Yup been there not as heavy but when you ride 3 inches off the ground you got 2 choices. Get hung up or make lots of noise.
New truck drivers
- Thread starter Roger63
- Start date
I can’t imagine you would. I’m sure you loved what you did and just from your threads and comments, I know the man you are! Just as I can’t see myself retired, my wife doesn’t like it when I say that, but I’ve been lucky, worked hard and always loved what I do. Been doing it over 40 years, so what else am I going to do? The main thing is please get healthy, take care and enjoy life sir, you deserve it!
Basket case
Well-Known Member
Dad drove coal truck for 30+ years. My late uncle hauled all kinds of oversized stuff. The steering wheel holders out there today are just plain scarey.
- Local time
- 11:01 PM
- Joined
- May 14, 2011
- Messages
- 13,840
- Reaction score
- 23,111
- Location
- On the Ridge, TN
Not only that, but more and more commonly I'll go around one that's been weaving and poking and when I
look up in the cab, the idiot is staring at a cell phone!
Come on man, you're pulling 80k for God's sake, put the damn phone down....
My favorite drivers are the one's that have a laptop on the dash watching a movie. They will have their bare feet up on the dash cruising down the highway.
chargervert
Well-Known Member
Saw this exact thing last year coming home from Carlisle! I couldn't get away from him fast enough!
It's a incredibly dangerous profession a lot of drivers don't take it seriously. It's also very difficult to be gone up to 300 days a year. I like others have seen some insane shit happen on our highways and it's usually caused by someone not paying attention.
70bigblockdodge
Well-Known Member
I run local in my own truck, gave up the OTR in 2000. I was one who never thought about not coming home on any given day till a friend was taken out by a 4wheeler. Since then I have made a point to tell my kid and my wife I love them before I leave the house, even though they are sound asleep, and usually don't hear it. I always want it to be the last thing I said if I don't ever make it home.
4-6 years I hope to be rolling into part time. Retirement? Well, that remains to be seen. I will not speak about dumbasses out there, seems to always bite me in the ass.
4-6 years I hope to be rolling into part time. Retirement? Well, that remains to be seen. I will not speak about dumbasses out there, seems to always bite me in the ass.
Cojohnso1
Well-Known Member
There's complaints that this issue of competency is not limited to freight and delivery industries. Construction and related support industries also indicating shortage of qualified personnel. The pandemic economy made early retirement viable. Thus there was a real experience and brain drain across the entire sector of US economy.
I believe we'll get back. But that loss of experience is not immediately replaceable. It turns out? Us old guys are more valuable alive and working than dead. Lol.
I believe we'll get back. But that loss of experience is not immediately replaceable. It turns out? Us old guys are more valuable alive and working than dead. Lol.
Basket case
Well-Known Member
I worked at an IH dealer 25 years ago, and PGT was our biggest customer. They were hurting for drivers so bad then they were bringing them up from Central America, and the first thing they had to do was learn enough English to be able to read road signs.
- Local time
- 8:01 PM
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2009
- Messages
- 5,330
- Reaction score
- 8,982
- Location
- Northwest Nevada
Not having any experience in trucking other than being a long haul airlift crew member at 40000ft, I cannot weigh in very much on this. What I find frustrating at times is just how many of those rigs are on the road. And they seem to spawn more and more of them which seems to congest the roadways quite a lot. Just seems to be too damn many of them. I do get the necessity of moving goods and such and yes for the most part provide a needed logistic service. But it seems that these rigs are getting bigger and bigger in order to maximize loads as opposed to say and LTL run. Yes I do know something about it. Personally, I would like to see more and rail consists hauling both the containers and trailers to hubs for distribution and then trucked out as needed. Yes even I need goods and services and appreciate the work big rig drivers do. It's a tough job I'm sure. Finally a question here...I am seeing more and more of these trucks being driven at higher rates of speed when posted that they drive at a lower speed. Why put the "hammer down" because of the need to get the delivery done? Not very safe in MHO...cr8crshr/Bill
70bigblockdodge
Well-Known Member
Have to beat that 14 hour eld clock. Just because you change the log book is not going to make trucks safer.
