18wheelsandwomen

2010 is going to be a very interesting year in the trucking industry. CSA 2010 (Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010)  regulations will be implemented in July. Some states are already doing this on a test basis.  This will be more detailed than the current SAFESTAT system.  The good part of these new rules is it will now focus and weed out the bad drivers and carriers.  Carriers and drivers will be graded in detail.  Personally I am for this in many ways because this will now target those employers and drivers with bad records  All carriers and drivers will be accountable for their actions.  The ones who just get by will no longer be able to do that.  There are good drivers who work at bad companies and bad drivers working at good companies.  There are drivers who do every thing by the book, while a co-worker does not follow the rules and does not care.  This driver gets speeding tickets and logbook fines and gets placed out of service by the DOT.  This shows up on SAFESTAT and these actions reflect on the carrier.  This not caring also targets YOU, the drivers who do care.

With the new system everything you do will be monitored and goes on your record and follows you from job to job for 3 years.  For the carriers it will be 2 years.  Now the bad drivers violations will reflect on your employers score and carriers will not be able to keep bad drivers who bring down their score, which could place the carrier out of service.  Employers insurance already OKs drivers to be hired and insurance does monitor the drivers during employment.  These new rules will now force carriers to hire only the best.  If you are doing everything right now, then you have nothing to change for the new rules.  

There are several pages of examples and points for drivers and carriers.  Some of this I do not like at all because it puts a lot on the driver for things they can’t control–like the way the cargo is placed in your trailer you pick up and doors sealed.  How are you to be responsible for that??  Others you are responsible for, like your pre-trip inspection.  I see many drivers get in the truck and start driving and not check the truck for anything and same with the trailer.  The doors could be open, could have a flat tire.  We have drivers who do not use log books or use several of them.  I had a driver tell me a couple of months ago that “I have not filled out a log book in a month.”  It is drivers like this and their carriers who will be targeted.  My next post I will go into the examples for the drivers and carriers and the point system. 

Driver Payback Cards

With all the fuel that drivers purchase it is wise to get the drivers pay back cards at the truck stops for those who offer the cards. Its free. It is a way of saying THANK YOU to the professional driver. Fore each gallon of fuel purchased, you get 1 cent/point put on the card. You can use these points to purchase anything except alcohol and tobacco products.

I had a clerk tell me a regular driver saved all year to purchase Christmas gifts on one card. Since I don’t buy Christmas gifts, this never entered my mind that it was possible. You will have several payback cards and you can keep one or two for saving. I saved one of mine for a nice meal at the end of my day. It cost $7.37 and I paid 89 cents after cashing in my points. The rest you can use for the often purchased food and drink. You will also notice that the good food costs more than that candy bar and here is a way to get your fresh fruit and the other healthy food offered at higher prices. Use your payback card. Its painless and free.

Women Drivers Trying To Eat

I did a blog on this and came across more of my notes I found. Just more proof on how women are treated when trying to eat out and you don’t have to be a driver as it happens at your local eating places too before you ever thought of driving.

At a large truck stop known for its great homemade food, I went in for a meal. I seated myself as the sign said near the kitchen area where the staff had to walk by me and this should get me more contact with the staff. A waiter watched me enter, picked up a menu and did not move toward me, he looked away! He then looked at me and in my general area and looked away again. I see what he is waiting for, a man is approaching and he does enter and walks past me and picks his spot to sit. Now the waiter takes that menu, walks past me and gives it to that man! He then walks past me again, picks up another menu and then gives me the menu. There was no reason why he could not pick up 2 menu’s and give me one, continue to the man’s table and then get our drinks. After years of this treatment when you eat alone, it really gets old.

