Profile For SCWZ

For me, as a newer solo driver, without a doubt, they are:

- Blocking the fuel island/washing your windshield AFTER you’re done fueling. Do this WHILE you’re fueling. If you’re running inside, pull forward. Also, someone taking their 30 minute break after pulling forward. I witnessed someone pull forward after fueling and then sit there to take their 30 minute break which blocked in two trucks behind them in Olympia, WA just last week.

- Easily as frustrating, blocking the scale. Don’t pull onto the scale until you’re ready! The amount of times I’ve had to wait behind someone who’s just sitting on the scale because they can’t figure out how to use the “Weigh my Truck” app, they don’t know their max weights so they trying to figure it out while sitting on the scale, etc. Scaling should take no more than 2 minutes tops. And yet, I’ve had to wait 10 minutes behind someone who can’t figure out how to scale. Don’t pull onto the scale until you know you’re ready and it’s only going to take you a few minutes tops.

- Drivers texting and driving. We are all CDL holders and are held to a higher standard. The amount of CDL drivers I see on a DAILY basis who have their face buried in their phone is appalling to say the least. I can always tell who they are when I’m coming up behind them or they’re coming up behind me in my mirrors. Because they’re all over the road. The ones that really get me are the ones who pass on the left with their phone in their hand and then get in front of you, barely leaving enough room and causing you to have to hit the brakes to create your 7-14 seconds of following distance again and then often times, can’t keep a constant speed so your cruise control is constantly adjusting because they’re more focused on their phone.

- Where drivers chose to park. I mean, in areas not designated for parking, even if it’s for a short period of time. This is especially bad at customers and makes it impossible for me to back into a dock because they’re blocking the room I need to maneuver. Or at truck stops. Blocking trucks in spaces or blocking spaces so you can’t park. And, parking in areas making it very difficult or impossible to maneuver so you can park. The last thing you want rolling in at the end of the day when you just want to shut down and rest is someone being inconsiderate and parking in an area making it impossible for you to move. Use some common sense!

I haven’t been driving long but it doesn’t take long to figure these things out I listed above, especially when I’m putting in almost 2,000 miles, 6 days a week. A lot of this job is common sense and I’m in a way shocked at how many professional drivers, a lot of which who have been doing this much longer than me, lack basic common sense. You learn very quick what annoys you on a daily basis. I’m sure I’m forgetting some things, too.

The worst one that I've seen blocking the fuel island was a driver that sat at a fuel pump for at least 30+ mins. It was a busy Pilot where trucks back up into the street and it took me about 20 mins to get to a fuel pump. I fueled up in about 10 mins and after I finished, I saw the driver in question just sitting in the driver’s seat on their phone. When I got there 30 mins ago, he wasn't even fueling to begin with.

I tapped on their window with the squeegee to gesture them to pull forward and he had a baffled look on this face... They were just totally clueless.

And I'd just like to add other truck drivers tring to race ahead of you at the scales where the speed limit is usually 20 - 40MPH.

I'm just going to list some of the pet peeves that I've been experiencing while driving. I'm going to rate these from 1 (😡) to 5 (😡😡😡😡😡) on a frustration level. As a base line, I would consider someone blocking the fuel island a 3 (😡😡😡). A lot of these are why I can't be more than a month on the road or I'd end up going mad. Feel free to list your own pet peeves.

-Trucks going slow (not accelerating or cresting a hill) then speeding up and matching your speed when you try to pass them: 😡😡😡😡

-Cars / trucks going slow on two lane / undivided highways for dozen of miles, speeding up in the passing lanes so you can't pass them and then slowing down when then passing lanes end: 😡😡😡😡😡

Lines of cars all tailgating each other for miles that won't ever let your merge over: 😡😡😡😡

Trucks parking on highway shoulders: 😡😡

Drivers double / triple parking trailers in small sized dropyards: 😡😡😡😡

Don't expect much pay if you ever get and use vacation time. That's why I'm trying to switch to local routes working for US Foods. 4 weeks of vacation time at 4 years and you get at least $32/hr. At lot of trucking companies will try to pay out something ridiculous like $10/hr for your vacation time. That's why a lot of drivers work endlessly for years on end and then quit to take an extended vacation.

And I wager a lot of people have left and never come back for the reason outlined above.

