Why do drivers give -1billion fucks
Posted by moldschlager@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 92 comments
I'll be the first to admit i'm not the best driver. I'd rate my backing skills 4.5/10 on any given day. Ive been lucky enough to do mostly drop and hook at facilities large enough to pull up straight before backing up. Because of this i avoid truckstops completely and exclusively park at rest havens but lately its become difficult to nose into spots at rest havens because drivers wont even pull up fully into the spots. Their trailers will still be in the road and they may only be 2/3 in the spot with clear white lines showing they didnt pull up enough yet ive had many get attitudes with me when woken up and asked to simply pull up a bit. I don't get it. Do these guys find a spot and say "fuck everyone else now"? It's already hard enough to maneuver these tiny warehouses and truckstops without other drivers making it worse
12InchPickle@reddit
All it takes is 1 bad driver to fuck yo the entire program.
When I was a yard dog I would regularly straighten out and align trailers in parking slips out of boredom but also because it created issues with drivers who couldn’t park. Like I said. 1 dude is all it takes and everyone else follows it. Usually not because they want to. But cause they have to.
beastlike@reddit
Being a yard dog taught me a level of hatred for people I didn't know existed.
SantiJames1@reddit
Being a trucker and having to deal with other "truckers" who don't even bother to park/back properly pisses me off, lol. It feels like they just give out CDLs to anyone who shows up these days. Why is it that I had to go through a ton of training and maneuvering to get my CDL when there are drivers out there who think they can drive a truck like a car???
stohmp@reddit
I want to get into this and ease my way back into being on the road again.. but do they require a clean DMV record? I have two accidents that are about to delete off my record, and some infractions like no license operating vehicle and a smog ticket. Do things like this disqualify me instantly? I have tremendous experience driving big trucks. 5+ years with lowboys and tractor trailers and dry vans and manuals and automatics and OTR and drop and hook
12InchPickle@reddit
To bring a yard jockey? Many don’t require a CDL. As you won’t leave the property. The few that do. Yes. It’s like applying to a driving role. They may or may not care about a clean record. This will be company specific.
stohmp@reddit
How will I know if they will have me out the yard or not? I don’t plan on being insured so I would only want to look for yard specific positions only. Is it just “yard dog” “yard hostler”? So I know what to search for
12InchPickle@reddit
This will depend on the company. So you’ll have to ask them. Yard dog, yard hoster, yard jockey, and yard driver.
bobmonkeyclown@reddit
Halvor lines drops trailers at a shipper I go to regularly, and they do it half assed. I spent a good part of an hour trying to straighten it out just so I could park.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
I've noticed that before. Instead of actually looking to the spot they'll just line up with the guy beside them which doesn't work in slanted parking
ignoreme010101@reddit
yup you see that all the time, 1 person alone can cause a problem and/or set the tone for others (like when someone parks perpendicularly right behind the row in a rest area, and then someone else does - and now all the entries to the pull-throughs are blocked so someone pulls in and there are open spots, but no way to access them >:-/ )
Top-Sheepherder-3657@reddit
You're still only in a single trailer lol
I'd love to introduce Americans to some of the high productivity fuckery we have in Australia.
Ich_mag_Kartoffeln@reddit
Like old mate here. Not my video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6KfH3Dz2y4&t=405s
Top-Sheepherder-3657@reddit
We have 30m PBS doubles where I work and one of the old boys put one on a dock just to demonstrate that it can be done. It took him like 10 minutes but he didn't bend the dolly lol.
I think if you added a 3rd trailer it would become virtually impossible to impose your will on it.
B-doubles are relatively easy to get your head around if you have a bit of experience beforehand though.
Ich_mag_Kartoffeln@reddit
B-doubles no problem. Two trailers I can back.
3 trailers can be backed, but I haven't pulled 3 trailers for years, so what little skill I had is doubtless long gone!
Which_Initiative_882@reddit
I dont think those giant land trains back up….
