Droopy's trucking fact of the day.

[Droopy]

I hope you find this interesting. I plan on doing one of these threads every so often until I run out of things to talk about. I take pride in being a trucker and I know the trade is a mystery to some so I'm hoping that people will learn something new about it. So let's talk trucking.

I'll start with some general information about the industry.

Trucking is a trade where men, women, and minorities are treated the same as far as pay and benefits go. There is no disparity in pay. Drivers get paid more for experience and time in with the company no matter their make or model which is the way it should be. Qualifications for being a trucker are: You must be 21. You have to pass CDL testing. This includes written tests and a driving test. Most drivers go to truck driving school to learn how to pass the state mandated tests. You have to pass a physical. That's it. Almost anyone can be a trucker. But just because the trucking companies have got the equal opportunity gig down right doesn't mean we're one big trucking utopia. Racism, sexism, and homophobia are still present amongst some drivers. This usually manifests itsef on the cb radio where cowards will sometimes say things that they would never say to the face of another human being. It's an issue that I'd like to see the industry try to address.

While there are industries that are of equal importance to our way of life, no industry is of greater importance than trucking. That's a pretty tall claim, but think about it for a minute. Just about everything you own has been on a truck at some point in time. Your home, food, clothing, car we're all brought to you by a trucker. Without trucks, we'd be back to the horse and wagon days. From the shortest straight trucks to the 200 foot heavy haulers a healthy trucking industry is vital to our economy. When you see a bumper sticker on the back of a truck that says, "Trucks keep America moving," it is the literal truth.

My first 3 1/2 years of driving I spent over-the-road (driving cross country). I even owned my own rig for a couple of years. While doing that I hauled anything they would throw in the box: Clothing, tires, food, construction material, hazardous materials, paper. I've since got myself a deal where I'm home every night hauling auto parts. I'm currently on a run hauling transmissions to a GM assembly plant in Moraine, Ohio. It's gets pretty boring running the same route every day, but it beats living in a truck.

Thanks for reading. I hope I haven't bored you. Keep the shiny side up and the dirty side down and I'll catch you on the flip side.

[MuseRider]

1. This is a great idea!

I know very little about the industry from someone inside it anyway. It is nice to learn about it. My youngest brother signed on to do this once but was working for a moving company. He saw lots of the country but worked his ass off and hated it so he quit. He never was one for sweating much. Anyway, this is a nice idea. Thanks.

[Droopy]

2. Thank you, MuseRider

I'm glad you like it.

Yeah that moving business your brother was into is one of the harder jobs to have in the trucking industry. Those guys only put in about half the miles of your average trucker, but boy do they make up for it with loading and unloading trucks. That's a really hard job.

[Richardo]

3. I'm in the freight moving bidness myself, Droopy

Although I'm now on the shipper side, I spent 17 years in the rail biz (don't hate me).

Don't know how you did it as an owner-operator - the costs and competition are brutal. Now about those fuel surcharges... ;)

Must be nice to be home every night now...

:thumbsup:

[Droopy]

5. I'm cool with the rail biz, Richardo

I just wish I didn't have to stop at their railroad tracks when I've got hazmat on. ;)

Owner operating was a rough way to go. I got in when you could still get fuel for a $1 a gallon most places. Then came the price spikes and that didn't make owner-operating worth it. The company I was leased to wouldn't pay a fuel surcharge. I was making less than some company drivers. So I decided to sell the truck and go local. Probably the best decision I've made in my career as a trucker.

[trotsky]

4. Thanks for the post!

I dated a girl in high school whose dad was a trucker. Man did he have some stories to tell! One of the nicest guys I've ever met, too.

[Droopy]

6. Yup

Truckers see a lot of things that most people never experience. Being out on the road is a rough job, but the experiences and the sites make it all worthwhile to some.

One of my favorite things to do as an cross country driver was to go out west. I love the country out there and it's one of the things I miss when I'm traveling through the boring, flat farmland of Ohio.

[ET Awful]

7. So did your truck have a Navitron Autodrive? . . .

Yes, I know only a Simpsons fan would get the reference :)


http://animatedtv.about.com/library/weekly/aa081800a.htm

[Droopy]

9. Eh, is that anything like cruise control? n/t

[ET Awful]

11. Hehehe

It's kind of like cruise control cubed :). It drives the truck for you. . .vague Simpsons reference I only thought of because they re-ran the episode last night :).

[madrchsod]

8. hey- i`ve worked in forge shops, a steelmill

and other heavy industrys and if was not for truck drivers, well i wouldn`t have alot of stories to tell!!!!! mr natural say`s "keep on trucking"........

[Droopy]

10. 10-4

Yeah, I think one thing trucking does is build character in an individual because we sure have a lot of charcters out here!

[TrogL]

12. Are they still using CB's much

or did they upgrade to 2 metre or family-channel FM?

Last few times I've been on the road (van, not truck) I haven't heard boo on 19 or any other channel and my rigs modded to go to 28.050

[Droopy]

13. Some truckers use HAM radios

But the vast majority still use cb radios. And 19 is still the preferred channel. I don't know why you haven't heard anything. Even at night and on the weekends the cb is still pretty lively.

I've been without a cb for several months now. I used to have a cobra LTD 29. It got stolen at our yard which is in a crime infested area. I just haven't felt the need to get a new one yet. Maybe I'll do that pretty soon.

[TrogL]

18. I've got a Cobra 451

Any idea where I could get new finals for it?

[Droopy]

14. Off to work now

I'll check in later tonight when I get home.

[Bunny]

15. The father of my kids is a truck driver.

Years ago, before I knew him, he was an owner-operator. He eventually went belly up, and it's easy to see why. That's a tough market.

He drives local now, but still routinely puts in very looooong days. It's common for him to leave his house at around 1:00 AM, and not get back home till 6:00 or 7:00 PM. He barely has time to get a few hours sleep and then he's back at it again. I do not know how he does it, myself.

I get really aggravated with his bosses, because they routinely expect him to drive while overloaded, doctor up his log, and then NOT pay him full wages when shit happens that he has no control over.

I blame some of this on our consuming society. We MUST have the latest stuff, preferrably immediately. If that means a trucker has to exceed the daily hour limit, or drive an overweight truck, then so be it. Companies want "just in time" deliveries, customers want everything yesterday, and it all filters down to the men and women on the road.

Racism and sexism are still prevalent. My former S.O. gets very upset when he perceives that one of the women in their company is getting the better runs. He assumes that she's getting special treatment because she's a woman. I learned to ignore that sort of stuff when he spewed it.

There are truckers on the road who are a-holes, but there are also plenty of car drivers who apparently have no clue about basic physics. They seem to think that big rigs can stop instantly, etc. I imagine you have your share of horror stories.

It's a brutal job physically. My former S.O. is most likely going to be laid off very soon, and will have to apply for disability. I hope he never has to get back in a truck again.

Thanks for all you do!

[guitar man]

16. My Dad was a trucker

35 years and I think about 3 1/2 million miles. Never wrecked one. He was an Independent when I was very young, then he got a Teamster job and never looked back. I remember that's when life got a lot better.

[ChoralScholar]

17. I come from a long line of truck drivers

My dad retired from a Teamsters job in November after 45 years.

He used to say "If you can lay your eyes on it, it was brought by a truck."