Subsim Truckers [Archive] - SUBSIM Radio Room Forums

Onkel Neal

04-19-14, 02:36 PM

So, I know from previous discussions that there are some truckers/former truckers lurking here, such as Privateer, and a few others. I've completed all my training, received my CDL (with tanker and HAZMAT), and I've been OTR for two weeks now. So far, I have not hit anything, I haven't had any run ins with the law, and I've passed 4 cars/trucks (Schneider governs their trucks at 60, yes, I am a rolling traffic jam :dead:).

I'm hauling tankers, from Arkansas, to Alabama, to Iowa, Wisconsin, and Indiana. I think I've got abput 4000 miles so far, not a lot of sleep, but it's all good, as long as I'm rolling.

I discovered that parking in a Wal-Mart can be risky--I woke up one morning surrounded by 4 wheelers!

Any advise or stories you want to share, would be welcome.:shucks:

Schroeder

04-19-14, 03:01 PM

Over here trucks are only allowed to go 50mph. The ones of the company I used to work for were governed at 83 km/h (~52mph). So much for you being a road block.:cool:

TarJak

04-19-14, 03:15 PM

Ours are supposed to be governed to 100 km/h, but I got passed by a B-double tanker on the Hume Hwy on Friday when I was doing 120.

Do you have a sleep cabin and a bullbar on your rig Neal?

Onkel Neal

04-19-14, 03:24 PM

Yes, I have a sleeper cabin, what's a bullbar?

TarJak

04-19-14, 03:29 PM

Its a metal frame welded onto the front of your rig for keeping meat out of your radiator grille.

nikimcbee

04-19-14, 03:35 PM

TarJak

04-19-14, 03:38 PM

Its a metal frame welded onto the front of your rig for keeping meat out of your radiator grille.

http://www.bullbars.net.au/kenworth_files/ken_t658_7a_fupd_bullbar.jpg

Onkel Neal

04-19-14, 03:43 PM

Are you going to do any hauling up in the oil fields in North Dakota. I hear that's where all the tanker action is?:hmmm: Every you ever make it out to Ore-gone, I'll buy you a rockstar, or coffee. :D

Thanks, Jason, I will let you know.

http://www.bullbars.net.au/kenworth_files/ken_t658_7a_fupd_bullbar.jpg

Holy cow, no, nothing like that. :o

TarJak

04-19-14, 03:43 PM

Are you going to do any hauling up in the oil fields in North Dakota. I hear that's where all the tanker action is?:hmmm: Every you ever make it out to Ore-gone, I'll buy you a rockstar, or coffee. :D

Is it anything like this? http://movieclips.com/uvH7-mad-max-2-the-road-warrior-movie-tanker-under-attack/

Typical day hauling tankers on the roads of outback Australia. :D

Maybe this bull bar is better:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5OGIrfjjcc0/TFretQfGGyI/AAAAAAAABUw/pCz8cqtYheM/s1600/Picture+1.jpg

Nope, that's not a bull bar! This is a bull bar:
http://cavebabble.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/files/2011/09/RoadWarriorTruck2.jpg

TarJak

04-19-14, 03:46 PM

Thanks, Jason, I will let you know.

Holy cow, no, nothing like that. :o

They are after you hit 'em with one of those. :)

Wolferz

04-19-14, 03:56 PM

Congrats on your accomplishment Neal.:up: Getting the license is the hardest part. So you're pulling slosh wagons for Schneider? I feel for you. But, you're not nearly the traffic jam a Swift truck is.:03:
I hauled van expedited for CRST and our rigs were governed at 63.5 MPH though we could get'em going much faster down a decent grade like Donner Pass. Are you running team? That's where you can knock down some serious money but you'll work your butt off doing it at eight hours on and eight off. Oregon and Washington are beautiful places to drive through.:up: I'm force retired now or I'd still be out their jamming gears.

Tell us about your tractor.:D

Onkel Neal

04-19-14, 04:32 PM

Yeah, you were a driver, I remember now, and Swamperat, I think,

My Gretchen is a 2011 Freightliner Cascadia, with a Detroit Diesel engine. She's got 281,000 miles on her, so still pretty new.

Wolferz

04-19-14, 06:16 PM

Yeah, you were a driver, I remember now, and Swamperat, I think,

My Gretchen is a 2011 Freightliner Cascadia, with a Detroit Diesel engine. She's got 281,000 miles on her, so still pretty new.
Split ten?

I drove a Cascadia in CDL school. Nice tractor.:up:
I drove International Golden Eagles for CRST with the Super Ten grinder box. It was nice making half the shifts with my thumb.:D

AVGWarhawk

04-19-14, 06:53 PM

Nice job Neal. CDL can be hard to obtain. I have been in the industry for 20 years. Only on the others side as dispatching, load planning, management and sales. Currently as an agent for Landstar. Driving the 11 hours is something I just can not do. The folks that drive for me love it and would not change a thing. At Landstar we are all independent contractors. No forced dispatch. Our contractors do well. If this career is something that really works for you think about purchasing your own rig. Contract on with a outfit that suits you.

Red October1984

04-19-14, 07:12 PM

Nope, that's not a bull bar! This is a bull bar:
http://cavebabble.pnrnetworks.popcornnroses.com/files/2011/09/RoadWarriorTruck2.jpg

I JUST watched that movie the other day. Awesome movie.

Anyway, there are some days where this job sounds appealing to me....driving the road....no bullcrap to put up with...just me, a big truck and the road.

However, doesn't that get boring after a while? The guys who do it for years and years and years?

What did you guys do to stay entertained out on the road all the time? Was it worth it?

TarJak

04-19-14, 07:35 PM

Do you guys have B-doubles and road trains over there?

http://www.tieman.com.au/assets/image/1671195527_Fuel-1791768932_10_25mDBlFuel[1].jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Road_Train_Australia.jpg/800px-Road_Train_Australia.jpg

Aktungbby

04-19-14, 07:39 PM

:salute:CONGRATS ONKEL! My 1977 Midwestern Freightliner with Cummins 290 fuel-squeezer/12 speed Roadranger(photo below); No power steering, no cruise control, no trailer brake(foot valve only) no jake brake and AC sure to die at Gila, Arizona in 120 degree weather! My sheepskin cover air-ride seat was state of the art:stare: and I actually had a Whistler radar detector and a CB 'radidio'!:smug: Our pumps were governed, sealed units so we used to pull out of Ft Scott, Kansas and pop our own stingered units on-a termination offence. But it was fun: ran everything from copper out of Amarillo, onions out of Marfa, sugar out of Houma, LA, tuna fish, new tires and all US paper products to all 48 states for three years: avg 350 logged days a year and was the company salvage driver...as necessary:dead:. Midwestern was so bad safetywise, it had to have its own insurance company! @ Wolfertz: Donner Pass! your forgetting Raton, Cajon, Tejon, Rabbitears and Parley's! All controlled looong descents. @Neal: learn to adjust your own brakes in sequence (trust not the mechanic) and always play randomly with the instrument switches while minding the gauges; if one switch burns your finger tips...you've got a big problem!:oops: A metal Jake switch did that to me(dead-short) in DEC/78(cold BBY) on I-80; I had just enough time to pull over, disconnect all Batts and jack up/over the cab to find the melted wire in the main wiring yoke leading to the solenoid cylinder interrupters on the brake compressor-Luckily, I had suitable spare wire for a fast-fix to get me 100 miles into Cheyenne, Wyoming. This is a common cause of so-called random mystery tractor fires. Wear your ear protection always so you don't get tinnitus like I did (50% hearing loss). Especially with those whining Detroits!! Do not pull into little bars in the winter time in Minn.(Moosebar?)...even for a Hamm's or to use the phone even with autos/pickups parked alluringly out front...those could be Ice-fishing bars hauled onto one of the 10,000 ice-covered lakes...one of our guys did and ended up swimming!. The truck and paper loaded trailer were completely under water.:nope: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/da/81/48/da8148d84f1973a0ed5374750645ae69.jpg< strongly resembles my baby# 8485 & home on the road. My favorite route: NATCH':up:> http://www.weirdus.com/states/utah/stories/route_666/1_small.jpg:D

AVGWarhawk

04-19-14, 07:42 PM

Do you guys have B-doubles and road trains over there?

We run doubles in some states. No road trains...yet.

http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/martin_phippard/multi_trailers/file0106.jpg

Onkel Neal

04-19-14, 08:17 PM

Split ten?

I drove a Cascadia in CDL school. Nice tractor.:up:
I drove International Golden Eagles for CRST with the Super Ten grinder box. It was nice making half the shifts with my thumb.:D

Eaton Fuller 10 speed. I am still pretty terrible at shifting. I can do it pretty well about 90% of the time, but when the Navigo is telling me Right Lane now, cars are swirling around me, I'm trying to get my speed down 10 under the exit ramp speed at the same time--I can have a buffer overflow and forget which gear I'm in, or get the speed/gear wrong. I'm working on it. How long did you drive? Isn't a Cascadia a newer model?

Nice job Neal. CDL can be hard to obtain. I have been in the industry for 20 years. Only on the others side as dispatching, load planning, management and sales. Currently as an agent for Landstar. Driving the 11 hours is something I just can not do. The folks that drive for me love it and would not change a thing. At Landstar we are all independent contractors. No forced dispatch. Our contractors do well. If this career is something that really works for you think about purchasing your own rig. Contract on with a outfit that suits you.

Thanks, Chris. I'm pretty good for 11 hours, even when I don't get enough rest. I am definitely tuned in to stopping if I am fighting sleep, I won't press on if I cannot do it.

I'm going to drive for Schneider for 1 year,get my OTR experience, then we'll see. It's too early to tell how this will work out, remember I was a teacher for 6 months? :-? O/O is appealing to me, I can take the loads when I choose, as much as I want. For a guy who prizes his free time, that would be nice.

CONGRATS ONKEL! My[/SIZE] 1977 Freightliner with Cummins 290 fuel-squeezer/12 speed Roadranger(photo below); No power steering, no cruise control, no trailer brake(foot valve only) no jake brake and AC sure to die at Gila, Arizona in 120 degree weather! My sheepskin cover air-ride seat was state of the art:stare: and I actually had a Whistler radar detector and a CB 'radidio'!:smug: Our pumps were governed, sealed units so we used to pull out of Ft Scott, Kansas and pop our own stingered units on-a termination offence. But it was fun: ran everything from copper out of Amarillo, onions out of Marfa, sugar out of Houma, LA, tuna fish, new tires and all US paper products to all 48 states for three years: avg 350 logged days a year and was the company salvage driver...as necessary:dead:. Midwestern was so bad safetywise, it had to have its own insurance company! @ Wolfertz: Donner Pass! your forgetting Raton, Cajon, Tejon, Rabbitears and Parley's! All controlled looong descents.

@Neal: learn to adjust your own brakes in sequence (trust not the mechanic) and always play randomly with the instrument switches while minding the gauges; if one switch burns your finger tips...you've got a big problem!:oops: A metal Jake switch did that to me(dead-short) in DEC/78(cold BBY) on I-80; I had just enough time to pull over, disconnect all Batts and jack up/over the cab to find the melted wire in the main wiring yoke leading to the solenoid cylinder interrupters on the brake compressor-Luckily, I had suitable spare wire for a fast-fix to get me 100 miles into Cheyenne, Wyoming. This is a common cause of so-called random mystery tractor fires.

Wear your ear protection always so you don't get tinnitus like I did (50% hearing loss). Especially with those whining Detroits!! Do not pull into little bars in the winter time in Minn.(Moosebar?)...even for a Hamm's or to use the phone even with autos/pickups parked alluringly out front...those could be Ice-fishing bars hauled onto one of the 10,000 ice-covered lakes...one of our guys did and ended up swimming!. The truck and paper loaded trailer were completely under water.:nope:

Aktungbby, you sound like you're an old school trucker with worlds of experience! :salute:

Aktungbby

04-19-14, 08:21 PM

Not quite! they do triple Pups in Oregan and they used to do it in Nevada from Reno to Salt Lake Utah with Garrett. Saw one on I-80, completely circled up like a wagon train, that had gone off the roadway in a blizzard-kinda' cured me right there and then; back in the day!:timeout: http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/steve_port/2006/12-09/garrett-triples-1st-set_sml.jpg (http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/steve_port/2006/12-09/garrett-triples-1st-set.jpg) http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/MCT/OD%20Docs/triples3.jpgOregon's three 27' "pups" currently as seen on I-5(two single axle con-gears). And a 'Turnpike-double' :two standard 45' trailers with double axle con-gear-restricted use and very long and hard to pass in all cases.http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/martin_phippard/multi_trailers/file0007_sml.jpg (http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/martin_phippard/multi_trailers/file0007.jpg)turnpike double- Pennsylvania

swamprat69er

04-19-14, 08:32 PM

no bullcrap to put up with...just me, a big truck and the road.

And don't forget all the 4 wheeler drivers that never, ever give a truck any consideration at all.
Every cop with a bone to pick will pick on truck drivers. The DOT are the same way.
You get into an accident with a 4 wheeler, 9 times out of 10 you will get charged. Now you gotta go to court to prove your innocence and take a lawyer with you. (Lots of money out of your pocket between lost time, lost loads, travel time and don't forget you gotta pay the lawyer, too. And that is no guarantee that you wont be found guilty anyway.)
Now there are the idiots that want to play suicide by truck. Not even to mention the 'not too smart people' that like to drop big rocks off overpasses, just for fun.

However, doesn't that get boring after a while? The guys who do it for years and years and years?
What did you guys do to stay entertained out on the road all the time? Was it worth it?

Sirius Satellite radio and my CB are my best friends. It IS worth it, every minute of it is worth it.

THE_MASK

04-19-14, 08:47 PM

Hey , i am one of those 4wders :yep:

swamprat69er

04-19-14, 08:50 PM

I discovered that parking in a Wal-Mart can be risky--I woke up one morning surrounded by 4 wheelers!

Any advise or stories you want to share, would be welcome.:shucks:
NEVER, ever park in supermarket parking lots.
Truck stops are safer than rest areas.
New this year B-train
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii61/swamprat69er/SH4/NewTrain_zpsffc5808b.jpg
That piece of doggie do-do on the front of those trains is NOT mine!

em2nought

04-19-14, 08:55 PM

Operating two fracking flat beds out in Oklahoma, just shy of two years with the Peterbilt, and six months with the Volvo. I'm in FL doing the other jobs that help fund buying the old trucks. They move other stuff too when the time permits. Next we need to buy some trailers.