It's a good/okay system, but a few key strokes on the computer, and a truck shows up and takes your problems away. Why put thought into it sorting that load can go on a intermodal container, and that one can't. They all just go on trucks, easy.
You live close to I 80 right? That is the main route into and out of Central and Northern California it's busy as hell there. And you are partially right as far as speed goes. Most of those trucks are governed and the drivers will keep up against that governor as much as they can no matter what the speed limit is. It's the only way they can make up time. But what they haven't figured out yet is time lost is time lost you can't get it back.Not having any experience in trucking other than being a long haul airlift crew member at 40000ft, I cannot weigh in very much on this. What I find frustrating at times is just how many of those rigs are on the road. And they seem to spawn more and more of them which seems to congest the roadways quite a lot. Just seems to be too damn many of them. I do get the necessity of moving goods and such and yes for the most part provide a needed logistic service. But it seems that these rigs are getting bigger and bigger in order to maximize loads as opposed to say and LTL run. Yes I do know something about it. Personally, I would like to see more and rail consists hauling both the containers and trailers to hubs for distribution and then trucked out as needed. Yes even I need goods and services and appreciate the work big rig drivers do. It's a tough job I'm sure. Finally a question here...I am seeing more and more of these trucks being driven at higher rates of speed when posted that they drive at a lower speed. Why put the "hammer down" because of the need to get the delivery done? Not very safe in MHO...cr8crshr/Bill
- Local time
- 8:01 PM
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2009
- Messages
- 5,330
- Reaction score
- 8,982
- Location
- Northwest Nevada
How well I know!!! Since moving here to Reno from NorCal in 2016, the amount of transfer distribution warehouses have tripled with more on the horizon. Trucks are every where all over the freeway system. And with the 80/580 Spaghetti Bowl construction on-going, just horrendous amounts of traffic including long lines of trucks and others. Add that to the now FOOKED up rules Commiefornia has imposed on new more Eco-friendly trucks being only allowed into the State, and Reno becomes to logical place to make it happen. Trucks from Commiefornia can go Coast to Coast, but the tracks coming to Reno from the East must be Eco-friendly to go past Reno. Hence all these transfer centers and warehouses. Anyone needing a job, those warehouses are screaming for employees and will have in some cases starting pay of 25.00 and up with complete benefit packages which isn't much due to "INFLATION"...cr8crshr/Bill
joe smith
Well-Known Member
The first time the world hit a Billion inhabitants was in 1804... In two hundred years the world now has almost 8 billion people... PBS show the other night said there are over 200,000 people born daily......
THIS is the main problem.....
THIS is the main problem.....
A buddy sent this to me today somewhere in western IL. Everyone walked away, 2 semis and a motor home pulling a pickup.
I agree common sense should dictate speed but we are apparently back ordered on common sense to.
To all you real truckers I just to thank you for all the hours away from home. All the money spent trying to get goods delivered. Putting up with all the four wheelers talking on the phone. To all of you who stop to help a broken down truck or car just to see if you could help. Running hot trying to make a holiday or birthday you said you wouldn't miss even though your dispatcher has set you back two days. The nights that turned into days and then turned into night again. Thanks for the times you were ready to give it up but kept going because America needed you. But my biggest Thanks goes out to each families that put up with it all. I thank God I had all of you doing what you all did best.
mopar 3 B
Well-Known Member
- Local time
- 10:01 PM
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2014
- Messages
- 11,185
- Reaction score
- 8,376
- Location
- Kingsville, MO
Thats strange on the military end. Convoy you had the right of way. Like pulling in between a truck in a missile transport was a sure death warrant for someone if not in green and driving green. On base or off. 75' and 45 mph max, everyone armed with that little toy looking m16. I still have a great respect for convoys. Slow down, stay a safe distance and stay alive.
Similar threads