My First Calendar Year Driving

As a beginner driver, I did 1,500 to 2,400 miles a week on a dedicated account. I had good weeks and bad weeks and a truck that broke down every 4 to 5 weeks. I was also learning how to put all the training together to keep moving and maximize my mileage. Soon you catch on and things get easier. As a beginner you can expect to make around $31,000 to $35,000 and this was in 2001. Some of the ads in trucking still say that for late 2009, 2010. Now for many of us, this is tremendous wages. I worked 11 years as a state employee before this job and never came close to these wages. I drove 113,370 actual miles my first calendar year. These are not your paid mileage as that is different. I received all my quarterly bonus’s too. I made $33,000! I was happy with that. That is a nice income for anyone. You can live on that.

Experiences

You may forget time zone changes. One morning when getting up, I had about 2 ½ hours before going about 10 miles to my receiver. I went for a walk and then inside to grab a breakfast sandwich and coffee. I was enjoying my breakfast and the quiet time before I start my day. Sure is pretty out and its going to be a great day, I told myself. While eating, I heard someone ask for the time. “It’s 8:15” was the answer. WHAT!!!!!???? How stupid can I be??? I forgot the time change!! I never change my watch crossing the time zones as you must do your logs from your home time zone.

I grab my food and drink and start running to the truck and now my great day has went away and its all my fault. My appointment is at 9 and I have never ever been late and I still have a chance to be on time. I get in the truck and start it. Buzzers are still going off but near the required amount of air pressure when they will quit, I put the truck in gear and quickly head to the road. The buzzers quit before I leave the parking lot. On the highway heading to a place I have never gone to before, I am hoping that my directions are right. This has now set the mood of the day for me and there is no one to blame but me. I’ll be upset at myself today. I arrive at my receiver at 8:45 and park as the instructions say to do. I run to the guard shack with my papers and all the info I need to sign in. There are several drivers ahead of me on the phone checking in. It is 8:50. The guard takes some info from me as I am waiting in line.

The phone is handed to each driver and at 9, I still don’t have the phone. I am now close enough to the ones in front of me and they are not happy. Finally I get the phone ( I think its 9:10) and I tell person on other end all the info and the time I entered the lot and the time the guard checked me in. He tells me that I am now late and missed my appointment time!! And my employer will be written up! I’m to go to my truck and wait and I will be called when they have another time open to get me in! I’m asked if there are other drivers in line and I say “Yes, about 10 more at this time”. I hand the phone to the next driver and tell all in line if they had a 9am appointment they are now late and are being written up along with their employer. Some did have the same appointment time as me and they don’t like this either. This is the polite version!!!

This is just plain stupid! Drivers deal with enough without putting up with this crap. There are places where you can not enter more than 15 minutes early for appointment times. I had a guard tell me I am 20 minutes early for my 11pm appointment and I must leave the lot. I looked at him dumbfounded and he again said I must leave or I will be in trouble. I said by the time I turn around it will be time to be here so can I just back up and sit on the side? NO was the answer I had to leave the property. WHAT A CROCK OF BULL!!! Who else is coming at this time of night???? I did as told and went and drove about 5 miles to go around “the block” as that is the only thing I could as this was not next to the interstate and make it back to check in within the 15 minutes allowed. But back to this story.

In the truck I am sending Qualcomm messages and on the phone to my dispatch office. I am glad they can pull up the Qualcomm and look at my arrival time. I am telling my office everything about this place and that I am not the only one “late”. They are also trying to calm me down. They see I am not late and I did arrive in plenty of time. They will check into this. I had to wait around 1 hour before I was allowed in the gate and I was at this place for many hours.

Drivers are the ones who keep the employer in business. A few “lates” even in this story will eventually cause customer to drop the carrier as one of their preferred carriers. Driver will find themselves taken off the account or banned from going to this specific place or finding another job.

Fuel is a big cost in trucking. Most do not give this any thought and that includes the employees of the trucking companies. If one does think about this part of the cost for your employer or trucking in general, you are in the minority. Just look at all the trucks you see whose drivers speed and tailgate confirming the bad image the public has of trucks and drivers.

Drivers are the ones who can control this cost with better driving habits, proper shifting, cruise control and letting the truck move on its own, just to name a few. Now none of this is going to help a whole lot of the employer does not have the trucks operating at peak performance. Drivers can not control wind, road conditions and weight of the load being shipped.

