Tip for new drivers

I watched the first few seasons, but when they went to northern Manitoba and Hugh came back with destroyed rims on the trailers I quit watching.
It's just become all fun and games. No serious trucking.

 

A good portion of shows like that is scripted. I know one of the real installers from pimp my ride, a good friend of mine from before the show. I worked with him for a bit at a boat place, doing audio video. They ended up filming Rock the boat while I was there. The producers intentionally incite drama. Don't take reality tv as real. I say this from experience, and from accounts from my friend

 

If you're over the age of 20 and still haven't figured out reality TV I'm sorry. Without drama there is no viewers.................example...... Teen mom on mtv.

 

Regardless of script It's still not a very good example. One good thing that happens is. . Now we have place to throw some blame on .. it's the shows fault. I've heard that some ideas for crimes came from a program on tv.

Go figure

 

You hit a building or bridge or a guardrail, light post etc.... that belongs to the government see what they do to you (the driver).

 

My company had a tri-drive heavyhaul truck that was used to pull their 19 axle setup. 745HP C16 cat, 18 speed, 3 speed rears, 4 fuel tanks on the beast. It was a monster. The vast majority of company drivers, however, would tear something up, and snap the axles. The vast majority of owner operators could drive this thing without breaking anything.
In my line of work, the average company truck has a 9-10 speed and 430 HP on average. The average owner operator has 550 HP and a 13-18 speed. Why dont most mega companies buy owner operator spec'd truck? Because it's easier to tear up a 550 HP 13 speed than it is a 430HP 9 speed. They buy 475-515HP, 13 speed trucks, detune them, and convert them to 9 speed.

They start off in too high a gear. If your truck is shuddering when you take off from a stop, you are in too high of a gear. You are putting unneccesary shock on the drivetrain. Worse is when these guys load the clutch up and dump it, whole chassis of the truck twists...

Of course not. Oldest truck in the fleet is 3 yrs old. They run their new trucks through the company schmucks, then make them available to the lease guys. It's the lease guys that are broke down all the time. But if you were gonna have to run that truck, that same truck for the next decade, I would bet money that you would change your driving style.

Some company drivers 'get it.' Break downs hurt everyone's pockets. Even if you get breakdown pay, it wont equal what you make when you drive. The more you break down, the less you have in your pockets. The stupid guys will beat a truck to death, then complain about sitting in a motel.

 

and all I get is 400 with a 10 speed.. talk about slow

 

We had a driver, he's still on with my outfit actually, that clutched every shift for about a month. What's the big deal right? He was pushing it to the floor every time. Cya later clutch bearing and brake!

My boss put him up for 'adoption'