Trucking USA

Have I already done this one?

I know. They not only can be a nuisance, they can kill us and act like they never saw us. I know, I know.

It’s easy for me to say, sitting here looking at my laptop, but I’ll say it anyway. Don’t lose your cool.

For Mr. 4 Wheeler to swoop in front on you, just before the light and slam on his breaks, is about as stupid and sitting on the train tracks and waiting for the train. The problem is, you’re the one that knows it – he doesn’t. He thinks he knows everything about driving. You know better because now you’ve tasted the world of the big trucks. Looking back, you have to realize, you were just as stupid.

Here are the things I teach my kids. Never ride next to the trailer wheels. Get passed or get back. Never ride 50′ behind a trailer on a hot day.Drop back or pass. Never pull in front of a truck on the downhill side without at least 500 feet between you and keep an eye out that you haven’t trapped him behind you. Never drop your speed right in front of a truck. Keep an eye out for truck lanes closing ahead. Never ride just behind the driver and stay there. And never, never, never pull up behind and out of sight of his mirrors.

Now wouldn’t it be nice if every 4 wheeler could be told Continue reading Those blank 4 Wheelers

I’ve been there and I know what you go through. Dispatchers tend to pretend they don’t know the law or worse-could care less for your life.

Let’s put you in a situation. Let’s say you’re coming out of Sacramento and you see the signs ahead ‘chains required’. You don’t know yet, what the real conditions are so you pull into the rest area to get the latest news.

You’re driving solo and you already know dispatch hasn’t given you enough time to make the run. If you lose so much as an hour, you won’t make it in the time you have left and you can’t afford any mishaps.

It’s getting dark and you know the mountain top will be frozen, by the time you get there. You call after hours and they prod you to keep going. “Get over that mountain somehow.”

Continue reading Obey the Dispatch or Follow Your Common Sense?

I’ll have to admit, I’ve spent nights in some pretty unsavory places. Sometimes, my family with me and my daughter staring nervously into the mirrors to make sure nobody was messing with the trailer.

Of course, I’ve also spent the night in a huge truck stop where my fuel level miraculously went down, while I slept. I guess there’s no guarantee’s but knowing nobody cares if we are safe or not, kind of gets on my last nerve.

Continue reading Jason’s Law and Safe Parking for the Truckers

On cdlofit.ning.com I had to stop the emails from notifying me of new replies. Someone started a blog about catching a guy taking a piss near the entrance to the truckstop and it started a fire storm.

What a subject and for sure, everyone has an opinion – mostly good.

It truly is hard to take care of our personal, private needs while on the road. Spending a day and a half, sitting and waiting for a load, especially at some of these packing plants where finding a restroom is an almost impossible feat, one learns to find a way to take care of these things ourselves. Continue reading Trashy Truckers

I don’t care if you’re company, lease driver or O.O., you will either find yourself living by a set of rules or you will fail as a long haul driver.

Just like at home, if you live over your budget, you will go without for a few days to make up for it. The same on the road and ‘hours’. You budget those hours so that you have some leisure time to shower and maybe even watch some TV. Continue reading How to Conduct Yourself, While on the Road.

When I first started out in trucking, I had hair down to my butt. Don’t you know, when I stopped to shower, it took me over an hour because of tending to that hair.

It wasn’t long before I decided, that for the convenience on the road, I cut my hair short. Having naturally curly hair, all I had to do was shower just like the guys and run a comb through my hair. Man, did that cut down on a lot of time.

To be efficient on the road, you have to throw out all those extras. Curling irons, cute shoes, extra clothes. T-shirts take up a lot less space and all you need is one good pair of tennis shoes. In the winter, your coat and snow boots and gloves.

I always hated winter for one reason. All the extra crap I had to load around in my truck.

Be careful what kind of soles are on your shoes. I once had these cute sandals with a crepe rubber sole. I wasn’t careful, stepped out of the truck at the pumps with them on. Later, I stored them away, sole to sole. That was the last time I saw those shoes as 2 separate pieces. They glued themselves together so well, I wound up throwing them out the window in a fury. Soft soles will melt in diesel fuel and grease. Continue reading Here’s a little clue for the girls.

Especially if you are new to the industry. This writing is in the hopes of keeping women safe on the road.

First, let me say that if there’s any way for you to go it solo, you’re better off. Even if it’s scary, at first.

I do realize that even if you plan to drive solo, you will most likely be required by any company, to go out with a trainer for a time. Continue reading For the Lady Drivers

Over 1200 drivers were stranded all over the U.S. They woke up one morning to a phone call from the home office telling them to take their trucks to the nearest dealership. In exchange, they were to receive $200 to get them home.

Now I want you folks to think about that one. First, when a driver picks up a load, he is responsible for it. In this case, they were ordered to simply turn in the trucks, load and all. Not a pretty thought. Continue reading Lessons Learned from the recent shut down of Arrow Trucking

This is for all the stranded Arrow drivers. There is a massive move to help you folks get home. There is also the beginnings of a collection to be presented to the most needy of the bunch. More news on that, later.

Right now you can sign on to these sites and find help from other drivers headed your way and also residents ready to help you get to the bus station or what ever you need.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-for-Stranded-Arrow-Trucking-Drivers-Coordinate-Efforts-HERE/213591833387?ref=nf Continue reading Stranded Arrow truck drivers

Back in the day, we ran convoy as often as possible. That is to say, the ‘garbage haulers’ as they used to call us. Hauling fresh produce from CA to NY. I guess they called it ‘garbage hauler’ because in the old days, it wasn’t a refrigerated unit, it was ice and re-ice across the country. I bet a lot of it really was garbage, by the time it got to the other coast.

One night, I was trailing behind in a convoy of 5 trucks. Using the CB to stay awake, the boys told their dumb jokes, I sang to them and we were just a CB hogging, loud bunch. Continue reading Convoy with “Hitch Hiker”

Guys have their secrets. So do the ladies.

Eating on the road is expensive and, in the winter, exposes you to all the more germs floating around in the air. I was deathly sick, once, while out on a run and from that day on, I did everything in my power to keep from being exposed. Picking up the stomach flu is a nightmare but having it happen hundreds of miles from home is something I don’t even want to remember. Continue reading A Lady’s Secrets for Taking Care of Herself on the Road

Before you go spending your own money, apply for a pell grant. More people qualify for that, than you might think.

That is, of course, if you plan to go to one of the independent schools. Personally, I think it best to attend the school where you plan to work. Many of the large company’s offer their own schooling. Continue reading Planning for Truck Driving School and a New Career

In the heart of Knoxville on I-40, traffic was being directed off the freeway and back on because of a wreck that spread from the underpass to almost the end of the on ramp.

This, of course, was back in the day of driver’s helping driver’s. I was in the bunk and my co-driver, driving. He pulled off to the side of the on ramp and ran down to the accident site, although the police were already there. Continue reading The Impossible Wreck

This was an incident that happened to a friend of mine, many years ago. A trucker, hauling furniture.

You have to remember that back in the day, there were no interstates. The finest of highways were divided 4 lanes with side traffic.

In this particular situation, he was on a 2 lane road, driving on packed snow and ice. At the bottom of a long hill there was one of those areas with a restaurant and gas station, with nothing more than a wide spot in the road. You just simply pulled off the pavement and onto a dirt parking area. Just beyond that was a one lane bridge. Continue reading Tall Tale? Nope it was real.