Just another one of those things I was able to check off the "First" list.
Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of blowing my first steer tire in 15 years of driving. I was quite astonished to find out it was no where near as frightening as I thought it would be. Basically, I heard the noise, felt the front end raise as if I had run over something and then wop wop wop wop wop. It was not much of a struggle to keep control of the truck and ease off onto the shoulder out of harm's way. Perhaps, the low center of gravity on a car-hauler played a vital role in this.
And while I do seem to have exquisite luck, ( I will not indicate which end of the spectrum my luck tends to run), I was actually very lucky in the amount of damaged that was sustained.
Managed to keep my fender!
That is no illusion. With the dropped cab and blown tire, my fuel tank is hovering an inch above the ground.
Damage to the hydraulic lines for the front cylinder where the rubber slapped it a few times.
If you noticed in the first picture, there is slight damage to the fender, but I was able to reattach the mud flap and with the "new" used tire in place, I was able to drive away. No brake damage, no hood damage, no damage to any components under the hood.... At least that I know of.
I am also very thankful that a few weeks ago, I took it upon myself to have my right fuel tank rotated. It has an aluminum elbow on the bottom which is attached to the hydraulic oil tank. Notice how low that tank is sitting? I would have sheared a good portion of that elbow off and perhaps caused a substantial oil spill.
The hydraulic lines did take a good punch. There will be no moving the front of the deck over my hood until those are replaced. I tested it to see if it was punctured and the 8' rooster tail of oil was a pretty good indication. What this means is I was unable to raise the hood to check for more damages from the blown tire. But at least I was able to unload that evening and had an appointment to get the lines repaired the next morning. Sure, I know it all sounds bad, but with minimal damages I was able to mark one more "first" off my list.
So a few weeks ago, not really sure when, I was on my way to Atlanta to take the pre-employment drug screen and physical for my soon to be new employer. As a truck driver, my eyes are constantly scanning the road for hazards, whether it be motorists or debris. As a Mustang GT owner, my eyes are constantly scanning the road for hazards, whether it be motorists or debris...
I noticed some objects laying in the road a pretty good ways ahead, but since they were actually laying on the dotted line, I was not too worried about having to dodge them. I wont make that mistake again. Just as I was approaching said objects (metal) , the car beside me accelerates and proceeds to cut over in front of me. I saw his blinker come on and just knew he would wait until he passed the metal lying in the road. WRONG!! He barely made it passed me before intruding in my lane.
He crossed the lane making direct contact with the metal object. His rear tire collected the item and sent it flying into the air and directly into my bumper. SMACK, crunch, bounce, scrap...... SIGH!!!!
My first thought was to check and see if the tires had been cut but the car continued to handle just fine. I made it to the clinic and decided to check out the damage... Not what I wanted to see.
The bumper has a hole through it, and the impact knocked out the turn signal light assembly. The front wheel was scarred and the back tire flattened.
The bright side of this little incident, is that I actually keep my cool throughout. I made my appointment for the pre-employment screening. I made the trip back from Atlanta and did not yell, cuss scream, or threaten to kill anybody.. Maybe, I am finally starting to get over all of that pent up rage and frustration accumulated during the past few years of my trucking career. Maybe??
As a rule, I typically expect automobile drivers to make erratic and dangerous decisions while traveling the Interstates. I credit them for not being as skilled when it comes to traversing miles from home, as most people drive in a significantly smaller radius of asphalt. By this, I just mean I try to always expect the unexpected and not get disgruntled when it happens right in front of me. I anticipate!!
As a rule, I expect truck drivers to be more skilled, more conscientious and more considerate of their surroundings. They are suppose to be Trained Professionals..."suppose" being the operative word!
Earlier this month, I witnessed the aftermath of an accident which involved 2 Big Trucks. The particular circumstances of this incident actually enrage me to the point of wanting to kick, scream, and slap all the idiots that are driving 18 Wheelers. And believe me, there are plenty of those to go around.
The first driver was parked on the shoulder of the road for whatever reason and decided it was time to merge back into traffic. The second driver was moseying down the right lane minding his own business when the first driver pulled into the right lane directly in front of him. Whether or not the second driver had room to merge to the left and allow the first driver access to the right lane is really of no consequence. Some people would argue that, but the rule of thumb is to merge into the flow of traffic, safely. Not to slow the rate of travel to match that of motorists on the ramp. That is why the YIELD sign is on the ramp and not on the shoulder of the Interstate!!
So, the first driver pulls out into traffic and the second driver either has too little reaction time or cannot move over safely and ends up in the ditch. The impact indicated the first driver was no where near up to road speed as the last 10 feet of his trailer were obliterated by the collision with the governed tractor trailer who rear-ended him. I sincerely hope the second driver survived the collision. As I passed the accident, I noticed the first driver sitting in his cab. His blank expression said it all!!
