Ask a trucker.

a) What's your handle?

b) Have you ever had to use one of those runaway ramps on a steep downgrade?

c) Will you drive thru one state and wait until you get to another state with lower gasoline taxes?

d) Seen any 'tang in the vehicle next to you? :D


a) What's your handle? Old Shoe

b) Have you ever had to use one of those runaway ramps on a steep downgrade? No, thank God. Truckers have a saying "You can take a grade too slow a thousand times, but you'll only take it too fast once."

There's a Youtube video of a straight truck ditching on a runaway truck ramp...after seeing it, I think I'd take my chances with the hill.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75R9z_HLqz0[/ame]

c) Will you drive thru one state and wait until you get to another state with lower gasoline taxes?

I use to when the company I was lease to paid my Fuel Tax, but the states have the fix in so they get theirs, no matter where you buy your fuel. You are required to report all miles run in every state quarterly and figure how much fuel tax you owe by the mile.

If you bought fuel in that state, you can apply all fuel tax you paid against what you own...if you bought more fuel that what was required to satisfy your tax debt, the state will refund you the difference...if not, you owe them the difference.

Your best bet is to try to schedule your fuel stops to buy the least expensive fuel in the state with the highest fuel tax.

d) Seen any 'tang in the vehicle next to you? To be honest, I don't monitor the 'seat covers'.
 
Why do truck drivers always feel the need to drive side by side for miles and miles down a four lane highway (two lanes going both directions) especially when there are dozens of vehicles lined up behind them?

Immie

PS Yes, this tends to piss me off!

You just answered your own question, toots.. :lol:
 
Whom do you drive for? I work for J.B. Hunt, so I'm just curious. We just awarded a driver for reaching 4,000,000 miles, which takes roughly 35 years.


I'm an independent now, but I was leased to a Landstar type company for over 10 years, and before that I was leased to a common carrier out of Iowa for 3 years, and before that I was a company driver for a few years.

I use to average 3000+ miles a week...something JB frowns on...I heard your guys were only getting 1500 to 1800 miles a week. Takes a long time to get to a million miles that way. :D

It depends on what division you work for. A lot of our drivers do local moves, drayage and the sort. We also do local home deliveries/installations. We're much more than a trucking company.

Although I'm not aware of any mileage limitations our drivers face, I know we do require drivers not to exceed 55 mph. So with DOT restraints, you're looking at about 600 miles per day...that could translate to 3,000 per week.


The company I was leased to requires 3 mph below the posted speed limit in that state, so we could legally run 730 miles per day.

I didn't think JB allowed there drivers to get much more than 2500, but I don't really keep up on that stuff anymore like I did when I was a Owner/Operator.
 
They look like a pure-d bitch to drive.

I've never driven a tractor-trailer..only step vans and straight line jobs. Those were tough in the city..but nice on the highways. But, everything is magnified when you got a full load. And you can feel it too..especially when you have to stop or climb a hill. You really have to concentrate on everything. I can't imagine driving a fully loaded tandem truck.

I've never driven a commercial-type vehicle. I did drive a Ram 2500, fully loaded, hauling a 24ft enclosed trailer (with only your typical ball and hitch connection), which was about 6,000 lbs overloaded across the country. Twice.

Not the same thing, I know, but that shit was quite hairy at times. The truck wasn't meant to handle that much weight. But my boss said "eh, it'll handle it". :cuckoo:

Hey, I got less than 8mpg baby! Had to stop to fill up every 2 hours!

I drove across the country from Tucson to NJ with a 4 cylinder S-10 pulling a U-haul enclosed trailer that was packed full.

I couldn't go faster than 35mph through the mountains on I-17 and I-40 on the inclines because it would kick down into passing gear and the RPM's would get too high.

And even on level highway I could just barely do 60mph. It took almost twice as long as it should to travel the distance. We would actually get behind the tractor trailers and draft for as long as we could keep up. We'd be able to hit 70mph like that.
 
I've always said when I "retire" from my gun shops, I'm going to buy a big rig and pull whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want, for whatever I want (I just love to drive).

If I have the cash to buy a truck, is this feasible? I am 48 and still enjoy riding and looking at the US for up to 10-14 hours a day (as much as daylight will allow, and then some).

Can you still make enough to pay for the gas, your permits, and still make ANY profit?

I LOVE driving, and would probably pay someone to pull a load across the country. If I can pay for the rig, cash, and making a profit, or even losing 50 to 100K/ for a year or two year isn't a major problem, is trucking still a viable/enjoyable option?
 
With the very high price of diesel fuel these days, how do you make any money trucking?

