stupidest thing u have done or seen a rookie do?

Oh man iv had a blast reading this entire thread i have a few favorite ones and learned from others mistakes like never to drop a loaded trlr on hot asphalt and check your trlr for locked brakes in cold weather other than that....lets see...ripped airlines chk~dropped a trlr w out lowering lgs chk~smoked my brakes to a crisp chk~jumped out of my truck and face planted chk~jumped curb and sank chk~jumped curb blew a tire chk~hit a car chk~chased my truck cuz i didnt apply frieken brakes chk~hit a bridge chk~got in a non truck route chk~spilled rancid piss all over my truck chk~got stuck doing a u turn chk~took out a fence post chk~almost rolled the truck chk~All this happened to me from Aug 08 to Dec 2010 and i took a good look at myself and realized im a better driver now 2011 is been a good yr no screw ups smooth sailing easy money got a newer truck and more dough...i think of our selves as beast tamers cuz it takes guts skill and perseverance to tame and master this great machines...oh yea and common sense~peace my brethren

 

Loved the posts.....still laughing at them, and have one to add
(This wasn't me!!!)

Few years ago up in Sydney we had a warehouse where we stored TV Vans and Grip trailers. Had one of these "I know it all" kinda guys turn up for his maiden voyage to Melbourne. Watched him hitch up to the trailer, which was loaded with all the TV cameras and ancillary gear...and forgot to put the latch on the 5th wheel after hooking up. He would have been 30 seconds out the door when we heard this almighty bang, walked out to see the trailer nose down into the bitumen, air lines ripped off the back of the truck, landing gear bent to the point of "trashed", him standing there scratching his head wondering wtf went wrong....so much for "I Know it all"....1st thing the boss asks is if he'd put the locking latch on the 5th wheel and he gives him this "what the hell's that?" kinda look.....(its that little thing hanging there by the handle!!!). I just had to turn, walk away and laugh. For a "know it all" guy...he knew **** all.
Needless to say, we never saw him in the warehouse again.

Luckily it wasnt one of the production vans...at $8 mill on the road a pop, you'd hate to be the one calling the boss in the wee hours of the night to say you dropped one on its nose !!!

This was the Truck - and I made sure as heck that latch was on every time !!!



Dave

 

I've had a few as a rookie so I'll put myself on blast right quick, don't ridicule me too hard. I remember being up in Boston at the power plant out there one time, parked on the sidestreet and saw this stupid fine female walking with her daughter. So I got all fresh in the truck (smell good, freshly picked hair, mouthwash the works ya know?) got out and asked her with paperwork in hand how to get in the powerplant. Small talked her and then realized I locked myself out the truck. Normally no prob however to add insult to injury I saw 2 more chicks after that who wanted to chat and eat over to the KFC and I left my wallet on the seat. So from getting rejected 3x that day, leaving my wallet and standing out in the cold waiting for locksmith-yep! I was pretty #### stupid.

 

I know you didn't think I only had 1 instance? #2 I was in TX getting a load of rebarb when after I finish locking my load down there was a rookie driver who pulled into the yard to get a load himself. In my infinite wisdom and need for showmanship, I'd help him with his load. Upon leaving the yard I pulled at a old gas station to park and as I pulled out hooked my bumper rail on a curb, had a 2 lane roadway blocked and hr and almost got arrested for getting into with one of the "Good old boys" in Tx. Pretty #### stupid.

 

And coming in at #3-Once I was fueling up and was so busy trying to get logbook caught up, plan trip and get other things in order that I drove off with the nozzle still in gas tank. Drove off forgetting the had my fuel card info and truck info so I'm sure Arrow wasn't happy about that one. Oh, they're out of business now hahahaha! Yeah I know pretty #### stupid!

 

Packard48 said->Glad I don't live in CA any more....I was just born there....
allniter replies->Aha,that explains alot!
Lets see.... I've done the high hook, forget to dolly down but luckily stopped while trailers was still on truck frame or drive tires, forgot to open trailer doors before backing into dock.
Trucking isnt just a job, its an adventure!

 

First solo load when I started driving. Picking up at M&M Mars in Cleveland, TN. I pull in and didn't G.O.A.L. I was backing nice and straight to hook to the trailer and put the kingpin over the 5th wheel.

Went through a series of lockouts. Had another recently... enough said there

Ft. Worth, TX. back under a trailer after I had unhooked during an unload. When I pull back in I check to make sure I am in good, but I didn't do a tug test. The 5th wheel had not locked on the kingpin, I nearly dumped my trailer on its side.

Moral of the stories??? Get the F out and LOOK!!!! oh and take your keys when you do.

 

I was suppose to pull a set of doubles that's already been hooked up, I was given the 2 trailer numbers by the dispatcher and even a door number that the set has been hooked up on.

Once I get into the yard, I quickly spot the set of doubles thats already been hooked up, and the front trailer number matches the number that I've been given, I hooked up to the front trailer, pre-trip the whole thing, have my paper work all done and ready to go on the road. Then I walked inside the building to check if the loading has been done on my rear trailer. I look at the door number that I've been given by the dispatcher, and there is it, the trailer has been sealed. Just to make sure, from the inside of the building I check the trailer number again, again it matches the trailer number that I've been given.

So I walk back out, and pull out! Now what did I do wrong? What happened? Why is there a folklift inside my rear trailer honking???

What happened was, the shifter of the yard hooked up my front trailer to the trailer on the door next to what suppose to be my rear trailer Well, I was #### lucky that the forklift was inside my trailer when I pull out and it didn't drop... I did everything right except I didn't check that the 2 trailers that I've been given are actually hooked up together...

 

I once backed to a dock got out talked to the guys on the dock stood around about 15 minutes then asked the guy how long before they start unloading ? His answer was when you open the doors! Sure felt stupid and the guys on the dock were just rolling the floor.

 

Locked myself out of my truck in the middle of no where GA. But broke in using a tarp strap ( window was cracked just enough) lol.

Had a trailer that did not have a way to secure the passenger side door. So when I was backing into the dock it swung back and I smashed it between the trailer and the dock. Yup it fell off. Surprisingly those aluminum hinges are very weak.

Needless to say I carry quite a few straps now.