I myself have had to dodge 3 Big Trucks who decided to reenter the flow of traffic at less then 20 miles per hour. The first time it was a JB Hunt. He pulled off the shoulder in a low gear directly in front of a pack of 10 tractor trailers motivating at 65plus mph. I was lucky that everyone was paying attention that day. As the truck in front of me made a left lane change, I saw the offending truck and dived into a 70 ft hole to my left, missing the corner of his trailer by mere inches. The second time was an owner operator pulling a flatbed. He also entered the travel lanes on the low side of his transmission and once again I dodged a bullet because a fourwheeler hit the left shoulder to allow me room in the left lane. I proceeded to get verbal with the driver and he felt the need to berate and belittle me for the next 20 miles. He seemed a little defensive to me and felt he could only exonerate himself by calling me a stupid bitch. The third incident involved a KNIGHT truck. This time, a car was pushed into the median as another truck began sliding into the left lane while trying to brake hard to avoid impact. I ended up jumping to the right shoulder to avoid a collision. Afterwards, the Knight driver hid behind his curtain as traffic passed him, obviously not wanting to acknowledge his bad judgement.
I am sick and tired of having to overcompensate for the lack of training and common sense that some of these drivers possess. In a perfect world, this would not be the case. I already allow for the cars to make mistakes, as I said, I expect it. But to continually have to watch for fellow truckdrivers is really testing my patience. But this is an old rant for me.... And one I am sure to repeat.
Seems like it has been forever since I have posted a few rambling thoughts as to the goings on and what have you's of my day to day routine. I can assure you everything is fine and life is splendidly divine as always.
Todays Post... or perhaps, this months post... is stimulated by a little snafu that occurred earlier in the day.
I had delivered in Sterling, Virginia first thing this morning and was making my way around the top side of the Capitol Beltway towards Jessup, Maryland. Cruising in the far left truck lane, I had just cleared another truck when he gave me the ole blink, blink... flash, flash... indication that I had indeed made enough progress to merge back into the middle lane if I so should choose. Knowing that a major split was just a few miles ahead, I so choose to do so. I turn on the right blinker and slowly drift into the middle lane. CRAP.... CRAP, CRAP, CRAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!
It seems another fellow had decided that he no longer was satisfied with the conditions of the right lane and had also decided to utilize the middle lane at exactly the same moment. Needless to say, we met in the middle.
Unfortunately, as I drifted right, another vehicle in the far left lane decided to commandeer my vacated spot, so when contact was made with the little Ford Fusion, I was unable to merge back to the left without involving another vehicle, so I had to ride it out.
CRUNCH, SCRAP, POP, CRUNCH.....
Thankfully traffic was forgiving and allowed us to pull over to the shoulder to investigate the accident. The driver of the Ford was the most delightful fellow and never once laid blame at my feet. He mentioned he had noticed the vast amount of open lane and was not aware that I was moving into it. Being directly side by side, we were essentially in each others blind spot. I could not see him at all and he could not see my turn signals. Virginia's Finest was on the scene within minutes and issued a No Fault Accident Report with no citations. We managed to remove the bumper and change the tire and reemerge into the flow that is DC Rush Hour.
I felt so horrible that this happened, not claiming any wrongdoing on my part, but the gentlemen was just so pleasant. It literally could not have happened to a nicer guy.
Below are pictures of the damages sustained. My damages consist of a few plastic coated lugnuts. Okay, maybe there is some silver paint on them too.
Let this serve as a gentle reminder.. My vehicle is bigger than yours and it takes a whole lot more to push me off the road. One little scratch on the rim versus 2 doors, a quarter panel, tire, rim and bumper...
Not exactly the best week to be blogging about. Oh, there was nothing wrong with the work week itself, but I was reminded to take time and consider all that is important to me. We should all do this more often than we probably do, but life gets busy sometimes.
On Sunday evening while I was making my way towards the Carolina Coast, I witnessed a tragic accident.
As I was progressing eastbound, nearing an entrance ramp, I merged to the left lane to accommodate for oncoming traffic. It was then, as I looked into my mirror that I noticed a huge cloud of dust and debris. As I continued to stare at it, a car came tumbling out of the haze. It was literally doing a barrel roll about 10 foot off of the ground. I watched as it slammed onto the pavement and began to roll again. It finally came to rest in a runoff ditch full of water, sending a spray of liquid nearly 20 feet in the air. This all took place just a few hundred yards behind me in a matter of seconds, but I was still able to see "objects" ejected from the vehicle. I hope and pray those objects were not the occupants of the vehicle. I was shocked into a silence... Immediately I dialed 911 to report the scene and after speaking with the emergency operator, I continued my evening in a quiet contemplative mood.
This for me, is the hardest part about being a truck driver. Facing mortality. I did not know these people, but with the assumption that a life has literally just ended before my eyes, my heart is ripped apart. I grieve for the victims, I grieve for the families, I even grieve for any witnesses who are left with mental scars of what they have just witnessed...
Gratefully, I have not witnessed an excess of fatalities, but then again, isn't even one an excess!
On Monday, I had the privilege of being accused of hitting a fourwheeler. I know I didn't do it, beyond a shadow of a doubt!! But the lady was determined to lay blame.
I was backing into a customer's driveway (it is a deadend with no room to turn around) and with the excessive snowbanks encroaching on the parking spots, the cars were staggered out into the driveway. There is typically enough room for 2 trucks side by side, so with the limited space there was still plenty of room for a single truck. The driveway is at least 500 ft long, and once I was planted in the middle of it, no one was going to get around me. There are also 5 businesses in this particular building, with my customer being to the rear. I had waited for several cars to come out before backing in, but once I was in the driveway, I noticed a lady dart out of one of the doors and fly to her car. She proceeded to back out of her spot and pull up behind me. Sorry Chicky, the only way you are getting around me is to pull back into your spot and let me by.
