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Subject: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: AL-B Mk. III on 03/13/13 at 8:31 pm
As I mentioned in another thread, I'm back out on the road again, and if you have any questions about trucks or truck driving as an occupation or industry, feel free to ask me and I'll try to answer them the best I can. :)
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: warped on 03/13/13 at 8:34 pm
When you go up mountain passes during the winter, what steps do you have to take for the truck to chain up?
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: Howard on 03/14/13 at 7:24 am
How much gas do you use in one day?
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: AL-B Mk. III on 03/14/13 at 5:47 pm
When you go up mountain passes during the winter, what steps do you have to take for the truck to chain up?
I've only actually chained up once, and that was when I had to run I-70 west of Denver (which is a route I seldom take and which I avoid like the plague during the winter). Basically there is a chain-up area where you pull off and put the chains on. To put the chains on, you lay them on the ground in front of the tires, drive onto them, and then wrap them around the tires and link them together and tighten them up. It's actually a royal pain in the ass.
Most of the western states have laws requiring large trucks to carry sets of chains with them during the winter months. There are certain routes with mountain passes that have the chain-up areas, and before you get to them there are electronic signs that will tell you if the "chain law" is "up," meaning that if the roads become too snow-packed then you are required by law to put the chains on before you can proceed further. The main place I've seen this is on I-80 at Reno, Nevada, where they'll have signs informing the drivers of road conditions on the Donner Pass, which is about a 50 mile downgrade in California which ends just east of Sacramento. (It's not 50 miles straight down, think of it as more of a gradual stairstep kind of formation.)
Now most companies I've worked for don't require you to chain up (with the exception of Yellow, who made me chain up in Colorado), if anything they discourage it. They would rather have you park the truck in a safe area until the roads are sufficiently plowed to where chains are no longer required (which usually is a day or two at the very most), their thinking being that if the roads are bad enough to where you need chains then it's probably too dangerous to drive anyway. So if I'm heading out to Northern California and the chain law is up, I'll just park in Reno and stay warm and dry and maybe have a nice steak and play some slots. ;)
How much gas do you use in one day?
Well, not to nitpick but trucks use diesel, not gasoline.
Having said that, most of the time I get about 5 or 6 miles to the gallon, so if I run 600 miles in a day then I'll use 100 gallons. The trucks have huge tanks (mine has two tanks that hold 150 gallons each) so I usually run about 800 miles on average between fill ups.
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: bookmistress4ever on 03/15/13 at 12:21 am
Here's a stupid question. Do you unload your truck or does whomever that the load is for/accepts the delivery the ones who unload the cargo off of the truck? If (assuming that the people that accept the delivery unload it) someone gets hurt while unloading it... who would the person seek compensation from? (The trucking company or the company that made the unload the cargo?)
How common is fake log books? I used to date a long-haul trucker that said he always had two sets of log books and that companies that he worked for knew about (and gave them rather ridiculous schedules to get cargo to and from).
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: Howard on 03/15/13 at 5:58 am
What's the biggest truck in the world?
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: AL-B Mk. III on 03/15/13 at 10:53 am
Here's a stupid question. Do you unload your truck or does whomever that the load is for/accepts the delivery the ones who unload the cargo off of the truck? If (assuming that the people that accept the delivery unload it) someone gets hurt while unloading it... who would the person seek compensation from? (The trucking company or the company that made the unload the cargo?)
It depends on the cargo and the shipper receiver. Most grocery warehouses expect you to either unload the truck yourself or hire a "lumper" service to do it for you. Lumpers are basically dock workers who get paid by truck drivers to unload them.
The company which I just started for doesn't go to those places. Our loads are mostly palletized so they can be quickly loaded and unloaded with a forklift, and a lot of the time we have what are called "drop-and-hook" loads, where we just take an empty trailer to a customer and drop it off, and they have a loaded trailer already waiting there so we just hook up to it, grab the bills of lading, and go. Those are pretty sweet. ;)
As far as injury to the dockworkers goes, the driver is in no way responsible for what happens, unless the driver for some reason moves the truck while the dockworkers are still inside, which would be a really stupid thing to do.
