I’m an expert!
At burning myself with the soldering iron…
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I’m a Professional, which only means that I get Paid for what I do. I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience in doing it for 37 + years, but I don’t consider myself an “Expert “, and that isn’t as easily defined, definitions may vary depending on who you ask.
I can’t recite the little green DOT book verbatim, but I certainly know it well enough to do my job.
I know a lot, but I am the first to admit that there is still a lot for me to learn, which I will be doing a lot of in the near future. I interviewed, road tested, was Offered and accepted a new job with a fuel distributor, I haven’t hauled tanks before, and going to truck and trailer, will be a different than Tractor Trailer that I have been doing for so many years. I’m confident that I will learn both quickly.
Better pay, more hours and more home time, with a more predictable schedule will be nice changes. There will be new challenges, but I’m going into it with a positive attitude, and I’m actually looking forward to the new experiences in an old career
Doug
Heh, yeah…exactly. It is hard to tell if that is just a press release or a serious effort.
Nor do I… but I got the “Expert” label above…even if sarcastically. 
All I have done on here is express my opinion. I think that is as far as it should go.
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Resistance soldering is the thing for you!
I’m surprised none of the manufacturers of the baby Shotweld rigs haven’t programmed them with multiple ‘shots’ to do soldering with reflow…
I am going to have to eventually buy a resistance soldering setup. For now I’ll stick with my cheap Chinese “pencil” soldering iron and my Weller soldering gun.
I still think that I’d probably burn myself with any kind of soldering iron, though!
I was referring to some as experts, including you, in dead seriousness
Experts know a lot, typically learned by experience above and beyond any formal training. And experts know they can learn more and to ask questions to do so. Not sarcasm. What are you afraid of?
I’ve always thought “truck and trailer” and “tractor trailer” were the same thing. What is the distinction?
In a Tractor Trailer, the “Tractor” isn’t set up to carry cargo itself, in a box, bed or tank, etc, the occasional exception is some tractors may have a small dromedary box or bed between the cab and fifth wheel, these are usually no larger than 8x10’ and while still seen occasionally, are not very common
In a Truck and Trailer the “Truck “ is designed and setup to carry cargo on the truck itself such as a Boxtruck, Flatbed/Stakebed, Tank, etc
A Truck and Trailer(s) combination, a “Truck “ pulls a trailer, or more than one trailer behind it
To many people, a Truck and Trailer combination may look similar to, and be confused with a Tractor Trailer, and still be in the Class 8 or heavier weight class, they are by definition , distinctly different types of vehicles
In a Tractor Trailer, properly termed Tractor Semi Trailer, but commonly shortened to Tractor Trailer, the Lead or Single Trailer in the combination is a Semi Trailer, in which the Towing vehicle or preceding trailer carries a significant percentage of the weight, and the Semi Trailer carries a portion of the cargo weight on its own axle(s)
“A Train” Doubles or Triples are a Tractor Trailer with one or two “Full Trailers behind the Tractor Trailer, where the trailing trailers may be Semi Trailers using a converter dolly for the inter trailer connection, or a permanent turntable and “Reach” or tongue with typically a pintle hitch connection
“B Train” Doubles are two kingpin equipped Semi Trailers with the leading traler having a fifth wheel plate mounted to the rear frame, extending past the cargo platform of the lead trailer, and the second trailer connecting directly to the leading trailer, this reduces a point of articulation compared to standard A Train doubles, and with practice can actually be backed very effectively in combination. In theory B Train doubles can be used in as more number of trailers as desired, but outside of Australia, and their “Road Trains”, I am not familiar with them being used anywhere else
In the Truck and Trailer combination that I will be driving, there will be two points of articulation, the pintle hitch where the Reach couples to the Truck, and at the Turntable, between the dolly and the tank on the trailer
This is an example of a Tank Truck and Trailer, like what I will be driving. It will be a new experience, with a learning curve, but I am confident that I will be able to learn it quickly, something new that I have never done, but shouldn’t be anything that I can’t learn
Doug
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Hey Charlie, no sarcasm or any insult intended, but you should be Happy to hear that there are companies that do put safety before profits.