She pulls back into her spot and I creep by in reverse. I noticed her get out of the car and stand by her rear fender. Can't say I blame her for that because if I had a truck within 12" on my car, I would be out watching too.
I can see my fender in my spot mirror. I can see my steps in the little handy dandy "lot lizard" mirror that hangs over the passenger door. I can see at least a foot of pavement between me and the cars. Yes, it was tight! I need to get my trailer over just a little more to the left and did not want to risk getting any closer to the cars, so I pulled forward to give myself a little more room on the right side. Back in reverse, she is still by her fender. I just had made it passed her car and into the fenced area when she comes flying around to my window screaming " You just hit me!!"
My internal reaction was, this lady is crazy! My verbal reaction.. " Really, you would stand between me and your car and let me hit you?"
No, she thinks I hit her car... I didn't. I would have hit HER first. She is irate and screaming at me, so I told her to calm down, as I set forth to inspect the damages. She is continuing to fly off the handle cussing and berating me in typical Jersey Girl fashion. I tried to calm her down by telling her that the situation would be resolved and our insurance would take care of it, IF I was proven guilty, but we would need proper documentation. So the police were called out and while we waited, I grabbed the camera to document damages and vehicle positioning. I also grabbed a tape measure to determine just exactly what part of my truck could have possibly been responsible for the damages. I never found anything that was at the correct height to have scratched the car. The steps were 4 inches too low. The corners of the APU were even further away from the appropriate height. There is nothing else that pokes out and there were no indications on my truck whatsoever that I had made contact with her car. The more I documented, the more upset she became.
The customer I was delivering to, viewed the footage on the camera mounted outside and could not determine that I had hit her. All the employees came out to look and agreed that there was no way I had done this.
After an hour and a half wait, the police finally showed up to take the report. The "victim" then starts screaming at them for taking too long to arrive. I remained calm throughout the whole ordeal, because I was certain of my innocence. I let her have her say and waited to be questioned. First thing I noticed from the officers, were the smirks emblazoned on their faces. They were also trying to calm the lady down, but mentioned to her that there was no way that I had done this. The positioning of the car was all wrong. The only way I could have hit her car in the center of the bumper, parked at that angle, would have been while pulling forward, and the damages would have been a lot worse had I done this in reverse. I would have destroyed the bumper and parts of the fender. She had told them I did it while backing up. She also made a few more mistakes.. She told them she was sitting in the car and heard me hit her. Then she revised her statement and told them she was standing by the car and saw me hit her... Finally, she said she felt me hit her while sitting in the car. Which is it, Lady?
The officers returned to the car while she continued to shoot a few "go to hell" looks in my direction. After filing there report, they returned to give her a copy and as she left, she almost backed into the police car...
Then the officer approached me and handed me a green slip of paper. His instructions were as follows...
" What I suggest you do is get back in your truck and throw this piece of paper away. I did not file an accident report. There was no way you were responsible. Your name and company are not listed on any documentation. The only reason I am handing you this paper is to keep her calm."
He told me that he filed a damage report for her, but the cause of the damage was unknown.. He said he would not in good conscience lay blame at my feet for something he could not visualize having ever happened.
See, the Smokey Bears are not all bad... Thanks again, Suffolk County!!
I am sure that by now, all of you have heard of the The Big Winter Storm that swept through the South at the beginning of this week. Hold that thought for a second while I go find some wood to knock on, because I may regret my next sentence.
I have an incredible propensity for dodging inclimate weather during winter. And this week was no exception.
I was able to get out of Atlanta before the storm hit. Arriving in Baltimore, in was a balmy 40 degrees with brilliant blue skies. I had a few deliveries in Pennsylvania and was able to make it back to Dublin, Virginia just in time to settle in for the night. The local forecast was calling for somewhere between 1-2" or 4-6" of fresh snow, depending on who you talked to. I was already a little nervous about being so close to home, so early in the week. It was only Monday night and the storm was still actively proceeding east. Lucky for me, I was a tad bit further north than the trajectory of this particular system. However, I also heard tales that Fancy Gap was a nightmare and was only getting worse. Fancy Gap was only 40 miles away, so, with that in mind, I snuggle down for the night. No alarm clocks set, because I was completely resigned to waking up in a winter wonderland and even though I was only 7 hours from home, I fully expected a full days drive in getting there.
I woke up, raring to go. Noticing that there was only about a half inch of snow outside of my windshield, I decided to get the party started.
Still a little anxious, I make my way down Fancy Gap... No problems, no ice, no fresh snow. The roads were immaculate and continued to remain that way, all the way through South Carolina.
That is until.....
I decided to pull into our shop located in Greer, SC for a little fuel and some new wiper blades. The shop is located on a little county road. With the Interstates being so well maintained, it never crossed my mind what the county roads looked like, or that the shop might actually be closed. The county road ended up being coated in about 3" of solid ice.
I slowly make my way down the road, trying to gauge my distance so that I will not have to stop in order to make my left turn. But I suppose my presence on this little county road was too much for the other vehicles. An approaching car decided to stop and watch me, which in turn made me have to apply the brakes so I would not miss my turn into the terminal driveway. Blasted FourWheelers !!
I had no problem stopping. However, after the car passed me, I found that inertia was not on my side. "A tendency for an object at rest, to remain at rest " I locked in my differential and found a superlow gear, but the moment I applied fuel, my ass end decided to slide to the right, straight into the piney perimeter of this little lane. Of course, inertia once again finished me off, dragging the rest of my tractor off the beaten path as well. Grrrrrr!! There was nothing left to do at this point, AND the terminal WAS CLOSED.