What kind of mileage does that Cascadia get?

Red October1984

04-19-14, 09:29 PM

Sirius Satellite radio and my CB are my best friends. It IS worth it, every minute of it is worth it.

:up: Good answer.

It sounds like something I could like. I hear there's a lot of paperwork with the job though. I'm not a paperwork kind of person... :doh:

Hey , i am one of those 4wders :yep:

Me too. :O:

4WD REPRESENT. :sunny:

swamprat69er

04-19-14, 09:33 PM

Delivery times are usually marked on the bill of lading.
Log books are the only paperwork I do other than the company time sheet (I get paid to do my time sheets up because I do them while I am unloading).

Don't forget, Red, you gotta answer to a dispatcher too. It is not all wine and roses. Most of the time you get a 100mph dispatcher that you gotta keep happy while you drive a 60mph truck. (Mine does 65 unless at the bottom of a big hill on the down hill side).

Truck driving is like baseball.
You've got three strikes against you before you start.....there are only three strikes in the game.

swamprat69er

04-19-14, 09:52 PM

In 27 years with this company I have grossed 1.25 million $'s.
You might think I am a cynical old fart, you might be right. I've got 1.25 million reasons to stick with this company and they are all dollars.:sunny:

Red October1984

04-19-14, 11:08 PM

Don't forget, Red, you gotta answer to a dispatcher too. It is not all wine and roses. Most of the time you get a 100mph dispatcher that you gotta keep happy while you drive a 60mph truck. (Mine does 65 unless at the bottom of a big hill on the down hill side).

Exactly. It's not wine and roses...which might be why it sounds cool to me.

In 27 years with this company I have grossed 1.25 million $'s.
You might think I am a cynical old fart, you might be right. I've got 1.25 million reasons to stick with this company and they are all dollars.:sunny:

Fair enough. :)

Jimbuna

04-20-14, 05:00 AM

Never been a trucker but I used to assemble and test 74 ton All Terrain Verhicles and Mobile Cranes for US company called Grove.

My forte with trucks used to be pulling em over for speeding, unsafe loads etc.

Wolferz

04-20-14, 05:56 AM

Knight of the road is a noble profession, Red. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until you turn 21 if you want to take up the career.
Something to think about if you survive your flying career.:03:

Now all you guys know why Wolferz, Swamprat, Privateer and Aktungbby are nutz!:doh:

When you're out there running fast with 40 tons under your butt and impatient four wheelers are running amok around you, you tend to go a bit nutz. Then there's all the Billy Bob truckers to contend with too.
Next time you're in a truckstop, Neal, pick up a copy of The interstate Exit guide. It'll tell you what's near each exit in the way of places to park. Don't sleep on ramps or in Wal-Mart parking lots.:down: If you want to rest yourself at a truck stop, be in there before 3:00 PM or you won't find a parking spot. Then you have to hope and pray that some reefer driver doesn't park his donkey next to your sleeper.:-?
______________________________________________

I was running west through Gallup New Mexico one sunny afternoon when some wild man came flying past me in a K-womper (Kenworth). It was a bit windy with 30 MPH gusts. A gust hit this guy's empty trailer on the port side and next thing you know he's crossing all the lanes right in front of me. He went all the way to the break down lane and then crossed back all the way to the jersey barrier before he finally regained control of it.:huh:
I tried to raise him on the CB to deride his idiocy of running balls to the wall with an empty trailer in the wind. He ignored me or didn't have a CB radio. I figured that I would see him stopped down the road to clean the crap out of his britches.:haha:

swamprat69er

04-20-14, 06:59 AM

Then you have to hope and pray that some reefer driver doesn't park his donkey next to your sleeper.:-?

Or worse a bull/hog hauler. I don't mind the smell, it is the noise. A running reefer doesn't bother me. The stomping cattle do.
On hot days, I usually fire up my genset after I get parked and go into the truck stop for a shower and meal, when I come out the bunk is cold. Just right for sleeping.

Wolferz

04-20-14, 08:13 AM

Or worse a bull/hog hauler. I don't mind the smell, it is the noise. A running reefer doesn't bother me. The stomping cattle do.
On hot days, I usually fire up my genset after I get parked and go into the truck stop for a shower and meal, when I come out the bunk is cold. Just right for sleeping.

I hope that Neal has a good trainer who can show him how to jam gears without the clutch. There's no feeling like it.:D
It's ok Neal. Gears are just numbers. All you have to do is remember which number you're running in at any given moment.:03::yep:
And not to pull boners like driving around and around Atlanta for eight hours. No, I didn't do that, but heard the story of a trainee who did.:har:

Schroeder

04-20-14, 08:42 AM

I hope that Neal has a good trainer who can show him how to jam gears without the clutch. There's no feeling like it.:D

Do you want to tell me that of all countries you guys in the country of "What is the third pedal for? I only know how to use two!" still run manualy shifted trucks?:doh:

swamprat69er

04-20-14, 08:44 AM

swamprat69er

04-20-14, 09:45 AM

Do you want to tell me that of all countries you guys in the country of "What is the third pedal for? I only know how to use two!" still run manualy shifted trucks?:doh:
I have driven a few automatics and I am here to tell you, I DO NOT LIKE THEM! I wont drive an automatic if I have any say in the matter, especially hauling liquid loads.

Mr Quatro

04-20-14, 11:24 AM

I hope that Neal has a good trainer who can show him how to jam gears without the clutch. There's no feeling like it.:D
It's ok Neal. Gears are just numbers. All you have to do is remember which number you're running in at any given moment.:03::yep:
And not to pull boners like driving around and around Atlanta for eight hours. No, I didn't do that, but heard the story of a trainee who did.:har:

Don't they have little blue screens on the dash now that tell you what gear your in ... ?

my it's been a long time for me since I drove for the DOT back in 95 delivering for USPS between post offices. I know it was a milk run, but it paid the bills lol

Lets do give Neal some advice that he can use ...

I have one: make your own coffee and use bottled water. You can get a new cup every time you stop and poor it out replacing it with your own home brew or cab brew I should say. The fancy creams make me want to poo, but you do whatever you think is right. You drive alone, right? lol

Why? Because some truck stops coffee makes me go to the bathroom after consuming it and there ain't no bathrooms on highway five going 65 and if there was it was cost the gas to stop and go.

Speaking of bathrooms use one for number two only ... Amazon has SS ones you can use in the cab or pay the $150 fine like my friend had to pay for relieving himself alongside the highway. The puddle gave him away lol

Watch out for train tracks ... trucks do get stuck sometimes on them, especially pulling something as precious as you are and having a little up hill battle to get started.

Speaking of up hill battles don't take speed bumps lightly.

Plan your exit from gas stations before you park it. You do deliver to gas stations, right?

Good luck have those numbers handy for tow trucks and insurance calls I hope you never have to make :up:

Aktungbby

04-20-14, 11:40 AM

You might think I am a cynical old fart, you might be right.:sunny:Cynical old fart is redundant!:D

I hope that Neal has a good trainer who can show him how to jam gears without the clutch. There's no feeling like it.:D
It's ok Neal. Gears are just numbers. All you have to do is remember which number you're running in at any given moment. I just PM'd ONKEL about 'floating the gears' on the tack and engine sounds 'till it becomes a subconscious thing; leaves ya free to worry about important stuff! Had to retrain all my just out-of-driver-school co-drivers not to use the double-clutch method except in first or reverse to save popping the clutch which leads to repair$.:down:

Do you want to tell me that of all countries you guys in the country of "What is the third pedal for? I only know how to use two!" still run manualy shifted trucks?:doh: Absolutely! All my cars are still stick too, and I had to teach my daughter and a few of the young ladies too; just so they can escape in a bad date's ol' pick-up if they gotta! You put it to them 'that way' and they do want to know-plus the 'Lady' roadsters (BMW Z3's, Alphas, Miatas) are just more fun in stick here in CA! Plus on the great passes, going downhill fully freighted was more about downshifting and ballet-style brake-pad temperature control in a 40 mile descent with 6-10% grade as on Donner than any thing else(no compressor brake) and is meticulously choreographed, with brakes adjusted, with road signs to advise the big-rigs. I used to talk the novices through it on the CB if I saw they were badly over-tapping their brakes for instance. I preferred slushy winter descents-kept every thing very COOL!:doh:

Schroeder

04-20-14, 12:23 PM

I have driven a few automatics and I am here to tell you, I DO NOT LIKE THEM! I wont drive an automatic if I have any say in the matter, especially hauling liquid loads.
I'm not saying anything against that I just found it odd that in the country in which most private people drive an automatic car stick shift trucks are still going strong while here in Europe where most private people have stick shifts we have mostly trucks with automatic gearboxes (at least of the 50 something trucks the company I used to work for had about 45 were automatic and the rest some rather old trucks with more than a million km on the odometer).

Onkel Neal

04-20-14, 12:45 PM

Don't they have little blue screens on the dash now that tell you what gear your in ... ?

my it's been a long time for me since I drove for the DOT back in 95 delivering for USPS between post offices. I know it was a milk run, but it paid the bills lol

Lets do give Neal some advice that he can use ...

I have one: make your own coffee and use bottled water. You can get a new cup every time you stop and poor it out replacing it with your own home brew or cab brew I should say. The fancy creams make me want to poo, but you do whatever you think is right. You drive alone, right? lol

Why? Because some truck stops coffee makes me go to the bathroom after consuming it and there ain't no bathrooms on highway five going 65 and if there was it was cost the gas to stop and go.

Speaking of bathrooms use one for number two only ... Amazon has SS ones you can use in the cab or pay the $150 fine like my friend had to pay for relieving himself alongside the highway. The puddle gave him away lol

Watch out for train tracks ... trucks do get stuck sometimes on them, especially pulling something as precious as you are and having a little up hill battle to get started.

Speaking of up hill battles don't take speed bumps lightly.

Plan your exit from gas stations before you park it. You do deliver to gas stations, right?

Good luck have those numbers handy for tow trucks and insurance calls I hope you never have to make :up:

Good stuff, thanks.

How do I make my own coffee in the truck? I looked up 12v coffee makers but they don't sound like they work very well.

As fas a bathrooms go, I have a bladder the size of a football, I can go all day if needed :haha:

No, I'm mostly delivering chemicals to plants, no gas stations.

Wolferz

04-20-14, 12:58 PM

I'm not saying anything against that I just found it odd that in the country in which most private people drive an automatic car stick shift trucks are still going strong while here in Europe where most private people have stick shifts we have mostly trucks with automatic gearboxes (at least of the 50 something trucks the company I used to work for had about 45 were automatic and the rest some rather old trucks with more than a million km on the odometer).

It's a torque thang. Only pussies drive an automatic transmission in a big rig.
As for that third pedal, it's only used when you stop and start. Other than that, you can float 'em with the tachometer and like Swampy says, never do it going up a hill. Once you've lost your peak torque at 7,000 RPMs, you'll have to stop and start over. I only did that once and it was enough to learn me.:har: With a button shift on a super ten, you might occasionally need to give the clutch a little tap to ease the shift into the next gear. Other than that, you just need to prep your shift by applying pressure to the stick, back off the hammer slightly and jam 'er quickly into the next gear. You only need to insure that the shift is made with the tach reading 7k RPM.:up:
I used to have drag races from light to light against portable parking lots.:D

Going down a steep grade is another reason I liked the Super Ten transmission. You could drop a gear very easily without worrying about engine over speed and loss of any possibility of making a downshift to slow it down. I swear by the Jake Brake too. :up: Dropping off the mountain into Sacramento California was always a pain in the butt because they had signs prohibiting the use of your engine retarder, due to Billy Bob truckers running straight stacks with no mufflers and flipping on their Jakes in the middle of the night and waking up those sensitive golden state government types.:O:
I still used mine because it had good mufflers and you could barely hear it.

swamprat69er

04-20-14, 01:11 PM

Good stuff, thanks.

How do I make my own coffee in the truck? I looked up 12v coffee makers but they don't sound like they work very well.

As fas a bathrooms go, I have a bladder the size of a football, I can go all day if needed :haha:

NOT for long.:D

I swear by the Jake Brake too. :up:
I still used mine because it had good mufflers and you could barely hear it.
I always use my Jake, unless the road is slippery or wet. IF the sign posted just outside of town says "NO Jake Brakes", I use it through town.....Why would I be so obstinate you ask? 'Jake Brake' is a registered trade mark of the Jacobs Engine Brake Company and if there is no little 'R' in a circle after the JB it is copyright infringement and that makes the sign illegal there fore the law illegal. Besides, my exhaust is pretty quiet.

Wolferz

04-20-14, 01:27 PM

NOT for long.:D

I always use my Jake, unless the road is slippery or wet. IF the sign posted just outside of town says "NO Jake Brakes", I use it through town.....Why would I be so obstinate you ask? 'Jake Brake' is a registered trade mark of the Jacobs Engine Brake Company and if there is no little 'R' in a circle after the JB it is copyright infringement and that makes the sign illegal there fore the law illegal. Besides, my exhaust is pretty quiet.

The signs coming down the mountain into Sacramento read; "NO ENGINE RETARDER USE" Then there was the other arse hattery of them having a scale installed half way down on one side and half way up on the other.
Only in the communist state of Californication.:-? Plus, the inspection station on the Cali/ New Mexico state line where you were stopped and asked what was in your trailer. Kind of like taking a load across the Canadian border.:hmmm:

les green01

04-20-14, 01:31 PM

wtg Neal on the cdl :up: in truck driving school they had us double clutching within a week shifting like a pro and you found out you can rest your foot on the clutch,several times I be driving with the girlfriend in a 4wheeler see the sign chicken coup was open and go in with the car she be like honey what are you doing

Aktungbby

04-20-14, 02:09 PM

NOT for long.Precisely! The plumbing goes first from a' rockin' all day in the front office!:O:

"NO ENGINE RETARDER USE" :hmmm: "I'm so sorry officer...I AM the engine Retard...er!":88) All this sage advice sounds pretty 'jake' to me!:har: ONKEL take note: Swamprat, Wolfertz, Quatro and I are still with it; nearly a century of combined head-on-a swivel-mind-yer-six 'combat driving'. Welcome to the true conning tower of the open road; no one gets born with a shifter in hand, so ask away! Perhaps this thread should go sticky.:salute: I still wake up at night thinking I'm in the sleeper and the truck is moving!:o A little theme tune BBY:yeah: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHbGhEfnh2E (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHbGhEfnh2E)

Red October1984

04-20-14, 02:16 PM

Do you want to tell me that of all countries you guys in the country of "What is the third pedal for? I only know how to use two!" still run manualy shifted trucks?:doh:

The US would be a much better place if everybody drove stick shift.