Many are now installing APU’s. Auxiliary Power Units. These allow the driver to shut off the truck and use the APU for keeping cool or warm. APU’s will use around 0.3 tenths of a gallon per hour instead of running the truck which uses 1 gallon per hour. So you can see that the APU’s pay for themselves in a short time. I worked for a company that had heaters only for the drivers. Worked well and I got my much needed rest in a toasty warm sleeper. For the summer months to keep the sleeper cool, shut the curtain and the side curtains/flaps and keep the sleeper dark with sleeper air on. During your break, the cool air should last a few hours. These APU’s are being installed due to the anti idling rules being more and more common in many states and cities.

Lets say your truck has 2 100 gallon tanks and you put in 190 gallons twice a week. 190 gallons X $2.85 a gallon = $541.50 or $1083 a week or $4,332 a month. This is one truck. Now you have 100 trucks owned by your employer. 100 trucks put in 190 gallons on same day, it will cost $54,150! If all 1000 trucks fill 9 times in a month with 190 gallons, that cost is $487,350! This does not include all the other fills the fleet does, this is just an example. The companies with 12,000 plus trucks, their cost is astronomical each month and at the end of the year. Now add insurance, drivers wages, maintenance and tires to this cost.

18 tires are not cheap. A December 2009 add shows you can buy one on sale for $299.99. Put 8 on your trailer at $300 apiece, you have $2,400. Multiply this by many trucks and trailers in a years time, you again can see astronomical figures.

Several companies are going to or trying out on some of their trucks and trailers the Super Singles. Instead of 8 on the back end of the truck, you have 4, instead of 8 on the trailer you have 4. Reports show fuel mileage increases 3% or more due to less weight and better rolling resistance. Mileage per tire also increases. I pulled many trailers with Super Singles in the winter in the northern states. I really like them and did not have any problems. Each company will have to decide if these tires will be the best in the type of operations you have.

Once you enter trucking, there is a lot that you get to experience. So many “interesting” things come your way. Many things you don’t give any thought too, until it is brought to your attention thru training in the office, newsletters employers put out, Qualcomm–the trucks computer- and the trucking magazines. Qualcomm

Believe it or not, it’s far easier than you might imagine to get the safety records of trucking companies. FMCSA collects data in four areas to grade the safety status of motor carriers,  (trucks, buses) who have DOT numbers. The 4 area’s are: Accident

Driver

Vehicle

Safety Management

Anyone can look up this information, and it is the same information that law enforcement uses to watch for carriers with a bad score. The DOT will visit the carriers to grade them for adequate safety management controls or lack thereof. This is done to identify and prioritize carriers for safety improvements.

For instance, if you use the Safestat module, you do a search for the carrier you want to look up. The next page will have a bar chart on the left for the 4 area’s I mentioned earlier. Anything over 75 is not good. The higher the number, the worse its Safety status. This is one place for all the categories that you do not want 100%. The “drivers” most generally will be in the 60 to 75 range (based on all the carriers I have looked up) with that number going up and down for getting accidents, speeding tickets, log book violations and more. All drivers can help this score go down by not having accidents, speeding tickets, log book violations and more.

Law enforcement agencies nationwide monitor these statistics to identify which carriers are having the most problems. With literally millions of trucks on the road nationwide it is simply impossible to inspect and watch them all on a regular basis. So law enforcement agencies identify the most troubled companies and focus greater attention on those. The closer a company’s scores are to 100% (higher scores are bad, lower scores are better), the more the carrier and drivers will be watched and pulled over.

So when you are looking for a job, check the ratings of some of the companies that you are considering to get a general idea of where they stand. Do not choose one carrier over another based solely on this score, but use it as a tool to help identify really poor performing companies in the areas of accident, vehicle, and safety management.

