Delivery Truck Made A Mistake ..

[The Haymaker]

I am a delivery driver, the industry term is "Peddle Driver". I've made my mistakes, but I've owned up to them all. Last thing I got was a pressure treated railing on a ramp that ran up to a dock at a feed store. At dusk, in a snowstorm, up a slight incline. I had to attempt it numerous times before getting enough momentum to back up the 2% slope with a 53'. My bad, but they got their dogfood.

Anyway, I am also the trainer for my terminal, covering reduction of fleet losses and injuries. On the fleet side of things and talking about defensive driving, one of the targeted items to avoid and give space is "Rental Trucks". There is a high percentage of guys and gals in these trucks that were simply given the keys and told "Get the freight off the truck."

My first loss involved my mistake of coming into a Ryder Rental yard where we had our first warehouse and going across the back of all the straight trucks parked out front. About midway down the stretch I caught movement out of the corner of my eye as one of these trucks jerked backwards into the side of my trailer about halfway down. It opened up the trailer like a sardine can and removed the liftgate from the back of the smaller truck. A stoner (who I think had gotten better at his favorite pastime) I had graduated with was just handed the keys. It was a good learning lesson I've never forgotten.

But I can get it through a gate.

 

[JDgreen227]

HayMaker, I admire those who can drive a semi tractor and trailer well, my depth perception wasn't very good when I was younger, and it never got better, which was why I stayed with a Class B endorsement for my 31 years of commercial driving. One of the problems with Ryder, is that they specify many of the larger box straight trucks to be just under CDL requirements, meaning anybody with a driver's license can walk into the office and rent one, even with zero experience and no knowledge of height requirements. Back in the 1980's our warehouse was based in central Lansing, Michigan, with a 11 foot, 3 inch low clearance bridge a quarter mile away, and right off the I-496 freeway that ran thru downtown. There were signs, huge flashing "TRUCK TOO HIGH" beacons, and sirens that went off when the sensors caught a truck heading toward the bridge. Yet at least once a week, a truck tried to go under the bridge, and 90% of the time it was a Ryder driven by some novice. I have LOTS of pictures....:laughing:

 

[sandman2234]

I cracked a tailight backing into my gate, with a trailer on my p/u. Had some stuff sitting around and was watching that, not the post. Didn't hurt the post, and only cracked the lense. No damage other than that. Wife was guiding me, lol!!!
Next day, my daughter borrowed my truck without asking first... and when she got back from her little excursion across town, she noticed the taillight. She went down and bought an $80 taillight and actually put it in so I wouldn't know she had used the truck without asking. I came home and immediately asked her where she had been in my truck, and she couldn't figure out how I knew so quick. I simply told her "because the light is fixed". Then her Momma told her I had cracked the light, and she made ME pay her the $80...
Women!!!!

I can't say I can back in a gate, but I did manage to go 2.4 million miles before I put the first scratch on a tractor trailer, and I found out later I wasn't at fault on that one, though it did cost me my job.
David from jax

 

[The Haymaker]

HayMaker, I admire those who can drive a semi tractor and trailer well, my depth perception wasn't very good when I was younger, and it never got better, which was why I stayed with a Class B endorsement for my 31 years of commercial driving. One of the problems with Ryder, is that they specify many of the larger box straight trucks to be just under CDL requirements, meaning anybody with a driver's license can walk into the office and rent one, even with zero experience and no knowledge of height requirements. Back in the 1980's our warehouse was based in central Lansing, Michigan, with a 11 foot, 3 inch low clearance bridge a quarter mile away, and right off the I-496 freeway that ran thru downtown. There were signs, huge flashing "TRUCK TOO HIGH" beacons, and sirens that went off when the sensors caught a truck heading toward the bridge. Yet at least once a week, a truck tried to go under the bridge, and 90% of the time it was a Ryder driven by some novice. I have LOTS of pictures....:laughing:

11foot8 videos
'Nuff said.

 

[JDgreen227]

11foot8 videos
'Nuff said.

Thanks for sharing...a buddy of mine knew somebody that worked in the Ryder office at the time, and they took several of my pictures and had them enlarged to 11X14's and displayed them on the wall behind the counter, well, the graphic pictures served as both a warning as well as being a strong selling point for the optional damage insurance that could be purchased while renting...:laughing:

Here are two, quality isn't good as I used my camera phone to take pics of print pics, no digicams back in '87. The undamaged truck is one of my former work trucks, I posed it by the bridge to take a picture and taped a copy to the dash as a reminder, with a big, black "12 FEET" written on it....:laughing:

 

[txdon]

Looks like you have one of two problems to solve. Use that bed just for peaceful sleeping (the bed is not a trampoline) or make a bigger entrance. You should now have incentive.

