Securing Cargo

Very few trucks have an air gauge for all three axles. Some only have one for the drive tires and most have no air gaug for weight at all

Joe, quite often the shippers I go to weigh me when I arrive and when I leave. Now that's driving a flat-bed with split axles and usually we don't have the same issues as the dry vans and reefers. You are going to always have some paper work from your shipper showing what the load weighs, and you are going to know if you are over gross weight which means you need to get something done before you leave. You will also learn to have a good idea whether you need to slide the tandems or not, these are the kind of things a good trainer will help you to understand as you're picking up actual loads. As a driver you will end up often times going to the same shippers repeatedly and you will begin to have an understanding of how the different loads are loaded and the weight dispersion in your trailer.

And Joe, you can never tell what the D.O.T. might do on any given day. It's just a part of the daily adventure of being a driver, but you will generally get yourself weighed before you get yourself in trouble. Here again these are the kind of things you learn when you are out with a trainer.

You seem like such an inquisitive person, and I can tell you are really wanting to learn all you can about all this, but there really is no way to even begin to grasp all there is to know without just jumping in there and taking the calculated risk of getting yourself in a training program and just "going for it". A kid can never learn to ride his bike as long as their Dad keeps holding them upright so they don't tip over. The kid is going to get a few skinned up knees once his Dad lets go, but he's also going to get to know the thrill of accomplishing something that gives him a whole new sense of freedom. I encourage you to get started on this journey Joe, you're ready, you just need to realize you might get a skinned up knee or two but you are going to gain a real sense of accomplishment and freedom that both you and your family can benefit from.

I encourage you to go for it Joe, jump in there and get started!

I encourage you to go for it Joe, jump in there and get started.

I am going to jump in Old School. As soon as we get our son started back into college later this month, I will be going back to school myself.

I hope to start with Celadon on Sept 2nd. If they have a class starts that week.

You are correct. I am trying to learn as much as I can before I get out there on the road. Big mistakes in this business, I am sure you know, sometimes you don't come back from.

I don't mind the skinned knees. It is the "broken bones" that I am not fond of.

keep it safe out there. Joe S

Yeah, I hear you on that Joe. Sometimes I just get a sense with some folks in here that they need a little nudge to get started, forgive me if I'm wrong about you.

I think you will be really impressed at Celadon, and I've been meaning to tell you that when you talk to a recruiter, sometimes you may be talking to someone that's new at it and they may not have a clue about some of the questions you're asking. They don't want to tell you that they are new and they can't answer you because that would mean they have to hand you off to someone else, and that may mean they don't get the credit for "selling you" on their program. So, you may not always get a very satisfactory answer to your questions. The recruiting system isn't perfect, but it's what works best for the trucking companies. It's unfortunate that it doesn't always work that great for the people trying to come in to the industry.

I don't know how it works at Celadon, but when I was calling recruiters most of the companies had a system that would recognize my phone number and route it through to the same recruiter that had been assigned to me. That way they could track their successes and get their commissions based on their ability to bring people in.

Thanks Old School. It wasn't so much of a "nudge" that I needed. I had made up my mind that I was to go into trucking long ago. It is just that I want to make the best choice for me and my family. The "best" training I could get without putting my family in debt up to their eyeballs.

I made that mistake 30+ years ago with another trucking school and I am still paying for that mistake.

I have found out that much has changed, but not all. There are still so called schools out there that are nothing but a rip-off.

As far as Celadon. I finally did get to talk to an actual driving recruiter. There was lets say a few differences in what she told me as to what the school told me. Still not sure which one is right. I get the impression that this is something kinda new that Celadon is doing and all the bugs ain't worked out yet.

The school told me that there were no pay raises for the first 120,000 miles and I thought that was a little strange. Every other school/company I talked to had some kind of pay raise system even for graduates. The drivers recruiter said she wasn't sure but she didn't think that was right. That even new drivers went up to 33 cents per mile after, she thought 50,000 miles. So which one is correct?

