One Big Ass OTR Truck

[Fins]

CabOvers are good for in city driving. Places that are tight, like Chicago, Detroit, New York, where the buildings come right out to the edge of the street. When you have 10 feet of hood out there it can pose a challenge.

These 2 rode particularly nice with the long wheelbase, air ride suspension and air ride cab. The dark blue one had an air ride front axle too. That took a bit of getting used to.

You also have to climb straight up to get in them, whereas a conventional tractor, you just sort of climb the stairs. The biggest problem with a cabover is, you are the first one at the accident. There is nothing between you and the intended target.

But when you get to ride in a conventional with a 280" wheelbase, and a nice walk around stand up sleeper, you really never want a cabover again.

I had all of the toys. Color TV, VCR, DirecTV satellite, microwave, double beds, closet, refrigerator etc...

I only got out because of the threat of divorce. I was only home a few days a month, but bringing in serious cake with the oversized work.

[madcaddyman]

Really sounds awesome to me, must be a great feeling driving a big rig on a nice open highway.

Rene

[Fins]

If you have the right truck, smooth, powerful, looking tall and lean, then yes it's cool. But doing what I do day in and day out in the city is nerve wracking.

Today, regulation is stepped up really hard in a lot of areas. Truck stops have come a long way since the grease pits of the 80's. Lots of rules that every state wants to enforce their own ways in hopes of revenue generation. Canada and the north east states along with California are the worst to travel in.

Parking restrictions, idleing restrictions, speed restrictions and on and on. It's not much fun anymore.

[guidematic]

Man, you had some sweet rigs over the years. And I must say that is the first time I have seen snow in any of your pictures.

Mike

[trvlr480]

That KW is your typical "bed-bugger" truck.  If you look at the trailer you can see the word "lines".  Most probably Allied Van Lines.  Those guy's NEVER get home.  They live out on the road and many times it's a married couple.  The last one I talked to said he grossed $300,000 the year before which means he probably took home $100 to $150,000 depending on how good his accountant was.

As Finn's has pointed out truckin' is no fun anymore.  The speed restrictions and the threats of losing your CDL for 3 years if you drive over you allotted hours are scary.  My boss, not the owner, but the guy who actually runs the wholesale end of the company has a felony on his record.  He owned a propane company with 13 drivers.  He got audited by the DOT.  The found all the drivers were running over their time limit.  He was given a choice.  Take the felony conviction or fire all 13 drivers.  He took the felony.  If he gets caught again he goes to jail.

I have had 3 pay cuts since I started this job a year ago.  First they cut the trucks back from 75 to 68, then they forced me to start driving in the day time due to new DOT regulations and then they took away the off-duty driving on the qual-comm which allowed us time to park the truck when we ran out of time.  Considering the roads I travel and where we deliver that all adds up to a sizable pay cut because it slows us down as well as making the job downright miserable.  I had to take a 10 hour break 50 miles from home when I only had 45 mins of driving time left.  I was on my way home for a 34 hour break at the time so it postponed that by 10 hours.  That's a pay cut.

Showing up for work at many of these companies every day is like showing up at a Nazi concentration camp with all the idiotic rules and regulations they are forced to levy on the drivers.  If you don't obey the rules you're fired and you starve or you can lose your CDL altogether if the DOT shows up.  It's that simple.  Truck driving sucks.  It's a miserable way to make a living and the pay is a joke for what you have to do.

Back when Finn's started you could make a damn good living doing it.  These days that's impossible for an owner/operator unless you got started 20 years ago and are very well established.  Unless you can pay cash for a truck and trailer and have at least $50,000 in the bank along with your own accounts it's a bankruptcy waiting to happen.  I've seen many go down in flames.

[Fins]

Think about it...just to fill the 2 fuel tanks you're looking at $800+, depending on where in the country you are. And then that takes you 1200 miles. You still have to pay yourself a decent days wage. Even at $200/day for the 12 hour day you just put in. Now you have maintenance, wear and tear on the truck, tires, which isn't included in the previous figures. You are already spending more than you will make on the load.