What the percentages mean is “What percentage of carriers are doing better than the current carrier you are looking up. For instance, if a carrier has a safety rating of 70%, that means that 70% of the companies being monitored have a better safety record than the carrier you are looking up. Yes, it’s a bit backwards – most of the time that something is being rated, the higher the score the better. But this is our government running this program, so as you would expect, everything is done backwards.

The general Safety Ratings are:

0-49 SATISFACTORY

50-74 CONDITIONAL

75-100 UNSATISFACTORY

Drivers are definitely effected by this system. If you think you can “hide” your information from your employer, like logbook violations and tickets, you are wrong. Someone in the office of most trucking and bussing companies is likely monitoring this site often. I was one of them. Everything you do wrong gets put on this site. Also, shippers use this information to determine a carrier’s reliability. If the score gets too high, the shipper will likely look for another carrier.

I learned about this site in 2004. I started using it right away when my employer told me about it. I use it a lot.  Some things you can not look up until you have the authority to do so. You will also find that some things are not current or currently being updated. It changes almost as much as drivers change jobs. I mainly use the site to look at the four main scores and to get the monthly rating. This is an excellent way to better understand your company and to help you understand that the drivers and carriers are being monitored.

This is a topic that all of us need to be concerned about and not just drivers. America is overweight for eating way to much of the wrong foods. The concern for getting unfit drivers off the road is coming at us and it has already started. With more to come.

I have collected articles about many drivers being taken off the road after many miles (millions) of accident free driving because they failed their DOT physical when they had one of the disqualifying factors for years. Your medical card is taken away and you have now lost your job. But on the other hand I have an article about a driver who had his CDL taken away by the DOT but it was just fine letting him get/keep his pilots license and saying you are fit for flying. You can be missing an arm and be qualified to drive with a prosthetic limb. You can even be a paraplegic and drive a big rig.

I do not understand why you are allowed to take away a person’s job/CDL because you have the disqualifying factor for years and it was caught at the DOT physical and there is no gray area to discuss. It is so cut and dried with everyone being put into the same category. Your perfect record does not matter to the ones who made the rules. You can get an attorney and sue and maybe win like others have done. But that is a long process.

When drivers have been taken off the road for the above examples, being out of shape is now coming and I know many of you have read about it in the trucking magazines. Recently in our forum, I said “I could not fathom being dismissed from your job, having your CDL taken away from you when you failed certain guidelines, but your job performance and driving record are perfect. So don’t worry about it”. I was wrong. I went and looked up my articles I kept and read about the latest article on this issue. Like it or not, this is fast approaching and trucking/truckers are going to be made the scapegoat in this. (who is next? people who sit at desks all day? Is fast food going to be outlawed? Food police at the grocery stores telling you what you can not buy?? This is all silly, but look around at some of the laws we have now)

The powers to be have spoken and it can’t be changed quickly but we can do things now to change the results of many drivers who are borderline on the UNFIT area. Now is the time to take control and drop the weight and get healthy to keep your job.

This includes me and I have lost 20 pounds in the last year. I ate when my father died to get thru the grieving process and I also did not care about me and how I looked. I hid the weight well and could not believe I could weigh so much. April 2008, I had to take another DOT physical per new employers rules even though I had plenty of time left on my current medical card. The weight put on my medical papers for my employer to see shocked me. It was a nasty number. I had been working on losing and toning up before this, but it was not enough to lower the number as much as I preferred. I was SKINNY while being an OTR driver so this was not right.

I cut out white processed bread and tators daily and did leg lifts and walking. Yes I have a job where I am home nightly but that does not matter. Eating right is something we need to do and I even did it on the road. I did lots of leg exercises in the sleeper and I walked every chance I got at shippers and during your break. I had fresh fruits and veggies with me. Even bought them at the truck stops which costs you more, but it was the better choice. I also did some cooking at home and brought about 2 days worth and kept it in my cooler with ice and re-heated the food in the lunch box cooker. I even bought soups and with all their salt which is not good for you, it made a cheap and filling meal. And you need to eat breakfast and I do not mean donuts. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. On the road or now, I eat something every 3 to 4 hours, may be a meal or parts of it or a good or bad snack. I drank very little pop. I am a lots of water and black coffee (no sugar/cream) person.