Having made it 1500 miles thus far with absolutely no treacherous road conditions, the only thing left to do was laugh at myself for getting stuck so close to home.
Within a matter of minutes, I looked up to see a Big Truck Wrecker ambling towards me. Oh, the sheer luck of it all. He stopped to ask if I was immobile, duh !! , and offered his services. He was on his way to extract 4 other trucks from similar predicaments around town and promised to return as quick as he could, which only turned out to be about an hour.
Disaster averted, I was able to get my fuel, meander back out to the Interstate and commence heading towards the house, hammer down. It wasn't until I reached Commerce, Ga that I first saw signs of trouble on the the Interstate. From this point, travel was reduced to one lane in each direction with quite a few icy patches.
Upon entering the city, I was notified that parts of 285 were still closed and all southbound 85 traffic was to be diverted through downtown. At rush hour, even. But alas, most residents were still safe and snuggled up at home, so there was still very few cars out on the roads. The overpasses were fubar, but I managed to make it home with no more issues.
The 7 hours trip (under normal circumstances) ended up only taking 9 hours and that was with the snafu I experienced in South Carolina. So all is well that ended well.
Here is a little video I found to illustrate a small portion of what I did, in fact, miss out on !! Good Times !
Anybody still here? Life has been crazy lately with so much going on, but it is time for a little breather. So, in order to dive back into the world of blogging, I think I will begin with my current status.
The past few weeks, AA, has been taking my New England route, and I have been stuck fighting amongst the drivers in search of extra miles. Because I live so far from the plant, if there is nothing available relatively quick, I tend to head home with whatever I have managed to scrape up for the week. This week, a load fell into my lap that offers plenty of miles, but will take all week to deliver.
Starting near Atlanta, I will head to Chattanooga, and then deliver in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, western Pennsylvania and finally finish up a rock's throw from Niagara Falls.
Currently, I am waiting to see if the second shift near Pittsburgh, Pa, will unload me tonight, or if I will have to sleep on it before heading up to Lock Port, NY. I would have been here in plenty of time for the first shift to receive me, except for the massive delays I experienced in Delaware this morning.
I was heading north on 95, making a beeline for the 95/495/295/NJTP split. Just after passing the point of no return, traffic comes to a complete halt. No big deal, as there is a tight construction zone ahead which requires traffic to slow to 25mph due to excessively narrow lanes. After a few minutes, it became obvious that we were not going to be moving any time soon. Finally, a southbounder notifies us of an overturned dump truck blocking both lanes in the zone. Not one to fuss over things beyond my control, I set the brakes, shut off the motor and grabbed my latest read. A few motorist began to climb out of the cars and wander around. Because I have the luxury of communication, I was able to find out all the information being broadcast. I then jumped out of my truck and played hostess with the mostest, informing everyone of the accident and alerting them to alternate routes of escape. The Smokeys were allowing automobiles to back down the shoulder to the previous exit and be on their way. I helped several vehicles, stranded in the left lane, to make the necessary maneuvers in order to get the right shoulder runway. After the cars were cleared from the interstate, the 6-10 wheelers were then cleared for take off.
Finally, when all was clear, the big lumbering giants were allowed to back out of what could have been a very long delay.
I know I shouldn't poke fun, but I just cant help it sometimes. After sitting for nearly 2 hours while traffic dispersed in reverse, I took an alternate route to the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Mr Smokey gave me exact directions and they worked like a charm. I also noticed, that they had Highway Hero trucks set up at all the turns to help everyone find their way through. But, I just cant help but giggle a little when I think of all those truckers who got lost and were begging for help. I think I was the only truck in my immediate vicinity who followed the alternate route. The rest missed the first turn due to someone's miscommunication of directions over the CB. I tried to interject , but you cannot tell a truck driver anything....
Especially ME !! LOL
I was only 1.5 hours late....due to a 2 hour delay plus detour...Oh well, cross your fingers.
I received a bit of bad news this week while on vacation.
One of our regular drivers was injured in an accident while delivering in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Not sure of all of the details, so I can only presume how this might have happened.
The driver was waiting for the customer to unload and during the process, several bundles of aluminum toppled off of the trailer, knocking the driver to the ground and breaking his pelvis multiple times. He was taken to the local hospital and endured surgery. Thankfully, no other serious injuries were reported. We are hoping to have him transported back to Atlanta fairly soon, so friends and family will have more immediate access to him.
The last time one of our drivers was injured while unloading, it was life threatening. He remained hospitalized in critical condition for an extended period in Texas, hundreds of miles away from home. He recovered.
So, I am cutting my vacation time short to go help out. But most importantly... Jeremy is not fighting for his life. He is stable and only time will tell how well he recovers.
What I am about to tell you is so ridiculously funny and embarrassing, but I thought it was too good to not pass along.
Last night, I decided to go running after I arrived at my destination. It was a tad bit late, and although I did not leave the immediate vicinity, I still took precautions to ensure a reasonable amount of safety. I carry certain items with me, in case of emergency type items. This includes my phone, and some sort of weapon. Sure, if I was to be attacked I might not do much damage to a big hulking man, but I do want to do some damage.
After finishing my run and cleaning up, I retrieved the weapons and was going to stow them away.