I have driven a few automatics and I am here to tell you, I DO NOT LIKE THEM! I wont drive an automatic if I have any say in the matter, especially hauling liquid loads.

I have no experience driving big trucks....but I know already just from my time in the Ford Focus, friend's Jeep and another friend's Mustang that stick shift is very much superior to automatic.

I HATE driving autos.

Paddle shifters...or slapstick as some people call it....is just as bad.

Schroeder

04-20-14, 02:58 PM

Once you've lost your peak torque at 7,000 RPMs, you'll have to stop and start over. I only did that once and it was enough to learn me.:har:
Wait a second 7k rpm? Are those petrol engines (rhetorical question I know it's Diesels but the rpm blows me away)? Our trucks would usually operate below 2.000 rpm.:o
What's the gas mileage on a 40t US truck? Ours got about 3,3km/l (~7,8 mpg).

Wolferz

04-20-14, 03:31 PM

Wait a second 7k rpm? Are those petrol engines (rhetorical question I know it's Diesels but the rpm blows me away)? Our trucks would usually operate below 2.000 rpm.:o
What's the gas mileage on a 40t US truck? Ours got about 3,3km/l (~7,8 mpg).
Yup, that's peak torque at 7,000 Rip'ems. I never bothered to check fuel economy when packing twin 100 gallon saddle tanks. Just stopped and filled them when the gauge said you're near "E":D All I know is we went a long way between fill ups.

Our trucks are so unique that they turn German tourists into Japanese shutterbugs.:yep:

Schroeder

04-20-14, 04:10 PM

Yup, that's peak torque at 7,000 Rip'ems. I never bothered to check fuel economy when packing twin 100 gallon saddle tanks. Just stopped and filled them when the gauge said you're near "E":D All I know is we went a long way between fill ups.

Our trucks are so unique that they turn German tourists into Japanese shutterbugs.:yep:
I was responsible for the fuel economy of our trucks and had to talk to drivers who were using too much fuel for their trips that's why I know the mpg of our Volvo and MAN trucks. I'm amazed that a US driver can be completely oblivious to the fuel economy of his truck and that obviously no one checks on that. :doh:
Over here Diesel costs made about 25% of all costs the company had so we had to be careful and try to refuel in countries where Diesel was cheaper than in Germany and avoid to refuel in those where it's more expensive. Our drivers always had to ask where they could refuel and the dispatcher would tell them were to go and how much to refuel. No way they could just fill up without permission. (That might sound stupid for you but the driver usually just knows the next one or two trips he's supposed to do and the next one could bring him to a country with cheaper fuel so he should only fill up enough to get into that country and top of there again. The difference in fuel costs are sometimes pretty big from country to country).

Most 40 ton trucks in Europe look like this (this one isn't of the company I worked for):
http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/54/1012554/6165323533393861.jpg

That's so because they mustn't be longer than 18,75m (roughly 20 yards) so most will have a flat nose to make the tractor as short as possible and the trailer as long as possible. US trucks look often times quiet differently and are therefore "exotic" photo motives to Europeans.

Wolferz

04-20-14, 04:35 PM

@ Schroeder,
My tractor was equipped with a Qualcom satellite system that monitored everything. All the information regarding fuel economy, mileage, average speed etc, etc could be looked at instantly by the driver and the dispatcher. The dispatcher contacted the driver through this system too to assign loads or send messages regarding needed maintenance scheduling and any other info deemed necessary to get the load from A to B in a timely manner. It even enumerated the route to take. Any deviation would have a dispatcher pinging you to ask why you're not where you should be.
That's why I never paid it much attention because I didn't need to track it. My job was to motivate it only.:)

Schroeder

04-20-14, 04:48 PM

Our system was a bit more primitive (well, it is 16 or 17 years old by now so it's definitely not state of the art anymore). We could track our trucks but we had to actively request their position and would only get their current location and no automatic update on that. We also used the system to transmit the tour data to the trucks and communicate with the drivers (like texting on cell phones....and just about as distracting while driving I guess).
However the system was not rooted directly into the trucks telemetric systems so the driver had to transmit fuel data every week manually and I would collect and analyse that data and make reports for the dispatchers about how good or bad their drivers were. I also had to talk to those that had a too low gas mileage (with varying success...:dead:).

swamprat69er

04-20-14, 04:53 PM

This beauty got 4 mpgallon (Imperial), 400 Cummins 13 spd direct and 3:80 rears. Grossing 138,000 lbs Empty it weighed in at 53,570 lbs with me in the seat.
It had 2 159.9 US Gallon fuel tanks. In this picture it is 75'5&13/64 " long right on the Ontario maximum length for 1998.
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii61/swamprat69er/SH4/Mp2626144145_zps1d071c73.jpg

This is what I have now (a little dirty). You would be too after 20 miles of fresh gravel freshly wetted down. It gets 6 miles to the Imperial gallon or 7.2 miles to the US gallon pulling 138,000lbs 2001 Freightliner FLD 120SBD C15 CAT 18 spd OD on 3:80 rears.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii61/swamprat69er/Trucking/IMG_0284.jpg

Schroeder

04-20-14, 05:05 PM

swamprat69er

04-20-14, 06:12 PM

Here in Germany the maximum legal weight is 40 metric tons (~88.000lbs). In Belgium it's 45t and in the Netherlands 50t IIRC.

May I ask how old that truck is? It looks like it could be from the 80ies (and I don't mean that insulting actually it looks pretty cool to me:yep:).
The cab over is a 1988.
The conventional is a 2001
63.5M tonnes is the maximum in Ontario and the rest of Canada is 62.5 tonnes. I changed it to pounds for our American friends.

Wolferz

04-20-14, 06:15 PM

Swamprat is probably half deaf from driving that Cab over engine jitny.:yep:
AREN'T YOU, SWAMPRAT?:haha:

swamprat69er

04-20-14, 06:15 PM

EH? Whutzat you say?

Aktungbby

04-20-14, 06:56 PM

Swamprat is probably half deaf from driving that Cab over engine jitny.:yep:
AREN'T YOU, SWAMPRAT?:haha:

EH? Whutzat you say?

Boy I sure am! Thank heavens for Danish-made WIDEX programmable hearing aids- $5K with two 'zen' programs (5 total) for Cummins engine induced tinnitus! I wasn't kidding about "wearing ear protection" as Firefighters do in their trucks. The turbos in the exhaust were particularly excruciating...:k_confused: Alongside way too loud Led Zeppelin and Cream to keep ya awake all night. Just when your getting drowsy on your 20th hour straight (log books...what log books?:shucks:) with bagged onions out of Presidio, TX bound for Cleveland, OH... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE9HvSdcaL4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE9HvSdcaL4) or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB_DOA2AL7Q (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB_DOA2AL7Q) if homeward bound and crank IT UP BBY!...works every time:yep:; And if ya can 'float gears', you can focus on playing the 'Air' guitar too while rocking down ol' I-10:timeout:

les green01

04-20-14, 07:05 PM

must trucks I been in only got 5 to 6 miles a gal of fuel

swamprat69er

04-20-14, 07:24 PM

I usually wound Pink Floyd right out. I put two sets of speakers and a 30 watt amp into the cab over
One of our managers told me one day that it never ceased to amaze him how we could make a 22 hour day look like 16 hours in the log book. I told him it was 'creative writing'.:haha:
The Cummins was a little loud, but it was my own doing. I gutted the muffler as soon as I got to Thunder Bay and it stayed that way until I got back to the yard at the end of the summer.

Onkel Neal

04-20-14, 07:50 PM

Precisely! The plumbing goes first from a' rockin' all day in the front office!:O:

[COLOR=orange]"I'm so sorry officer...I AM the engine Retard...er!":88) All this sage advice sounds pretty 'jake' to me!:har: ONKEL take note: Swamprat, Wolfertz, Quatro and I are still with it; nearly a century of combined head-on-a swivel-mind-yer-six 'combat driving'. Welcome to the true conning tower of the open road;

Haha, true conning tower, indeed. I feel like a U-bootman,living in this tiny space. I have to move my TV tray/laptop desk every time I want to go forward. It's really cool, I'm digging it. Funny thing, I was thinking about the last few jobs I've had.... Two years ago I was a SUB (substitute teacher) and now I'm a TANKER. Let's just hope "destroyer" isn't next :ping:

Wait a second 7k rpm? Are those petrol engines (rhetorical question I know it's Diesels but the rpm blows me away)? Our trucks would usually operate below 2.000 rpm.:o
What's the gas mileage on a 40t US truck? Ours got about 3,3km/l (~7,8 mpg).

7,000 RPMs? My truck does 1700 max.

Red October1984

04-20-14, 08:03 PM

7,000 RPMs? My truck does 1700 max.

Once again...I'm no truck driver....but 1700 RPM doesn't sound right.... :hmmm:

My Mom's Toyota Camry can do 7000 RPM

swamprat69er

04-20-14, 08:47 PM

Once again...I'm no truck driver....but 1700 RPM doesn't sound right.... :hmmm:

My Mom's Toyota Camry can do 7000 RPM
But you Mums Camray cannot pull 80,000 lbs.
Gas engines will rev higher than diesels. 2 stroke gassers are capable of 12,000 rpms. The diesel in the cabover (4 stroke) only would rev out to 2,400 rpm and my C15 CAT (another 4 stroke) is only good for about 2,200. With diesels it is all about torque, not rpms. That and the heavier loads are why there are so many gears.
The old Detroit 318's and 238's are both 2 stroke diesels and they would rev about 3,000 rpms. They would also run 'backwards' if you gave them the chance.

swamprat69er

04-20-14, 08:54 PM

Neal....
do you blow your load off or get it sucked off?

Wolferz

04-20-14, 09:04 PM

swamprat69er

04-20-14, 09:46 PM

I dunno, maybe it's 700 RPMs peak torque but somehow that doesn't sound right either.
Then again, I'm a stroke survivor at the cost of memory. Gonna have to dig around for my old CDL school literature and double check my figures.:hmmm:
I'll get back to you on that.:doh:
Peak torque should be around 1,200-1,500 rpm. Depending on the engine.
Idle speed should be around 700 rpm.
But what do I know, I've only been at it for 45 years. All I know for sure is that I stomp on the long skinny pedal on the right and the truck goes. When I run out of places to put the stick, I should be in top notch and doing about 65mph, unless it is at the top of a long downhill straight stretch, then I back it off to 60 mph. Gurarnteed IF there is nothing in front of me and it looks like no cops behind me at the bottom I will be doing about 80mph. This is in summer time on bare dry roads. I NEVER throw it into neutral at the top of a hill and I always let the Jake do its' thing unless the road is wet.

Red October1984

04-20-14, 10:48 PM

But you Mums Camray cannot pull 80,000 lbs.
Gas engines will rev higher than diesels. 2 stroke gassers are capable of 12,000 rpms. The diesel in the cabover (4 stroke) only would rev out to 2,400 rpm and my C15 CAT (another 4 stroke) is only good for about 2,200. With diesels it is all about torque, not rpms. That and the heavier loads are why there are so many gears.
The old Detroit 318's and 238's are both 2 stroke diesels and they would rev about 3,000 rpms. They would also run 'backwards' if you gave them the chance.

:up: True...but why would the engine max out at 1700?

Schroeder

04-21-14, 04:46 AM

:up: True...but why would the engine max out at 1700?
Because it's a huge engine with huge pistons that would put a lot of stress on engine components if they revved higher. It's the same why V8 muscle cars do not rev as high as 4 or 6 cylinder sport cars. In general you can say the bigger the engine the lower the rpm.

Regarding the noise level in the "no nose" trucks it seems they have come a long way. I once took a ride in one of our Volvos and it was actually very quiet.

Peak torque should be around 1,200-1,500 rpm. Depending on the engine.
Idle speed should be around 700 rpm.
That sounds about the same as our engines.

Jimbuna

04-21-14, 05:10 AM

Haha, true conning tower, indeed. I feel like a U-bootman,living in this tiny space. I have to move my TV tray/laptop desk every time I want to go forward. It's really cool, I'm digging it. Funny thing, I was thinking about the last few jobs I've had.... Two years ago I was a SUB (substitute teacher) and now I'm a TANKER. Let's just hope "destroyer" isn't next :ping:

7,000 RPMs? My truck does 1700 max.

That's because you've yet to build up your testosterone levels to the same level as these elderly gentlemen :)

AVGWarhawk

04-21-14, 06:28 AM

Wolferz

04-21-14, 07:23 AM

Ok, I'm pretty sure that it's 7000 RPM peak torque. That's not the maximum RPM the engine runs at. It's the torque point for smooth shifting of the gear box for a big old turbo charged diesel engine.
I'm sure you've noticed a truck driver revving the motor on occasion when he's going through the gears.
Swamprat has been doing it long enough to know when to shift by sound and feel. Yeah, we drive by the seat of our pants.:D

swamprat69er

04-21-14, 08:13 AM

Neal, you need to get your F.A.S.T. card and Passport, too. Then you can haul up here to the frozen north and see how your country cousins live.:sunny:

Onkel Neal

04-21-14, 08:41 AM

Neal, while you get the experience over the next year or so work on obtaining a TWIC card and get TSA approved. TWIC will allow you to access the ports for pick up and delivery. The TSA approval allows airport pick up and delivery. With these two approved identifications you become a much sought after driver. TWIC is basically getting your ID checked by the Fed. Card issued if you check out. Easy enough but cost is about $100. TSA is a test and certificate issues. Landstar has the test for our contractors. They plan on opening it to our brokers. When it is available I'll send the link so you may participate and get TSA approved.

I have the TWIC card, it is now $135.

Will have to check on TSA, I thought that was part of TWIC.

Neal....
do you blow your load off or get it sucked off?

In that case, the plant pumped it off, so sucked, I guess.

I thought FAST cards were for Canadians coming into the US?

