Worst Enemy of a Truck Driver

 by John Hill | Thursday, June 18, 2015

Professional truck drivers have a lot of enemies. Many drivers perceive the DOT as one enemy... and without question it is the general public who looks at trucking as something that is just in their way: a big, slow 18 wheeler creeping up a hill at 25 MPH, making a huge wide turn that cuts them off, a dirty machine that smells of oil and diesel... enemies can even include entire towns or cities that proudly make it known by stating, "Truckers Not Welcome," such as was the case of Greenwich, Connecticut.

The world of the professional over the road truck driver is a secretive one that few on the outside ever experience. Mainly, the trucker talks and converses with other truckers... few else would be able to relate. The nine-to-fiver has no comprehension of how a long haul trucker will run more miles in one year, than they will drive in ten. For those who jump into OTR trucking as a new career... statistics prove that most will only last six months. It takes a ton of stamina to be a professional over the road truck driver... stamina, that most do not possess.

The truck driver will find enemies at nearly every turn... shippers and receivers who will treat them like they are less than dogs... law enforcement telling them that they will have to move their rig, even though they are parked out of the way on some small, forgotten empty lot overgrown with grass and weeds... enemies that even live within their industry itself... lies reported on their DAC report... a disgruntled dispatcher who will "cut" their miles because they refused to haul an illegal load... enemies everywhere.

Professional truckers will talk among themselves at the docks, rest areas and truck stops... talking about the abuses of the industry and keeping these insights quietly to themselves. They cannot let their company catch wind of such discussions... they can't afford to lose their jobs. The veteran driver knows that for every one truck driver that loves their profession... ten more hate it, due to the abuse that continues to survive within the industry.

As one trucker said to me a few weeks ago: "The trucking companies own us... we are nothing more than slaves."

I would not go so far as to referring to trucking as slavery, (we can all quit at anytime we want to), but for many thousands and thousands of OTR truckers... they are faced not only with a highly stressful, demanding and tiring vocation... but also with the daily misfortune of having to deal with so many misinformed outsiders who have no understanding of what over the road trucking is all about. Enemies who look at truckers and their big rigs as a nuisance of the roads and something that just simply slows down their ever increasing, fast paced way of life. None of these, however, are the truck driver's worst enemy.Read More...

Who Build the Motor Truck?

By Mary Bellis

Inventors Expert

Updated August 21, 2016.

The first motor truck was built in 1896 by German automotive pioneer Gottlieb Daimler. Daimler's truck had a four horsepower engine and a belt drive with two forward speeds and one reverse. It was the first pickup truck. Daimler also produced the world's first motorcycle in 1885 and the first taxi in 1897. 

The First Tow Truck 

The towing industry was born in 1916 in Chattanooga, Tennessee when Ernest Holmes, Sr helped a friend retrieve his car with three poles, a pulley and a chain hooked to the frame of a 1913 Cadillac.

The first motor truck was built in 1896 by German automotive pioneer Gottlieb Daimler. Daimler's truck had a four horsepower engine and a belt drive with two forward speeds and one reverse. It was the first pickup truck. Daimler also produced the world's first motorcycle in 1885 and the first taxi in 1897

.After patenting his invention, Holmes began manufacturing wreckers and towing equipment for sale to automotive garages and to anyone else who might be interested in retrieving and towing wrecked or disabled autos. His first manufacturing facility was a small shop on Market Street.

Holmes’ business grew as the auto industry expanded and eventually its products earned a worldwide reputation for their quality and performance.Read More...

UBER on long-haul trucking business

(Rueters SEPTEMBER 27, 2016 10:43 PM)

Credits to Uber

With its recent acquisition of self-driving truck startup Otto, Uber is plotting its entry into the long-haul trucking business, aiming to establish itself as a freight hauler and a technology partner for the industry.
Otto plans to expand its fleet of trucks from six to about 15 and is forging partnerships with independent truckers, Otto co-founder Lior Ron told Reuters in an interview. Starting next year, Otto-branded trucks and others equipped with Otto technology will begin hauling freight bound for warehouses and stores, he said.
Uber has already started pitching services to shippers, truck fleets and independent drivers, and the services go well beyond Otto’s initially stated goal of outfitting trucks with self-driving technology. It also plans to compete with the brokers who connect truck fleets and shippers.Read More...

Getting a Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

From www.fmcsa.dot.gov / Updated : Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Getting a CDL involves several steps. There are medical requirements and residency requirements besides knowledge and skills requirements.

• The first step is to get a copy of your state's Commercial Driver’s Licensing (CDL) Manual. The manual is available in their field locations, downloaded from their website and printed. Each state has its own processes to getting the CDL.

• The second step is to decide which type of vehicle and what kind of driving you want to get the license for.

• There are 3 classes of CDLs with endorsements for specialized qualifications for vehicles like school buses, tank trucks, tractor trailers, etc. Each types of CDL and endorsement requires you pass a skills test and in some cases a written test. It is important to make sure you pass all the required tests or risk having restrictions on your license.

Once you've finished getting informed and making decisions, there are two basic steps to getting a CDL:Read More...

Qualifications of a Truck Driver

By The Schneider Guy / Dec 26, 2016

If you’re looking for a career that’s both challenging and rewarding, truck driving may be the right choice for you. Before joining the industry as a professional driver, there are a few requirements to become a truck driver that you’ll need to meet. The first step is to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) from your state of residence, which comes with its own set of requirements.

courtesy by schneiderjobs.com

To earn a CDL, you’ll have to attend a truck driving school. Each school may have slight variations in its truck driver requirements, but there are a few qualifications that are consistent across the board. If you’re wondering where the nearest school is or how you’ll pay for school, Schneider has answers. Read More

Misery of Long Haul

By: Dilyana Dobrinova

Principles of Microeconomics state that when there is a high demand for a product, supply would also increase to satisfy the demand. This logic applies not only to market realities but also to workforce dynamics. When there is a need for IT specialists, you would expect employers to provide high salaries and good working conditions, which would attract more and more IT specialists. Yes. In some industries, this might be true. Long-haul trucking, however, is not one of them. It might just as well be exactly the opposite.

Despite being an industry that is a large factor in the American economy, long-haul trucking doesn’t seem to be a concern of the Department of Labor at all. Working conditions of long-haul truck drivers have worsened in the past years, and mistreatment is causing many drivers to leave the industry. As a result, employers hire young and less experienced drivers to whom they dedicate their 18-wheelers – a decision that puts both the employers and the employees in danger. As a result of this unfortunate trend, the Senate has even approved a pilot program that will allow 18-year-olds to drive semis across state lines despite the fact that the 18- to 21-year-old demographic has one of the highest accident rate.Read More

Mental Health Issues About Truck

by anna balay and mona shattell / 

 MAR 22, 2016

 

courtesy by theatlantic.com

Long-haul trucking can leave workers vulnerable to a host of mental-health issues, but the demands of the job often mean they have trouble accessing care.

Earlier this year, a truck driver known as “Maddog Trucker,” the owner of a popular trucking blog, took to his site to post some thoughts about road safety. This winter has been a particularly bad one for trucker wrecks, and Maddog was emotional:

The sad reality some Truckers have witnessed, and live with, is the screams they hear every night in [their] nightmares. Those screams are from a young child much like your own, pulled from the wreckage beside her dead mother killed by an ignorant Trucker that couldn't stop in time and crashed. No freight is worth your life and regardless of any situation, it's not worth going home in a body bag. Read More