The ugly truth about trucking.

[Blood]

On Steve's show the other night he was talking about a youtube where a driver did about an hours work after coming off a 10 hour break. Then he was instructed to take another 10 because dispatch had him cued up on a straight-through load for that night.

I have mixed emotions about it.
I've done deals like that hundreds of times but I never fully committed on them.
I always said I'd do what I could...
which was almost always whatever it takes.

I remember my turning point.
I woke up at a rest area one day in Fishkill, NY.
Sat up, looked around, had a smoke (still lookin),
couldn't recall whether I was coming or going.
Couldn't figure out if I was delivered or late,
empty or loaded.

I stepped out and walked around the truck, looking for damage.
No damage, so far so good.
Opened the trailer door. Empty. That's good, I guess.

Walked up to the bathroom and looked at the map...
WTH is Fishkill, NY??

Jumped back in the truck and started looking through my paperwork...
Oh yeah, I delivered that one and now I'm going to...
lemme think...
going to...
Damn...
NOT going to make it if this is what it takes.

I really thought the days were long gone when dispatch would tell you 'do or die'.

The driver shouldn't have committed on the load since he had to load 20 hours after getting up.
But everybody has those days now n then.
What really tore it for me was the allegation that dispatch had sent the cops around 3 times in 9 months (or whatever it was) to 'check on the drivers well being' when they were really using the cops for a wake up call!!


Yeah,
I mean no...
I mean WTF is WRONG with you people???

First time sending the police around is the last time I ever haul your crap.


Not knowing how long the driver has been at it or what his situation is,
I assess 1/3 blame on the driver and 2/3 on the company.

What do you say?

 

[Rigjockey]

I have been there! Pushed beyond limits. I have woken up wondering where in the hell I am am and where I am supposed to go. I will with shame admit to being working hours where I had hallucinations. Those days are way behind me. Dispatch can not push me. Plenty of companies out there that need drivers.
Drivers are always bitchin about H.O.S. Dumbasses fail to realize that those rules are set to protect the driver from dispatchers. The new H.O.S. suits me just fine except the half hour break thing.
I tell my dispatch why that load will not work. If they really want to get into it, I should be logging all the time standing around waiting on a call for a load or waiting on an empty trailer or paperwork or what not. We don't do that but if they really want to push it. I will.

 

[Tazz]

Had several try that. He talked to them about ten minutes longer than I will. My conversation would have been on the front end of that ten hours though.

Titan has a glass run from Roanoke to Ripley, Tn. Always take racks or reworks up arrive maybe 19-2000 and the reload is about 19-2000 the next day and supposed to be in Ripley by 0900. That was my last day and I left the load in LaVergne.

Drivers need to stop this before it starts.

As for what the schmuck on the phone was saying

Ill or fatigued operator.

No driver shall operate a commercial motor vehicle, and a motor carrier shall not require or permit a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle, while the driver's ability or alertness is so impaired, or so likely to become impaired, through fatigue, illness, or any other cause, as to make it unsafe for him/her to begin or continue to operate the commercial motor vehicle. However, in a case of grave emergency where the hazard to occupants of the commercial motor vehicle or other users of the highway would be increased by compliance with this section, the driver may continue to operate the commercial motor vehicle to the nearest place at which that hazard is removed.

Yeah the company lectured him. He just opened up their liability in any accident case, FMCSA audit and fines, and was in general a (edited by profanity filter)

 

[revelation1911]

Had a broker few weeks ago tell me, a driver that knew how to work a logbook could make his 900 mile run in like 23 hours total.
Wanted to beitch slap him through the phone but hung up instead.

 

[TruckMafk]

it 100% the driver. No one can push me to do anything I dont want to do.

 

[8978]

There are some brokers that will send you the rate agreement with a delivery date that's not doable. You say something and they say, don't worry about it, the next day is fine but if you look at their special notes it says 33% reduction in rate if late. Tell them to change the delivery date on the contract and next you know, the load has been cancelled. Had a few like that. TQL was one.

 

[8978]

it 100% the driver. No one can push me to do anything I dont want to do.

Your not married I take it?

 

[8978]

Guess this is as good a place as any.

Did a long distance load to the border of Canada in Washington State with steel I-beams. There was I think 12 trucks in all. We were to be at the delivery site on a specific date and time. It was a large construction lot. We get there and then these day cab trucks show up from Canada telling us to unhook our trailers and they would take them across and deliver. There was no mention of this. Needless to say we all said screw you. TQL was having a fit and telling us they were going to deduct an amount from our settlement.

We all ended up talking to a big shot with Mercer. They had 2 trucks there. The rest of us were independents. We let the guy at Mercer take the lead. We got paid an extra $250 for the day while they arraigned for a fork lift to unload us right there the next day. We also got paid in full via Comchecks before being unloaded.

Pretty sure the broker handling this was fired and I wasn't black listed by TQL.

 

[TruckMafk]

I am L

Your not married I take it?

lol i am. I mean in a truck LMAO

 

[8978]

I am L

lol i am. I mean in a truck LMAO

I know, couldn't resist