When you get enough points on your fuel card, you can then use them to get some of the more expensive items at the truck stops so that way they are free or will cost you much less. (for the new readers, professional drivers can get the Driver Payback cards at participating truck stops. For every gallon of fuel pumped, you get 1 point/cent put on the card. When enough points are on the card you can then get your free food/drink/clothing item.)

Here are a few choices of good things to eat and have in the truck/car/at work.

Oranges, peaches, plums, grapes, strawberries, cucumbers, celery, apples, air popped popcorn, peanut butter, fruit smoothies, sunflower seeds, olives, herbal tea, water, non-fat yogurt, frozen yogurt. I go thru a lot of canned mandarin oranges–in the truck and at home. For your meals, eat in moderation and make the better choice of grilled verses fried for your meats.

Many companies are starting the Employee Wellness program and if you drive for a major carrier, some of the terminals do have a work out room. This is also a great place to get your walking in.

It is not going to be easy to accomplish this weight loss as quickly as it went on. Together WE can do it and get fit and healthy and be ready for our next physical and maybe even your employers new rules being implemented. And this still includes me. I want to get back to my weight I had in 2004. No, I am not going to tell what that was. I will tell you I will achieve that goal and will be here to motivate you and cheer you on.

Thursday December 10 2009 finds me making more night deliveries and I am thankful for the opportunity to earn a few more dollars. 2 trips tonight. All is going well. Truck is running great, and I have the heat at the blue/red mark. Chilly out tonight and I don’t need much heat in the cab as I’ll get sick. I find if I have it come in on the floor vents and not at the top, that is working best for me. My light 2 spring jackets are warm enough for me too.

When I am returning from my first delivery, the interstate is fairly empty and I’m not sure where all the traffic is at tonight. Don’t care as my job is easier with fewer vehicles to worry about. South of the tunnel that goes thru the mountain, you will find many trucks with their flashers on as they climb the incline with their loads as slow speed. Its about 4 miles of incline.

Since I am empty, I can keep my speed at 65 and no faster as our fleet is governed at that speed. I can see a truck way ahead of me as that truck rounds a curve. I watch my mirrors for traffic so I know where they are before I move in left lane. Since most traffic likes to do 10 over the limit, I don’t want to slow them down. I have plenty of time before I get closer to the truck. There is nothing behind me unless some jerk is driving without headlights. That has happened and I can not do anything about it.

Now I’m closer to the truck and closing in fast. I’m still in right hand lane and watching my mirrors. I can also see flashing lights ahead about 1 mile belonging to one vehicle. Not enough lights for more than one vehicle. I turn on my left turn signal and let it blink 3 times and move over in left lane as taught in school. I’ll stay in this lane after I pass the flatbed so I’m not near those flashing lights.

Its 8:15 and I am about 2 miles from the tunnel and I can see the lights to it. About 10 feet from the flatbed, that driver moves into my lane!!! Tractor first in my lane, trailer still in right lane. Its at this point, I react to this very stupid move and slam on the brakes and “talk” to that driver. By hitting the brakes when I did, it prevented me from slamming into left rear corner of the trailer and pushing it forward at an angle an jackknifing that truck and blocking I540 for hours. Or just slamming into the rear of the trailer. Both options I did not care for. All happened so fast, about as much time as a deer that is suddenly in front of you.

I also did not see for sure what that flatbed had on, but it looked like those blue metal pipes and I saw large pieced of wood too. Maybe the wood was being used for the bracing. At this point I did not care what the flatbed had on as it was going to be a passenger with me and I did not like that idea either.

Somehow I missed hitting this jerk. My skill? Luck? My guardian angel driving my truck at this moment? Not my time for an accident? When this jerk was completely in left lane, I flashed my brights at him. He in turn, flashed his work lights at me. I took this to be “WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!!??” This jerk had plenty of time to pass me if he wished AFTER I passed him. I passed him on his right and we were about 3/4 of a mile away from those flashing lights.