The safety latch was off.
I accidentally hit the trigger.
and shot a mist of pepper spray into the cab of my truck. Although I did not spray myself directly, the mist almost instantaneously took affect. I shut my eyes the instant I realized what I had done, thankfully!! My nasal passages and mouth were not so lucky. My mouth started to burn and my sinuses went numb and began to flow like a water tap. I made a not so successful dive for the drivers side window to allow fresh air into the truck, but managed to stumble over the gear shifter and almost do a face plant in the steering wheel. The only thing I could even remotely compare it to would be eating a spoonful of Wasabi in one bite. I have had a lot of wasabi, and this was more painful than the largest dosage of the good stuff that I have ever been brave enough to swallow.
I did get the windows down and turned the ac fans on full blast to try and extricate any remaining fumes. It was only a tiny blast and cleared out quickly, but I had a sack full of snotty rags from trying to stop the nasal drainage. My eyes were never affected as I stumbled about blindly, and I suppose that was the funniest part, or maybe it was me hanging my head as far out of the window as humanly possible, reminiscent of a dog going for a joy ride with his tongue lashing about.
Unless you take into consideration that I did this to myself!! Yep, that is pretty darn funny too!!
This week, I was delighted to find myself heading westwardly bound into the old familiar places of yesteryear.
My route included heading through Alabama, Mississippi (one stop), Tennessee (one stop), Arkansas, Oklahoma (one stop) Kansas (one stop) I was only in Kansas for a grand total of 11 miles, and Missouri (4 stops).
I have a separate post to enlighten you with the details of that journey, but for now......I just have two comments.
1. Is it just me or is there an unusually large number of tire marks in the medians? I don't mean where Smokies are making flips to chase down the bad guy either. I mean out of control vehicles... Seriously! I drive in some of the heaviest traffic areas, and while there are some major malfunctions, there is nothing that compares to the battle scars left on I-40. Did you people forget how to drive, or is the monotony of the open road/wide open spaces lulling you to sleep? It just seems like every quarter of a mile, there was a new path cutting through the middle...Skids marks of a helter skelter design where someone left the roadway and ended up facing Jupiter, and not just the cars! Oh no, there were plenty of duel marks suggesting that the Big Riggers had been offroading it as well.
and
2. Someone is trying to burn up Oklahoma. In the first 50 miles , I noticed over a dozen stretches where the grassy shoulders had been burned into oblivion. Continuing onto the Muskogee Turnpike, I decided to film for a bit. In all, in a hundred mile stretch, there were 27 burns!! I am thinking you should not be throwing those lite cigarettes out the window, but that is just my opinion!!
I checked the calendar and the full moon is still a few days away, but it seems that the gravitational pull has affected a few more Truckers already....
I ran a short haul last night and on my way home this morning, I witnessed a few more "could have been avoided" occurrences.
~4. A jack-knifed Big Truck....Usually this is the result of poor driving conditions or erratic maneuvers involving other motorists. But NO!! This fellow was jack-knifed because after he slide his tandems at the truck stop, he forgot to lock his pins back into place....For those who don't know, the pins lock the sliding tandems into a carriage mounted underneath the trailer.The tandems slide in order to be able to adjust the weight of the load on each axle. So, after he left, he hit the brakes and they were obviously working very well. Well enough to indeed rip the tandems from underneath the trailer and send it sliding in a wide arc, blocking the freeway ramp!!
~5. A flatbed overturned in the median!! He has a big single coil of steel, probably weighing about 20 tons or better. The ones I hauled were usually about 42, 000, so that is my guesstimate. He had it secured to his trailer using only 4" straps......A lot of them, but still.......My obvious problem with this is that it is completely illegal to haul a 40,000 pound steel coil with canvas straps.. It has been awhile, but I think you are actually required to use one chain/binder per every 5,000 pounds of weight....Well, something like that anyways... All it took was for that coil to shift a few inches and the trailer immediately begin to flip....The coil itself was shot through the median and came to rest just inches from on-coming traffic.
and finally
~6. While getting fuel, I noticed an Big Truck's horn ringing out a warning. I looked to see what the disturbance was, when I noticed that the Trucker toot toot tooting his horn was actually trying to clear traffic so he could exit the truck stop. He was sitting at the exit trying to cross over a four lane highway. After becoming impatient he then decided to dive out into traffic while blowing his horn in hopes traffic would stop for him....and it did......With smoking tires and squalling brakes, 3 cars slide to a stop to allow the USA TRUCK to cross the highway.... I have no idea what this guy was thinking, but I bet you he would have regretted this decision had he decapitated the occupants of any one of those vehicles....
Normally, I cringe at the moves that four-wheelers make, and I really should not engage in Trucker bashing, but I cannot for the life of me understand some of the idiotic decisions being made on our roadways. In ten years as a Truck Driver, I have only been involved in ONE accident..and it could not have been avoided..Even the Smokey remarked on what an excellent job I did to maintain control and not hurt anyone including myself....
I will be in NYC when the Full Moon shows his little cheesy head! At least there, I already know what to expect!!
So do me a huge favor, and do not force me to blog about your next stupid move, cuz I will do it!!
Yesterday I had the most harrowing (sp?) to date in a big truck.
