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Every week, it's SOMETHING.
- Thread starter llazy_llama
- Start date
llazy_llama
Well-Known Member
Yeah, it even felt like he was doing some gray area shit because he told me it would be fine for me to drive to the disposal a few miles away and offload. Then I asked if I could drive it back to the yard like that for repairs, and he said that would be fine too without even asking how far the yard was. But that's DOT blitz week for you. Every year like clockwork they go nuts so they can say to the taxpayer "look what a great job we're doing. We found 29 trillion violations this time. Keeping you safe!"
llazy_llama
Well-Known Member
So much crap happened over the past two weeks that I didn't even bother recording it all. But something much more light hearted happened that stuck out to me. I was wading through a flooded containment to get to the tanks when I saw a jumping spider floating upside-down in the water. Didn't stand out to me at first, there's always drowned bugs in these thing, crickets, beetles, grasshoppers, etc... but as I walked by this spider, it's legs twitched. I scooped her up and returned her to dry land. She spent a few minutes cleaning herself off, walked on my hand a bit, and then ran off and hid under a log. I know most people don't much care for spiders, but I've always thought jumping spiders in particular were pretty cute. Plus they're incredibly intelligent. Just thought that was a fun little moment.
rbbrock
FNG for life
Jumping spiders are cool. I always enjoy finding one and watching it for a bit.
80s Rocker
Well-Known Member
Good on you. Who knows what kind of butterfly effect you just triggered by saving that spider on the future.
Great job.
I like to do these sort of things I once saved a rattle snake from my swimming pool. I won't go into detail but my wife and kids thought I was a nuts for doing that.
PuffTheMagicDragon
Fire One Up
These smoke pretty bad until they burn off all that grease and brake dust. After that, they just smoke.
llazy_llama
Well-Known Member
Well, this week, my truck was completely out of service when I came in. Transmission apparently completely shit the bed last night. So they put me in someone else's truck for the day. This one has 2 massive cracks in the windshield (legal limit is 1/4", AND it can't be in the drivers line of sight, AND it can't be multiple cracks that connect) as well as a turn signal out. If the DOT ever audits this company, the doors will be shuttered in an hour.
llazy_llama
Well-Known Member
Hmm... suboptimal.
llazy_llama
Well-Known Member
So today is my first day back after my weekend. I found out that my truck had to be sent back to the dealership for the required transmission repairs, so I'm floating at least for all of this week. They give me a truck for the day, and I do my pretrip inspection. One l
of the headlights is out. This is usually a pretty quick fix, so I take it in to the garage where one of the lead mechanic's assistants (the slow one) greets me. Conversation went as follows:
Me: Hey man. Driver's side headlight is out.
Him: Okay. *wanders off for a minute*
Him: Hey, this one's got a headlight out.
Me: Yeah, I know. That's what I said. That's why I'm here.
Him: *pokes around for a bit*
Me: So? Can you replace it?
Him: Nah, these are a whole cluster, not just a bulb. We've got one on order for this truck, but it hasn't come in yet.
Me: So... you guys knew about this?
Him: Yeah. We ordered it last week.
Me: So why the fuck was it on the ready line and not the down line???
Him: *shrugs*
I hate it here, I hate it here, I hate it here.
of the headlights is out. This is usually a pretty quick fix, so I take it in to the garage where one of the lead mechanic's assistants (the slow one) greets me. Conversation went as follows:
Me: Hey man. Driver's side headlight is out.
Him: Okay. *wanders off for a minute*
Him: Hey, this one's got a headlight out.
Me: Yeah, I know. That's what I said. That's why I'm here.
Him: *pokes around for a bit*
Me: So? Can you replace it?
Him: Nah, these are a whole cluster, not just a bulb. We've got one on order for this truck, but it hasn't come in yet.
Me: So... you guys knew about this?
Him: Yeah. We ordered it last week.
Me: So why the fuck was it on the ready line and not the down line???
