Oh yeah, I once walked by there on my way home from work when they had two 18-wheelers, one right after the other–both maneuvering around such a confined space at the same time. :eek:
One question:
Is Atlanta full of novice truck drivers? It seemed when I liked there, the Ga 400 would get backed up due to a “Jack-knifed tractor trailer”.
Or it could be that Atlanta drivers, well - they suck. Of course that’s a whole nother pit thread.
Do you ever watch that show on CMT called “Trick my Truck?” If so, what do you think about it? Would you like to have your truck “tricked?”
Only reason I ask is that I caught one episode and they seemed to fix up the exterior a lot on the vehicles and give it all sorts of shiny doo-dads, but the one guy’s wife said that the truck broke down all the time. Seemed to me that making it pretty on the outside wasn’t gonna do a bit of good if it couldn’t run.
Hi Kids …
Wow. Page Five. Who wudda thunk? Sorry, I don’t have too much time tonite - let me jump right on this.
I do wish you luck in your endeavor. I (and others) have been trying here for a long time, haven’t had much success yet. Let me know how it works out for you, okay?
Don’t we all, don’t we all … 
To the rear (at speed) at least as far back as you need to in order to see at least the driver side mirror, and both mirrors if traffic will allow you that little extra space.
When passing, check to be sure you can see both headlights (on the vehicle you are passing) in your center rear view mirror before pulling back in.
I’ve always found that the ‘Four Second Rule’ works real well.
Yeah, yeah, I know - it says two seconds … take it from a pro - four seconds works much better and will help to keep you safe, both front and rear. It also relieves an awful lot of stress. I use four seconds in both the big truck and my car. It can be a bit of a challenge in heavy traffic - and in some situations it’s damn near impossible - but then, that’s half the fun of driving, isn’t it?
Thank you. That is probably the clearest job description for this profession that I have ever read. 
Only been to Atlanta twice. (Got lost both times. :wally )
Everywhere is full of novice truck drivers. I doubt that Atlanta has more than it’s fair share - Salt Lake City, on the other hand …
Welcome!
Naw, not the ‘Country’ type. (And I’d rather spend my money on what makes it run and keeps it safe.)
Thanks once again to all for your contributions. It’s your questions and anecdotes that keep this interesting - for you and for me.
I’ll try to check back a little later this evening, if not - I’ll be back here tomorrow afternoon.
Y’all drive safely now, y’hear?
Lucy
Jesus, this is scary. No. I have NEVER played “Don’t Let The [insert style of driver or type of vehicle here] Pass.” They never taught me this game in Driver’s Education; and I’ll be damned if I can find it in the *Illinois Rules of the Road * manual or IDOT website. Have you ever played the “I Should Really Just Swallow My Pride Because Any Consequent Retributive Action I Take Could Very Easily Ruin People’s Lives, Mine Among Them” game?
Let’s see now, how’s that ol’ song go???
Something like …
Minute, by minute, by minute, by minute, by minute, by minute, by minute, by minute, by minute, by minute, by minute …
(I think it’s supposed to repeat rather more than that - and I’m pretty sure there is an ‘I keep holdin’ on …’ in there somewhere, too.)
Lucy
<sigh>
I get answered with a Sprint commercial.
nice.
nice and depressing.
Lucy, this is a great thread. I’m remembering when I used to drive big rig, which was about 15 or so years ago. I left it to pursue other interests, but I have a number of good memories of the people I met and the experiences I had.
Anyway, Bookkeeper has been quite patient, and if it’s OK with you, Lucy, I’ll look after his (her?) question, since Ontario was where I drove:
You’re right, Ontario inspection stations aren’t often open. Nor are they terribly regular in their hours of operation. This is (or at least was when I was driving) by design.
The idea is that an entirely random arrangement works well. If you know, for example, that the station on 401 eastbound at Trenton is always open Tuesday mornings, then at those times, you just might avoid taking the 401 through Trenton. You’ll take Highway 2 instead. But if you have no idea when that station will be open–they can and do operate at all hours–it is hoped that the possibility of it being open will deter you from overloading your truck or operating it in an unsafe condition.