Naturally I am glad I avoided this accident as it was going to be a bad one. I would be in the hospital or not here. And because I would have slammed into him, I would be the one charged with FAILURE TO KEEP CONTROL & RECKLESS DRIVING to name two. Tickets need to be given for YOUR STUPIDITY CAUSED THIS ACCIDENT.

Was this driver a new driver? Tired driver? Misjudged distance? Not watching mirrors? Does not care? I will never know. But this makes me paranoid now in that area as it is not the first time I have seen close up or farther back, jerks in slow lane jumping out in fast lane of traffic. One of these days, northbound I540 is going to be blocked for hours due to someone making a very stupid move.

Tuesday November 24 2009. I was all settled in for the evening and looking forward to watching Donny on Dancing With The Stars. Phone rings. It’s the boss, I am needed to deliver 2 loads so far to the canning plant. The calls are coming in for loads. Trailers are being loaded now. I am assigned a truck too. I say I can work and I’ll get there as soon as I can.

I gather my things while changing into trucking clothes. I am thankful for the work and I am not at all tired like I normally am at this time of night. I know that will change later. I look at the clock and already know I will be up all night. By the time I can leave home, get to the truck and get the papers for the load and hook up the trailer, it will be 9. 2 trips will be 6 hours and will I need to get fuel? Will the trailer be ready when I arrive to work? So many “IF’S” that can change the time for everything of the itinerary that you have already done in your head.

I arrive at 8:15 and see the docks full of trailers–mostly ours. One or two forklifts are busy loading the trailers. Trailers move when the forklift enters and leaves. The rear of the trailer lowers at the ramp as the forklift enters and then it raises as the forklift moves to the nose of the trailer and then it’s the front that lowers. Airbags hiss as air escapes from them on the rear of the trailer and the truck too if a truck is hooked up to the trailer. When you are in the drivers seat, you watch the mirrors and see the front corners of the trailer raise up as forklift enters and then go down as forklift moves toward the nose of trailer. Back and forth till the trailer is loaded. The less up and down with the trailer means its just about loaded.

I find shipping busy with all the paperwork that is needed. I get mine for my trailer and it has been parked in the lot. Night driver tells me that the truck I am taking was filled last night so I don’t have to stop for fuel. This is great news as I hate going to the Pilot and if I have to fuel, I want enough to get to exit 24. I get my things out of my car and put them in the truck. Now I go to the trailer and get hooked up and since the Qualcomm (truck computer) does not work, I call dispatch to sign in and get trip number and I‘ll need a load number too since none have been assigned at this end due to the loads being called in after hours. At 8:40, I pull out of the lot.

I make good time on the way to the plant and I really want to stop and buy something to drink, but I don’t. I can wait till I get first load delivered. I pull into the plant at 9:50 and the guard checks me in. He looks like a member of my church and I thought he was that person the first time I saw him when he approached me and check me in. He questions the paperwork because its handwritten and is not the same as what I normally bring to the Van Buren plant. I tell him that these loads were called in after hours and all the paperwork I will be bringing may look like this. I get the papers back and proceed to the next building to give the papers to plant staff and get my copy signed. They are glad to see me and the loading docks are called to let them know that I have arrived with the first load. I’m asked “you are coming back 2 more times??” I tell them what they want to hear and that is YES. They need the cans and I will do 3 trips and not 2. I am asked to hurry and park this load and get the empty and leave to get load 2. The shuttle driver tells me to park this load by the docks as he will soon be moving out a trailer and will put it in the dock. I do and then go to our lot and get a empty trailer. I stop at exit 24 and get a drink as I really need one.