Unless you get the high dollar loads like I used to pull. General commodities and food transport are loads that these brokers can get Jose' and Julio to pull for nothing. So why pay Johnny and David the $3.50/mile that they want. Oh...and don't forget about the refrigerated trailer expense too. That reefer unit uses 15-20 gallons of fuel per day. And it runs 24 hours a day to keep the load cool or frozen.

These big outfit contract with carriers such as Schneider, JB Hunt, Werner, etc to haul the load for next to nothing. These carriers all hire guys and girls right out of driving school, get the maximum number of hours per day out of them and pay them $40,000/year. 3/4 of that money goes to your living expenses out there on the road. Unless you eat at the local Subway and don't bathe every day.

I used to stop at grocery stores. Alway lots of room around back to park. Get my bread, lunch meat, drinks, and anything else I might need. You always need a weeks supply of food at the bare minimum in case you get snowed in somewhere, or the road is closed. Violate the road closure and you go straight to jail, as does your truck and the load

Ueah, I could go on and on, and so could trvlr, about the nightmares on the road. Yes, the roads are nicer with the big Interstate system, but because of the stupidity of these guys in the 70's and 80's going cross country non stop, the regulations have made it impossible to make a decent living anymore.. Pull in a scale with a dirty truck, and you're sure to go through a complete inside and outside search and inspection.

My equipment was always shining, my hair cut and my clothes clean. Pull in, call the DOT guy Sir, and off you go on your merry way most times. 90% of the time when you give respect you get it back.

[Fins]

Speaking of which...I just got this in a company email.

Please Post As a Reminder 

ROADCHECK 2012



Roadcheck 2012 is scheduled for June 5 – 7 and commercial vehicle inspectors, Troopers, and the FMCSA from across the country will be out in force for this 3 day period. Roadcheck is sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) and is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial vehicles in the world.  On average, 14 trucks or buses will be inspected every minute during the 72 hour period in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.  The checks will be performed by approximately 10,000 CVSA-certified inspectors at 1500 locations across North America.

In 2011 70,712 inspections were conducted, an increase of over 5000 from 2010.  Of the vehicles inspected 18.3% were placed out of service for mechanical problems while 4% were placed out of service for driver related violations.  While these out of service rates are at record lows, CVSA's Executive Director has emphasized that "there is room for improvement until the roads are free from vehicle and driver violations..."

While we know our members strive for compliance and safety every day, this is a good time to review motor carrier safety and remind drivers of the importance of a proper pre-trip inspections. 

Here are some tips from MMTA in advance Roadcheck 2012:

·         Remind drivers of the 3 day event and to be prepared for additional enforcement.

·         Ensure all required paper work i.e. registrations, logs, cab card, insurance, inspection documents etc. are prepared and readily accessible in each CMV.

·         Check fire extinguishers, triangles, spare fuses, and other safety items are on board.

·         Remind drivers of the requirements for a proper pre-trip inspection

·         Review maintenance files and DVIR's for all CMV's in fleet

·         Review medical cards to ensure they are current

·         Review with drivers of the hours of service regulations

·         Ensure all fees are current (UCR, HVUT etc.

[trvlr480]

I have to admit that in the 12 years I drove OTR I never had a problem with those road check's they have every year.  But then,  always drove at night so I avoided a lot of problems.  I also didn't drive around looking like a hooligan which helps considerably.  Just about a month ago I was in a truck stop and I saw this really shady looking guy walk through.  When I walked back out to past the fuel islands I could tell which truck he was in.  It had a "sex wax" sticker in the sleeper window and another sticker that said, "born for fun loyal to none".  The truck just looked like it was begging for an inspection.  He looked like something out of a '70's biker movie.

We've had a problem lately where one of the refineries we load at is giving us more propane than we are entering into the meter.  More than is showing on the paperwork.  $3000 dollars in fines and tickets later we now load less at that refinery and dump it into storage then reload the trucks at the yard to make sure the weight is right.  How were we to know what was happening?  There are no scales between where we load and the weigh scale up in those mountains.  I will also add that it was one of our drivers who was fired just before this started that raised a big red flag over the company and was doing stupid shit up there no one knew about.