On certain roads, Ontario also uses the automatic vehicle inspection (AVI) system that Lucy mentioned earlier. You may have seen the signs on the 401 announcing “AVI ON 401,” and odd-looking boxes mounted over the driving lanes. These were introduced after I stopped driving, but I understand they do a good job of keeping things moving without having to stop for an inspection.
I now live in Alberta, and while I do not drive transports any more, I’m impressed with the number of times I’ve seen the inspection stations open on the roads out here. More frequently than Ontario, certainly. But they are different provinces with what seems to be different approaches.
Hope you didn’t mind me answering, Lucy, and I hope my answer meets with your approval.
I know someone who kind of underrode a truck once and survived. Both the driver and his wife. The truck was one of those with the open bed, carrying long metal poles with a red kerchief tied to the longest pole, and the back of the bed pulled down and squashed under the poles. They were told that running into the long pole first may actually have saved their lifes, as it helped brake the car just enough that they stopped before the other poles turned them into… uhm… underride kebabs. The pole kindly went in between their seats, too. They didn’t break anything except the wrecked car.
After that, the wife said she was by Jove going to get herself a license and never ever again let the husband drive while tired. The guy from the drivers’ school claims she was his fastest student ever.
Loved the OP. I’m going to copy it and add it to my folder of “stuff I got from the Internet and which probably won’t get me sued if I show it to some friends”.
Thanks for the good catch there, Spoons! Loved your answer - better than I could have done, actually, I’ve not yet made it north of the border so I’m not too familiar with what’s goin’ on up there …
Bookkeeper, I am sooooo sorry. I just completely missed that part of your question. :wally Can you forgive me?
BTW, use of the random check station is how the state of Nevada chose to operate their Commercial Vehicle Inspection Progam, as well. As Spoons explained, the inspection stations are opened at completely random times on equally random days - that includes all major legal holidays, as well. Last Christmas the inspection station on I-80 right across from my house here in Elko was open for 6 hours! (They put eleven trucks out of service that day, nie of them for hours of service violations.)
Also, Nevada chose not to participate in the Port of Entry system, thereby allowing the Highway Patrol to pull over any commercial vehicle without needing any probable cause to do so. No purchase necessary, you are automatically entered in the drawing as soon as you enter the state, and remain eligible the entire time your truck is here …
Nava, glad you liked it … you may copy away.
Lucy
Preview is my friend. Preview is my friend. Preview is my friend. Preview is my friend.
Thanks, Spoons, I thought it might be something like that. No problem, Lucy, I wasn’t expecting you to have the lowdown on Ontario practices anyway, I just threw it out hoping for a reply from someone.
Hey Lucy!,
First time poster, long time lurker!.
Just thought I’d ask, given the current world climate what is the likelihood of being able to hitch a ride with a trucker? Is there some sort of ettiquette or process involved?
I’ve travelled with a trucker before, but that was a few years ago!.
Is it a viable alternative transport option, or should I stick to Greyhound?
Love the thread and er…keep on truckin’!
I think
…
My own driving inctructor would agree with that, sort of. So does the Spanish Código de la Circulación (Driver’s Code I guess you could translate it but it actually applies to anybody using a road or street). All its instructions about safe distances etc are relative. Things like,
- you should stay a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you. A safe distance is such that you can brake fully under current conditions without touching them, and also such that they can see you.
If the car in front of you is loaded or designed in such a way that its central rearview mirror is blocked, you have to make sure you see his side mirrors. This applies to Smarts as well as to trucks.
The problem I think is that many people (specially when our hormone levels are affected by having a driving wheel between our hands) have problems putting themselves in someone else’s shoes. The notion that “gee if he can’t see I’m behind him, then he can’t take me into account when he manoeuvers” is too big for our heads or something.
My car is only a bit bigger than a Smart; we joke that it’s got ponies rather than horses. They’re quite a few ponies, but still, if the A/C is on and the trunk is full, its upslope behavior becomes quite similar to that of an arthritic turtle. I’ve been “lighted” more than once because I was on the “70kph tops” right lane (left lane is downslope, right is upslope slow, middle is upslope for passing the slow ones) and not attempting to pass the truck in front of me. OK, Mr Macho with the Audi 4, it may sound stupid to you, but this thing here is an overloaded girlie car and I’m NOT going to try to pass a truck that the poor thing just doesn’t have the power to pass before the two lanes become one again! You want to pass us, just do it and stop blinding me.