Soon I am back at the shipper for load 2 and leave at 11:45. Starting to get a little tired now and the hum of 18 tires on the pavement is not helping me stay awake. I crank up the tunes and lower the window to have the cool air on me. When I arrive at the plant, there is a new guard and nothing is said about the papers. I proceed to next building and get my papers signed and park trailer by dock again. I am able to drop and get empty trailer and leave in 15 minutes!!! 12:55am to 1:10am. The last 30 miles back to Springdale is tough as I am now tired. Like all drivers of any vehicle I do whatever I can by staying awake. I raise/lower the seat for a different position. Open window(s). I move around in the seat as much as one can. When I enter the city lights, I become awake. Then at the plant to drop trailer and get new one, I am now wide awake after being in the chilly air. I leave for my 3^rd load at 3am. No problems getting to Van Buren plant and after checking in I am asked to take trailer to our lot. When I get my empty and go by the guard at this side of the plant, I take a few minutes out and talk to him as he used to drive semi’s too. Our trailers are by the docks where the canned veggies are shipped out. The guards here also do trailer checks and write down what we bring in and take out. From the time I enter and leave its 30 minutes. Saw plenty of deer on my 3 trips and all decided to not get acquainted with me and the truck. I make it back to Springdale and park the trailer in the lot and then park the truck. Its now 6am. 378 miles

October 27 2009 is a special day for me because it was October 27 1976 when I entered the Transportation world. My only experience in this was riding the school bus for all the years in school. Its all I had to go on to have some knowledge of the world I was entering. I wanted to do this since I was a little kid. When the time came to go job hunting, all I got was “YOU’RE A GIRL & GIRLS DON’T DO THAT” and “THAT’S NO PLACE FOR YOU.” My “place???” What is my “place”? I asked them. This was not being said to the male species. So why the double standard for me and/or women? Do I not look capable to do the job?

I have a 1983 poem with 12 examples of the double standard. A couple of the examples are about the men having lunch with the boss so they can continue to climb the ladder. For the women its an affair. His desk is messy, a sign that he is a busy person. Her desk is messy so she must be disorganized. Sadly this thinking still goes on today. Maybe not everywhere, but I see it and I am involved with it.

Just this week at my part time job I was talking to a trucker and said I know what he is talking about as I drive too when not at this job. He looked at me and said “I find that hard to believe.” Since I was at work, I had to be polite. I want to know why this is so hard to believe or understand when women announce to the world, “I DRIVE 18 WHEELERS!!!”. What does a trucker look like??? I just happen to be bigger than a few of the men I have seen and I know men don’t get this treatment.

It has been a battle all the way to get to where I am at today. I had to get doors to open and keep on opening them to move up. I had to deal with men getting promoted faster because they were men and many times with less experience than me in the bus world. You get burned out quickly dealing with battles that keep arising.

I moved on to a state employee and spent 5 years traveling the state for traffic counts driving a state car then to a testing lab for road building for 6 years and one winter I plowed snow for the state. Whether you do or do not count this time, it does not change the fact that its been 33 years since 1976.

Trucking is a strange life, but it has treated me and other women equally. I entered in 2001 with my experience/knowledge being even less than riding a school bus in my school years. I needed a job and I was going to make it work. There is some satisfaction in doing this job. We are supplying America with needed supplies. There is satisfaction after learning how to back the darn trailer!! Practice and practice and more practice is what it takes. Eventually the light bulb will come on and you will get it.

I wished I had kept more notes on my trips so I can do more stories of my adventures. I have email stories I sent out to many so I can work on those. I may be able to piece together some of my notes to do a story–may not be what I did but I could try doing a make believe story. Have been asked to try this by many. And others have strongly suggested I do a book of my stories. Either way, I got to get my notes figured out and do a few more stories.

Our interim pastor suggested I try to do trucking devotions. “Are you kidding?!!” I said to him. Naturally this never entered my mind to do one but I accepted the challenge and got 2 done–or as done as done can be for now. Both were approved by interim and a friend with suggestions to “tweak” them some more. Maybe. That is far down my list of things to do.