Not sure about driving in Canada--cold, snowy, and they don't like Texans, is what I hear. If the pay was significantly higher, maybe, but I think the company pays the same cents/mile, so I'll just stay in the States. I was thinking about renewing my passport, but if I did, I would be tempted to travel again, and I am trying to save $$$. :)

swamprat69er

04-21-14, 09:26 AM

I thought FAST cards were for Canadians coming into the US?

Not sure about driving in Canada--cold, snowy, and they don't like Texans, is what I hear. If the pay was significantly higher, maybe, but I think the company pays the same cents/mile, so I'll just stay in the States. I was thinking about renewing my passport, but if I did, I would be tempted to travel again, and I am trying to save $$$. :)
Every load I haul, I get sucked off. (There is no pump on my truck for pumping a load off.)

Mine was issued in US. I think it is a 2 way street.

No matter which country you travel in, you will get ignorant and arrogant people.

The truth....We haven't had any snow here around North Bay, ON in a week. Temperature this morning was 41F The snow is/should be gone until at least next November. In the late summer, August it can and does get hotter here than it is in Florida.
Schneider National runs both sides of the border. I think they have a yard around Toronto.

I took this off the schneider website.
Schneider has more than 400 Canadian drivers and 70 Canadian office associates executing nearly 1,000
flawless border crossings each week. You’ll enjoy peace of mind knowing our team is FAST-,PIP- and
C-TPAT certified and fully compliant with all CSA requirements

swamprat69er

04-21-14, 09:38 AM

Information on F.A.S.T. Cards
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/fast-expres/menu-eng.html

About FAST

FAST is a joint initiative between the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection that enhances border and trade chain security while making cross-border commercial shipments simpler and subject to fewer delays.
It is a voluntary program that enables the CBSA to work closely with the private sector to enhance border security, combat organized crime and terrorism, and prevent contraband smuggling. Under the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, FAST members who are Canadian or U.S. citizens can use their FAST membership card as an alternative document to the passport when entering the United States by land or water. Permanent residents of Canada or the United States still require a passport and visa (if applicable) to enter the United States.
The CBSA and industry are mutually committed to maintaining the FAST program requirements and they work together to achieve compliance and to find solutions to problems.

Aktungbby

04-21-14, 11:00 AM

Any deviation would have a dispatcher pinging you to ask why you're not where you should be.:) A particular pain in the Ass when parked overlong(20 minutes tops-truckers get priority:up:!) just outside Fallon Nevada 'chaining up' for the big drop down the mountain?...AT THE MUSTANG RANCH!:har:

Peak torque should be around 1,200-1,500 rpm. Depending on the engine. Idle speed should be around 700 rpm. The fuel squeezer 290 Cummins with exhaust turbo(1/3 of the power) went from 500 to 2200 but pulling long passes uphill was a reverse thinking process: you brought the RPM down to 1300 RPM so it sounded like you were 'lugging' for maximum efficiency as opposed to as standard two stroke Detroit-Allison where you ran full RPM just to get up the mountain. I did 'put it to it' one time though at Knolls Utah on I-80 with nothing but the Bonneville Salt Flats all around me (a 1000 sq miles of salt flats and nothing to hit!) for an escape ramp and new tires and rear ends in the tractor's axels. I was keeping up with a much faster Carolina Western west bound against the prevailing westerly wind-always a factor in fuel consumption- and at the top of the grade maxed out on my speedometer at 90 mph down hill...before putting it into neutral! I passed that Cat-equipped CW, now motivated by gravity and freight with no engine to slow me,(Mexican Overdrive) and later at the rest stop in Elko Nevada, He claimed his speedo went to 110 (his speed at the time) and he had never been passed(est. 115+):huh: by a Midwestern before:doh: "was I running empty or burning jet fuel?" I coasted in neutral for some distance before slowing down enough to regain the top gear on the tach...no Utah Patrol in sight till Wendover! We got 4 miles to the gallon in them-thar days. Fuel that year went from .25-to $1.00+ a gallon and getting into a truckstop meant going through some nasty picket-protest lines at the pumps all that summer..:nope:

swamprat69er

04-21-14, 01:11 PM

An aluminum bucket over the satellite mushroom fixes the parking situation when behind the cat-house. :haha:

When I was a lot younger and stupid, I ran a few big hills in mexican od. Not no more.....I am older now. :) I didn't say I was any smarter, just older.:D

Mr Quatro

04-21-14, 01:23 PM

wow! I have a lot more respect for some of you now ... sorry to say I was judging you before you posted experiences real truckers have had. :oops:

As for 7,000 rpm on your truck my God man that is gruesome for any engine. I was popping the clutch at 3 grand on my Mustang and doing 120mph in fourth gear at 6,500 rpm with a 4:56 rear end.

Here's what you need Neal ... forget those drip coffee makers. The new iCoffee Steam Brew coffee maker is where it's at.

Put a case of bottled water in the passenger floor board too.

I think this will work with a 12vdc to 120vac convertor, but try it at home in your driveway before you do on the road or man up and ask the other truckers how they make coffee in the cab lol

$149.00

http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/29860-remington-icoffee-steam-brew-coffee-maker.aspx

The Remington iCoffee Steam Brew Coffee Maker delivers both the convenience of drip brewers and premium flavor that surpasses the French press. Patented SteamBrew technology is engineered to extract only the most refined coffee flavors with the flavor-releasing power of steam, so you always enjoy an impossibly smooth, hot cup of coffee. The iCoffee steam coffee maker first steams the coffee with optimum moisture and heat. Next, six patented SteamBrew rotational hot water jets further steam, tumble and stir coffee releasing exquisite flavors without the acidic and bitter aftertaste of conventional brewing. Fresh, medium coarse to coarsely ground coffee is recommended for best results.

The iCoffee's innovative design lets you observe the SteamBrew process through the brew viewing window. Delicately finessing coffee inside the brewer for a robust aroma and superior coffee crema, the coffee maker is 12-cup fully automatic and 24-hour programmable. The steam coffee maker includes a money-saving reusable premium goldtone filter. Automatic shut-off, 2-hour keep warm.

Product Details

• iCoffee introduces the world's first coffee maker with patented SteamBrew technology
• Steam and hot water jets steam, tumble and stir coffee grounds, producing superb coffee crema
• SteamBrew rotational system brewing technology saves up to 15% on coffee usage, while maintaining strength and exquisite flavor
• Innovative design allows viewing the SteamBrew process through the brew viewing window
• 12-cup capacity
• Fresh, medium coarse to coarsely ground coffee is recommended for best results.
• Reusable premium goldtone filter saves money by replacing expensive paper filters
• LED clock with 24-hour programmable timer, automatic shut-off and 2-hour warming cycle
• BPA-free
• Push-button on/off
• Tone signals end to brewing cycle
• Brew basket, brew basket lid and drip basket are top-rack dishwasher safe

You need this too ...
$17.75

http://www.amazon.com/Convertor-Protection-Sterilizers-Appliances-Exceeding/dp/B008PECSB2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1398103789&sr=8-7&keywords=coffee+maker+steamer

NEW Deluxe Travel Dual Wattage Ranging From 50-1650 W to 0-50 Wattage Convertor US 110/120 V to 220 Volt with Fuse for Overload Protection. 50 to 1650 Watts . Low Watt Setting 0-50 Watts for Contact Len se Sterilizers, Radios, Shavers and Appliances Not Exceeding 50 Watts.......Hi Setting 1650 Watt: Ideal for Curling Irons Hair Dryers, With-in 1650 Watts, Clothes Steamers, Electric Blankets , Heating Pads, Curling, Travel Irons, Coffee Makers, Toasters. And Appliances From 50 to 1650 Watts

swamprat69er

04-21-14, 01:44 PM

I convinced the company to put a APU on my tractor. It puts out 4,000 watts of 120V hydro as well as air conditions the cab when I am parked. In winter it will keep the engine temp at 110F and keeps the fuel from gelling up.
With that APU I carry an electric kettle and a french press for my coffee. I can make it as strong as I want. No more truck stop dishwater for me.

AVGWarhawk

04-21-14, 03:23 PM

I have the TWIC card, it is now $135.

Will have to check on TSA, I thought that was part of TWIC.

TSA and TWIC are separate forms of ID. Also, as of late, we have been asked for birth certificates at some places with security. Best to have as many forms of ID as you can. :up:

Red October1984

04-21-14, 06:07 PM

Because it's a huge engine with huge pistons that would put a lot of stress on engine components if they revved higher. It's the same why V8 muscle cars do not rev as high as 4 or 6 cylinder sport cars. In general you can say the bigger the engine the lower the rpm.

I see now. When you put it in Muscle Car terms I can understand it. :)

Muscle > Import Forever

Anyway, i'm a little interested in these portable car coffee makers. Sounds like a pretty darn good investment.

I've already been wanting a CB Radio for a while now... :hmmm:

swamprat69er

04-21-14, 06:10 PM

Compared to 20 years ago, CB's are cheap.

Wolferz

04-21-14, 07:03 PM

There's one fortunate thing...

I won't be driving semis ever again, so you won't have to worry about me red lining the motor in your rig.:O: I can do that in my own pickup truck by pulling the air bag fuse. The automatic transmission won't shift out of second if I do that.:doh:

A mind is a terrible thing to brain damage.:haha:

If you're going to hop the border into Canada, it's best to have a certified copy of your birth certificate for when you come back south.

Red October1984

04-21-14, 08:08 PM

Compared to 20 years ago, CB's are cheap.

I saw one that looked pretty nice. It's got an antenna and car plug and stuff...but it's also a portable walkie talkie kind of thing.

Link (http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-HHROADTRIP-40-Channel-CB-Radio/dp/B000069DOV/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1398128873&sr=8-7&keywords=CB+radio)

Sometime I'll have some money through and I'll pick me up one.

Since this seems to be the appropriate place...what does everybody else recommend as a budget CB?

swamprat69er

04-21-14, 09:04 PM

Cobra 29 LTD Classic

http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-29LTD-40-Channel-CB-Radio/dp/B00006JPF3/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1398132309&sr=1-1&keywords=cb+radio+cobra+29+ltd+classic

Red October1984

04-21-14, 09:49 PM

Cobra 29 LTD Classic

http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-29LTD-40-Channel-CB-Radio/dp/B00006JPF3/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1398132309&sr=1-1&keywords=cb+radio+cobra+29+ltd+classic

Looks like I'll need to buy an antenna too?

What sizes are available? If at all possible, i'd like something portable so I can take it other places.

Edit: There's a few promising looking things here (http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-Handheld-CB-Radios/zgbs/electronics/5811987011) (at least to me they look promising)

swamprat69er

04-22-14, 04:44 AM

Looks like I'll need to buy an antenna too?

What sizes are available? If at all possible, i'd like something portable so I can take it other places.

Edit: There's a few promising looking things here (http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-Handheld-CB-Radios/zgbs/electronics/5811987011) (at least to me they look promising)
Red, I know absolutely nothing about hand held radios. All of mine have been fixed mount.

Red October1984

04-22-14, 07:21 AM

Red, I know absolutely nothing about hand held radios. All of mine have been fixed mount.

Okay. :salute:

I'll take my search elsewhere unless anybody else has anything to add. I thought about getting a handheld and then a cheap fixed one. You can get one for like....40-50 bucks on amazon.

Jimbuna

04-22-14, 07:30 AM

Ten Four Rubber Duck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5RI30RJIPk

AVGWarhawk

04-22-14, 08:32 AM

Because it's a huge engine with huge pistons that would put a lot of stress on engine components if they revved higher. It's the same why V8 muscle cars do not rev as high as 4 or 6 cylinder sport cars. In general you can say the bigger the engine the lower the rpm.

Very general observation. Many factors involved though. Torque is the major player with diesel engines. Chevy 302 V8 are capable of 12,000 rpm. They produce a mad amount of horse power and torque. The diesel generates an incredible amount of torque at low rotations. The weakest link for high torque engines is the transmission, drive shaft and rear axle that can twist like a pretzel under load. For the tractor, having a slew of gears produce a powerful pulling vehicle that is capable of good speeds as you work through the gears.

Aktungbby

04-22-14, 11:05 AM

Ten Four Rubber Duck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5RI30RJIPk

NAH! When your team driving (four on four off-fuel/sandwich stops only) strawberries from Salinas CA 6PM PST on Friday to the Big Apple-Manhattan produce dock by 1pm Monday EST it's more THIS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf53Pg2AkdY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf53Pg2AkdY) with a little help from your vintage Whistler-the high tech of the day- covered X and K band only...practically the 'metox' of its day! Ran with light off so the flash wouldn't give it away to the radar 'bears'; With the competent co-driver 'doctoring the logs' for the port-of-entry jerks!:O: Had to look up for the eye-in-the-sky guys once in awhile too! "Breaker 1-niner Rubberducky how's that bear lookin on yer donkey? Is the pacemaker flashin / this is ol' Snagglepusshttp://www.cartoonscrapbook.com/03pics/snagglepuss28.jpg on the inquire! Kick it on back! Over to ya'! ...Good Buddy":03: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDgwWDY0MA==/z/3tYAAOxyGwNTE478/$_35.JPGnow a collector item! $aved me few $hekel$ back in the day!:up:

swamprat69er

04-22-14, 01:05 PM

Wolferz

04-22-14, 01:42 PM

You boys go ahead and clog the airwaves with some ratchet jawing and call a trucker "Good Buddy":timeout:
He'll seek you out for some aggressive education because a Good Buddy is a fellow who goes and gets a blow job and brings one back for you.:haha:

How many lot lizards have you had approach you, Neal?:03:

I once saw a fine little blonde in a T-Bird pass me out in Nevada that bore a personal license plate that read... "I STRIP"
Wish I could have caught up with her.:yep:

AVGWarhawk

04-22-14, 02:34 PM

How many lot lizards have you had approach you, Neal?:03:

Keep it in your pants. Itchy rash at 75 mph with a full load on is no fun at all.

swamprat69er

04-22-14, 03:26 PM

I was cruisin' up I-75 in Michigan on Fathers Day a few years ago, bored to death, an older station wagon passed me. I didn't think anything of it at the time.....Just another 4 wheeler...I caught up with it, he was still in the hammer lane, I got about half way past it and he sped up a little so that the drivers' door of the truck was even with the passenger door of the car. He gave the little toot of the horn, I looked down (cab over) and his passenger flashed me the biggest set of hooters I had seen in a while...Made my day!:yeah::yeah:

Wolferz

04-22-14, 05:07 PM

Keep it in your pants. Itchy rash at 75 mph with a full load on is no fun at all.

