Sorry about your ankle buddy, that really bites, hope they don't hold it against ya and you heal fast and good, we're going to Calafornia after Thanksgiving, should get allot of miles in, I'm at 1996 so far, hope to see you again out here, good luck!!!
Sorry to hear about your foot. Do whatever is necessary to get yourself well again. Look forward to seeing you on the road soon.
that roll roofing at Frederick sucks, luckily you broke an ankle and not your neck....very long way down. Good luck, get better and get back rolling soon.
Flatbedders rule, not to get on the load? I never heard that one. I had to get up on the load to roll out tarps, and lots of other things. Ok, laugh if you want, I used to crawl across the top of my loads after I stepped into a hole on the top of a lumber load. Still have a knot on the front of my right shin to remind me about that lesson. You seem to be a big guy. A lot of flatbedding is hard for the chunky. You have seen that first hand. You have to climb. Get up on top. Traverse over uneven surfaces. Roll out tarps. Pull them down in high winds. If you fell off of a load of shingles, brother, you need to go to refer or some other such truck driving that doesn't have much more climbling than up into the trailer or on the catwalk to place a hazmat placard. I admire your spunk, but if you have a family that needs the effort of your work, then do what works best for you, not truck driver fantasy romantic. So does TMC have to pay your Work Comp claim now? Surgery? Oh, yeah they will be anxious to get you back on board. I'm not putting you down, I know how large companies work when it comes to Work Comp. You are screwed. Don't sue. You will have a hard time getting ANY job after you do. And your accident is why many lumber mills have tarping stations that require truck drivers to put on a safety harness and hook up before climbing up to tarp. I remember tarping at James Hardy in Tacoma, who forced the drivers out onto the road to tarp, even though you had to finish before they'd issue bills....they didn't want liability for falls. Just be careful and hope you aren't permanently crippled from your broken ankle...
Sorry to hear about your mishap! Keep positive and nothing can keep you from being successful! God Bless!
Linda, I appreciate the information, but flatbedding is the one kind of trucking I don't have any experience in. I got tired of running vans and reefers, doing nothing but kicking groceries out of the back of trailers. I'm going to look into Averitt LTL and Conway. I refuse to pilot a wiggle wagon, but I don't mind doing regional LTL stuff. As far as mentioning the "flatbedder's rule," I should have specified it to be the "TMC flatbedder's rule." They teach you to do everything but tarp from the ground. I'm not going to be permanently crippled, and it's not my ankle. It's my foot. Regardless, I'll be back in the game in about three months. Whether it be LTL, OTR, or just running a dump, I don't care. I'm a driver, by God, and driving's what I know. In my nine years of driving, this is my first accident. I'm pretty pissed about it, but it is what it is. Whatever I do, I'm gonna keep it between the zipper and the piss line. I fully expect my fellow drivers to do the same. Y'all have a great evening.
Are they going to send you to Des Moines to do "light duty" work while you recover? When I was there that was the rule, you didn't get to sit at home collecting a check. I forget what the schedule was, maybe like a week or two then a weekend off. You stay at the hotel there as well. I forget what the pay is. Good luck to you and a speedy recovery
We talked about that, but like I told them, both of my parents are diabetic and my father is also a cardiac patient, and their conditions are severe. I don't like leaving them unless I have a way to get to them quickly. That's my main reason for being here instead of in Des Moines. TMC has been kind enough to work with me on this, but I don't know what the future holds.
Some folks have been calling/texting/PMing/FB messaging me wanting an update, so I'll put it up here. I've got an appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon on Monday. The doctor told me that the radiologist read the CT scans and they show that all bones are so badly dislocated that surgery is required to install pins and screws to correct the problem. I don't know when that surgery will be, but I hope it's soon. Hopefully, I'll be up and mobile again by Christmas time. I need to get back on the road soon. Money's gonna run out, and like all of y'all, I've got bills. It's amazing how one little slip can change things for a while.....
