What to do if a mega....

Drivers a bit nervous about the weather and some desk jock is blowing up the phone...

Which ploy are they using?
-Oh, its a hot load! Its very important!
If that load was really vital, they would have given it to their A Game drivers. Not knocking you, friend...but even the megas keep around the guys that can do when everyone else cant. Anyways, it is not a vital load.

-All the other drivers are moving right now. Why cant you?
Do I care what everyone else does? If I don't deem it safe, then it ain't safe.

-Wellif you cant handle it, or are afraid to do your job...
Usually they do this on the phone. Hang up the phone.


Once I get a load, its mine. The only people I want to talk to are the shippers and receivers.
Bad weather around you? When does it end? If you pull over to let bad weather go by, be prepared to go balls to the wall after. Monitor the weather for the break. Keep your receivers in the loop. If the receivers are cool, I'm cool.

Now, heres the bad news: You have to compromise some times. If you dont like running at night, and the break in the weather comes at night, hammer out and run with the vampires. It will allow you to make up for sitting during the day.

 

Be sure to make a video of u calling your dispatcher. Then upload it to YouTube and become an internet sensation.

 

It comes down to a personal decision.
Regardless of the other drivers actions during a white out. It's mainly, every man for him self.
If you were to get fired. I'd much rather tell the prospective next employer I was trying to be safe. As opposed to saying "well they told me to keep going and I ended up wrecking the truck". Not to mention perhaps killing another driver.
To me, it isn't even an option.

 

I can not make OTD safely.(The End) If dispatch has a problem with it ,Call your Safety dept.

 

Its up to the person holding the steering wheel. I have ran when the truck should have been sitting still. Had ran 2300 miles from West Coast to Tn. Ice and snow the whole trip. Then next trip be shut down 3 days with less ice and snow.
But the winds were high, and could not stay on the road. So you can have issues. You can make it through.
BUT only you know when your in over your head. And if you feel your over your head. Park it and be safe, because they will for sure fire you when you pile it up.
Then its well if you had used your brain. Your not going to be right no matter what you do.
Good luck and in time you will built up where you can make it in more stuff. But DO NOT RUSH IT!! Killing your self or someone else is not worth any freight in the world.

In the 1980's I was scared bad in upstate NY. Snow 3ft deep and wind blowing. No place safe to pull off. But as soon as the truck made it where it was safe. This southern Red neck stayed in that spot 2 days.

 

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Winter is not your friend!! LOL

 

Read §392 and know it well, as that's where you'll find the FMCSA is behind you when dealing with pushy companies...specifically:

§392.3 Ill/fatigued
§392.6 Adequate time
§392.7 Unsafe equipment
§392.9 Unsafe cargo
§392.14 Hazardous conditions

 

I cannot thank this enough.