Seven miles from home, I exit the Interstate, make a right turn and proceed to the traffic light that will guide me home. In the direction I am traveling, this particular signal has two lanes. The left lane is for left turns and straight ahead traffic. The right lane is for RIGHT TURNS ONLY. There is also a railroad crossing about 15 feet from the signal. Just enough room for one car to get across the tracks and trigger the light. In a big truck, you have to remain 30 feet or so from the intersection because this particular track is used frequently throughout the day.
The signal was red and is often backed up for a mile or better trying to get through the intersection. There were several cars in front of me. When the signal turned green, the folks in front of me were slow to proceed. In fact, I think the woman in front of me was slow to do anything as she looked to be about 200 years old, but I digress....
When making the left turn (I take up the whole intersection and swing really wide to the right to avoid hitting anyone in the turn lane of the road I am turning on to. ) So, as I am about 90 percent through the intersection, from out of the corner of my eye, I notice movement on my passenger side. I hear another Truck Horn scream out into the air. That is when I notice the little white chevy pick-up (a company vehicle) come flying around my right side on two wheels from out of the right hand turn lane, making the left turn in front of me. Or beside me.... Seriously on two tires, I saw the body of the truck bounce when the other two tires came in contact with the ground. I saw his ladder fly out of the bed of his truck. I saw him almost collide with not only myself, but with the car in front of me.
JACKASS, the reason I was going soooo slow was to avoid pushing Grandma, not because I am loaded heavy or just can't shift my gears quick enough.
There were two young guys in the vehicle and they were having a great time playing Dukes of Hazzard. You could see they were tickled pink with that particular manuever. Any ways, after the near fiasco in the intersection, and following Grandma for about 2 miles, they took off screaming down the little two lane highway at least 60. The road is rated for 45 as there are a lot of driveways and businesses. I saw them almost collide into another vehicle making a turn.
I did manage to get the make and model, tag number and description. I was not able to see the company name on the door. Oh, if I had I would have made a personal visit to their employer just to let them know what these guys were up to in the company truck. I contacted the Sheriffs Office to see if there was anything they could do about it. But with it not being an official emergency, there was little to be done. They humored me by telling me that they would run the tag and drop by the company to report the complaint.
If only.... I would love to find out these boys were fired for reckless endangerment in a company vehicle. I would love for them to see me laughing at them for messing with a big truck. I would love for them to realize I got them fired.... If only.....
HOLY COW..... What a day.... yesterday that is. After receiving the news of the flaming truck, I checked in with the BossMan to see what was up... Should I be concerned.... It seems that Volvo will have to do a little investigating because the fire was a result of internal issues.... That's right.. it started in the motor....
I love to overly check my equipment, but there is nothing to check concerning internal issues...So, I did spend the day sniffing for smoke and looking for flames...
I left the house around 9:30 to begin my quick trip to Tennessee. The trip should have been no longer than a 10 hour turn around. Should have been.
After waiting in the maintenance shop for trailer repairs, I had to go to the Truck Shop to let them check out my leaks.... Finally, after 4 hours, I was ready to get started.
No issues in getting my load, but there were three separate occasions where the interstate was completely shut down due to accidents... 3 locations in a 100 mile stretch..... That definitely put me way behind...
So, 9 hours into my workday, I finally make the Tennessee state line. Another 125 miles and I am able to swap trailers and head for home.... Did I mention, I only live 150 miles from said state line...... 9 hours ~ 150 miles........
I have only recrossed the state line heading south when the reports start coming in of trouble in Paradise!! It seems there was a bank robbery/ cop killing/ high speed chase on the west side of Atlanta, and the perimeter is shut down.. The closer I get , the more advisories I hear... No problem.. I will go through the middle of town...
But what is waiting for me there... A RoadWay Truck has lost his trailer which collided with 2 other vehicles..... I know this was a very bad situation for all of those involved, but DAMN.... I just want to get home.... All of the people involved seemed to be okay, but the vehicles were pretty smashed up.. The trailer.... well, it ended up laying on it's side up against a retaining wall.
Finally, I get south of town and there is one more accident to detour around before getting home.... What is wrong in Atlanta today?? Every single interstate had lane closures due to accidents today.. Some with multiple closures..... For those who don't know, we have 3 major interstates that intersect, along with the perimeter which connects all three in a bypass loop. Not to mention the other major roadways, of the limited access variety...
My scheduled 10 hour workday ended up taking 17 hours to complete...
Today.. FRIDAY, I spent the entire day at home...... Doing nothing!! Am I ashamed? NOPE!!
I hate working on my off days, there is just no good to come from it!!
Man oh man, what a week. I should really just stop there because Karma has been kicking my arse ALOT lately.
And I don't know why.... I can't really recall anything that I have done to deserve this run of bad luck, but I am in desperate need of .......?
So , me and Maggie headed out to Queens last Sunday and by the time we got there, the entire back half of the load had shifted into the side of the trailer making it impossible to unload.... Jimmy was willing to work with me on this, or even refuse the load in order to keep me from having to struggle with it so much... He was able to unload a portion of his freight ( 9 out of 13 bundles) but from that point on we were at a standstill. It took 3 hours to unload that small amount!! My next stop was in the Bronx, but once again, I could not unstrap the load because I unload double parked on a city street and could not take the risk of damaging parked vehicles if the load fell off the trailer.
The only logical solution was to find one of our customers who would agree to let us unstrap the load in a safe area and then help with reloading it in a safe manner.... Well, that was 3 hours away in Glastonbury, CT... It took 3 additional hours to restructure the load.... My day was shot..
