Typical day of a linedriver

If you're gonna drive a truck, do whatever it is you enjoy doing.

 

we have to have at least 14 hours for us to run, 16 for layovers. If you dont have the hour and the next day wont get you there then you can expect not to work. Its hard having to run 6 trips but it is doable

I had a nice subsequent turn bid for a little bit. I was able to get it as the old timers dont like going to 2-4 sattelite terminals and breaking and building sets. You can still average the same miles as a long turn, and get paid more for hook time. It was a 7am start time Sun-thurs, most guys there ike driving at night better. plus want the weekend. When I took it another old timer got mad and bumped me off it. there was 4 on that bid, and being the jr man I wouldve gotten what the other 3 didnt want to get as they would get the choice. I dont care about that as long as I work. Plus we can do a 6th trip if we choose on that bid

 

1900: Wake up. Brush my teeth, get dressed. Grab headset off charger, check the weather, eat dinner, check my mail and lounge around til it's time to leave.

1945: Pull out of my garage (and usually forget to close it behind me). Head to the terminal and return any phone calls I've missed while sleeping.

2000: Arrive at work. Grab my gloves, flashlight and truck keys. Walk in the office and greet everyone. Make small talk for a few minutes until my dispatcher hands me a sticky note with my trailer numbers, trailer weights and trailer door locations.

2005: Walk to my truck. Immediately log in on the computer and go "on duty." Pre-trip truck and make sure my tanks are full. If not, the fuel man usually drives over to my truck and tops me off while we make small talk. After all that is done, I certify "no defects" and "safe to operate" on the computer, if that is infact the case.

2020: Drive over to corner of the yard where all the dollies are. Backup, hook a dolly to my truck. Write down the dolly number on the same sticky note my dispatcher gave me. Drive to rear trailer, drop dolly. Pull out to front parking lot where I parked my personal vehicle. Transfer my bag, headset, tobacco, and mug of ice water to my truck. Lock my personal vehicle. Drive back onto yard, give my sticky note with my dolly number to dispatcher, and verify that my trailers are finished being loaded, closed and sealed.

2025: If my trailers are closed out (which by this time they usually are), I get back in my truck, drive to my lead. Hook to lead, give it a quick look over, then back up to my dolly. Hook the set, then pull a few feet away from the dock to ensure no re-entry into the trailer. Then I give everything a good look over - lights, tires, 5th wheel - all that fun stuff. Walk back to dispatch office where I'm given my load manifests, hazmat manifests, and trip ticket. I ensure my payment confirmation number is on the trip ticket for hooking my set. I am now dispatched. Sign out and probably make a little more small talk for a bit, then head back out to the truck.

2040: I get everything situated in the truck. Phone is mounted in it's bracket with audio cable running to radio, headset hanging off the trailer brake valve etc...everything has it's place. I enter my trailer and dolly numbers into my computer. Certify them as "safe to operate." I enter my two shipment numbers into the computer (1 per pup). Then I write my pay confirmation number into a notebook where I keep a list of all my payment confirmation numbers. At this point I placard if necessary, and have hazmat paperwork situated according to regulations.

2045: All is well, I pull out the gate.

2140: Quick stop at a truck stop to fill up my ice water again.
2145: Back on I-10

0030: Arrive in Houston. My computer "auto arrives" me when I'm within range of the terminal, and I scan my badge to get in the gate. Drop trailers on inbound trailer line. Bobtail up to the dispatch office and sign in and turn in my manifests. Look for my name and run number in all the outbound paperwork on the counter. Grab my load manifests, hazmat manifests and trip ticket, sign out. Go back to my truck enter all new trailer and dolly information into computer. Find my set (already built) and hook onto it. Give it a pretty good lookover and head for the check lane where the tech gives it a VERY thorough inspection.

0045: Scan my badge to get out the gate, and I'm out of there!

0425: Back at home terminal. Computer auto arrives me. Gates are open. Pull in, post trip, drop my set and pull back out to my personal vehicle, unload all my junk.

0440: Park my truck, log off and go "off duty." Walk to the office, turn in paperwork and sign in. Fix a cup of coffee
0445: I'm out of there! Heading to the gym, then on to the house!

 

#### svt, thats a short night...jealous of you guys.

 

I agree, I usually average 11-14 hours

 

Short night, yes. But only 2200-2300 miles a week, depending on how whether or not I have to get off-route. Glad I don't get same per mile pay as OTR!

 

Ain't that the truth. I'll be riding down a specific stretch of interstate, and I see a truck going to pass me, or maybe pass a truck ahead of me, and I find myself shaking my head thinking things like "I wouldn't pass here if I were you", "think I'll back off so this guy isn't next to me when we hit this nasty curve coming up", "doesn't this guy know this lane ends soon?" Or like certain areas where I always change lanes to avoid a hellacious bump. Or knowing that you'll have to slow down behind the truck that just passed you because he's probably gonna get nervous and slow down a LOT in that curve a few miles up the road. I'm in a contest against myself every night to try to get my ETA down to a 1 minute window. I'm usually pretty good at it. Or try to guess exactly (down to the minute) what time I will pass a particular landmark that may be x amount of miles up the road. Yeah, it does get pretty boring from time to time.

 

I must not be a real driver, but I could not and dont think I'd want to do a 600 mile turn every night.. I did 400 miles direct last night and I was happy.. escaped the hell called the dock as I wasnt in the mood to be on a forklift. What svt has is like the sweetest gig, time wise..At con-way almost every night Im playing fiddle sticks with the 14hr rule..