Terrible Day...near Impossible Dock And Then Snowbank Accident...
Topic 13208 | Page 2
Eric I will soon be going to swifts training(March 7 2016 I hope) I have been using TT in a attempt to be as prepared as I can for life as a trucker.........you have given me inspiration not for your mistakes but by your determination not to let trucking beat you. I know I have no idea what I am getting myself into. Thanks for posting your your journey so far. Hang tough man hope to see you out there soon
There are a couple of things that can help you in tight docking situations.
1. Slide the trailer tandems all the way forward. You are there now and don't have to worry about the weights.
2. Slide the 5th wheel as far forward as you can. Be sure to watch the clearance of the mudflaps and landing gear legs. Seen many a mud flap go away because of this.
3. Snow banks. These can be brutal and rip off a fender even. What happens to this soft white fluffy stuff is that it melts and refreezes on the outside basically eventually turning it into a large block of ice that is harder than your bumper.
The tortoise did not beat the hare by being faster.
Tandems:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Tandem:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
...you have given me inspiration not for your mistakes but by your determination not to let trucking beat you. I know I have no idea what I am getting myself into. Thanks for posting your your journey so far. Hang tough man hope to see you out there soon
If I can't be an example, at least be a warning, right - LOL!
There are a couple of things that can help you in tight docking situations.
1. Slide the trailer tandems all the way forward. You are there now and don't have to worry about the weights.
2. Slide the 5th wheel as far forward as you can. Be sure to watch the clearance of the mudflaps and landing gear legs. Seen many a mud flap go away because of this.
3. Snow banks. These can be brutal and rip off a fender even. What happens to this soft white fluffy stuff is that it melts and refreezes on the outside basically eventually turning it into a large block of ice that is harder than your bumper.
The tortoise did not beat the hare by being faster.
Never thought about sliding the tandems, but was pretty much told to never move the drives.
Tandems:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Tandem:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Erik,
I imagine that you're working for Swift, I am too. I'm starting my fifth week solo, I too felt the same way my first couple of weeks. It was pure chaos to me, I couldn't believe how incredibly difficult it is just to navigate safely from point A to point B, you and I both have much to learn and will probably make more mistakes too. But every day you'll build more confidence behind the wheel and you'll have a better idea of what's safe and what may not be, also your judgement will improve too.
What I find helpful, is remembering that all I have to do is be safe and not hit anything or tear anything up, I find that constantly reminding myself of that makes it easier when I show up at a shipper or reciever and it's a tricky back. By saying that to myself it helps nullify that feeling of overwhelming embarrassment because it's taking me a whIle to back in. I feel that if you try and have that attitude it allows you to "think" and not worry which isn't gonna help you maneuver that truck safely.
On the hard braking, I had that happen to me as well, I was bobtail and couldn't see a traffic light around a curve, and it caught me off guard, I was able to stop but it scared me and I learned from it. I got a message on my QC asking if everything was okay, I told them what happened, and all I got was an "ok" as a response. I felt bad and was a little worried too, but they didn't fire me right then and there, so I had to continue on with my day safely. Sometimes in order to do that you have to quickly learn from your boo boo, and put the feelings of guilt and anxiety behind you so that you can continue on safely. All I can say is, make sure you're learning from your mistakes, and keep at it. This job is difficult and stressful, but don't let it break you. This industry needs safe drivers who care, and it seems like you've got that part taken care.
Good luck, Dan
Bobtail:
"Bobtailing" means you are driving a tractor without a trailer attached.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Erick, Yes that first week can be brutal. On your own, and almost impossible to ask your DM (Funny, they just don't answer the phone!)
During my first week I made a list of "issues" and posted it here: My First Week Adventure As A Swift Driver. It will get better!
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.New Reply:
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Swift Transport Dealing With The Weather Dispatcher Issues First Solo Months On The Road First Truck Driving Job Hard Lessons Learned Tips for Parking
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Sounds awesome man! Go get em. Expect it to be really hard for a while yet but keep learning and keep telling yourself "relax, go slow, and be safe" - that's all that matters.