18wheelsandwomen

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.

October 24 2009. What a change from last night! Sometimes you have these days/nights of skill testing if you drive a semi. I did not have a leisurely drive to Fort Smith as I normally do. No relaxing and just enjoy the drive and drink your coffee. This was not meant to be. I had to WORK to stay safe and keep others safe too.Bumper to bumper traffic in town and for the next hour while driving to my destination. Traffic racing to get around you before the right lane ends due to merging. Naturally these vehicles are ¼ mile behind you as you look in your mirrors to keep an eye on them. You have to. I am just a couple blocks from that lane that ends and there is no way they can get there before me, but they try. Here they come only to find out they have to slam on their brakes and get in the line BEHIND me and they should have just stayed put instead of trying to get ahead of a big truck. I dealt with “LETS NOT LET THE SEMI PASS, CHANGE LANES AND LETS CUT THEM OFF” game. Many who passed me, SWERVED in front of me so close that I had to hit my brakes to avoid hitting them, or try to not hit them. And some also slowed down once they got in front of me. Guess you just have to be in front of the big truck and then slow me down so I can’t maintain my speed.

Lead vehicle on the ramp saw me coming and even tho I was ahead of him and I knew I would be at the end of the ramp entrance to the interstate before him, he sped up to beat me to that point. He found out it was not going to work in this bumper to bumper traffic. But there was enough room for him to have merged BEHIND me as normal instead of this mentality of getting ahead of me. So, I reach the point of the merging as planned, ahead of the lead vehicle. I can see him in my mirrors and brace myself for an accident. This vehicle is determined to still get on the interstate ahead of me! Trailer is now at the merged point and I am ahead of that point in the tractor. I am waiting for this car to go under the trailer. I’m trying to see forward, to my left and of course watching the right side thru the mirrors. In these few seconds I am wondering if I will roll the semi and if that happens, the vehicles on my left are in for a huge surprise. Or will I drag these vehicle and rip it to pieces and have a death to deal with??? At the last possible second, vehicle slows down and moves AWAY from me, I think almost coming to a complete stop. So many drivers think they have the right of way when on the ramp. Wrong! You are the one to merge safely with the traffic and maybe stop if needed. Naturally I am thankful that nothing happened.

Nerves shot by the time I reached my destination. After I dropped the trailer and got the empty one, I finally got to have some of my coffee from my thermos. I took a few moments to relax before facing this traffic for the rest of the night. So thankful to make it home with no mishaps..

But today is a leisurely day of driving. So relaxing and I can enjoy the fall colors. My first stop will be for breakfast and my first cup of coffee. I can hardly wait to savory the first bite of my sausage egg mcmuffin! I love those things. I walk in and tell the counter person “I’ll have the Sausage Egg McMuffin and coffee to go please.” I’m asked if this is to go or to eat in. Did you not here me??? Did I mess up your speech by saying it first??? I again say, “This is to go.” My order is handed to me and I rush out to the truck to get back on the interstate before I bit into my Sausage Egg McMuffin. Couldn’t wait, I get the first bite on the ramp. THIS IS NOT A SAUSAGE EGG MCMUFFIN!!!! IT IS AN EGG MCMUFFIN!!!! I knew I should have checked the order before leaving. I’m not happy. I frantically look for my ticket and sure enough it does say SAUSAGE EGG MCMUFFIN. I finish eating but it just was not what I wanted. Next is the coffee that lasts me to my destination.

It is a beautiful fall day with the sun rising many times as I go thru all the hills. When I go thru the valley’s and near the rivers, you can see the steam/fog rising and it blankets everything. Patches of it, close to the ground and the sun is shining above it. You can see this for miles and it also looks like smoke from a distance. All the fall colors blend in perfect harmony. It is an awesome sight to see. Breathtaking.

When I arrive at the receiver, my country station and a rock station are coming in on the same frequency and it does not make good listening. Have not had this happen before. This lasts as long as it takes me to check in with the guard, park loaded trailer and get my empty and leave and get back on the interstate.

The drive back was even prettier now with more sunlight. I get to enjoy this view for one more trip. I finished my assignment early in the afternoon. Time to go home and enjoy this beautiful day.

Let me start out by saying I entered trucking in 2001 because I needed a job. A job that paid a livable wage. So I entered as a warm body that companies put in the drivers seat. My pleas of office duty/inside job was not being heard.

At first this new driving thing was not too bad, but soon the newness and “fun” wears off. I did enjoy being in charge of my day and no one watching over me, except the Qualcomm. Even that did not bother me as it was comforting to me knowing that someone did know where I was at all times in case of problems/my safety. Trucking also gave me the opportunity to be successful. My other jobs never did that. In a truck you are the only one responsible for what you do—driving, trip planning, getting the job done. No one else can do that for you.

I got “used” to the rules of trucking that pull you in different directions and yet, you are to do your job with these rules. Each one contradicting the other one. Somehow you figure it out and wonder why those who make these rules don’t drive a truck. Why is it that those not in said job are the experts in said job????? The things that a drivers do, put up with and are treated by the public and everywhere we go would not be tolerated at other jobs. There would be lawsuits and most employers would never treat their employee’s the way truckers are treated. Even they are allowed to eat.

And for just doing your job, you can get in trouble. Make a 15 minute mistake on your log and have a wreck, you will be at fault because you were not to be there at that time. You can get pulled over by the police when leaving the lot so they can weigh your vehicle to see if you are legal, BEFORE you can get to the scale and give you a ticket. (this happened to me and that is a story to work on) The roads are congested, the drivers do stupid things and all are in a hurry to get somewhere fast. Drivers are now not allowed to idle in many places. No one cares if you die from the heat or cold, but if you have a pet, you will be allowed to have the truck run for your heat/cold. Wasting fuel is not acceptable in trucking, but it is OK for others to start their vehicle up and drive it across the street instead of walking. My tolerance level is now down to zero with all the ANTI TRUCKS from many. It did not help when I lost my office job at another trucking company due to the economy. I never wanted to be in trucking as a fulltime steering wheel holder and for sure not this long doing it.

 I will do all I can to help others achieve their dream in this strange world. You must try to reach your dreams as no one will do it for you. I will never tell anyone to not try to reach their dreams as that would be wrong.  I enjoy being a part of helping all learn thru my stories so you know what trucking is about if/when you decide that it is for you.  As I continue to work on getting out of the drivers seat for good, I will do all I can to help you get in the drivers seat! And I’ll keep on writing too.