Schneider trucks won't do 75 MPH. Though he'll wish it did if he ever gets a close up look at one of those lot lizards:har:

swamprat69er

04-22-14, 05:46 PM

The sleeper creeper I saw on the Northbound side of I-75 at top of the hill at Jellico was a looker. Her Mother on the South Bound side wasn't too hard on the eyes, either.:D

Red October1984

04-22-14, 08:22 PM

Red, if you live on a hill, then get yourself a kick butt base station and a real good antenna. OR better still, get your Amateur Radio Operators certification and talk all over the world. (HAM License)

I do....but I mainly want one for road trips, coordination between my friend and me when we're driving separately. It's a lot easier than using a cell phone. Also, lot of them come with NOAA weather channels...it'd be good for emergencies and better than the emergency service scanner app i have on my phone.

HAM sounds expensive. I've got all the classroom work done to operate some VHF radios for Civil Air Patrol...just need an evaluation and signature by the Communications Officer to be certified...I'm thinking of doing the Advanced and Master ratings.

swamprat69er

04-22-14, 08:35 PM

HAM is expensive.
I am certified in Canada on land and marine.

smolfri

04-22-14, 09:00 PM

I'm sitting at a customer in Boardman Oregon waiting to be loaded for my back haul home to Ontario Canada and came across this thread. I thought i would step out and take a pic of my truck. I also thought i should add a pic of my loyal co-driver.

Keep-er shiny side up and safe hunting

swamprat69er

04-22-14, 09:04 PM

Aktungbby

04-22-14, 09:42 PM

I was thinking about renewing my passport, but if I did, I would be tempted to travel again, and I am trying to save $$$. :)

If you're going to hop the border into Canada, it's best to have a certified copy of your birth certificate for when you come back south.

NO NEED! I just renewed my passport so I can get to my retirement/escape home in OBAN, Scotland. The Passport book is now issued with an optional passport card (same size as your DL) good for all US citizen all land travel between Canada And Mexico; The original booklet with visa pages is still for air travel. The card was a few bucks extra but is the finest ID on the planet and very state-of-the-art counterfeit-wise. :know: Goes nicely in the laserproof stainless wallet alongside the DL!

Onkel Neal

04-22-14, 09:43 PM

Oh man, gross. Let's keep this thread, clean, ok?

swamprat69er

04-22-14, 09:46 PM

Oh man, gross. Let's keep this thread, clean, ok?
What gross??

smolfri

04-22-14, 09:51 PM

I'll bet your co-driver never complains about the way you drive.:D

Nope lol Best co-driver ive ever had. Great company and never complains when we are heading into the mountains with a sure thing chain up coming. Or said "O man... LA again"

I do have one complaint though. I have not been able to eat full snack to my self in over a year :rotfl2:

Oberon

04-22-14, 09:51 PM

What gross??

80,000lbs gross ought to do it. :O:

Anyway, you truckers, feel for the long distance coach drivers, they do mileage and have to deal with the great unwashed whinging behind them.

At least cargo doesn't complain, well...it might moo, cluck, neigh or bleat in some countries... :hmmm:

smolfri

04-22-14, 09:52 PM

What gross??

That's what i was wondering?

swamprat69er

04-22-14, 09:53 PM

Nope lol Best co-driver ive ever had. Great company and never complains when we are heading into the mountains with a sure thing chain up coming. Or said "O man... LA again"

I do have one complaint though. I have not been able to eat full snack to my self in over a year :rotfl2:
So your co-driver ough to keep you skinny.:haha:

I tried highway coach....Twice. The first and last time. No thank you.

smolfri

04-22-14, 09:55 PM

80,000lbs gross ought to do it. :O:

Anyway, you truckers, feel for the long distance coach drivers, they do mileage and have to deal with the great unwashed whinging behind them.

At least cargo doesn't complain, well...it might moo, cluck, neigh or bleat in some countries... :hmmm:

I was speaking on SiriusXM Road Dog Live the other day about coach drivers and made the comment "I would not wish that on my worst enemy" lol

Aktungbby

04-22-14, 09:57 PM

The card was a few bucks extra but is the finest ID on the planet and very state-of-the-art counterfeitt-wise. :know: Goes nicely in the laserproof stainless wallet alongside the DL!

Oh man, gross. Let's keep this thread, clean, ok?

OK! get a haircut and shave for the ID photo!:O:

smolfri

04-22-14, 09:57 PM

So your co-driver ough to keep you skinny.:haha:

Sure dose :haha: Diner is in the microwave right now. He is just looking at me with those hopeful eyes. And of coarse, some of it is his :yep:

smolfri

04-22-14, 10:02 PM

swamprat69er

04-22-14, 10:07 PM

Me too, so I guess I will retract my question. "What gross?"

smolfri

04-22-14, 10:11 PM

so swamprat69er, you runing out of Mississauga?
(http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/member.php?u=238462)

Jimbuna

04-23-14, 05:46 AM

Keep it in your pants. Itchy rash at 75 mph with a full load on is no fun at all.

LOL :)

swamprat69er

04-23-14, 06:16 AM

so swamprat69er, you runing out of Mississauga?
(http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/member.php?u=238462)
No sir. I am on layoff right now waiting for the call back to yank tanker for a paving company out of Markham, ON. You've seen us around. We only have 23 highway tractors, mostly asphalt tanks and haul all over Ontario.

Wolferz

04-23-14, 09:27 AM

swamprat69er

04-23-14, 09:29 AM

Sounds like a load of rectum trouble. :03::haha:
Just sitting on it for now. I got lots of stuff to keep me occupied until I go back to work.
My boat is now in the water, so I could end up down there soon.

smolfri

04-23-14, 12:58 PM

No sir. I am on layoff right now waiting for the call back to yank tanker for a paving company out of Markham, ON. You've seen us around. We only have 23 highway tractors, mostly asphalt tanks and haul all over Ontario.

Just sitting on it for now. I got lots of stuff to keep me occupied until I go back to work.
My boat is now in the water, so I could end up down there soon.

Hope you get work soon! If you like pulling tar you can alwas try Miller Paving there always hireing and give you the option to run plow in the winter.

If I ever get back home I will get my boat in the water. Hopeing to sail into Bolsom lake next week!

swamprat69er

04-23-14, 01:58 PM

Hopeing to sail into Bolsom lake next week!
The locks don't open until May 24th weekend.

smolfri

04-23-14, 06:14 PM

The locks don't open until May 24th weekend.

l_o_l you're right except I live on an island in mitchell lake on the eastern side of kirkfield. from my backyard it's a 45 minute boat ride into Balsam Lake. All I have to do is walk out my back door, on the dock and into the boat :-)

swamprat69er

04-23-14, 07:02 PM

l_o_l you're right except I live on an island in mitchell lake on the eastern side of kirkfield. from my backyard it's a 45 minute boat ride into Balsam Lake. All I have to do is walk out my back door, on the dock and into the boat :-)
Lucky you. I am in a marina in between the last lock on the eastern side of Lake Simcoe and the lake. There is a swing bridge that I need to get under and when the water is high in spring, I am stuck in the marina. The swing bridge operates the same hours as the locks. I need 9.5' of clearance to get under the bridge.

Onkel Neal

04-25-14, 02:39 PM

So, 3 weeks in, over 5500 miles, and lots of coffee later: I'm still liking it. There are some frustrating elements: finding a parking space after 5pm, expecting plants to get their loading done quickly, and @*@%#!*% navigating. I am giving up on the Qualcomm nav system, Navigo. It works pretty well, but is so old school, it doesn't really provide enough detail. Plus, when I am pulling a HAZMAT load, I need routes that don't take me on NO HM roads, or centers of cities. :88) I've ordered a Rand McNally 7" Truckers GPS, man, cannot wait to get that.

I've been through Ark, MO, IL, AL, MS, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Pittsburg and now am waiting on a load in West Virginia (very pretty country here). After I load, it's back the Texas, gawd I need some BBQ.

Wolferz

04-25-14, 03:22 PM

Neal's been laying them Schneider eggs all over the place. :O::up::D

Have you had any of the four wheelers scare the soup out of you yet?

swamprat69er

04-25-14, 03:23 PM

expecting plants to get their loading done quickly

West Virginia (very pretty country here). After I load, it's back the Texas, gawd I need some BBQ.
You will always be at the shippers mercy. The only time they move quickly is when someone hollers 'free beer'.

WV is extremely pretty.

Y'all drive careful and keep the shiny side up!

Schroeder

04-25-14, 03:23 PM

I am giving up on the Qualcomm nav system, Navigo.
That's no surprise. Qual is the German term for torment/agony/anguish.:yep:

AVGWarhawk

04-25-14, 03:29 PM

Red October1984

04-25-14, 04:25 PM

I've been through Ark, MO, IL, AL, MS, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Pittsburg and now am waiting on a load in West Virginia (very pretty country here). After I load, it's back the Texas, gawd I need some BBQ.

What part of Missouri did you pass through? :)

Wolferz

04-25-14, 07:56 PM

What part of Missouri did you pass through? :)

Probably all of it but, don't quote me.:D

Jimbuna

04-26-14, 05:24 AM

swamprat69er

04-26-14, 06:28 AM

Tour the country and get paid to do it. Win, win situation.

Jimbuna

04-26-14, 06:53 AM

Most definitely and the best way to travel the world would be by working on a cruise liner.

swamprat69er

04-26-14, 07:05 AM

Most definitely and the best way to travel the world would be by working on a cruise liner.
as long as it isn't either the Titanic or the Costa Concordia. :D
Boats sink, I can't swim, I will stay on terra firma thank you. I have never been on an Ocean, nor a lake deeper than 100'. I did puddle around in the Atlantic Ocean a couple of times.

Jimbuna

04-26-14, 07:08 AM

as long as it isn't either the Titanic or the Costa Concordia. :D
Boats sink, I can't swim, I will stay on terra firma thank you. I have never been on an Ocean, nor a lake deeper than 100'. I did puddle around in the Atlantic Ocean a couple of times.

You should try it, your really missing a fantastic way to travel.

swamprat69er

04-26-14, 07:15 AM

You should try it, your really missing a fantastic way to travel.
My Dad was a travel agent back in the 60's and 70's. Many times he offered me cruises to the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago. I turned him down each and every time. He even offered them free of charge, I just had to go as a TA.
We did 'do' quite a few trips (fly in) to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and St. Petersburg. Checking out hotels and local touristy spots.
St. Augustine has quite a bit of history attached to it.

Wolferz

04-26-14, 11:09 AM

Swamprat doesn't want to end up on Gilligan's Island. :O::D

Jimbuna

04-26-14, 11:38 AM

Far better than Davy Jones' Locker I suppose :)

Aktungbby

04-26-14, 01:40 PM

The best way to tour the country...stay safe matey :sunny:

Swamprat doesn't want to end up on Gilligan's Island. :O::D

Or a thin ice fishing bar in MN; or I-40 after a barge wiped out he bridge (fatalities) in OK(2002); nor the crossing on I-35; 8/2/07 at Minneapolis MN.(fatalities) I can't think of the number of times I've crossed either bridge in a big rig! With the age of the road system in America infrastructure-wise, the cruise ship might be a little safer!:hmmm:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/I35W_Collapse_-_Day_4_-_Operations_%26_Scene_%2895%29.jpg/800px-I35W_Collapse_-_Day_4_-_Operations_%26_Scene_%2895%29.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/I35W_Collapse_-_Day_4_-_Operations_%26_Scene_%2895%29.jpg) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/I40_Bridge_disaster.jpg/800px-I40_Bridge_disaster.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/I40_Bridge_disaster.jpg)

swamprat69er

04-26-14, 01:50 PM

Swamprat doesn't want to end up on Gilligan's Island. :O::D

As long as Ginger is there it wouldn't be all that bad, but with my luck it would be Mrs. Howell I would be stranded with.

Far better than Davy Jones' Locker I suppose :)
I've had one 'up close and personal' experience with the bottom and I don't want another one. The Holger Nielson* method of artificial respiration had just been made the popular method of resuscitation when I found the bottom of the lake. As much as people say I am full of s??t, and it floats, I don't. I sink straight to the bottom.
For those of you that are too young to know this, this is the only method I know well.
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e2W8tdgzy0

Aktungbby

04-26-14, 02:24 PM

As long as Ginger is there it wouldn't be all that bad, but with my luck it would be Mrs. Howell I would be stranded with.

I've had one 'up close and personal' experience with the bottom and I don't want another one. The Holger Nielson* method of artificial respiration had just been made the popular method of resuscitation when I found the bottom of the lake. As much as people say I am full of s??t, and it floats, I don't. I sink straight to the bottom.
For those of you that are too young to know this, this is the only method I know well.
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e2W8tdgzy0

Still good if you don't have one of these(photo below) in the age of HIV. Had to employ a variation of the old style technique around 2000 in a Social Security office on a 7' gentleman who had turned blue. We had 'blood-borne pathogen' training but no masks were issued back then. One should be in your rig; the life you save may be your own just cuz it's there! I carry one in my BDU pocket and auto. They're too dirt cheap not to have.:rock:.http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EoZmRyCAL._SX300_.jpg

swamprat69er

04-26-14, 03:08 PM

Still good if you don't have one of these(photo below) in the age of HIV. Had to employ a variation of the old style technique around 2000 in a Social Security office on a 7' gentleman who had turned blue. We had 'blood-borne pathogen' training but no masks were issued back then. One should be in your rig; the life you save may be your own just cuz it's there! I carry one in my BDU pocket and auto. They're too dirt cheap not to have.:rock:.http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EoZmRyCAL._SX300_.jpg
I will look into getting a couple of them. I am going to North Bay this week and I will be near Safety Supply/Acklands.

Wolferz

04-26-14, 03:46 PM

Keep a weather eye out , Neal. It's that time of year again.

My dad drove into the tail end of a twister one spring day and got shoved into the median on I-65 just north of the Tennessee border. He met some downed high tension power lines that busted the windshield out of his tractor and nearly cut through the post on the passenger side.:huh:

Stay safe out there.