Every driver has a story to tell. There is so much that we see, do and put up with that you just would not believe it and understand why it goes on in today’s world. We drivers don’t understand it either. Since we can’t have every 4-wheeler ride in the truck with us for a week to see what we do and put up with, that is why I write. That is why lots of drivers write and have done books. 33 years ago. Looking back its gone by fast. I had no idea I would be in it this long.

What a beautiful day in the Twin Cities. I am waiting for my load assignment and trailer so I can get started for the day. I see that something has happened in this area as many police are cruising thru. Just hope the accident or whatever is going on is not in my way or slows me down that much. I put it out of my mind as I have a job to focus on.

Soon I get my instructions and get my loaded trailer. It is heavy like all the loads here. I slide the tandems to the approximate area they need to be at. This will work till I get to the scale and that will be next stop. I enter all the load info in the QualComm and proceed to the guard shack and sign out. Finally I am on my way and am eager to get rolling.

I pull out onto the street and make it up to the stoplight. I see a policeman. I turn left and he is following me and at my side. He is watching me and/or the truck and he keeps looking at the tires or something at ground level. Some of this is a blur as I did not keep as many notes as I should have. Did I get stopped or did he motion me to follow him?? All I know is I ended up in a large parking lot where I was going to get the portable scales.

I know he was just doing his job but I am pissed for just doing my job as taught and instructed to do and am calling my employer and sending Qualcomm messages. Now I can’t even get to the scale to be legal!! I am already fed up with all the rules and regs that hamper us to do our job and now this happens!!!!! It is wrong and I am so tired of being treated like trash in this trucking world. These fines can be in the thousands of dollars too. I know I am getting one as I don’t think I can talk the officer out of it. I know I am not legal but you got to give us a chance to get legal.

Officer puts the portables under one axle and I go to my truck as instructed and pull forward when told to. We do all axles and soon this job is done. I’m still in truck calling employer and sending QualComm messages while officer does his figuring. Officer asks me why I did not get legal back at shipper. I tell him they do not have a scale. He thought we had something in the truck to tell us this info. I say no. Only with experience can you tell and know from experience where to slide your trailer axles NEAR the point needed to be legal. But you won’t know that till you weigh. And that I was and am going to the scales to weight and I specifically tell him what scale incase he wants to follow me/escort me there or call another officer from that area to verify this and that I do weigh. (my attempt of not getting a ticket)

He does not do any of this but does tell me I am getting a ticket and it is for $465. I am to pay it by this date or go to jail. I tell him I will not pay this ticket and if my employer does not, I will be in this area on that date specified and I will look forward to YOU giving me a ride to your fine accommodations for a night or two in jail. (I am tired of the truck driver being the blame for everything and putting up with this crap for doing our job or trying to do our job)

I’m told I can swing by the office if I want to on my way to my destination. IF I WANT TO!!!??? I am stopping to voice my opinion about this ticket and to make a copy of it for my records. (which I do have, just can’t find it when looking for it for this story) I go inside and rant and rave about this treatment of drivers and who knows what else I said about trucking and its unfairness to drivers and that I was not paying this ticket. Employer said they would pay it as I was following directions given to me.

Shortly after this, a letter went out to drivers saying that “ 2 drivers have received tickets of $465 at this shipper and weight limits are being enforced on the road”. HA! I know who one driver is! You can also be legal at one state scale where the officer may let you go just a few pounds over on an axle. But 20 miles later crossing a state line you pull in and get a ticket for being over. Happened to a co-worker. Again no fairness, at all in this matter.

Another crock is this weight limits. In many cases the business has been there for years and no issues. Then the County or City decided to set weight limits on the road to all these business who receive truck traffic. Also in many cases you can be LEGAL with your weight EMPTY going there, but ILLLEGAL when leaving with your load. Why is there this mentality of NO TRUCKS ALLOWED??? Why do the Counties and Cities do this to those business’s who rely on trucks??? I would like to see trucks shut down for 1 week to show how much we are needed and to just let us do our jobs like other workers do without all the regulations that hamper you to get the job done.

My ticket was paid by the employer and I did not go to jail. But I was ready.