Profile For Garth M.

I feel sorry for the few actual truckers involved in the Canadian protest, too much time spent on youtube can make victims of anyone. I still see some of the trucks that fled Ottawa bobtailing up and down the 401 with their placards on but I quit supporting them about 2 minutes after I heard the first one talk and I really did try to rationalize what was going on. I run into people who come from a different reality more and more these days. I listen and hope for something that I havent heard before but the standard paranoid rhetoric just gives them away and I have to leave. I feel they have insulted our flag and embarrassed our country.

Unless there is a change in the amount of drive time allowed a 60 or 65 mph national limit would eliminate some of the runs we have as we wouldn't have the time nessesary in 11 hours. Which would result in more trucks on the road and probably higher costs.

No offence but if 5mph makes that big a difference to your day I would say the 11 hrs is the real problem. Ive found that the extra 5 is over rated so Im slowing down more often. Less stress

I started out flatbed when I was 59 its not that big a deal if your semi fit and healthy

Im coming up to 3yrs so I changed my status from rookie to experienced. I think Ive found my retirement job hauling bulk flour, Ive been at it for 7 months now. This is the third company Ive driven for since getting my cdl, the first was a year and a half the second was 6 months. With this company Im home every other day and every weekend. Im doing 70hrs a week usually covering 2800 miles so Im busy enough. Just thought Id share. Keep safe and best of health.

So I was going to refuse anymore of those loads but I wouldn’t have waited till I got to the shipper. I had planned to tell the boss at our meeting which never took place, partly because I was on the road and couldn’t get by the office and partly because he didn’t seem to think it was that important I guess. That’s partly why he’s my ex boss.

I know this ND was a bit of a complainer but not everyone is comfortable climbing on their loads. I’ve come across a few flatbed drivers who were like that. I had a moment when I was about to complain on how my step deck trailer was loaded with well casing but it was the first load I had hauled with a step deck and another of our drivers had just loaded his the same and not said anything, as well the loaders in this yard seamed pretty anal about safety. Since the other driver had been with the company longer than me I went with the load but made sure to use plenty of straps. When loading pipe on step decks they place a couple stands at the middle and back of the trailer to level the load but in the case of these 2 loads the center stand wasn’t touching the pipe. Off I went checking my straps religiously for the next 6 hrs. About a mile from my drop creeping along the main street of some little town in the dark I went over a pothole going up an incline when I heard and felt a bang. The welds on the rear stand broke, the cantilever broke 4 straps at the front and the load dropped onto the center stand. I re secured it in place and crept to my drop to unload in the morning. When I called the boss he said we’d talk about it when I got back which never happened till I brought it up the day I gave my notice about 4 weeks later. On the trip back I was to drop the stakes off at the shipper for another step deck to use, as soon as I did that trailer was shunted off and a few minutes later the loaders asked me to come see them. They pointed out one of the stands was damaged on that trailer as well so I suggested they refuse to load it, a manager came over and they had a bit of a safety meeting and followed my advice. Those trailers were quite old but not as old as the drivers who were pulling them had been driving, I’m starting my 3rd year so I don’t want to be that guy. Just saying. PS. That shipper no longer accepts step decks.

My truck doesnt have power mirrors and when I blindside back in with a full load and those spread axles are causing the truck to jump up and down so bad I cant see out of the mirrors unless I stop I say come on man or something like that.

I havent driven in the city but had a haul to Long Island a couple weeks ago. I was paid and extra $300 for the trip but I earned it. I have never seen so many aggressive 4 wheelers ever before I couldnt imagine cyclists thrown into that mix.

I moved to a 12 truck company, driving a 2006 pete pulling vans and flatbeds. I told my boss I wasnt a mechanic and left it at that, if I find something in an inspection or something comes up I let him know. So far they fix the defective and out of service stuff, smaller items may take a few weeks, like my airconditioner but thats been a month with only a few trips to Texas and Georgia so far. I miss my old larger company, newer well serviced equipment and better pay and they always managed to get me home on weekends. My new company manages to get me home a few hours before I have to reset, the good part is I live 5 minutes from the yard.

One thing I forgot to mention is my old company used peoplenet the new one uses qualcom. They arent the same thats for sure and the only person who seemes to know how to work it is the girl friend of one of the other drivers. Hopefully I’ll nail it down before I get into a transmit logs situation.