TarJak

04-26-14, 04:31 PM

Swamprat doesn't want to end up on Gilligan's Island. :O::D

What does he have against Australia? :)

Wolferz

04-26-14, 04:53 PM

What does he have against Australia? :)

Isn't Australia considered a small continent?:06::)

swamprat69er

04-26-14, 04:56 PM

nothing against Australia except; it is too warm at Christmas for traditional snowball fights:wah:,
you drive on the wrong side of the road:timeout:,
the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the vehicle:timeout:,
there are too many nasty creatures that either sting or bite or just eat:wah:,
and finally, I've never been off the North American continent and absolutely no desire to.:sunny:

GoldenRivet

04-26-14, 10:36 PM

If you run across a Texas tagged Black Nissan Titan with a 40' extension ladder up top, give a couple honks.

Love the road.

TarJak

04-26-14, 11:30 PM

Isn't Australia considered a small continent?:06::)
Yes, the island continent. :know:

nothing against Australia except; it is too warm at Christmas for traditional snowball fights:wah:,
you drive on the wrong side of the road:timeout:,
the steering wheel is on the wrong side of the vehicle:timeout:,
there are too many nasty creatures that either sting or bite or just eat:wah:,
and finally, I've never been off the North American continent and absolutely no desire to.:sunny: LOL But going to the beach on Xmas day is a great tradition here.

We drive on the right side, you guys drive on the wrong side.

The nasties are a non issue and only attack tourists who are afraid of them.:D

As for desire until you leave view do you know you live in the best place on earth? Having been a few places outside Australia, I know I do :D

Jimbuna

04-27-14, 06:02 AM

Tango589

04-27-14, 06:57 AM

Sailor Steve

04-27-14, 10:57 AM

We drive on the right side, you guys drive on the wrong side.
No, you drive on the left side, which is the opposite side of the right side, which is to say you drive on the sinister side. How gauche of you. :O:

Wolferz

04-27-14, 12:59 PM

No, you drive on the left side, which is the opposite side of the right side, which is to say you drive on the sinister side. How gauche of you. :O:

It's all relative as long as you don't drive on the suicide.:03: Like the Ford Expedition loaded with a huge family that tried to pass me on I-40 in Tennessee as we approached a construction zone. The right lane was closed and barricaded but, the driver seemed to have missed the signs instructing a merge to the left. I had other truckers hollering for me to watch out for this idiot and I saw him almost eat the Mansfield bar on my trailer. He passed me after we cleared the construction and a pack of kids were hanging out of the windows. A few miles down the road, they were pulled over in the break down lane and they were all out of the vehicle heading for the woods. :roll:

Jimbuna

04-27-14, 01:55 PM

It's all relative as long as you don't drive on the suicide.

LOL :)

Aktungbby

04-27-14, 02:07 PM

Crikey!! I remember performing that method years ago whilst undertaking my lifeguard certificates :o

We all gotta start somewhere!!:O: http://www.npr.org/news/specials/obits/reagan/reagan.lifeguard.jpg Ronald Reagan as a lifeguard in 1927.

I've still got all my Red Cross and W.S.I. (water safety instructor) cards in some old wallet. Now I just basically float real good; It is a violation of the Marine Mammal Act to approach me :D even if I need rescuing! Me in 'wet suit' mit Schnorkel und fins!http://cdn1.arkive.org/media/6F/6F2A2C88-C9B9-4BE9-A51C-CE7F6C853E82/Presentation.Large/Bull-southern-elephant-seal-on-beach-penguins-in-back-ground.jpg

Wolferz

04-27-14, 05:24 PM

Encroaching on the Penguins is a reprehensible act in and of itself.:O:

Weren't we talking about trucking?

em2nought

04-28-14, 12:50 AM

Fuel savings from super singles truck tires are not worth the downtime of actually finding a replacement tire, and getting service. Not too mention loss of ability to limp in, or change it yourself.

Jimbuna

04-28-14, 04:59 AM

Encroaching on the Penguins is a reprehensible act in and of itself.:O:

To each their own I suppose :huh:

swamprat69er

04-28-14, 06:28 AM

Fuel savings from super singles truck tires are not worth the downtime of actually finding a replacement tire, and getting service. Not too mention loss of ability to limp in, or change it yourself.
This is why my company will not switch.

Wolferz

04-28-14, 06:52 AM

swamprat69er

04-28-14, 06:59 AM

Our military ten ton dumps had those super singles. The only advantage was the ability to let the air out of them(for off road use) or add air to them(for hardball use) from the cab.
I can't see a logical reason to reduce an OTR 18 wheeler to a ten wheeler.:yep: uh uh.

I had suggested them to the equipment manager at work last year and he laid a good example down for me to vote against them.
He said to me that since I am in Northwestern Ontario in the summer, (there is often 50 or so miles between one horse towns and no shoulders to speak of), where would I park the truck if it was on S Singles and got a flat? That was all the convincing I needed.

Aktungbby

04-28-14, 10:00 AM

^Precisely! I did a lot of carefully calculated(weight-load math) running "singled out' during hot summers through Arizona and Texas; Road temps on asphalt are horrific (120+). It actually raised the tire temperature worse to stop the rig at the pumps. One set of newer tires temp-spiked: blew out, through the treads! in front of me-two star fractures-right in the treads and steel belts-not the side walls...we chose to wait the heat-wave out to run in the cooler evening that day. On I-10, occasionally, we would run on the shoulder which was cooler concrete than the asphalt. The road way was littered with blow-out tread debris.:nope: No singles for me! I like tire 'redundancy' in case I have to move 'em around some...just to reach safe haven!

Wolferz

04-28-14, 02:13 PM

Don't forget the tire ruts from overheated asphalt in the western reaches.
Super singles would create a pair of ditches in the roadbed. :yep: :huh:

swamprat69er

04-28-14, 02:25 PM

Don't forget the tire ruts from overheated asphalt in the western reaches.
Super singles would create a pair of ditches in the roadbed. :yep: :huh:

Not only in the west. You should see the ruts in the 401 east of Toronto.

Wolferz

04-28-14, 09:06 PM

Not only in the west. You should see the ruts in the 401 east of Toronto.

I've only run through there once, carrying a big roll of toilet paper into Quebec. The roads weren't too bad at that time.

swamprat69er

04-28-14, 09:54 PM

I've only run through there once, carrying a big roll of toilet paper into Quebec. The roads weren't too bad at that time.
Three years ago I ran steady to Ottawa every other day. The days I didn't go to Ottawa I ran to Kingston. The ruts were brutal. Remember I got a trailer that you could legal 83,700 lbs in the tank and I only had 77,000 lbs at the most. Too much weight for just the three axles on the trailer and not enough weigh to really hold the extra axle on the road, but I had to have the extra one down to be legal axle weight wise. I got tossed around a bit, but i survived. Would I do that haul again? I don't know.

Coming back from Ottawa one day, and the 401 at Kingston is under construction. A New Jersey barrier is dividing the east bound from the west bound right at the Division St. curve. I am traveling West bound, empty and am about to roll across the bridge to the east of Division St. about 1/2 mile, all of a sudden there is a puff of dust in the East bound lanes at Division St. (there is also a rock cut on the south side of the road), and an enormous ball of flame, a passing truck had clipped the NJ barrier and his trailer went sideways and tapped the front of the truck he was passing and sent him into the rock cut.....One dead driver. He didn't have a chance. That closed the highway for 12 hours. Luckily I got past the scene before the cops and firefighters got there. (I had called them, but like I told the dispatcher, I was too far away to see any details other than the explosion.) The details I just gave were from going through there the next day and looking at the tracks and skid marks.
That was NOT a good day. Anybody (Red October) that wants to get into trucking needs to realise that they may see stuff like this as well as the 'fun' involved in trucking.

Wolferz

04-29-14, 07:34 AM

That sounded horrible, Swamprat.
How about a pair of star crossed lovers getting on the wrong side of an interstate and pulling a kamikaze into the front end of a tractor. I came upon the aftermath of that scenario in New Mexico. It was one of our company trucks now sitting cross ways in the median with the steering axle torn out from under it. The car was up against the right hand guard rail with the front bumper shoved into the front seat.:huh: My fellow driver was unhurt but his co-driver in the bunk was injured by the sudden impact.

There are crazy people everywhere out there on the roads!:doh:

swamprat69er

04-29-14, 08:22 AM

April fools day 1999, I left Ignace, ON on Hwy17 east bound with clear skies and a slight easterly wind. I had an empty 53' trailer. I had been running in good warm weather and had taken my winter front off. About a half hour out of Ignace it started to snow, within 15 minutes the road was covered and you couldn't see 50' in front of you (There are no shoulders on this highway so you are at the mercy of the elements and have to carry on.) My windshield was icing up huge time and even with the heat up full (the Detroit diesel wouldn't make enough heat to keep things all that warm in the heater core without the winter front). I pulled over at English River where I knew there was a spot big enough for me. I put my winter front on, two trucks passed me, a wood chip train (2 trailers) and a freight hauler. I got back on the road, by this time there was a good 6-8 inches of snow on the road and we still couldn't see any more than 50' in front.

Six miles east of English River there is a passing lane for the eastbound side. A fellow ran down the road waving his arms over his head, Oh-Oh something has happened....I stopped and the guy told me that 150' up ahead there was two tractor trailers in a head on accident and two dead drivers on the road..... I eased on up a little closer, and sure enough there was a 'Cabbage patch Freightliner' with the hood, steer axle and cab gone, the frame of the tractor was under the trailer.

One driver did a 'face plant' onto the pavement, his ears were flush with the asphalt, head caved in and very dead. The other driver had his legs cut off at the knees, he bled to death. I told the guy that stopped me that in the winter time it is very unlikely you will find a driver driving in his underwear. The one that did the face plant was in the bunk. He never knew what hit him. Somewhere there was a third driver.
I heard some rustling like branches scraping together and in that neck of the woods when you hear 'out of place' sounds you holler and hope to get a holler back. I did.
The third driver was pinned by his left foot under the clutch pedal in his Western Star day cab (he was hauling the chip train), with the lead trailer leaning over and resting on the right rear corner of the cab. I stayed with the only driver that was alive and kept him warm, (in winter I always carried a heavy winter coat with me), and talking.
From the time the OPP were called and the fellow doing the calling was the freight hauler that passed me at English River, he used his qualcom to call his dispatcher in Winnipeg, MB, (no cell service up there, then), the dispatcher called the OPP he confirmed with me via the CB that it was Upsala Detachment of the OPP that was needed. [The dividing line for Upsala/Ignace Opp is English River.] It took the cops 3 hours to get there. (35 miles) They had to get plowed into the scene. Needless to say that road was closed for about 10 hours. The cars and pickups were all turned around and rerouted another way, but the big trucks had to stay. (Something about a 5 ton bridge on the detour route.)
Another nightmare realized. :(

Wolferz

04-29-14, 12:07 PM

You ice road truckers have all the fun, Swamprat.:O::D

Mr Quatro

04-29-14, 12:19 PM

swamprat69er

04-29-14, 02:47 PM

You ice road truckers have all the fun, Swamprat.:O::D
I don't 'do' that. IRTrucking is in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. There is no joy in whooville running in the winter on snow covered roads, not in Canada or in the U.S. I've done both.
I'm in Ontario right where I intend to stay.

Aktungbby

04-29-14, 03:22 PM

:sign_yeah:Picking up paper loads in Duluth MN in the dead of winter is no joy either- the fifth wheel is brutal to disconnect; we used cardboard and two bungees for our 'winter front'. We also kept a small propane torch to heat the ball joint at the shifter base which had a tendency to freeze up if going down the road without needing to shift for a period of time. The shift stick would immobilze and getting into neutral was a problem. The foot warmer heater core under the driver seat was worthless on a Freightliner. The temps with wind chill in the Dakotas and Montana were -40 F. And of course, in the days before cell phones, you didn't pull into a neon lit bar parking lot in the winter evening...that turned out to be a ice fishing bar on a plowed portion of a lake! and the paper-loaded 18 wheeler was nearly totally under the surface; both drivers made it out but the lead guy was in the sleeper in his skivvies.:nope: The photo of it went viral as the rear cargo doors were just above the surface with the company logo "You too can own a truck like This" still visible! :O: Pulling into Chicago with canned goods in Blizzards with O'hare International closed was always a doozy too; especially when running north empty on ice to pick up a return load at Green Bay Paper and then around to the Mackinac Bridge just avoid Chicago's east-bound mess to Philly PA with the load.:88)

Wolferz

04-29-14, 06:26 PM

I guess I was lucky that the outfit I drove for was a real stickler for safety. So much so that we weren't allowed to drive in Colorado or in any inclement winter weather. During orientation at the terminal after hiring on they showed us a video that was shot by a husband and wife team while they were bobtailing northward on I-81 in a snowstorm. They were both laughing at the cars spinning out on the snow covered highway. That is until the scenery in the windshield began to spin and the camera hit the floorboard.:huh: They spun into the median and got promptly fired afterwards. Then these two mental heavyweights tried to sue for their jobs back and used the video tape as evidence.:doh: The judge did not rule in their favor.:haha: One of the exit signs they passed was for the berg at the top of the mountain above my home. They should have exited there and parked until the weather cleared up.:hmmm: PENNDOT is really good at clearing the roadways around here so their delay would have been short lived.:nope:

swamprat69er

04-29-14, 08:18 PM

My idiot dispatcher at B***n got me a load going back to Winnipeg, MB out of Mississauga, ON and told me to take 4 days off on the way. (I live about 4 hours North of Mississauga.) On the third day he called me at home and told me I had three days to get the load to Winnipeg. I was tracking a major snow storm on the 'puter and figured I could go around it by staying in Canada. Dispatch ordered me to take it through the states because it was faster....This snow storm was packing 60mph winds out of the north west and he wants me to run through the U.P of Michigan on S.R.2 across Swissconsin and Minnesota to Fargo, ND and then north on I-29 through Pembina and into Winnipeg.

Well I had 12,000 lbs in a full trailer and did what I was told. Part way across Swissconsin the wind was blowing so hard that my trailer was on the other side of the road. That is when I uttered those famous last words, 'the heck with this' [only a little stronger] and I found a safe place to park and wait it out. The load got to Winnipeg a day late, too bad so sad. The receiver saw it my way when I explained that his load could have been scattered all over Hwy 2 in Wisconsin instead. I told him better late than never.

The safety department at b***n was always safety, safety, log book legal and all that. The dispatcher was always go, go ,go and never you mind the log book. It is not snowing in his office in Winnipeg so in his mind it was not snowing anywhere in the real world.