No-Reflection-9429@reddit
I used to watch the show Outback Truckers. And if it's anything like what I saw on the show, then I have to tip my hat to you guys over there. Pulling those trains of trailers and going into some pretty way out in the middle of nowhere places.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
I'd love to be skilled enough to tackle something like that but i need a good bit more experiemce
Josh302@reddit
You’re not going to get better at backing if you never practice buddy 🤷♂️
romeoo_must_lie@reddit
Took me almost 6 months to learn. And now I have this thing if my trailer isn’t between the yellow line I keep trying to straight up.
East-Dot1065@reddit
Ngl, I'm a bit of a perfectionist. It bugs me to no end when my trailer is crooked.
SidheDreaming@reddit
And even when I'm straighter than my dad at the strip club, I still get out and make sure I'm parked front to back in such a way that I'm not inconveniencing others.
xxenoscionxx@reddit
Same, I will do multiple pull ups to be dead center. It’s almost neurotic.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
True
diragono@reddit
It’s annoying for sure when people don’t park correctly, but unless someone is actually completely blocking you from entering/leaving a spot don’t wake them up. Practice. You may think things are gravy now but eventually you’re gonna get a load going into a little shithole. When I first started I did almost nothing but drop n hooks are big warehouses then one day I got sent to Columbus, OH to a tiny ass place that you had to blind side 90 into.
When you go to these warehouses even though you can straight back, practice doing 45’s and 90’s into the spot. That way you’ve got plenty of room to correct yourself. Find a truck stop that’s not too full and back in a spot a couple times a day even if you’re not gonna actually stop
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
I couldn't imaging HAVING to do a blindside. I always thought it was simply a preference rather than something you'd be required to do.. i dread the day though i know it'll eventually come. I'll keep practicing till then
Ich_mag_Kartoffeln@reddit
That day will come. Be ready for it.
"Do I HAVE to back in blindside?"
"Well you don't HAVE to, but there's only 2' of space on the sight side, and no way to line your trailer up with the dock to back in sight side. But go right ahead and try."
FilthyNasty626@reddit
I am one pf the guys that actually give a few fucks. But, I ran out of fucks and thus retired a month ago when I hit my 2M miles. I now pretend to be a worker in my 2 car garage. Must be doing something right, still got all my digits after 4 weeks. Watch, I'm going to loose my middle finger on my router table next week 🖕
wetstorm95@reddit
You’re complaining about others not being good operators while admitting to not be a good operator…
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
Incorrect. I'm complaining about others being inconsiderate operators. How far you pull in once you find a space is a choice not a skill. No different than drivers who leave toilets full of scat without flushing.
wetstorm95@reddit
Knowing the size of your vehicle is a skill. Many don’t. Additionally, you have no idea what was going on when they pulled in, where their neighbours were parked, or if anyone else was even in the lines. Unless you just witnessed it, but regardless, you are complaining, ironically.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
Never thought of it that way. You have a point
Advanced-Sherbert-29@reddit
Rest areas could reduce this problem by painting a line that indicates where your nose should be.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
I didnt think about that. Good simple fix
SkinnyG80@reddit
2 things really helped me backing, well 3 kinda
Suicide knob - way easier to make fast adjustments and spin the wheel around instead of karate chopping the steering wheel while looking backwards with your head hanging out the window
SLIDE YOUR FUCKEN TANDEMS! It's not just for weight distribution. Why these guys try to force their trailer into a spot and have to pull up 80 times because they have 8 foot of tail swing is ridiculous. I shove mine forward alot on light loads or empty for tighter turning, but I can't back worth a shit like that. Right in the middle I'm cool with, but if it's tight remember with the tandems the whole way back your turn radius is way bigger and your front end is out further to swing around and straighten up, but for me having a foot of tail swing compared to 8 foot is easier cause I can put my tire right on the left line and just cut it in without worrying about the blind side at all.