Freight pays roughly $2.30 per mile right now on the linehaul (my customers freight outgoing) and around $1.50 on the backhaul (freight brokered for a percentage of the linehaul by a local agent in the area the truck delivers).

Now it might take 2 backhauls to get back to my customers, plus deadhead (unladen miles to pickups from deliveries, basically miles the truck is empty collecting zero revenue).

So I average $1.70 for every mile.

My drivers make 25% of the load approx 42 cents.

My trucks average 6.7 mpg, at $3 per gallon, it comes out to 44 cents, but you figure it at 50 cents for idling the trucks for heat and air conditioning.

20 cents for taxes, 10 cents per mile to maintain the truck and trailer, 10 cents per mile to replace the equipment, plus 10 cents per mile misc. (permits and license), plus 5 cents per mile to contribute to employee health care. We make the 23 cents left over as profit.

Much of that is reinvested.

Thanks to modern technology, I still drive and the wife runs the office, so we pay ourselves my wage and live of that money.



The key to fuel management is the right equipment...no Large Cars (Peterbilt, Kenworth or Western Star, we have all Freightliners and Internationals.), keep them maintained, and training our drivers how to drive with fuel efficiency in mind...progressive shifting, slow and easy starts from stops, stay below 70 and use the cruise.
 
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I've always said when I "retire" from my gun shops, I'm going to buy a big rig and pull whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want, for whatever I want (I just love to drive).

If I have the cash to buy a truck, is this feasible? I am 48 and still enjoy riding and looking at the US for up to 10-14 hours a day (as much as daylight will allow, and then some).

Can you still make enough to pay for the gas, your permits, and still make ANY profit?

I LOVE driving, and would probably pay someone to pull a load across the country. If I can pay for the rig, cash, and making a profit, or even losing 50 to 100K/ for a year or two year isn't a major problem, is trucking still a viable/enjoyable option?

Yes, see my post above.

Many companies like Landstar, Admiral Merchant, CRST, and especially Mercer Transportation love leasing on retirees...I run into a lot of military retiree who do exactly what your talking about, get paid to vacation and make a comfortable living to boot.
 
Ever had a question or a gripe about truck drivers or trucks?

Ask it here, I'll do my best.


A few quick facts:
A fully loaded truck weights 80,000 pounds or 40 tons.
That's roughly the same as 36 Honda Civics.


The average tractor trailer is 70 to 80 feet long.


A semi needs 40% more space to stop than an automobile.
The total area of brake surface on a tractor-trailer is less than the surface area of a standard trash can lid.
A semi's brake system is pneumatic (air operated) not hydraulic (using brake fluid)
A truck has 10 brakes not 18.


A tractor with no trailer is referred to as a bobtail.
A bobtail has the longer stopping distance than a tractor trailer.
It is built to carry 30,000 pounds on the two rear axles (called tandem axles).
Without that weight, those axles easily lose traction on wet or icy surfaces, or in emergency braking situations.


By law, a truck driver may drive 11 hours per day.
By law, a truck driver may drive 80 hours per week.
Most drivers drive the maximum allowed by law.


In 56% of all car/semi-truck accidents, the automobile is cited as the cause.
This is perhaps the most under reported truck statistic.







God I hate to have keep replacing windshields because of those sloppy sand trucks.

Then there are always the Semi's that either aren't setting GPS Navigation devices properly, or don't know the difference between our Parkway's and Expressway's, until they find themselves wedged under a bridge, with a new custom sun roof. ;) then there is The BQE where Angel's fear to tread. ;)
 
God I hate to have keep replacing windshields because of those sloppy sand trucks.

Then there are always the Semi's that either aren't setting GPS Navigation devices properly, or don't know the difference between our Parkway's and Expressway's, until they find themselves wedged under a bridge, with a new custom sun roof. ;) then there is The BQE where Angel's fear to tread. ;)


Truckers hate NYC. Shippers must pay a premium to persuade trucks to go there.


The employment advertisements for driver recruitment all have "NO NYC" in bold red lettering.

Trucking jobs "no nyc" - Google Search
 
God I hate to have keep replacing windshields because of those sloppy sand trucks.

Then there are always the Semi's that either aren't setting GPS Navigation devices properly, or don't know the difference between our Parkway's and Expressway's, until they find themselves wedged under a bridge, with a new custom sun roof. ;) then there is The BQE where Angel's fear to tread. ;)


Truckers hate NYC. Shippers must pay a premium to persuade trucks to go there.


The employment advertisements for driver recruitment all have "NO NYC" in bold red lettering.

Trucking jobs "no nyc" - Google Search

I hear you man. Dangerous roads here, add construction detours, dim wit lane changers, it's hard on truckers here, real hard. That doesn't stop them though. ;)
 

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