Those guys make me want to hit them with a Nike billboard, I tell you.
Many trucking companies strictly prohibit their drivers from picking up hitchhikers. At the company where my hubby works there are certain things that results in instant dismissal, picking up a hitchhiker is one of them. Others include messing with the speed governors on the truck, refusing to take a drug test when told to, breaking the seal on a secured load and failure to report an accident.
Sorry, been a little worn out and distracted the last couple of days. Truck is now down and in the shop for service and repairs 'till Monday afternoon.
Actually, I think it’s pretty much all trucking companies prohibit picking up hitchhikers. About the only chance of grabbing a ride is with an owner/operator, and most of them have discontinued the practice as well … and, er, frogger world champion 1981, the way some of those guys drive, I’d stick to Greyhound. Come to think of it, the way some of those guys drive, I’d stick to Amtrack. In fact, now that I’ve had a moment to think it through, seems to me that maybe a quick walking tour around the block might be a better idea …
Awww, come on now, I can think of more effective bats than that! 
Lucy
Which raises some questions: What, roughly, does it cost to keep a truck on the road, in maintenance and gas, for long-haul trucking?
What are common problems? Any particular to particular brands?
Speaking of brands, I know Mack and Peterbilt (“Peterbilt a truck for a man to drive…” ). What are the other biggies? Which are the good ones? Which are the ones truckers hate to get stuck with by their companies?
Do independent operators tend to favorite certain makes?
Oh, yeh, another one: trucks with sleeper cabs – do drivers pimp out their cribs?
Now here are some questions I can really get my teeth into! What’s left of 'em, anyway …
First, let me say that most tractors on the road today are leased, and while this dramatically reduces actual maintenance costs to the lessee, there are still a lot of maintenance costs that are either passed through to or have to be paid outright by the lessee. Also, I can’t speak too much for the Over The Road [OTR] trucks, but can give you some ideas based on some ballpark figures of the money laid out annually by the company I work for (does not include lease costs):
My truck runs primarily in Nevada, with occasional trips into Utah and Idaho, but is registered in 10 of the 11 western states (NOT California). Registration, permits, taxes & insurance for tractor and 2 trailers: $21,560
In addition, my truck requires annual over-size/over-weight permits in Nevada ($2,700) Idaho ($1,200) & Utah ($600). (As you can see, permit costs vary widely from state to state. Very few OTR trucks require these these.)
Major breakdowns, such as an engine or transmission, can run into the thousands of dollars. That is the primary reason that the vast majority of tractors are leased. Also covered by the lessor is most of the preventive maintenance (oil, lube & filters).
A lot of the normal ‘wear and tear’ stuff such tires, brakes, lights, glass, etc. are the responsibility of the lessee as well as all maintenance and/or repair costs on company owned equipment and trailers. A simple field service call to replace a flat tire can run up to $650 or more, depending on how far away from the tire shop you are. Maintenance and repair costs on my truck last year **$22,500 ** (+/- 2%) (This is for the Freightshaker and trailers only. My new KW had no repair costs last year. None so far this year, either )
[Nit-pick] Trucks burn diesel fuel, not gas. To most people, not much difference - but they are very different fuels.[/Nit-pick]
A typical heavy truck has a fuel capacity of between 100 and 300 gallons. Newer trucks get 5 - 7 mpg, depending on engine size and horsepower, load, terrain, duty and too many other factors to list here. (e.g., my truck averages 4.77 mpg, but I have a lot of ‘High Idle Time’ [HIT] @ 950 rpm while loading and unloading. If I subtract out the HIT my truck averages a much more acceptable 6.99 mpg.) Diesel fuel is currently $2.46/gal here in Elko. Just a little pocket change to fill these babies up. My truck has 190 gallon capacity, 175 of which is usable before refueling. That normally give me about 750 miles of range or about 3 days working time.