Last, just GOAL, you will start to learn how much room compared to how much tail swing you have pretty quick so you don't have to GOAL. BUT if it's close fuck everyone else and GOAL, im not a 30 year driver but when new guys ask me about backing I just say there is 1 rule, don't hit anything. I won't ever get pissed at someone for taking a while and GOALing, I'll usually just sit and do paperwork or something anyways
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
I probably get out every few inches. I know its technically the Right thing to do but it does feel super embarrasing
dingdingdredgen@reddit
Rule 1: If backing doesn't make your butthole pucker, you're doing it wrong. Reverse is the most dangerous direction you can drive.
Rule 2: You can't drive the other guy's truck while driving yours. Treat every poor choice other drivers make as a hazard to be dealt with as it comes up and act accordingly.
Rule 3: Every reciever is a cunt. Some more, some less, but at the end of the day, they don't want you on their dock any more than you want to be there.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
Good rules of thumb. Especially 2
UncleBensMushies@reddit
People are absolutely assholes -- especially people who choose careers with limited interaction with other humans... Misanthropy abounds.
But also give them a break. If I park like an asshole, that forces the guy behind me to park outside the lines too. The I leave and it looks like the guy after me was the asshole. Just be cool man.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
The parking is only half of the frustration. The icing on the cake is when they come to their windows aggressively when asked to pull up
RealQuadMan@reddit
Bro if you knocked on my door while I’m sleeping to fix my parking I’d be pissed too. Just go find places to park that don’t fill up early… there’s tons of mom and pop truck stops with tons of room for backing that don’t fill up early. Or learn to fucking back your a Professional driver getting mad at other truckers because you don’t have an easy peasy pull through every night? Stfu
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
I'd smack the fuck out of someone like you
celtics1up@reddit
What did you start at if you're 4.5 now?
halfcow@reddit
"Started at the bottom, now we here."
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
Slightly above the bottom
Elite_Slacker@reddit
people always thinking a 10 point scale starts at like 7. lvl 10 is blindsiding over an egg between the tandems. 4.5 is pretty much functional but unimpressive.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
For me 4.5 is needing perfect conditions to do a back in 20mins or less. Anything more difficult than a textbook setup and it'll likely take me 45 min plus. I've had to give my trailer to the yard jockey on many occasions
BrassMonkey-NotAFed@reddit
Years of doing it when I was younger put me at a solid 7.5, maybe an 8 on a lucky stretch. I’d still never brag about it to anyone in public, I’d just try to help those 4.5 kids lol
celtics1up@reddit
I slightly overrated myself with a 6.5 I'm more a 5.5.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
1?
mctwiddle@reddit
Try dropping a 53' trailer in an Amazon lot with a stretched frame sleeper.
I await your tears.
Holiday_Ad126@reddit
Not as bad as parking in a trailer in the Ross dc in the perris blvd in California, my god is there no room to pull up , so you have to make sure trailer is angled right
mctwiddle@reddit
Basically what im talking about, very little room for error, you have to get your curl just right and have very little room to pull up if at all
Holiday_Ad126@reddit
Oh man , that is tough … I’m happy to say that around my 3rd month I was doing pretty better at following where my trailer is and will end up when I back … I kinda left at 5 1/2 month mark cause it is tough out there,currently trying to get on Amazon Tom team just cause the backing was more fun more or less
Moist_Position_9462@reddit
Lmao it seems like you’re going to a specific site I know because all the other ones I’ve seen so far are cake to back up in.
bobmonkeyclown@reddit
The thermo king in chicago is not fun when you have a tri-axle and a long wheelbase.
And bobtailing wasn't really an appealing idea when the company just had a few trailers stolen.
mctwiddle@reddit
Try Amazon mke2 or go down to bnsf corwith Chicago and don't tell me it's easy because your driving a "single axle day cab" we are talking full size sleepers and the poor random owner op that brought his stretched frame pete where he shouldn't have been.