 

[blueriver]

Looks like you have one of two problems to solve. Use that bed just for peaceful sleeping (the bed is not a trampoline) or make a bigger entrance. You should now have incentive.

I know ... But I have to make sure this new bed is of the quality and durability as stated by the mfg.

As for the entrance ... I have 2 and so happens I had the main gate shut off because I had irrigation hose's running across the drive. The main entrance is 36' off the road (ya know like 50' wide slanted in to the 16' gate)

The second (broken one) does not set that far back ... used mainly for the farm tractors to and from the fields ... I have used it with the 25' GN ... its close but a driver can bring it in and out.

 

[tmajor]

I can't say I can back in a gate, but I did manage to go 2.4 million miles before I put the first scratch on a tractor trailer, and I found out later I wasn't at fault on that one, though it did cost me my job.

You sound like my ex-father-in -law ... He was featured in the Teamster magazine for driving the distance of twice to the moon and back without an accident. Yet, every time he got in the car, he had a fender bender.

 

[sandman2234]

You sound like my ex-father-in -law ... He was featured in the Teamster magazine for driving the distance of twice to the moon and back without an accident. Yet, every time he got in the car, he had a fender bender.

Well, I am not quite that good, or quite that bad but I do have my strong points. However a couple of trips to the moon and back turns out to be just under one million miles, so I had that beat hands down till that train got in the way...
Even doing a million miles takes some doing, don't get me wrong. I applaud anyone who can make it and live to tell about it!
David from jax

In defense of those poor drivers that sheared the tops off of the trucks, vans, and campers, it is hard to know exactly how high your vehicle is, especially with todays air ride systems. Ride height can change by several inches in the course of a trip. Not saying any of these should have ever hit that train trussel at the speeds they were going, but the next time you get into a strange town, half lost, looking for a turn or an address, have your passenger at random times just ask you what that "last sign" said. You would be surprised at just how many people either ignore or partially ignore signs. Then there are those that just can't read the signs fast enough to figure out what they say before they drive past them. Trying to figure out "OH SHOOT..what did that sign say??????" as your going past it sometimes keeps your attention from seeing the other warning signs such as the flashing light (which they put up at every intersection it seems these days). Course, then you have the people that just drive with their head stuck up in a dark hole that just don't have a clue....
David from jax

 

[The Haymaker]

Well, I am not quite that good, or quite that bad but I do have my strong points. However a couple of trips to the moon and back turns out to be just under one million miles, so I had that beat hands down till that train got in the way...
Even doing a million miles takes some doing, don't get me wrong. I applaud anyone who can make it and live to tell about it!
David from jax

In defense of those poor drivers that sheared the tops off of the trucks, vans, and campers, it is hard to know exactly how high your vehicle is, especially with todays air ride systems. Ride height can change by several inches in the course of a trip. Not saying any of these should have ever hit that train trussel at the speeds they were going, but the next time you get into a strange town, half lost, looking for a turn or an address, have your passenger at random times just ask you what that "last sign" said. You would be surprised at just how many people either ignore or partially ignore signs. Then there are those that just can't read the signs fast enough to figure out what they say before they drive past them. Trying to figure out "OH SHOOT..what did that sign say??????" as your going past it sometimes keeps your attention from seeing the other warning signs such as the flashing light (which they put up at every intersection it seems these days). Course, then you have the people that just drive with their head stuck up in a dark hole that just don't have a clue....
David from jax

I'm proud to say I'm at 1.6 million. Lot of luck.

There really is no excuse to hit ANY non-moving object. As for low clearances, I don't get it. If the bridge is signed at lower than your truck, how can you miss? I've been peddling for 16 years, and spent most of last summer peddling all over New England, with 4 weeks spent out of our Woodbridge NJ terminal. I found MANY bridges signed over 13'6", but had to slow down and just scrape under them. I also spent some time backing away from bridges the darn gps kept telling me would fit just fine.

It all boils down to the first three rules of safe driving:

Drive the truck.
Drive the truck.

and, you probably guessed it,
Drive the truck!