Profile For Jon H.

Anne, I love me some Randy Travis. And Maren Morris says, "if the bones are good, the rest don't matter". These are some good bones.

I'm not sure how to feel about this post. I want to believe the guy just made an innocent mistake....but I know the likelihood of that. Inconsiderate people just suck. Then there's me, trying to figure out of it's better to have the front 15 feet of my truck sticking out, or the back.

No matter where I go, I'm just too big to fit. Which is an ego boost, but not particularly practical. At least I can make the 53' guys super jealous in the corners.

I'm a local driver doing dry bulk heavy haul. I've only worked for 2 other companies who were building materials companies who "also" had a very small fleet of trucks, so I'm not sure I have the right perspective. I now work for an actual trucking company with a medium fleet and seemingly healthy financially. The company has a lot of nice perks and I really like the people I work with.

The issue I'm having is that there is a growing list of unresolved maintenance issues. The major safety-critical issues have been resolved promptly, but the minor to medium ones have not. I'm also not receiving my DVIRs back to sign off on. The longest-standing ones are AC not working, a latch plate on my rear trailer's hatch that needs to be replaced, and an issue where my lights either don't respond to pushing the switch or only the right side of the trailers will indicate.

I would appreciate some general feedback regarding how concerned I should realistically be and any advice on how to escalate this issue without creating ill will with maintenance or my dispatcher.

I just don’t know if I can give up the local though. I’ve got kids and don’t want to be away from them... but I can’t help but feel this desire for “real trucking”. Any help here? What would you do

There are so many trucking jobs of all kinds available right now. Not just available, but actually bidding for drivers. I applied for 4 jobs online and i had recruiters coming out of the woodwork and they're still calling. I've only been driving since 2018. I work Monday to Friday days and the job comes with many perks. The company is very organized, has 24/7 maintenance, and is very safety oriented. Your choice isn't an either/or. If you have a clean MVR, you can get anything you want right now.

Agree with all of the above. Your number 1 priority is not hitting anything. GOAL as many times as you need.

I took a local job right out of CDL school and had a guy ride with me for a week before setting me loose on my own. My backing was definitely not up to par. However! Once on my own, I just had to figure it out and it really hasn't been an issue ever since. You just start to get a feel for the angles and setup. The greater the challenges and the more times you "fail", the more you learn and the more confidence you will develop. You have the right attitude. Just never get in a rush or lose your patience. If you do, just stop for a minute. It doesn't matter who's getting impatient or watching. Get that truck in safely.

When I occasionally FUBAR a backing, I just tell people I'm applying at Swift. It happens. Some days you'll be a master at it, some days you'll look like a rookie. Even for us guys who get into places a truck was never intended to get into multiple times a day. Just have a sense of humor and don't lose your cool.

I don't drive for Heartland either, but I deal with their drivers daily. Most of their drivers state that they feel taken care of and enjoy driving for the company. This is in the Seattle, WA area. No idea on pay, benefits, or specifics there.

I've seen newer Freightliner Cascadias with highrise sleepers and Heartland branded trailers. I have never seen a passenger or pet.

Been there, done that. I have one trailer that never seems to want to release the tandem pins. Sometimes requires some momentum and Johnson bar. When it sounds like something has seriously broken, that's when you know you can get out and retract the pins. Naturally, this is my employer's trailer of choice when delivering to the dock I have to move the tandems on every time. 🤣

Yep guys and girls. We're all in this together. Not only do we have to be very careful what we do, we also need to to watch out for everyone else on the road. There are definitely a few rotten commercial drivers who have no consideration for anyone, but I like to think they are a minority. A big thank you to the Puget Sound/I5 corridor truckers I work with silently every day. We got each others backs.

Sorry this happened to you. Some people take longer for different things to click. I waited a year after getting my CDL to drive truck and trailer. Had to learn to shift and back all over again. Sometimes just figuring it out yourself and failing a few times is the best thing. In real life, you have as many pullups and G.O.A.L.s as you want as long as you don't hit anything. What's hard for some is easy for others and vice versa. Don't give up. You can do this if you really want it.

Can anyone point me to DOT regulations pertaining to curtainside trailers? Specifically condition of curtain. We have one trailer that has patches all over the curtains in various states of repair. I feel like the overall integrity is fine and all straps secure, but I'm not sure of the legality of a couple patches that are coming off. I need to get a detailed understanding of the rules regarding this nationally and in Washington State particularly.