

 

I only do it for your benefit. I'm not Kentuckian and I wouldn't want you to accidentally bite someone that's not a pure breed.
I mean think of what will happen if you are expecting ribeye, but get hamburger meat...

 

Every new trailer. Once a week if I have the same trailer.
Automatic slack adjusters are not automatic if they run out of grease, or maybe the shop just did some break work but left the push rods too long.
It's also good to get under there and look for inner seals that may be leaking. You can't trust inner wheel seals either, they just fail at random.

I don't.
Bu,t I have noticed flat spots on trailer tires mid-trip that were on the bottom. And when I did swing through a "yard" to have them replaced they landed flat-side down again... The tire guy thought I was an idiot until I pulled forward.
Yeah, that is really rare to have a bad spot down. I just check for it mid-trip.

 

I F-n hate post trip.
So.. you find out you have a problem..
What's going to happen? You going to fix it? If you work for a large company, BTW...
You call it in and wait for someone to juggle the hot-potato around (probably 2 hours) and then wait another 3 hours for someone to come and fix it. You can do all of this on your 10 as you are a Hero. Wait another hour or two to fix the problem.

And now that you maybe have had 3-4 hours of sleep, if you weren't too pissed off to sleep, you are ready to go for another 14-16hr OTR day.
No. Post trips are a sham. Deal with it in the morning after you have rested.
Unless you know why, there may be exceptions.

 

Cuz together they taste good.

LOL just cuz you found the problem before you went to bed. Doesn't mean your road rescue needs to know that.

 

I’m constantly looking for anything and everything. Tires/Lights especially. About every 4 hrs. when I stop,I do a walk around. If I see a nail, I’ll spray it, check pressure. If it’s low, keep it up till I can get it fixed. If not, I’ll wait till I’m near a tire shop, before pulling a nail out, and checking for leaks.As far as slacks go, I adjust them on occasion, about every 2 mos. Every other oil change. Just in case one goes bad. I pay attention to how many turns it takes to tighten them. Otherwise I look at them. I’ve got them all set the same. They all look the same length. Good enough for me. I’m not crawling under my Truck everyday. Maybe once a week, but not if I don’t have to. I try to keep some cardboard in case I need to crawl underneath. I keep a small Tarp, for wintertime, or if no cardboard. I try to do it right before a good shower. A leaking wheel seal can be seen without crawling under. Best to check for seeping, whenever underneath, before it becomes a problem. Checking all 18 can take a while. I often check the steers more often, while fueling. Check the Trailer one day. Check the Drives another. That’s just how I do it sometimes. I’m home now, will be checking them all tomorrow. Hard to find air at a Truckstop anymore. Need to carry your own hose. OOS things like flat tire, ( less than 50%) rear Trailer lights ( mandatory lighting) including turn signals. More than 1 non working brake. Chafed air lines. That’s what they’re lookin for, along with worn out tires and brake shoes. Better to know about it before they do. Lol

 

Hey dont make me get the garlic out, Halloween is around the corner Mr. FRANK

 

Sometimes this can be done, and sometimes you can't. Back when I was active at least 30 to 40% of the time I was sitting within an hour of my final. I was waiting for a nighttime delivery and while doing so took a 10. If I had a problem with say a flat tire or a problem with my reefer it had to be ADDRESSED THEN NOT after I took my 10. In all honesty, I never really had that much of an issue getting things fixed. I still hold to the position I wrote about in post #7. In this business, the NUMBER ONE goal of EVERYBODY from the driver to dispatch is to deliver on time every time. What good is a carrier whose motto is "You will get your delivery when our driver gets it there"?

 

I'm not going to eat turds for a load that can be rescheduled. They have been sitting on the load for two weeks before they gave it to me.
I won't let them make any unseen delay become my problem.

You want to pay me extra for it? Maybe something can happen.