Only 2 deliveries made on Monday and I had to turn around and head back to Queens to finish up with Jimmy and the Bronx.
By now, it is mid-afternoon and there is no way I am heading back into Queens at this time... That is a commuter's nightmare. There was a truck stop on the way and I needed a shower. I did manage to get a good parking spot... A slight miracle in itself for being this close to NY at this time of the day. I grab my bag and head inside.... Wooooo Hooooo!! No waiting.... Oh wait, no hot water either... But after the struggles I had with the load, there was no way I was going to skip showering, cold water or not!!
An hour after cleaning up, the hot water problem was resolved... D'oh....
Meanwhile, I was approached by some dudes selling pirated DVDs.. I politely told them I was not interested and in return.... Well, a few minutes later I noticed one of them coming out from behind my trailer.. Did not think much of it at the time, but the next morning I noticed several cuts in the tarp.... Long slices made by a utility knife or razor blade.... Clean cuts made with lots of zigs and zags.. Definitely deliberate, and not just accidental tears.. Know what I mean!!
While waiting on traffic to die down, I decided to enjoy a movie... Around 8:30, I decided it was safe to attempt reentering NY...Before pulling out, I turn on the radio and listen for a bit..... YEP... Time to go to bed!! It seems another Big Truck has split it's trailer in half..Meanwhile yet another tractor trailer jack knifed to avoid the damaged trailer.... The road is back up for over 20 miles.....sheesh.. better set the alarm for 4am.. Don't want to hit that morning commute!
I did not notice that I had no cell service, I did notice that I had no calls.. At 3:45AM, my phone goes berserk with Message Alerts... I fell out of the bed trying to shut off the alarm which was not even going off.. It was the damn phone with 5 NEW MESSAGES....and I landed on me arse.... Not fun to wake up in mid-air, 2 foot above the floor.!!
I head out only to find that construction has the interstate closed down to one lane, and yes there was a back-up even at 5am...
So, here I am on Tuesday morning right back where I started from 24 hours before......
Okay, so Tuesday was uneventful. I somehow managed to unload the remainder of the trailer by 4pm.... 7 deliveries stretched out from Queens to Boston. I am scheduled to pick up some damaged material just south of Hartford, CT and there was a truck stop on the way.. But guess what.... No Hot Water!! No Cold Water.... No FREAKIN WATER!!! I did the best I could with a lot of baby wipes and bottled water! sheesh.....
Made the pick-up the next morning, and made it home!!
But Wait...
THERE'S MORE....
Oh Maggie, why don't you like me??? I love you!!
Maggie had only 107 miles on her when I picked her up... I should be good to go for awhile, right?
Wrong!!
Within a hundred miles (I always stop to check my straps) I noticed her rear chunk was leaking fluid.. Lots and lots of fluid... I quickly made a phone call and was reassured that it was more than likely overfilled at the factory and this would end soon! By the time I returned home, the entire portion of the truck behind the axle was coated, along with the mud flaps and the first 10 feet of the trailer.... Still leaking!! When the mechanics checked her fluid level, she was almost dry.... Too much pressure building up and blowing it out.. GREAT.
I also lost over 1/2 gallon of coolant in 4 days... Too much to let it go unchecked...
Do you remember this story? Well, her drive axles are both leaking at the hubs, which is a wheel seal problem.... And while I do loves me some firemen, I have no desire to go flaming down the road again.
I mentioned in a previous post that Maggie had a sweet little APU unit mounted on her frame.. This is a type of generator that provides a/c and heat along with electrical current... It is the newest thing... No more pollution from idling the Truck at night! Which most states have outlawed anyway. But her APU does not work.. AT ALL.... NOTHING....
The front end was not greased when it was put together, simple oversight... But still, lots of squeaking and unnecessary wear and tear the first week..
Finally, (I think) Maggie has decided to go topless... Don't ask me why... But on Tuesday, I noticed that several bolts were missing ...
So, Maggie is at the shop, getting the once over and I hope to have her back soon. Then she will go to ThermoKing to have her APU looked at....
I do love you Maggie and I hope we can work this out soon.. You sure do have a nice suspension and I heart you for that....
Only 30 more days and the new Trucking Co takes over... I am very excited about this, but it seems Homer is getting a tad bit more attitude..
Right now, the best part is the fact I will indeed have a new truck!! I don't think I can take much more of the one I am driving!! Not only is the ride bad, but a breakdown is imminent!! I have explained the situation to the mechanics, but it seems my current employers have no desire to put any money into the trucks at this time... They will be sold immediately after we clean them out in 4 weeks... I understand the concept of not spending the extra money, but if and when it finally gives out, it will incur additional towing and repair fees, so why not do it now!! Just keep your fingers crossed for me that I can make four more incident free deliveries.. The noises are getting noticeably worse with each passing week and honestly, I don't have much faith it will last the 30 days I need it to.
In other trucking news.... Holy Happy Cows, what a week!! I was anxious to get home because of my plans to spend more time with Bachelor Number One.. My load was planned in a very time efficient manner, therefore almost guaranteeing my early arrival home.
Monday morning, I delivered my first stop on Long Island at 5:15 AM....Which allowed me to completely beat rush hour traffic back into Queens. I arrived in Astoria at 6:30 and knew I would have to wait until 8am to deliver my next stop... But, hey , I beat rush hour traffic!! At 9am, I left Jimmy and co to work my way towards Bethlehem , PA... Approximately 80 miles, I felt confident I could be there by 11am....And then on to Philly for 2 more stops before they closed at 3:30pm....