I'm no fan of gooberment but I have to admit after watching how so many trucking companies (and drivers) run their affairs that THEY are to blame for bringing down the DOT on themselves.  The problem is "the ratchet effect".  Once gooberment finds an excuse to start regulating and taxing they just keep going even after the problem is solved.  It's a way to control and tax.  There was a book written on the subject entitled, "Leviathan, The Ratchet Effect" which explains this technique of incremental tyranny.

It's hard to explain rolling a truck and killing a family of five because you dropped a Pepsi and were looking around on the floorboards for it.  I personally think that any driver that hasn't had a moving violation (while driving a truck) and hasn't had any accidents, not incidents, should be exempt from having to run a log book at all.  This nonsense of pulling someone's CDL because they got a DUI on their day off in their car is a joke.  If they used that treatment on everyone there would be even higher unemployment.

Getting a speeding ticket in your car shouldn't affect your CDL either.  They use the CDL to control your personal life.  The Nazi's even require us to carry our medical card on us when we are on our days off.  Having a CDL doesn't need to be the same thing as "terrorist suspect".  Most people don't behave at work the way they do on their off time.  There should be two licenses.  One for the car and one for the truck and your job.  One shouldn't affect the other.  How criminal is it to get nailed in a speed trap in some small town in Texas where you've never been and have your car insurance go up? 

The method of paying by the mile needs to go away and an hourly wage with overtime needs to be the norm which some companies do but most don't.  Now that they have their Orwell's in every truck they know when you're working and when your not.  That right there is the biggest cause of drivers driving when they are tired and it just gives the company the excuse to work you an additional 30 hours a week you never get paid for.

 

[Fins]

The 2 license thing came up years ago here in Florida. Then, Gov. Graham declared that you get one license and one only. You must learn to control yourself if you depend on that license to make a living.

Which is BS in the long run. If Joe Cool gets a DUI, he can apply for a hardship license so that he may get back and forth to work. We, with the CDL can't do that. Just getting a DUI will disqualify you. And once that hits your record, there isn't a trucking company around that will touch you. They couldn't afford the insurance liability levied upon them.

[Fins]

I have to admit that in the 12 years I drove OTR I never had a problem with those road check's they have every year.  But then,  always drove at night so I avoided a lot of problems.  I also didn't drive around looking like a hooligan which helps considerably.  Just about a month ago I was in a truck stop and I saw this really shady looking guy walk through.  When I walked back out to past the fuel islands I could tell which truck he was in.  It had a "sex wax" sticker in the sleeper window and another sticker that said, "born for fun loyal to none".  The truck just looked like it was begging for an inspection.  He looked like something out of a '70's biker movie.

We've had a problem lately where one of the refineries we load at is giving us more propane than we are entering into the meter.  More than is showing on the paperwork.  $3000 dollars in fines and tickets later we now load less at that refinery and dump it into storage then reload the trucks at the yard to make sure the weight is right.  How were we to know what was happening?  There are no scales between where we load and the weigh scale up in those mountains.  I will also add that it was one of our drivers who was fired just before this started that raised a big red flag over the company and was doing stupid shit up there no one knew about.

I'm no fan of gooberment but I have to admit after watching how so many trucking companies (and drivers) run their affairs that THEY are to blame for bringing down the DOT on themselves.  The problem is "the ratchet effect".  Once gooberment finds an excuse to start regulating and taxing they just keep going even after the problem is solved.  It's a way to control and tax.  There was a book written on the subject entitled, "Leviathan, The Ratchet Effect" which explains this technique of incremental tyranny.

It's hard to explain rolling a truck and killing a family of five because you dropped a Pepsi and were looking around on the floorboards for it.  I personally think that any driver that hasn't had a moving violation (while driving a truck) and hasn't had any accidents, not incidents, should be exempt from having to run a log book at all.  This nonsense of pulling someone's CDL because they got a DUI on their day off in their car is a joke.  If they used that treatment on everyone there would be even higher unemployment.