I've seen sleeper drivers at corwith damn near have an aneurysm.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
I'd be on my way to the bus station at the mere thought
FWD_to_twin_turbo@reddit
Coca-Cola off Esters BLVD in Dallas with a 300"wb 9400i and a 53' will vibe check anyone who thinks backing has gotten too easy lately.
I retired my stretched frame 9400i, between fuel and shit like that. Being sexy had some very low points.
Stay sexy though chief, not many like you left.
Outlaw11091@reddit
Fuck that place.
Idk who fucking designed that with the intention of having trucks in there, but they need to be shot.
Then again, so do the people at Coke who continue to leave it as is despite having more than enough resources to correct it.
BrassMonkey-NotAFed@reddit
They planned it with the 72” wheelbase COE Pete’s from the 1960’s in mind lmao
Salt_Bus2528@reddit
I personally think I'm a good driver. I've never seen anything to prove otherwise. Then I wonder about this when I'm chasing someone down in my underwear after they scrape the blindside of their truck against mine at 3 am in the middle of an empty lot.
AbjectChildhood1155@reddit
I understand the nerves with backing. I was horrendous at it for about 4 months. One day I went into a truck stop, and said to myself that this is it. I am not leaving this truck stop until I am parked, showered, and rested. Even if it takes my whole sleeper time, we are fucking parking. Took me about 15 mins of adjusting and GOAL-ing. That broke my fear of backing and stuff and now, almost a year later, I look forward to backing and parking up.
Princetrix@reddit
That amount of people that try to sneak in a WHOLE Tractor and Trailer behind me while I’m backing is astounding. Crazy thing is they can’t even make it most of the time I just have to slam on the brakes. Extremely dangerous. We all have to back up just have some patience.
Princetrix@reddit
That amount of people that try to sneak in a WHOLE Tractor and Trailer behind me while I’m backing up deserve to fucking die
Which_Initiative_882@reddit
Because most people dont give two shits about anyone but themselves. Online places like this are the exception where more than half talk like decent people but Im also sure the amount of truckers on here is a VERY small percentage of drivers out there.
Interanal_Exam@reddit
Dickheads gonna dickhead.
fartspatula@reddit
You don’t get better at something by not doing it. Avoiding single back-in spots and seeking only easy pull throughs is only hindering you. You will surprise yourself if you think less about what is the easiest spot and trust yourself to back into any spot you choose. Repetition is priceless
ShoddyRaisin4042@reddit
I'm not too sure how long you've been at this but you'll get better. For me practicing backing in between trailers was much more beneficial that just practicing with empty spaces
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
I'm ashamed to say i'm nearing my 2nd year. I didnt learn anything with my trainer so youtube had gotten me this far but i still dont have that much confidence in my ability
ShoddyRaisin4042@reddit
Can't say i was much better this youtube channel helped me immensely with understanding the physics of backing a trailer https://youtube.com/@mytruckingskills?si=DGrgO6DDTtBcpUjl If you watch his videos and try to put some of the ideas into practice I think you will have great success, because backing up a trailer really is a science. If you can learn and understand what you can understand the limitations of a trailer backing up becomes so much easier
qnod@reddit
Stop in the middle of the day when lots are mostly empty, find about 5 or 6 empty spaces together and practice backing. Even if you have the room try to do it with less than you normally would. It's easy to go over a line when nothing is there to hit. Learning when shtf is always harder than when it's easy. It you spend 5-10min a day, before you know it you're gonna be a professional.
ntech620@reddit
Also practice with the pop bottle method where you drive past the spot 1/2 way and then put the bottle as a marker about 4-5 feet from the end of the painted line. Then do a hard left and right to get the end of the trailer at a 45 degree angle to the spot. Then back the corner of the trailer around the bottle. Getting the trailer into the spot. Also helps if you can slide the tandems all the way back before you do that so you don't have to worry about the other side of the trailer running into something like another trailer.
qnod@reddit
I think any little thing that can help make you better at what you do and care about what you do is awesome!
ntech620@reddit
Did 9 years as a shag driver. That's how I learned to get into the tight spots.