Note: Price at the pump does not always include all of the fuel taxes, either. Fuel taxes (except sales tax) are paid separately (based on the number of miles you actually run in each state) through the IFTA program which can be just a weeeeee bit challenging to explain. This link will give you ‘just one little lick of the ice-cream cone’. Essentially you pay a fuel tax to your base state (where the truck is registered) based on mileage logs showing how many miles you ran in which states (and in some cases which routes) that is then divided up and paid to the states you ran in. Or something like that. I don’t know - here’s a little clearer synopsis (one of the few that is not a PDF file.) Fuel tax on my truck last year $14,962.56
[Disclaimer: Actual costs borne by companies vary widely from truck to truck and company to company. Amounts cited above are, in most cases, ballpark figures given to me by my supervisor. Just happens that they are preparing an IFTA filing and he had that number right in front of him.]
All the same types of problems that your vehicle is subject to: oil & water pumps, alternators, clutches, transmissions, tires, etc. Just more frequently (we do tend to rack up a few more miles than you do) and, in most cases, wwwwaaaaayyyy more expensive.
Newer Caterpillar engines lose a lot of turbochargers if you don’t follow proper cool down procedures before shutting down the engine. Come to think of it, so do Detroits and Cummins. Don’t know about the newer Mack’s, but with the older ones it was real easy to blow out a differential if you didn’t start out or shift properly.
Volvo, Freightliner, Kenworth. There are others out there, but those are, I believe, the top five. In no particular order, I might add.
It should be noted here that I’m a Kenworth snob. I’ve driven all of the others noted above but for the way I work and drive, KW’s get my vote every second of every day. (Most recently, I drove a Freightliner - I told my boss that if they didn’t get me a Kenworth they’d have to find somebody else to do this job. I meant it. He knew I meant it. That’s why I’m now driving a 2006 Kenworth. 
)
I really do not want to get into a debate about trucks. Likes and dislikes are a very personal thing among Drivers. Just as with automobile owners, everybody has their favorite (e.g., the whole Ford vs. Chevy thing) and, like me, can get a little fanatical 'bout it. I’ve met Drivers who’d swear with their dying breath that their Freightliner or Peterbuilt is the best truck built since Fred Flinstone got his radials. However, despite using extraordinary care, every ‘Freightshaker’ or ‘Peter the Great’ I’ve driven spent more time in the shop than on the road. (A not very minor exageration …) In fact, IMNSHO, a ‘Peter’ would never last more than 6 months doing the job I do now because they are designed as an OTR truck and fully 50% of my miles are off highway (it’d be kinda like using a Lexus to haul firewood in). My opinion: Peterbuilt = POS - they’re mighty pretty trucks, but very easy to break. But that’s just my opinion based on my exposure to the brand.
Having said that, I offer the following based on my conversations with other Drivers:
#1 - Freightliner. Hands down. Personally, I hated - no, loathed - no, … shit - there isn’t a word in my vocabulary describes how much I ‘did not like’ all four of the Freightshakers I’ve been stuck with over the years. I’ve only met (in person) one other Driver who said he liked Freightliners. And he refused to look me in the eyes when he said it, too. They are the cheapest trucks on the road - commonly referred to as the ‘Chevy Shove-it’ of the industry (not to cast aspersions on Cheverolet or their ‘model of automotive engineering’, the Chevette). And you can break them by simply closing the door when you get in. (not kidding - happened to me - twice!) Note that cheapest does not equal least expensive, as maintenance costs can be astronomical. The five year old Freightshaker I was driving had $12,976 in repairs in the 9 months prior to getting my KW last year.
#2 - Peterbuilt. Even with it’s reputation of being the Luxury Truck in the industry, the Drivers I’ve spoken with tell me that they break down a lot. (Drive train and suspension problems, mostly.) This is borne out by my experience with the brand, also.
#3 - Mack. Really good off road truck manufacturer. Their off road construction grade trucks that they built their reputation with are the best in the industry, but do not hold up well in OTR use. IMO they’re still trying to get a good handle on their OTR lineup of trucks.
#4 - Any individual truck, regardless of brand, that brakes down a lot. It is incredibly difficult to make any money if the wheels won’t go 'round.
Strictly by observation and a very few conversations:
#1 - Kenworth & #2 - Volvo - roughly a tie, with KW’s ahead by maybe a bumper.
#3 - Peterbuilt
#4 - Freightliner :dubious: (Yeah, I know. Some people buy Toyota’s, too - go figure.)
Not exactly sure what the question is here … 
not all that sure I want to know … :eek:
Drive Careful out there.
Lucy