It should have all worked out according to plan... It should have...But it didn't.
Anytime I am running local in the NJ/NY area, I always listen to the local AM station for traffic reports.. It is mandatory to know what is going on!! On my way in , I have heard the reports of a major fatality accident which closed down the Tappanzee Bridge for over 10 hours!! It was reopened at 5:30 am, which was great for commuters! But, I also heard reports of a tractor trailer colliding with ?? underneath the Apartments on I-95...This area is a high merge point for all traffic crossing the George Washington Bridge.. Of course, it was on the southbound side... Um, the direction I needed to travel! The accident occurred sometime around 6am and was a single truck accident.... Should be cleared up in no time, RIGHT?
WRONG. It seems he ripped his trailer open spilling garbage over the entire interstate and blocking all lanes of traffic.....He also completely disable his truck in the collision.. As far as I can tell, he hit the center concrete support wall...
So, I leave Jimmy at 9 am and at 12:17 pm, I reenter New Jersey... That's right folks.. It took me THREE HOURS AND SEVENTEEN minutes to travel NINE POINT TWO miles.
Oh but, it gets even better... See, at this point, with the power of persuasion, I might still be able to con my way into getting finished up on Monday...But then upon arriving in PA, I hear the delightful report of yet another trash truck laying on its side blocking the roadway.... The particular roadway I need to make my delivery... If I could have taken an alternate route I would have, but no.... It was the only one leading to my destination.....
Stupid Trash Haulers!! You know, come to think of it.... It is always the Trash Haulers who are flipping over and losing their loads in this neck of the woods....
Needless to say, I did not make it.... Nope, not even close! I think I ended up finishing my deliveries at approximately 10:30 am Tuesday.... Any who, all is well, that ends well...
And Bachelor Number One was happy to see me on Wednesday!!!
So my Monday is going along fairly smoothly. I am resigned to the fact that I will not be able to get at much done as I had intended. I delivered Elkridge, MD; Bridgeport, NJ;Lumberton, NJ; and Bristol, PA.. My next stop is Brooklyn.... It is 2:30 pm and Brooklyn stops receiving at 3pm...
I have been lusting for a nice nap for the past few hours and decided to go ahead and indulge myself... I pull off at the Woodrow Wilson service plaza on the Jersey Turnpike and succumb to the desires of my heart.
After a quick snooze, I wake up and as I am sitting in the driver's seat a man approaches my Truck.. He asks me if the traffic is moving yet? HUH??
I look over towards the road and notice a massive parking lot on the interstate.. He proceeds to tell me of the accident ahead and I get on the CB to ask for the information he has requested of me....
While I was sleeping, it seems there was a major malfunction... Some cars were slowing, and others were not including a Car Hauler.. The ones who were stopped got rammed into by several other vehicles and the Car Hauler jack-knifed while trying to get stopped. The car hauler pinned a pick-up truck against the median wall..
Nope, traffic is not moving.. The Turnpike is shut down and I believe there might have been a fatality...
I really would like to know who came up with this brilliant idea...
Today is a Special Events Day at Six Flags Over Georgia.... Starting at 6AM, Admission is FREE to the theme park.. While this might have sounded like a great idea, let me assure you, IT WASN'T...
Rush Hour does not normally get congested until 6:45AM.. However, the west side of Atlanta got the jump on things as early as 5:30AM... Why, because Six Flags is FREE today!!
In fact, by 6AM the entire west side was in gridlock conditions!!! I have never seen such a congested mess... Why, because Six Flags is FREE today!!
Backups as far as 15 miles on 4 major interstate arteries... Why, because Six Flags is FREE today!!
Not to mention, all the surface roads, and secondary streets.. There is a large industrial area located near the park and the Truckers were grumbling because they were missing their appointment times... Why, you guessed it!!
Okay, so the gates to the park opened at 6 AM... AT 6:32, the gates were closed due to massive numbers of people trying to enjoy a FREE DAY at Six Flags.......
I counted over 17 collisions in a twenty mile stretch.. I guess no one anticipated traffic coming to a grinding halt.
People were actually dropping off their children on the side of the interstate.... Too bad the gates were closed by the time the kids got to them...
I hope no body was injured today due to this poorly planned fiasco...
At 9:45, traffic is still congested.. All those fools who dropped their kids off are having to make their way back to pick them up!!!
I am just in amazement of how stupid some people can be..
I would not drop my child off on the side of the interstate in a heavily industrial area known for its drug and prostitution population... I don't care how FREE it is... And I have never personally seen gridlock in Atlanta..Until today.... Why, because Six Flags is FREE today... Well, it was for 32 minutes anyway...
In school, as children we were always told to cross our t's and dot our i's...
And boy, did I dot my eye today.. This morning at my first delivery!!
I think I felt me eyeball slam into the back of my skull, and I feared I had broken my nose... But alas, all is well!! A little swelling and bruising.. The discoloration has begun.... and oh my, where did all those freckles come from???? Funny how I never notice them until I see a picture of me with no make-up on... Sheesh!!
After years of pulling a flatbed along the East Coast, I am trading in my tie down bar... Beginning in September 2011, I will make the transformation into a Car-Hauler. This should be fun!!