We did not see eye to eye.

Aktungbby

04-29-14, 08:21 PM

That was the only rule we did have!:woot: NO BOBTAILING unless in the yard hooking up or repairs! Most of the new hires were just out of driving school; fortunately, I had been a big city UPS delivery and Union bob-tail driver so I had some 'astute combat' training prior to going to the interstate rigs. I only became a lead driver when mine 'jumped truck' and someone had to drive it 1500 miles back to the Fort Scott depot.:oops:

swamprat69er

04-29-14, 08:26 PM

Onkel Neal

04-30-14, 12:48 AM

@ Neal ... can you put up a sticky on where you are and if you are okay without the rest of us responding to your OP.

I just for one would like to know your okay and I don't have a mobile phone and I don't even know what a txt message is and I don't want to. :)

Well, don't worry, I'll be ok. :) I'm back in Texas for now, waiting for my next assignment. But I did pass through Little Rock the day of the tornadoes! I didn't see anything but rain, though.

swamprat69er

04-30-14, 10:33 AM

Well, don't worry, I'll be ok. :) I'm back in Texas for now
Yee Haw! BBQ time!

Aktungbby

04-30-14, 12:08 PM

I'll be ok. :) I'm back in Texas for now, waiting for my next assignment. But I did pass through Little Rock the day of the tornadoes! I didn't see anything but rain, though.

May be time for an avatar change good buddy!:O:https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/63943_165593036811011_572448_n.jpg El Zorro & Tornado!

Jimbuna

05-01-14, 05:01 AM

Yee Haw! BBQ time!

Rgr that...the best BBQ I ever tasted was at Neals ranchero :sunny:

http://s29.postimg.org/4j9kuks5z/1house20.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
http://s7.postimg.org/fu21vs017/1house18.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
http://s3.postimg.org/5s30wcaeb/Subsim2008_070.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
http://s14.postimg.org/8fwc3fw0x/Subsim2008_072.jpg (http://postimage.org/)

Onkel Neal

05-01-14, 10:14 AM

Oh boy, two days to go,those pics made me HUNGRY!:wah:

Jimbuna

05-01-14, 11:28 AM

Tis just a pity the pictures were taken post meal and not showing your Dads beef or your Moms banana dessert......bloody lovely :sunny:

Aktungbby

05-01-14, 12:09 PM

I see one guy in a Vikings shirt! Any Hamm's!:yeah:(to yer brew B true! even in Texas!)http://mnprairieroots.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/vikings-002.jpg?w=477&h=717 (http://mnprairieroots.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/vikings-002.jpg)By Neal Stevens: the refreshments are on AktungBBY!

BrucePartington

05-14-14, 03:57 PM

I think this is appropriate.

I wonder if Neal was the driver.

http://www.livetrucking.com/truck-blown-over-by-strong-winds-this-is-how-you-recover-like-a-pro/

swamprat69er

05-14-14, 04:39 PM

I think this is appropriate.

I wonder if Neal was the driver.

http://www.livetrucking.com/truck-blown-over-by-strong-winds-this-is-how-you-recover-like-a-pro/

Neil drives a pumpkin truck and yanks a tanker.
Smart move by the driver though.

Aktungbby

05-14-14, 05:25 PM

As with sailing, some times ya gotta come upwind to dump the sails...in this case the side of the van! Had it almost happen on a rear 'pup' of a set of doubles...ONCE. Good thing it wasn't the open side-usually plastic enclosed face-of a mobile-home half, those lightweight 'airfoils' get blown over all the time even with a road pilot-car. The driver had tremendous cool and serious guts to pull off an immediate 90 degree hard turn at speed w/o panic-tapping his brakes and layin' it down!:Kaleun_Salute: I 'spec he's an ad for Marlborough right about now! PS: YUP! just noticed on video review that guy had the air deflectors on the trailer under-side, which only increased the 'sail' area-increasing the risk when on a 'broad reach' to the wind.

Onkel Neal

05-14-14, 06:21 PM

Jimbuna

05-15-14, 05:18 AM

Neil drives a pumpkin truck and yanks a tanker.
Smart move by the driver though.

That took skill and nerve...there wasn't anything else he could do really though.

Wolferz

05-15-14, 05:48 AM

Well, my 6 days off passed, I returned but the shop did nothing to fix the problem my truck is having, where it pauses 4~8 seconds after up-shifting from 7 > 8, 8 > 9, and 9 > 10.... I went home, when they fix the truck, I'll be ready to roll.

It helps to lift your foot off the clutch.:03::haha:
But seriously, it sounds like an injector timing problem.
Don't let the shop manager push you around.
I had one tell me that they couldn't fix every problem we had with our trucks. I asked him; "Where do I send you the ticket and do you have enough money to pay the fine?"

Onkel Neal

05-21-14, 06:57 PM

Well, they finally got my truck fixed (after 17 days), dropped down to Freeport, TX to my old job at Dow to load some Versene, then off to North Carolina.:shucks:

Wolferz

05-21-14, 08:31 PM

Well, they finally got my truck fixed (after 17 days), dropped down to Freeport, TX to my old job at Dow to load some Versene, then off to North Carolina.:shucks:

Keep the shiny side up. :up:
Drive safe.

HW3

05-21-14, 10:36 PM

Keep the bugs off your glass, and the bears off your.....:03:

Wolferz

05-22-14, 05:08 AM

Keep the bugs off your glass, and the bears off your.....:03:

I just run the bears over. Got me one on I-40 in the smoky mountains.

Oh, wait. You're talking about the ones with the pretty lights on their cars.
Never mind.:arrgh!:

Neal doesn't have to worry about the other bears, His pumpkin truck doesn't go fast enough to attract their attention.

HW3

05-22-14, 09:22 PM

Neal doesn't have to worry about the other bears, His pumpkin truck doesn't go fast enough to attract their attention.

LOL!!!

Mr Quatro

05-22-14, 11:10 PM

Stealhead

05-22-14, 11:17 PM

These days unless it is an owner/operator they top out in the 60~68 MPH range.It costs less on insurance for the big boys also helps keep CSA scores in check.

I do not see why a rig needs to go past 70 I never go faster though I could if I wanted.

Aktungbby

05-22-14, 11:47 PM

Don't forget to buy several pairs of cheap sunglasses and keep one on the dash, one in the glove compartment, one in your pocket and one on top of your head if you have to.

Cheap sunglasses always come in handy when you need them the most :yep:

:sign_yeah: I always just wear cheap wrap-around dark safety glasses from Home Depot or Lowes; they look cool and if I lose a pair on the boat- no sweat. I always have a pair snapped to a visor clip in each of my cars and beside the lawn mower/weed-whacker gear.:up: They come in dozens.

Wolferz

05-23-14, 05:30 AM

Aktungbby :up:
Always whacking his weed.:doh:

swamprat69er

05-23-14, 03:47 PM

Wolferz

05-23-14, 04:42 PM

I got to the house this morning after a quickie trip up to New Liskeard, ON with 51,800 lbs in a tank train designed for 101,400 lbs. Talk about slop and slosh, all the way there. This is my last weekend home until October.

What's it like pulling wiggle wagons with slop and slosh? Is that some new kind of asphalt tar?:O:

swamprat69er

05-23-14, 04:46 PM

Half a load. Each wagon is only half full. Just don't plan on stopping too quickly. The wheels will stop, the whole thing will stop.......until the slosh catches up to the front of the tank, then you get a real hard smack in the backside.:rotfl2:

Wolferz

05-24-14, 03:56 AM

swamprat69er

05-24-14, 06:35 AM

Unlike in the U.S. we don't have to stop at RR tracks with hazmat/placarded loads unless the lights are going or the gates are down or there is a train there.

Wolferz

05-24-14, 07:56 AM

Unlike in the U.S. we don't have to stop at RR tracks with hazmat/placarded loads unless the lights are going or the gates are down or there is a train there.

Can you park near fires and run through tunnels too. :huh::haha:

swamprat69er

05-24-14, 08:39 AM

Can you park near fires and run through tunnels too. :huh::haha:
Where I run there aint no tunnels, I try to avoid forest fires.:D

swamprat69er

06-30-14, 12:39 PM

swamprat69er

06-30-14, 01:24 PM

I expect I will be in that neck of the woods later this summer.

Kapitan

06-30-14, 02:10 PM

swamprat69er

06-30-14, 02:25 PM

what I would give to live in the USA and drive your trucks I have to make do with a german built Cab over (M.A.N) 440 donkeys (half of which have been flogged) and the rest struggle to pull the skin off a rice pudding.

Seriously though it must be a nice life over there and governed at 60mph? atleast your going places my truck is 56mph restricted some of us are as slow as 50mph !

The grass is not always greener on the other side of the road.
My truck may have a C15 Cat 475 horsepower and do 65 mph on the flat....75 mph down hills, but you do not want to follow me up those same hills! With a 18 spd gearbox I am often in 5 gear going up the hills.:down:

Jimbuna

06-30-14, 03:26 PM

The grass is not always greener on the other side of the road.
My truck may have a C15 Cat 475 horsepower and do 65 mph on the flat....75 mph down hills, but you do not want to follow me up those same hills! With a 18 spd gearbox I am often in 5 gear going up the hills.:down:

Rgr that :yep:

Kapitan

06-30-14, 04:42 PM

with a 22ton kabota digger on the back of my low loader up hill 5th gear is a dream im crawling in 1st 2nd if im lucky at no more than 7mph

swamprat69er

06-30-14, 04:47 PM

with a 22ton kabota digger on the back of my low loader up hill 5th gear is a dream im crawling in 1st 2nd if im lucky at no more than 7mph
At that rate you certainly do not want to pull the loads I do. 63,500 kgs gross minus tare of 21,250 or in 'merican terms
139,900lbs gross - 46,800lbs=46,300lbs payload

Kapitan

06-30-14, 05:03 PM

I used to drive a 380hp truck with low loader capable of pulling 65 ton which is around the same weight as you describe spent most of my time in the special crawler gear, until the engine decided it had had enough and blew up one evening.

my truck the current one has been all over Europe from ice roads of Norway to the mont blanc and even up the pireneese love the sights just not guts in the thing.

swamprat69er

06-30-14, 05:11 PM

Wolferz

07-01-14, 06:46 PM

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb295/Wolferz_2007/z1-3.jpg
I like your truck, Swamprat69er.:up:

em2nought

07-01-14, 09:51 PM

FL DMV have already reached the stupidity levels of the Idiocracy movie. My buddy can't even get his driver record out of them, and without that he can't work for someone else since Pinkie the Peterbilt repeatedly has rear end troubles. Anybody want to buy a '92 386 winch truck for parts? :wah:

swamprat69er

07-02-14, 07:58 AM

I like your truck, Swamprat69er.:up:

Thank you. The company wants to get rid of it. They say it gets lousy fuel mileage. 4 miles to the gallon. I say I can make it better, but they won't let me into the 'puter. They want me in a Polish Peterbuilt I keep turning them down. four so far. I am second from the top on the proverbial totem pole and I LIKE this Freightshaker.
The new wagons pull like a dream. Hardly any slosh at all. Disk brakes on the wagons and air ride.

Wolferz

07-02-14, 10:30 AM

Thank you. The company wants to get rid of it. They say it gets lousy fuel mileage. 4 miles to the gallon. I say I can make it better, but they won't let me into the 'puter. They want me in a Polish Peterbuilt I keep turning them down. four so far. I am second from the top on the proverbial totem pole and I LIKE this Freightshaker.
The new wagons pull like a dream. Hardly any slosh at all. Disk brakes on the wagons and air ride.

Must be baffled correctly.:up:
The trucks I drove all had ABS, which could freak you out at times because it didn't feel like it was going to stop.
I hated air ride trailers though. Just didn't feel right. Sort of a floating sensation that made me uneasy.:shifty:

swamprat69er

07-02-14, 10:38 AM

Only 6" of head space helps, too.

I am not overly impressed with the disk brakes on the trailer. I do like ABS in the wintertime.

Wolferz

07-02-14, 11:23 AM

Only 6" of head space helps, too.

I am not overly impressed with the disk brakes on the trailer. I do like ABS in the wintertime.

Because you never use it?:haha:

swamprat69er

07-02-14, 11:30 AM

I had a haul a few years ago (2006-7) from Toledo,OH to Hamilton,ON and had a trailer with ABS and it kept the trailer from coming around on me once or twice.:up:

Onkel Neal

07-02-14, 07:07 PM

I am currently sitting in a truck stop. I did my 36 hour reset and ran for 5 hours to get here. I will sit until tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon and then go and load, I am 15 minutes away from the terminal. I'll load tomorrow and then back to the T/S for supper and a nap until midnight. It is a 6.5 to 7 hour trip to where I unload, I'll do that through the night. I find that I make better time running at night when I only have to put up with the Moose. Moose are way smarter than people. They (Moose) hear the bark of my straight pipes and run for the bush.

Hey buddy, I've been all over this time around. I have not scheduled any home days, I'm just driving. Started in Houston, drove to Maryland, across to St. Paul Minnesota, then back east to New Joisy. Then back west to Detroit, took a 34 hr reset, then down to Texas, just enough time to check in on my renters, then to Oakland California (55mph statewide, what a place). This morning I was sent to LA to load a trailer and take it to Denver, then back to Houston.

I'm getting pretty comfortable handling the planning and navigating. I try to get started at 4am, drive 7, take 30 minutes, then drive for 3~ 31/2 more and land around 2pm at a Pilot. So far, running those hours has made it a lot easier with my biggest fear--not being able to find a place to park when the hours run out. As long as I can fall asleep at 7pm in a truck stop, I am ok.:rock:

Kapitan

07-02-14, 07:10 PM

What are the driving hours and break legislations in the USA I know its massively different than here in the UK.

swamprat69er

07-02-14, 07:40 PM

Hey buddy, I've been all over this time around. I have not scheduled any home days, I'm just driving. Started in Houston, drove to Maryland, across to St. Paul Minnesota, then back east to New Joisy. Then back west to Detroit, took a 34 hr reset, then down to Texas, just enough time to check in on my renters, then to Oakland California (55mph statewide, what a place). This morning I was sent to LA to load a trailer and take it to Denver, then back to Houston.