How common is fake log books? I used to date a long-haul trucker that said he always had two sets of log books and that companies that he worked for knew about (and gave them rather ridiculous schedules to get cargo to and from).
I'm sure the practice of fake log books is still somewhat commonplace but I never resort to it, simply because my company is really laid back and they give me plenty of time to get where I need to go. Not to mention that my truck is being tracked via satellite and they match my logs with wherever the satellite tracking system places me. I still might fudge my log books here and there simply because it might be necessary once in a while but for the most part I try to run legal.
What's the biggest truck in the world?
This.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsSkT5T1ujo
:o :o :o
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: warped on 03/23/13 at 4:48 pm
How long are your driving shifts? (or how long can your drive the truck without a break)
What music do you listen to on your long drives?
Did you ever get a flat on a truck?
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: Howard on 03/23/13 at 7:17 pm
Do you have CB radios when you're communicating with your guys?
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: Foo Bar on 03/24/13 at 8:03 pm
What are the three (or more) things you wish those of us who drive 4-wheelers knew about trucks?
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: AL-B Mk. III on 03/25/13 at 10:52 am
How long are your driving shifts? (or how long can your drive the truck without a break)
I can drive 11 hours legally and then I'm required to take a 10 hour break. Also, there are a lot of activities that I do doing the day which I am required to log as "on duty/not driving" such as pre trip inspections, fueling, loading and unloading, etc. I can work no more than 14 consecutive hours total before I am required to take a 10 hour rest break.
What music do you listen to on your long drives?
I have a SiriusXM satellite radio, and it's almost always tuned to Little Steven's Underground Garage. 8)
Did you ever get a flat on a truck?
I have had flat tires, but we don't change our own tires. If I have a flat on my truck then I will call my company's shop and they will get a hold of a tire shop near me, who will send someone out to replace the tire for me. That's pretty much standard practice.
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: AL-B Mk. III on 03/25/13 at 11:03 am
Do you have CB radios when you're communicating with your guys?
I just got back on the road and I haven't bought a CB yet. And to be honest, when I did have one I seldom listened to it because it was mostly just a bunch of jagoffs swearing at each other. Really it's just like the Internet, and there were punks trolling the airwaves long before anyone ever heard of the World Wide Web.
Come to think of it, if and when I do get a CB, maybe some night when I'm stuck in a truck stop I should start talking about decadeology just to irritate the other truckers. ;)
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: AL-B Mk. III on 03/25/13 at 11:24 am
What are the three (or more) things you wish those of us who drive 4-wheelers knew about trucks?
There's only one thing that I really wish four-wheelers knew about trucks, and that is that our speed is electronically governed. We can't just stomp on the gas and go up to 85 mph like you can. Well, you can if you're an owner-operator but if you're a company driver and your truck is set at 66 mph, then that's all the faster you can go. (My company sets our trucks at 70, so I can fly past the majority of company rigs. ;) )
The reason I bring this up is that my biggest peeve is when I go to pass a four-wheeler and as soon as I get beside them they'll get almost startled and suddenly accelerate. They're like, "Oh, no, I'm getting passed by a truck...I'd better speed up!" And what's even worse is when I'll pass a car and they'll speed up and go around me and them slow down and I'll have to pass them again. And when I have to pass the same stupid car 3 or 4 times within a 20 mile stretch I get pretty infuriated. It's like, pick a damn speed already. Either speed up and pass me and stay past me, or slow down and stay behind me, I don't care, just get the hell away from me. >:(
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: warped on 03/25/13 at 12:54 pm
I have a SiriusXM satellite radio, and it's almost always tuned to Little Steven's Underground Garage. 8)
Think I've heard this on Q-107 before. (In Canada)
maybe some night when I'm stuck in a truck stop I should start talking about decadeology just to irritate the other truckers. ;)
Those others drivers. They will find you...and kill you. ;D :D
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: Howard on 03/25/13 at 2:04 pm
When cars pass you do they want you to pull your string where you honk your horn?