Getting a speeding ticket in your car shouldn't affect your CDL either.  They use the CDL to control your personal life.  The Nazi's even require us to carry our medical card on us when we are on our days off.  Having a CDL doesn't need to be the same thing as "terrorist suspect".  Most people don't behave at work the way they do on their off time.  There should be two licenses.  One for the car and one for the truck and your job.  One shouldn't affect the other.  How criminal is it to get nailed in a speed trap in some small town in Texas where you've never been and have your car insurance go up? 

The method of paying by the mile needs to go away and an hourly wage with overtime needs to be the norm which some companies do but most don't.  Now that they have their Orwell's in every truck they know when you're working and when your not.  That right there is the biggest cause of drivers driving when they are tired and it just gives the company the excuse to work you an additional 30 hours a week you never get paid for.

 

Most all of that hippie dippy stuff started after 'Nam. Guys came home to a wife that left them, they were mind f'ed with what they saw and did in the field, and many came home addicted to all sorts of drugs. Not being able to find good jobs, the trucking world accepted them.

They were never in the same place, they could wreak havoc and not be found. Before that time the trucker was held in good graces. They did what no one else wanted to do. Stay away from home and family, get beat to death in trucks with springs so hard they would break your back and work ungodly hours to support their families. Then along came the 70's and the 'dirtbag' trucker. It was downhill from there. You couldn't get respect on the road, you were a gypsy, yopu hung with hookers and did drugs. The whole stereotype.

Today, you're getting a rerun. People that can't find jobs are turning to the CDL schools. Most can't operate a car, but they are given a 70 foot long tractor trailer that weighs in at 80,000 pounds and turn them loose on the highways. They scare the hell out of me. They can't maintain their lane, they come upon another truck and want to 'ride' with them. They tailgate, then will pass you and cut right in like they have no trailer behind them. Talking on the phone, reading FaceBook while they drive on a laptop, have no clue what their destinations are because they fail to plan their trip. And I forgot, playing with their GPS that they should have set when they got the address of the receiver from the shipper.

Maddening I tell ya. I hate it with a passion.

[Carfreak]

Of course, you recall, Denise & her husband now drive OTR.

[Fins]

Of course, you recall, Denise & her husband now drive OTR.

By the last posts at the MCLC, she's home again and leaving him in peace and quiet.

[trvlr480]

You're right, Finns.  I found out today that the company I worked for for 10 years just increased their fleet by 100 trucks.  70 of the new hires were fresh out of college.  College grads that can't find a job doing what they went to college for.  I think we found the problem.

I was running up U.S.99 in Kalifornia about 2 years ago and there was this nice Peterbilt up ahead.  Weaving all over the freakin' road.  He almost took out 2 cars that were merging on to the freeway.  He almost hit another two or three as they passed him.  I followed that guy for probably 100 miles laughing my ass off.  It was like something out a a slapstick type comedy.

Once I got the balls to pass him I look over and it's this Asian guy with coke bottle glasses who could barely see over the wheel.  I can't remember how, but he got ahead of me again probably because I stay real close to the speed limit in communist territories and eventually he got off at an exit.  My dad's wife commented that he was probably an out of work software engineer.  It made sense. 

I figured he was probably working for some shitty company that told him he had to do whatever it took to get the load there on time and he was probably tired as hell. I've been there I just never weaved around like that when I was tired but I've seen other drivers that do.  Just not quite like that.  It was pretty entertaining.   

[guidematic]

 No doubt for the most part the level of professionalism in the industry has waned. Like you said, the 70's was the beginning of the downfall, and it continues today with the utter over regulation.

A cousin just sent me some old pics of an employee and some of the trucks from the company that my great uncle and grandfather started in the 20's. They had pride, and in the early days something to prove. They were the pioneers that showed the world that trucking was a very viable way of moving goods. They worked hard and sacrificed to prove that point.

Today it's just a meat market.

Mike

[Fins]

Awesome pics Mike. And that old diesel probably only put out 180hp, but would do it all day long.