I'm getting pretty comfortable handling the planning and navigating. I try to get started at 4am, drive 7, take 30 minutes, then drive for 3~ 31/2 more and land around 2pm at a Pilot. So far, running those hours has made it a lot easier with my biggest fear--not being able to find a place to park when the hours run out. As long as I can fall asleep at 7pm in a truck stop, I am ok.:rock:
I got my load to Timmins, (saw a cow on the way before she saw me), just in time for the rain to kill any chance of unloading today. Last night my APU crapped out, so that is a repair job for Friday. I've already made the appointment, at least the dealer I need to go to is in the right general direction to where I load.

Wolferz

07-02-14, 08:11 PM

swamprat69er

07-02-14, 08:44 PM

So, Swamprat, when are you going to graduate away from that rolling wall?

That's why it only gets 4mpg.:smug: You need one of those nice new streamlined tractors so you can cut wind somewhere else besides your seat.:O:
I am going to try and get 6-7 mpg this summer. If I can get 6 even, then I will be able to convince them to keep this one. I think right now I have a dirty air filter. That will get solved on Friday.

Aktungbby

07-02-14, 08:51 PM

So, Swamprat, when are you going to graduate away from that rolling wall?

That's why it only gets 4mpg.:smug: You need one of those nice new streamlined tractors so you can cut wind somewhere else besides your seat.:O:
C'mon now! I loved my ol Frootliner and it got 4 mpg too;I mean really... they're still flyin' B52's:hmmm:http://thumbs4.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mlO5Xdz6Y3b1IOysDS8w1aA.jpg @Onkel! I didn't know you come this far west! Coffee (and a diet salad) on me the next time you're in Oaktown-the murder capital of the country. Wasn't I-80 just lovely thru there? Just PM in advance; at least you can get rescued out here by a caring Subsimmer:subsim: if necessary! And you'll have an armed escort.:D The 49er Truckstop off I-80 at West El Camino, Sacramento is the only decent truck'emup facility to the NE of the Bay Area proper. SE at 152& I-5 has good stops east of Pacheco Pass to the San Jose Approaches... Only when you regain east of I-5 are you safe again in CA. and out of the truck unfriendly Bay area. Did you do Donner Pass westbound yet and really complete your training!

swamprat69er

07-02-14, 09:23 PM

C'mon now! I loved my ol Frootliner and it got 4 mpg too;I mean really... they're still flyin' B52's:hmmm:http://thumbs4.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mlO5Xdz6Y3b1IOysDS8w1aA.jpg

That sure looks like a 1987 Freightshaker with a 12,000 lb steer.

Aktungbby

07-02-14, 10:21 PM

The one pictured might be but mine was a '77 with the same exact paint scheme and I couldn't tell the difference; No jake, no decent heater and only an air seat for the driver! There was no separate trailer brakes handle-all was on the foot (your life is in the 9/16 wrench to adjust the axles-don't trust a mechanic) valve to save $$:down: at Midwestern Distribution, then out of Ft. Scott KS. I learned the intricacies of lugging a 290 'fuel squeezer' Cummins up Donner and Raton for sure! Mine did have ABS, technology- then just adapted off of air liners. It would activate in light snow and mess things up- no sense of control! 3 years in those at over 350 days a year, logged, usually with a co-driver-talk about a submarine style 'hotrack' sleeper arrangement. Leave CA: 6PM Friday-arrive New York 1PM Monday (60 hours) with the time zone! with a tailwind- four on-four off(in the sleeper) and no flat tires...cannot be done west bound as the prevailing westerly wind does make a big difference and 65 mph must be maintained (no cruise control in those days) to make Omaha, NE to Bison WY on one set of 200 gal. tanks. Then Salt Lake, UT; then Elko, NV; then Sacramento, CA; like rigid oasis to a camel path really. But I was young, stupid, loved it! and would live forever ...Right!:rock:

swamprat69er

07-02-14, 10:38 PM

My '71 had air steering, the air was cut off but the cylinder was still there. Talk about armstrong steering! 2 men and a boy to turn a ninety degree corner from stopped. A load of custom doors to Miami and then gypsy a load of pottery clay to Portland. The only good thing was the party at Portland......lasted 2 weeks.

Aktungbby

07-02-14, 11:06 PM

Ah Portland! All the emblem paper napkins for Vegas casinos:yeah: and Der Wienerschnitzel pickles for Houston, TX came on my rig out of Portland OR. Usually as a back-haul for a load of molybdenum for a steel mill in Seattle WA all the way from eastern PA...across Snoqualmie Pass on I-90. 5 kegs of that is a full load weight wise-40,000 lbs. Later, I hauled Olympia Beer out of Seattle and Miller Beer back outta Irwindale, CA-critical commodities- I tells ya! I'm a maestro with the plywood and load locks-never lost a tall stack of beer cans-that's a real mess!...and you had to load stacks precisely single nosed/doubled amidships- to make axel weight... with a sliding fifth wheel and rear wheel carriage computations thrown into the equation. Weight ticket$ were always on the driver!

swamprat69er

07-02-14, 11:19 PM

Weight ticket$ were always on the driver!
They still are. Sometimes I can talk my way out of one. A favourite trick that only works IF there is a great lineup of trucks behind and the scale master isn't gunning for you with a tanker is to spike it hard as soon as your steer axle hits the scale.

Wolferz

07-03-14, 09:53 AM

That sure looks like a 1987 Freightshaker with a 12,000 lb steer.

My pop, against our advice, made the mistake of buying one of those monstrosities when he decided to go owner/op after the company he worked for, for twenty years hired a new transport manager who was all about rail.

Let's just say it didn't work out the way he hoped.:shifty:

After the repo, the bank loan was getting paid regular until the bank decided to turn it over to a collection agency.:stare: That was the first and only time I ever heard my mother drop an F bomb.:rotfl2: She hastily stopped conducting business with them.

Aktungbby

07-03-14, 11:20 AM

True :subsim: wisdom! Never own one because it's just a cruel version of sweat equity & the plantation system and the bank always owns it anyhow especially with in-frame overhaul$ figured in. Two outfits tried to turn me into an owner-op by "working off the truck" usually as an anti-union (Teamster steward here) tactic, while they arranged the load-think robber baron$???!!.:down: Unfortunately for them, I had taken accounting in college... and owned a gun...and became a real estate appraiser instead...yet another bank-involved whore's business! :/\\!! That culminated in our 'profession' being blamed (scapegoats) for the collapse of the nation's inflated economic real estate 'bubble'! but at least now our kids will reasonably be able to afford a house-post collapse...so maybe I'm a "rever$e patriot" instead of a culprit.:hmmm:

Wolferz

07-03-14, 11:53 AM

The housing bubble was just another way for those greedy bankers to steal what didn't belong to them. They kind of liked owner/op truckers too.:-?

Even the government gets in on the act. If you become a trucker, you aren't allowed to claim per diem deductions off your taxes your first year out on the road. Bloody pirates and highwaymen!:stare:

Onkel Neal

07-03-14, 06:32 PM

What are the driving hours and break legislations in the USA I know its massively different than here in the UK.

It's kinda complicated.... here goes:

when you start your day, you must shut down after 14 hours. :oops: So, if you do ANYTHING at 6am, you have to shut down by 8pm.

In that 14 hour period, you can drive up to 11 hours (the other three hours can be non driving duties, like loading/unloading, fueling, checking the truck, and chasing hookers... oh, wait).:shifty:

During the day, you can not work more than 8 hours before you must take a 30 minute break. Somewhere in your day, you need a 30 minute break. If you work 2 hours and then take your 30 minute break, you will need to take another if you intend to work more than 8 more of your 14. :dead:

When you completed your 11 - 14 hour day, you have to take a 10 hour break (sleep, hookers, food). You cannot drive the truck even 3 miles to get food, you have to stay put (company drivers, anyway).

After your 10 hour break, you can begin again.

Now, the worst of all parts of this mess--you cannot work more than 70 hours in an 8 day period. So, say you have been running 12 hours a day.., after about 5 days, you will have to run fewer hours each day, say about 4 a day...or you can take a "day off" known as a 34 hour reset. Meaning, shut down at 6 pm Monday, don't drive that night, or Tuesday, until 5 am Weds morning. Which is a pile of crap for drivers like me who live on the road in our trucks. I have to sit around a truck stop all day. It's stupid, because I don't get anymore rest than when I am driving.

Question: from Barstow CA to Denver, which route has the least amount of steep grades? I would rather drive an extra 150 miles than drive 7% grades all day.

Aktungbby

07-03-14, 09:32 PM

Oh man, gross. Let's keep this thread, clean, ok?

and chasing hookers... oh, wait).:shifty:

Question: from Barstow CA to Denver, which route has the least amount of steep grades? I would rather drive an extra 150 miles than drive 7% grades all day.:k_confused: WELL! Been on the road too long already I see, you're sounding like Swamprat, Wolfertz and me! :Kaleun_Goofy:But seriously, time is money and shortest is best: I-15 out of Barstow thru Vegas to Utah and pickup I-70 at Cove Fort thru Grand Junction to Denver; The northern I-80 route thru Cheyenne, WY would involve Parleys Pass at Salt Lake or the southern route I-40 thru Arizona and North at Albuquerque, New Mexico on I-25... will involve Raton Pass at Pueblo if approaching on I-25. Either of those will also put BIG corners(more than 150 miles) on your mileage. There are some 7-8% grades with escape ramps and Vail pass on I-70, but remember, Denver itself is 1 mile high too, so you're talkin' 7,000 feet at Vail Pass (10,662 ft). I used to run overweight loads of birdseed out of Aurora, Colorado near Denver westbound to pet supply stores in California and have driven it...the steeper westbound downslopes direction. Any way you cut it, you're crossing the Continental Divide here-no great options and I don't recommend US 666 out of Gallup NM at I-40 even though it looks good on the map. There's mountains thataway too. At least you won't need chains!:up:

Stealhead

07-04-14, 12:29 AM

US 666 is no longer used the number is US 491 now same road though.Kind of a popular route for drug runners due to the sections of Navaho land it goes through they take advantage of the smaller amount of law enforcement.

Aktungbby

07-04-14, 04:02 AM

Not to us die-hards with serious avatar issues BBY!:woot::O:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Gallup_NM.jpg

Wolferz

07-04-14, 05:55 AM

My employer wouldn't allow us anywhere near Colorado. Too Rockie.:yep:
We couldn't go into Mexico either because you have to be armed...
To the teeth!:huh:
As for Portland Oregon, I've hauled A gigantor roll of TP out of there bound for Quebec Oh Canada! Oo la la bby.:up: Subject to the Canadian rules of the road, eh?:doh:

Stealhead

07-04-14, 02:04 PM

No way would I go to Mexico without an armed escort.A big rig is just a big fat target down there and of course they know that you are unarmed.

Wolferz

07-05-14, 06:22 AM

No way would I go to Mexico without an armed escort.A big rig is just a big fat target down there and of course they know that you are unarmed.

They just want your trailer when shopping for a new home.:haha:

Wolferz

07-05-14, 04:37 PM

Not to us die-hards with serious avatar issues BBY!:woot::O:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Gallup_NM.jpg

What's up with that?
I thought US routes used the same format as interstate highways.
Even numbers run east/west, odd ones north/south.
I'm now totally confused.:doh:

swamprat69er

07-05-14, 07:29 PM

Worked 51 hours last week and I am doing yet another 36 hour reset. I'll load up tomorrow at 2PM and rest until midnight, then it is off to Cochrane,ON 4 more loads to Cochrane (this contract is 380,000 litres and we will have 3 trains hauling) [ I carry 41,000 L/load and the others 38,000 L/load], and then deadhead to Thunder Bay and haul out of there for the rest of the summer. I might get 'lucky' and catch the tail end of a contract out of Winnipeg,MB after the TB contract is done.

Jimbuna

07-06-14, 06:35 AM

swamprat69er

07-06-14, 07:23 AM

Just think of all those lovely $ :sunny:
Oh, I'm not bellyaching. I like to keep active and hauling oil in the summertime is as active as I want to be. Winters i go to the same town I am laid over in once a month for supplies and the rest of the month I set at home of the town 8 kms/6 miles south of me.

Jimbuna

07-06-14, 09:12 AM

Oh, I'm not bellyaching. I like to keep active and hauling oil in the summertime is as active as I want to be. Winters i go to the same town I am laid over in once a month for supplies and the rest of the month I set at home of the town 8 kms/6 miles south of me.

If that is what your happy doing then nice one....too bloody cramped where I live, a bit of peace and quiet would be most welcome at times.

Stealhead

07-07-14, 12:02 AM

They just want your trailer when shopping for a new home.:haha:
Nah I am talking cartel guys reguardless pretty sure the previuos driver is at best beat down at worst zapped and I dislike either option. Bad enough along the border in Texas. Have remove your electrial line and gladhand seals keep em in the cab if not they will be gone when you get up.

Wolferz

07-07-14, 07:34 AM

Nah I am talking cartel guys reguardless pretty sure the previuos driver is at best beat down at worst zapped and I dislike either option. Bad enough along the border in Texas. Have remove your electrial line and gladhand seals keep em in the cab if not they will be gone when you get up.

You just can't trust those LTL drivers at all, can you?:haha:

Stealhead

07-07-14, 10:13 PM

Yeah. For some reason they seem to have no interest in chains and tarps too much work to lift I guess.

Onkel Neal

07-08-14, 12:43 PM

Wolferz

07-09-14, 10:15 AM

I tried my hand at oversized loads.
http://msnvideo.msn.com/?channelindex=2&from=en-us_msnhpvidmod#/video/b600c62f-e8ed-6d06-e589-485281ed90ed

The career was short lived.:-?

Aktungbby

07-11-14, 12:53 PM

^Someone will D.O.T. the I (beam) on that one! You may be sure!:D

Stealhead

07-11-14, 01:22 PM

Looks like he hit the edge of the overpass the divider for the pedestrian/bike path. Oops. I think I'd have taken things just a little slower.

The other day I was at a traffic light they where doing something with the water lines under the right and left lanes so you had to use the left turn lane to go straight,turn right and turn left :shifty:. Of course no flagman and no cops. I wanted to go straight this would have been easier if the Werner truck in front of me had not decided to sit though the entire light cycle before he turned left.There was a nice little jam behind me luckily they realized it was Dollar General and not me not like I really care if someone gets impatient behind me anyway they should leave an hour earlier then they wont be late from unplanned delays.

Funny thing was there where about a dozen workers present one actually working and 11 supervisors.