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: AL-B Mk. III on 03/25/13 at 3:36 pm
When cars pass you do they want you to pull your string where you honk your horn?
Sometimes. Whenever I'm driving down the freeway and a car passes me and I see a kid pumping his fist I always honk my horn, because when I was little I did the same thing and I was always thrilled when the truckers would honk at me, so I guess it's my way of paying it forward. ;)
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: Foo Bar on 03/25/13 at 10:05 pm
There's only one thing that I really wish four-wheelers knew about trucks, and that is that our speed is electronically governed. We can't just stomp on the gas and go up to 85 mph like you can. Well, you can if you're an owner-operator but if you're a company driver and your truck is set at 66 mph, then that's all the faster you can go. (My company sets our trucks at 70, so I can fly past the majority of company rigs. ;) )
The reason I bring this up is that my biggest peeve is when I go to pass a four-wheeler and as soon as I get beside them they'll get almost startled and suddenly accelerate. They're like, "Oh, no, I'm getting passed by a truck...I'd better speed up!" And what's even worse is when I'll pass a car and they'll speed up and go around me and them slow down and I'll have to pass them again. And when I have to pass the same stupid car 3 or 4 times within a 20 mile stretch I get pretty infuriated. It's like, pick a damn speed already. Either speed up and pass me and stay past me, or slow down and stay behind me, I don't care, just get the hell away from me. >:(
(FWIW, I'm just as annoyed by my fellow 4-wheelers when they can't pick a speed and stick with it. That's universal regardless of how many wheels you have.) The speed governors are something that could use more publicity. I never really thought about why it took a truck so long to pass another truck until now. I'm the guy hanging back until you two sort it out amongst yourselves, and then I try to swing by both of you if we've just crested the hill and visibility is perfect. As that rarely happens, I try to wait for the two of you to space yourselves apart by a big safety margin, then leapfrog into the space for a minute or two before passing the lead truck. I don't wanna be the sandwich filling between two 18-wheelers anymore than you want me eating up your margin for error. It just occurred to me that I'm probably doing more damage to both your mileage than I oughta be - if the tailing truck has to let off the gas because he doesn't know I'm going to pass the lead truck, I've probably cost him a buck or two worth of fuel getting back up to speed.
Hmm.
Cars, we're taught to leave at least two seconds, preferably four seconds, between us and the car ahead of us. I know my car can outbrake your 80,000-pound behemoth, and when I'm behind you, the odds are in my favor, so I'm not worried if I'm 2-4 seconds behind you, but those odds are reversed when I'm the guy in front of you and it's you who has to stop in time...
So: Followup time! if I'm going to eat up your safety margin by pulling back into your lane, how many seconds behind me should try to leave so you can stop before you squish me like a bug, because it's gotta be more than the 1-2 seconds I leave my fellow 4-wheelers :)
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: 80sfan on 04/26/13 at 12:39 pm
Who's your favorite singer or band? Or singers and/or bands?
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: warped on 05/15/13 at 3:43 pm
About a month ago you were stuck in the snow, I think it was in Wyoming. Has something like that ever happened before? (Stuck overnight in a truck)
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: AL-B Mk. III on 05/20/13 at 1:37 pm
Who's your favorite singer or band? Or singers and/or bands?
That's hard for me to answer because there's so much music I like that it's kind of hard to nail down. Probably my favorite era/genre of music is mid to late 60's pop and rock.
But lately I've been listening to the Outlaw Country channel on SiriusXM, which plays a mix of old-school country and rockabilly and western swing (not the newer Nashville pop-country crap), because it just seems like a more appropriate soundtrack for driving down lonesome desert highways.
Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sddcRgy-HXU
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: AL-B Mk. III on 05/20/13 at 1:46 pm
About a month ago you were stuck in the snow, I think it was in Wyoming. Has something like that ever happened before? (Stuck overnight in a truck)
About 15 years ago I was driving east on I-40 about 50 miles east of Albuquerque, NM when I hit this wicked blizzard. (You probably wouldn't think of Arizona and New Mexico as being places that get much snow but in the northern part of those states, where I-40 runs, I've hit some of the worst stuff ever.) It was around 9 pm and it got so bad that I could barely see the hood of my truck. I had my CB on and some of the truckers started yelling about 2 or 3 trucks jackknifing up ahead, and traffic came to a complete stop. And it sucked. I was tired and ready for a nap but I couldn't just fall asleep right there in the middle of the interstate, yet the roads were so bad that it took about 2 or 3 hours to get some wreckers up the hill and clear the road. Finally traffic started moving again (it was about 1 am by this time) and I drove about 10-15 miles (as slow as traffic was going, it seemed like it was 50 miles) until I found a truck stop and pulled in and went to sleep.
But actually, this latest incident in Wyoming was the longest I've ever been stuck due to inclement weather. On numerous occasions, I've actually gotten stuck longer waiting for loads after I got emptied out. :P
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: 80sfan on 05/20/13 at 6:56 pm
That's hard for me to answer because there's so much music I like that it's kind of hard to nail down. Probably my favorite era/genre of music is mid to late 60's pop and rock.
But lately I've been listening to the Outlaw Country channel on SiriusXM, which plays a mix of old-school country and rockabilly and western swing (not the newer Nashville pop-country crap), because it just seems like a more appropriate soundtrack for driving down lonesome desert highways.
Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sddcRgy-HXU
I generally like 70s and 80s music, but of course it's not written in stone. :D
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: warped on 05/21/13 at 6:48 am
About 15 years ago I was driving east on I-40 about 50 miles east of Albuquerque, NM when I hit this wicked blizzard. (You probably wouldn't think of Arizona and New Mexico as being places that get much snow but in the northern part of those states, where I-40 runs, I've hit some of the worst stuff ever.) It was around 9 pm and it got so bad that I could barely see the hood of my truck. I had my CB on and some of the truckers started yelling about 2 or 3 trucks jackknifing up ahead, and traffic came to a complete stop. And it sucked. I was tired and ready for a nap but I couldn't just fall asleep right there in the middle of the interstate, yet the roads were so bad that it took about 2 or 3 hours to get some wreckers up the hill and clear the road. Finally traffic started moving again (it was about 1 am by this time) and I drove about 10-15 miles (as slow as traffic was going, it seemed like it was 50 miles) until I found a truck stop and pulled in and went to sleep.
Terrifying storm. Wow.
Probably my favorite era/genre of music is mid to late 60's pop and rock.
A great era for music. O0
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: Foo Bar on 06/27/13 at 10:10 pm
Sometimes. Whenever I'm driving down the freeway and a car passes me and I see a kid pumping his fist I always honk my horn, because when I was little I did the same thing and I was always thrilled when the truckers would honk at me, so I guess it's my way of paying it forward. ;)
Speakin' of which, breaker, breaker, Al-B, is that rubber duck avatar your hood ornament?
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: AL-B Mk. III on 06/27/13 at 10:41 pm
Speakin' of which, breaker, breaker, Al-B, is that rubber duck avatar your hood ornament?
I wish. It was on the hood of a Kenworth that was parked at a truck stop just west of Salt Lake City. I was walking past it and just whipped out my phone and snapped the photo, and it came out surprisingly well IMO.
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: Foo Bar on 06/27/13 at 11:10 pm
I wish. It was on the hood of a Kenworth that was parked at a truck stop just west of Salt Lake City. I was walking past it and just whipped out my phone and snapped the photo, and it came out surprisingly well IMO.
Great pic - and I ever see a good 3D model for it, I'll see to it that a printed copy gets made ;)
Subject: Re: Ask A Truck Driver.
Written By: Howard on 06/28/13 at 3:32 pm
have you driven a small truck?