Him: *shrugs*
I hate it here, I hate it here, I hate it here.
llazy_llama
Well-Known Member
Bro, come on. I need that pump. 
llazy_llama
Well-Known Member
llazy_llama
Well-Known Member
Now, I am not a diesel mechanic, but I do believe that the slippery black fluid is supposed to stay INSIDE the pan.
Thankfully I noticed it while I was idling and offloading. But now I've got to sit out here with no A/C for the next few hours waiting for our mechanic to show up.
Thankfully I noticed it while I was idling and offloading. But now I've got to sit out here with no A/C for the next few hours waiting for our mechanic to show up.
George Scott
The Catman
I hope you brought along extra cigars! Man the trucks you have to drive are shit, aren’t they?
llazy_llama
Well-Known Member
Literally held together with hopes and dreams. That truck just spent a week at the Mack house getting the transmission and clutch rebuilt. I don't know who the engineer at Volvo was that decided plastic was an acceptable material for an oil pan, but I hope he loses every time he gambles on a fart.
llazy_llama
Well-Known Member
So yesterday that whole oil pan fiasco made me finally decide I'd had enough. My boss and our lead mechanic drove out to meet me, which took about 2 hours. Mechanic brought his service truck and my boss brought another semi. The plan was that we'd tow the dead semi out of the way, hook up the new one to my trailer, and I'd just finish out my shift like that. I was good with that plan, although I had already made up my mind that I'd the truck they brought out for me didn't pass my pretrip inspection (i.e.: wasn't legal to drive) that I wasn't going to take the risk of driving it. My entire trucking career I'd never had a single failed DOT inspection until I started working here, then 9 months at this company and suddenly I've failed 3. My day was already bad enough, I just refused to let it get that much worse.
When they finally showed up, I noticed that the semi he brought out to me had a cracked windshield. Immediately I told my boss that I wasn't driving it. He and the mechanic gave a little bit of pushback, but I was firm. The law is clear as day with no room for interpretation. Any crack over 1/4" in length is illegal. Operating a commercial motor vehicle in that condition is a literal crime. So they relented. But when I took a closer look at my own notes, I realized that I wrote up this exact truck for this exact crack last week. Instead of fixing the problem, they just signed it off as being repaired and put it right back on the ready line.
That was the last straw. I was polite and professional, but I let them know that I would no longer be risking my safety and my integrity driving their shoddy equipment. I hitched a ride with the mechanic back to the yard, turned in my keys and my H2S gas detector, and let the big boss know. Our dispatcher was almost in tears when she heard the news. Great lady, that one. She's probably the single best dispatcher I've ever worked with.
I'm definitely going to miss a lot of the people there. Maybe it's just trauma bonding because we were all kind of dealing with the same issues of simply not having everything we needed to make things work, and always in a constant state of just figuring out how to get work done without it. But I met a lot of good people there. All of them dramatically underpaid and overworked.
I wish everyone there nothing but the best (except for the driver who spilled multiple bags of sunflower seeds all throughout my truck and made zero effort to clean them up), and I feel awful for not giving them 2 weeks notice, but I just could not in good conscience take another one of those trucks onto the interstate and put myself and everyone else at risk.
I think that's gonna be it for me as far as trucking goes. It's a dying industry anyway. Time to start the hunt for something new. Thanks for tagging along on this bizzare journey.
When they finally showed up, I noticed that the semi he brought out to me had a cracked windshield. Immediately I told my boss that I wasn't driving it. He and the mechanic gave a little bit of pushback, but I was firm. The law is clear as day with no room for interpretation. Any crack over 1/4" in length is illegal. Operating a commercial motor vehicle in that condition is a literal crime. So they relented. But when I took a closer look at my own notes, I realized that I wrote up this exact truck for this exact crack last week. Instead of fixing the problem, they just signed it off as being repaired and put it right back on the ready line.
That was the last straw. I was polite and professional, but I let them know that I would no longer be risking my safety and my integrity driving their shoddy equipment. I hitched a ride with the mechanic back to the yard, turned in my keys and my H2S gas detector, and let the big boss know. Our dispatcher was almost in tears when she heard the news. Great lady, that one. She's probably the single best dispatcher I've ever worked with.
