How Does A Truck Driver Protect Themselves
Topic 10979 | Page 5
Wasp spray can shoot a stream up to 20 feet, hit them in the eyes and they have to go to the ER for the antidote. Granted, only talking about protecting yourself from the truck...I COULD just see Rainy strolling through the parking lot with her can of wasp spray...
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
You can fill a pillow case with batteries or filled soda cans then beat the crap out of someone. Am I the only one here from the Philly/NJ/NY area? LOL
Rainy you’re not, lol. First of all we have a “look” that says keep walkin. But really most of it is being aware of your surroundings and being cautious always.>
Sorry, messed up the quote again
My outfit prohibits ANY weapons by policy in terminals, on company property, and in the vehicles. I experienced an incident in rural WI this past spring that tested the wisdom of that policy. Sitting in the middle of a county road with a 40k load of recycled plastic, with no way to get around the knuckle heads fighting gives rise to several thoughts. there are certain things that kick in. "Why the hell couldn't they have chosen another road to block with their fight!" being one of the first, followed by "Wow. That Dude's gotta knife!" Suffice to say that when the guy that has been stabbed in the back multiple times by the guy he was fighting with comes up to your truck and says "I'm bleeding out, and need your help" the ooda loop gets kind of twisty.
Doing hemorrhage care on a stabbing victim while "Mack the Knife" is somewhere nearby is certainly an invigorating experience. Not one I recommend. If I didn't have a couple of decades of history and an ethical (and possibly legal) obligation to help, I would have stayed in my truck with the doors locked.
I carry a pocket knife to "cut up my apples". I keep a #2 can of tomatoes inside a wool sock in the berth (rotational inertia is almost always your friend, and, I always have my 2# drilling hammer next to the driver seat on my strong hand side. I won't use any to keep a load from going away, but I will use any and all of them, as needed, to keep my breath from going away.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
My company did not allow us to carry firearms... they never said anything about knives ... so being a huge fan of weapons ...
I took the largest knife I had in my collection... about 14in. with a big shiny silver handle and strapped in securely to my shifter ... got a lot of comments about my addition to my truck ... even a few from DOT officers when they poked their heads in the window from the passenger side.....
I'm wondering how a truck driver protects themselves from possible highjakings, or other life threatening situation? Anything is possible right? So can't a truck driver have some sort of weapon to prevent this kind of stuff: I'm starting school for my CDL next month, and I was hoping in getting some kind of weapon for my own protection, but I will already have my own weapon as my dog will be my traveling companion, but I want a different weapon to protect both is us
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
"If it were up to me, I'd make it MANDATORY that every truck driver carried a loaded sidearm at all times while under load AND passed a weapons training and self defense course like an armed security officer!"
HELL NO!!! That's all I gotta say about that. Never touched a gun, have NO desire to touch one!
I've said it many times before.....I'll take a German Shepherd over a gun any day. By the time someone knows you have a gun or a knife they're already way too close. But people will know from quite a distance that you have a 100+ pound German Shepherd and they'll quickly lose interest in you as a target, and from a safe distance.
One morning a few years ago two houses on my road got robbed in broad daylight. One was a Sheriff's house, the other was actually a hunting cabin. Whoever did it stole all the guns in both places, along with a few other little things. I wasn't home either at the time it happened, but I had a 100 pound German Shepherd sitting on the front porch. Guess who's house never got touched?
Literally a house full of guns didn't keep anyone away. In fact, it made them a target. But a big ass German Shepherd - no one is interested in getting involved in that mess.
I just open my big mouth and nag them to death. they run
Wasp spray can shoot a stream up to 20 feet, hit them in the eyes and they have to go to the ER for the antidote. Granted, only talking about protecting yourself from the truck...I COULD just see Rainy strolling through the parking lot with her can of wasp spray...
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Wasp spray can shoot a stream up to 20 feet, hit them in the eyes and they have to go to the ER for the antidote. Granted, only talking about protecting yourself from the truck...I COULD just see Rainy strolling through the parking lot with her can of wasp spray...
Wasp spray was recommended here at Prime. Because you never know when you might need it when you have to pick up a trailer that has been sitting up for a while in the summer time. Right?
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
This topic has the following tags:
Items To Bring On The Road Life On The Road Pets Truck Driver Safety Truck Driving Lifestyle Understanding The Laws Weapons
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
To all I apologize I didn't proof read myself before sending it.
Anyhow, even though I believe in the Second Amendment, I WILL NOT usher in to force anyone to carry if they choose not to. The Government is already in our face as it is, adding this would be detrimental to the livelihood of OTR drivers and the nightmare if stopped at one of the roadside weigh stops.
This what I meant to say.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.