Like I said, as it stands right now, I plan on going to Celadon in September. I do hope I get a good trainer that will teach me all the stuff I need to know to get a good start. But as with an article here at TT says. There are some bad trainers out there.

Keep it safe out there. Joe S

I wasn't going to post, because there were so many great replies. but I kinda just wanted to tie it all up in a neat little package, so here's my thoughts. Unsafe loading. As the driver, your eyes are on that load. If it looks unsafe to you, you either ask them to reload it, or call your company and tell them your concerns. Generally, when you even whisper the word "unsafe, unsecured load" the safety department will be on the phone with you, and then the shipper. When it comes down to the nitty gritty, that load is your responsibility from S to R..If you roll over, because a load shifts in your trailer, they will assume you were going to fast. If you panic stop, and the load bows the front of the trailer. its your fault..to fast. If you make a maneuver to avoid an accident, and the load shifts...its your fault. So, to me, if its all on my back...that load will be loaded the way I want it, or if they can show me a safer way...good on 'em..I'll accept that. In the end, if the shipper won't reload, I've had them sign off on the BOL..something like "load safety refused by driver. Shipper takes responsibility". But when you tell them that they are accepting ALL the responsibility for the load from S to R...they usually won't sign off on it...lol

Thanks Starcar. Great post. Answered my question perfectly.

I am sure you don't run into that often, but I am sure there are times. Dock workers get into a hurry, or maybe it is Friday and they all want to go home.

Or as with jobs I have had and seen. They put someone in charge that doesn't know their you-know-what from a hole in the ground. and they are telling others what to do.

Keep it safe out there. Joe S

Well, you also have to make sure they load your trailer so that the weight is correct. When we pulled reefer , and were haulin' heavy palleted stuff, we demanded a single in the nose, then double on back. Alot of times the shipper is paying by the box, so he wants to send 24 pallets, which would be 2 from front to back, making us over on our steers and drives, and no way to slide it all. So yeah, I've made em unload the whole trailer and reload it. But as O/O's we had that luxury. I had a load time limit, and I'd tell 'em. If I called, and they told me my load was ready, and I got there and they told me to park in the dirt lot and listen to the cb, I'd tell them, " I called you, you said our load is ready. now you have 15 minutes to give me a dock door. And no, I won't go park in the dirt lot, I will stand right here for 15 minutes. And after that, if I don't get a dock door, I will leave, go to the truck stop, and get a load off the load board". And thats just what I did. A luxury of being an O/O...and sometimes a necessity...time is $$. So don't ever be afraid of questioning the safety of your load. Its all on you, after all is said and done.

Well, you also have to make sure they load your trailer so that the weight is correct. When we pulled reefer , and were haulin' heavy palleted stuff, we demanded a single in the nose, then double on back. Alot of times the shipper is paying by the box, so he wants to send 24 pallets, which would be 2 from front to back, making us over on our steers and drives, and no way to slide it all. So yeah, I've made em unload the whole trailer and reload it. But as O/O's we had that luxury. I had a load time limit, and I'd tell 'em. If I called, and they told me my load was ready, and I got there and they told me to park in the dirt lot and listen to the cb, I'd tell them, " I called you, you said our load is ready. now you have 15 minutes to give me a dock door. And no, I won't go park in the dirt lot, I will stand right here for 15 minutes. And after that, if I don't get a dock door, I will leave, go to the truck stop, and get a load off the load board". And thats just what I did. A luxury of being an O/O...and sometimes a necessity...time is $$. So don't ever be afraid of questioning the safety of your load. Its all on you, after all is said and done.

I would absolutely love to do that to a Walmart D/C!!! As revenge for all the times they messed up my day!!

Daniel...we've been 86'd from 4 WalMart DC's....they mumbled something about my attitude....couldn't figure out what they were talkin' about....weird people, those WalMart folks....