FlamingoAlert7032@reddit
Best practice I ever got was bringing dozer’s, excavators and crane assemblies into backwoods country logging roads where we were demo’ing/rebuilding bridges. Having to back out on my own for miles with 3 foot washouts either side with a lowboy or worse having to do it loaded at night in the rain.
Montreal4life@reddit
backing up loaded in the dark in the rain you serious bruh? im one week into a construction job, compared to the LTL like work I've been doing it's so easy, but when its rained and muddy and theres ups and downs in the mud and i'm suddenly sliding backwards early AM in the dark... can't even imagine what you had to go through!
FlamingoAlert7032@reddit
Yeah I wasn’t there long. Covid fk’d that job up having to find hotels and places to eat out in rural areas. Once we did get the cranes assembled I could sometimes get the operator to flip my trailer around tho.
FullAutoAssaultBanjo@reddit
I worked for pepsi when I first got my CDL and I work in the oilfield now. You can't find a gas station or we'll pad that I can't back my trailer around or weave it through. But try to get me to back up to a dock or into a parking spot. I need all the get outs and/or pull ups. I think it might be psychological lol
Xiunte@reddit
When I first started, truck stops and other drivers made me nervous as hell. So I learned to only drive at night. Not only is there no traffic on the road, but truckstops are empty when it's time for you to stop, and you have your pick of spaces. No waiting for a shower either. The only downside to this is the truck stops are pretty much full to capacity and beyond during the night, so you'll have to deal with that if you just want to stop quickly for a bathroom break or food. Still easier and less stressful than trying to do all that maneuvering while everyone else is ALSO maneuvering and rushing to get spaces. Honestly, I didn't truly learn to back with confidence until I left OTR and became a local city driver in a daycab.
Keep at it though, you'll get better. And, to answer the question, other drivers get upset for the same reason you're upset now. It's a very shitty job. There's already a ton of frustration anyway, so the slightest little extra thing is the straw that breaks the camel's back. Try not to take it personally. Dude was just tired and frustrated.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
Reminds me of a saying i once heard. Don't attribute to malice what can be attributed to ignorance. I'll keep it in mind going forward
Outlandah_@reddit
Honk at them until they wake up. HAHAHAHA
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
Lol they might assume its someone else
Icy-Present-27@reddit
Totally understand the avoiding truck stops. I drive a trip axle long nose Pete with a quad axle trailer. It doesn't exactly back up like a Volvo. I only park somewhere I can easily maneuver in and out of. But my rule of thumb is if I couldn't get around my truck easily it's not a good place to park.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
First time i tried parking at a loves fresh out of training i smashed a guys bumper and never looked back after that incident
Outside_Squirrel_839@reddit
That’s like assholes at rail yard drop trailers to far out of slip
CauliflowerSure2679@reddit
THIS!!! Trailer be damn near in the middle of the isle. lol
Elite_Slacker@reddit
rest areas with spots that are too short making drivers paranoid, also maybe newer drivers that dont realize people can get around their nose even in a tight spot if there is enough angle.
moldschlager@reddit (OP)
Im guilty of this but when in doubt i favor being further up than back
ignoreme010101@reddit
it's "fuck ya'll, I got mine" in most cases. I try to convince myself "it could be a newbie who doesn't know better" even though I know that's usually not the case but yeah telling myself helps with keeping a positive attitude out there lol! Because of how my truck affects others I always make a point, when areas are tight, a point out of getting out to check and ensure I'm parked proper, both at tight pull-through rest areas and also at pilots/loves lots where the aisles are tight (nothing worse than being 10hr50min driven, you pull into a pilot and there's 1 free spot left, and you have to spend 5min+ wiggling your way into it because adjacent&opposite trucks didn't fully pull into their spots!!)
Questionoid@reddit
I can’t park either. It’s a chore.
Fit_Hospital2423@reddit
Todays truckdrivers. There ya go.
Glittering_Map5003@reddit
Calm your panties, Young Lady.