Most of the time it's a waste of time posting anything here because usually anything not related to employment will get buried. It seems like most of the time 75% of the posts on here are about getting fired, needing another job or trying to get into trucking. So how about making a separate category for employment related topics?

My LT truck was in an International shop for 3 weeks and it still isn't totally fixed... The EPU powered sleeper AC wasn't calibrated properly and shuts of within half an hour at 13V. It's supposed to drain the battery to 12.2V which triggers the the engine to turn on to charge the EPU to full.

So I've had to keep my truck idling. There's a problem with that too because it doesn't want to send cool air to the sleeper sometimes. The only solution that I could find was to make sure the manifold under the bed, which splits hot and cold air, is turned all the way to the cold position. Unfortunately, that still hasn't worked and there must be another manifold under the dash...

Has anyone had these problems with an International LT? I'd like to know how to solve the problem with the cold air not going to the sleeper. I assume the problem will keep coming back.

And the International trucks just have a poor design in terms of insulation. Here's why:

1. The windshield curtains hang in front of the dashboard AC vents, which causes cold air to circulate with the hot air in between the curtains and window.

2. Poor / minimal body insulation. The windows on the sleeper feel like they let a lot of heat in too.

3. Inefficient sleeper AC placement. The sleeper AC is on the outside, passenger side and towards the drive tires. The vents in the sleeper are all the way in the back. So the cold air has to travel all the way from the front through the hot cargo bay up the back of the sleeper (which can be hot too if it's in the sun) to the vents. The air travels in regular black PVC pipes with no insulation.

The freightliner that I was in before had its sleeper AC directly behind the driver’s seat. The air was a lot cooler coming out of that one.

I used a freightliner temporarily and found that they are very sensitive. You can't change lanes too fast and it will trigger roll stability even if you go 10+mph under the posted speed limit when go around curves...

Some links:

https://electricapu.com/

https://www.thermoking.com/na/en/road/parts-and-accessories/thermolite-solar-panels.html

https://afdc.energy.gov/conserve/idle-reduction-equipment

Instead of giving free handouts to pay off student loans, wasting money on foreign countries or making the dumbest and most ineffective green energy policies, this is what can practically be done:

1. Allocate funding for more truck parking. Either by making new lots or expanding existing ones.

2. Start adding solar panels to all refers. 4,500 acres of solar panels could be fit on refer trailers alone. It's already been proven that solar powered trailers can significantly reduce the idle time of refers. -Add cleaning brushes to all truck stops that will clean the solar panels as a truck drives through it.

3. Give rebates for adding or buying trucks with all electric APUs and HVACs for the sleeper. Nighttime drivers with dry vans could eliminate all parked idling with an electric APU and solar powered trailer.

4. Add no-idle parking zones to all truck stops. So no trucks, refers or diesel powered generators could be idling in that area. This will significantly reduce unnecessary idling and therefore emissions.

Everybody has their own level of tolerance for ambient noise, so if noise from adjacent trucks is keeping you from sleeping that will add even more difficulty to finding parking. It’s hard enough to find parking without worrying about the idling truck issue. To be OTR and avoid it on every 10 would be a near impossibility.

Many times in this profession a driver just needs to find a way to adapt to conditions and situations he has no control over. Otherwise the lifestyle and problems that go with driving will end your career.

If using a portable electric heater until the batteries run down, how do you then start the truck if your batteries are dead?

If this issue is a big problem for SCWZ, then I really feel for him. There are so many other irritations to deal with out here on the road.

I have an Eaton inverter and a battery bank. The inverter automatically turns off when the voltage drops to 12.2V and there's a load shield to make sure the truck can start. The heater is built into sleeper bed compartment. A truck's alternator makes lots of excess power, so it's essentially free energy if it can be stored.

I drive on the West coast and my routes generally have lots parking options. I did 3 months of OTR (48 states) and I'm never going back. I might eventually drive local for US Foods.

A reefer once parked next to me that was 124 decibels loud when it was constantly revving up. I have that figure because of a db meter app on my phone. That's in between a chainsaw and jackhammer... It woke with 3 hours of sleep and I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night. I don't know how someone can "sleep like a baby" next to something that crazy loud. Even putting in earplugs made little difference...

So I am paranoid that something like that will park next to me and ruin my night again.