I'm definitely going to miss a lot of the people there. Maybe it's just trauma bonding because we were all kind of dealing with the same issues of simply not having everything we needed to make things work, and always in a constant state of just figuring out how to get work done without it. But I met a lot of good people there. All of them dramatically underpaid and overworked.
I wish everyone there nothing but the best (except for the driver who spilled multiple bags of sunflower seeds all throughout my truck and made zero effort to clean them up), and I feel awful for not giving them 2 weeks notice, but I just could not in good conscience take another one of those trucks onto the interstate and put myself and everyone else at risk.
I think that's gonna be it for me as far as trucking goes. It's a dying industry anyway. Time to start the hunt for something new. Thanks for tagging along on this bizzare journey.
Nick Burner
The last two inches are the best!
A tough but admiral decision Stephen. As mentioned I write a lot of oilfield trucking deals - mostly water/crude haulers. Nearly every one has a 90+ vehicle maintenance score (for everyone else - lower is better, like golf). It’s so common it’s accepted even by most ins carriers and the explanation is driving on crappy lease roads (a lot of it is dirty lamps and reflective tape - if it’s all tires, brakes and windshields we know the difference). But clearly some companies just don’t care until their insurance becomes unaffordable. I imagine these folks will likely be forced out of business if something doesn’t change. Hopefully for the rest of their employees and the general public that happens sooner rather than later. I’m sorry man - it sucks to work for people like this. If you do stay in trucking at least you’re protecting your own record, but I hope you find something more fulfilling that still provides surplus cigar funds.
Mizicke5273
Well-Known Member
Hope you find something better then!So yesterday that whole oil pan fiasco made me finally decide I'd had enough. My boss and our lead mechanic drove out to meet me, which took about 2 hours. Mechanic brought his service truck and my boss brought another semi. The plan was that we'd tow the dead semi out of the way, hook up the new one to my trailer, and I'd just finish out my shift like that. I was good with that plan, although I had already made up my mind that I'd the truck they brought out for me didn't pass my pretrip inspection (i.e.: wasn't legal to drive) that I wasn't going to take the risk of driving it. My entire trucking career I'd never had a single failed DOT inspection until I started working here, then 9 months at this company and suddenly I've failed 3. My day was already bad enough, I just refused to let it get that much worse.
When they finally showed up, I noticed that the semi he brought out to me had a cracked windshield. Immediately I told my boss that I wasn't driving it. He and the mechanic gave a little bit of pushback, but I was firm. The law is clear as day with no room for interpretation. Any crack over 1/4" in length is illegal. Operating a commercial motor vehicle in that condition is a literal crime. So they relented. But when I took a closer look at my own notes, I realized that I wrote up this exact truck for this exact crack last week. Instead of fixing the problem, they just signed it off as being repaired and put it right back on the ready line.
That was the last straw. I was polite and professional, but I let them know that I would no longer be risking my safety and my integrity driving their shoddy equipment. I hitched a ride with the mechanic back to the yard, turned in my keys and my H2S gas detector, and let the big boss know. Our dispatcher was almost in tears when she heard the news. Great lady, that one. She's probably the single best dispatcher I've ever worked with.
I'm definitely going to miss a lot of the people there. Maybe it's just trauma bonding because we were all kind of dealing with the same issues of simply not having everything we needed to make things work, and always in a constant state of just figuring out how to get work done without it. But I met a lot of good people there. All of them dramatically underpaid and overworked.
I wish everyone there nothing but the best (except for the driver who spilled multiple bags of sunflower seeds all throughout my truck and made zero effort to clean them up), and I feel awful for not giving them 2 weeks notice, but I just could not in good conscience take another one of those trucks onto the interstate and put myself and everyone else at risk.
I think that's gonna be it for me as far as trucking goes. It's a dying industry anyway. Time to start the hunt for something new. Thanks for tagging along on this bizzare journey.
rbbrock
FNG for life
I can definitely understand being tired of the shit show. Here's hoping you can enjoy a little break and find something better easily!