On some highways in Oregon, Primarily Interstates 84, and 82, the truck speed limit is 65mph, but my soon to be new carrier, has their governors set at 58mph, with an official Company Speed Limit of 60mph, which in theory is only possible going downhill
Texting is already Legally Prohibited while driving ( which it should be) but although Legal, we are not allowed to use or touch a cellphone, even with a fully hands free bluetooth device.
They take Safety Seriously, as should always be the case, but when hauling fuel the bar is even higher. I have seen other fuel distributors whose trucks obviously have their governors set higher, but ours are below the possible speed limit of our region. I will be paid by the hour, and am Good with that.
Doug
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That may be the most important safety factor right there!
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I have said for years, even before the ELD’s (Electronic Logging Devices) were an issue, that mandating hourly pay, across the trucking industry, would be one of the most effective ways to improve safety you could come up with.
Hourly pay eliminates the benefits of speeding, or lying on your logbook. The Best company that I ever worked for, who unfortunately sold the plant that I worked from, paid us right off our log sheets, we were paid for what we logged, you can bet there wasn’t much cheating on the logbooks there
Another huge issue I have with milage pay, is during inclement weather conditions. Across ID, the truck speed limit is 70mph, and in UT it is 80mph. Some old numbers I have heard, and are easy to work with for comparison, is 50 cents/ mile was common for a mileage driver in a company truck. Just doing the speed limit, a driver could legitimately earn $35-40/hr in those states, until the weather turns to poopy 
, then on snow or ice and driving 20-25 mph, you’re only making $10-12.50/hr.
So in Good conditions, when the proverbial drugged up chimpanzee can drive the truck, you’re making top money, but when you’re using your skills and experience, and your personal risks are highest, you may not even be making minimum wage, that is just wrong on so many levels
Hourly wage would go a Loooooooong ways to improving safety, but would be fought tooth and nail, at many levels in trying to get it, even some drivers I have talked to don’t get it
Doug
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Hourly certainly sounds safer but I can speculate that some companies will stridently opppose.
It depends on whether there is abuse of the privilege, just as with perceptions of ‘featherbedding’ on railroads in the era Kneiling was writing.
Pay by logged hours is probably the way to go.’
Spot on! I worked for the largest investor-owned electric utility in Texas for nearly 27 years. Every employee, including those in the offices, was required to attend annual safety courses and meetings. The goal for the company’s 22,500+ employees was Zero accidents. It was continuously emphasized by the executive team, managers, and supervisors. Moreover, it was a performance measure for the management team. We had a vested interest in keeping people safe.
I don’t want to “Derail” this too far, but the topic was Safety related.
Hourly pay, by logged time is a possible solution, and will be opposed at many levels
The companies don’t want it mainly because of overtime, the last mile doesn’t cost any more than the first mile.
Heavy traffic, or inclement weather? Again it sucks to be a milage driver in those situations, you can slow or stop the odometer, but not the clock, it may take longer to get there, but it won’t cost any more
A Good dispatcher will know when someone is “Padding the Clock “, and that may be tolerated for a short time, but if it’s happening enough, you replace the driver
It would very likely be a positive influence on safety, but isn’t likely to happen anytime soon
I have always been an hourly driver, but my work in the industry has been vastly different than say, Harold’s has.
Route delivery type of work has been the mainstay of my career, with as many as 14 drops in a three day regional route, rather than a full trailer load going to a single delivery cross country. I usually have enough delivery time, that hourly is the most logical way to calculate pay.
There are some companies that use “Component Pay” mileage, stop, and piece count pay, but not surprisingly, the driver is motivated to everything as quickly as possible, from driving to customer service, and it often shows in the safety records, and customer satisfaction ratings, and their customers are typically drawn to those companies for the same reasons that the companies use component pay, to save money, guess where that money is saved? In the drivers pay, and you often get what you pay for
Doug
Thank you for the thorough explanation, Doug. Learning something new on occasion is what keeps me coming back to the forums.
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You’re Welcome, I too have learned a lot from the various forums I’ve been on
Sorry, that was my first post of the day, and no coffee yet, I noticed a few typos in reviewing that post, and I wasn’t really clear about the “B Trains” they are common here in a doubles combination, in Australia they do often use them in longer than double combination, but I’m not aware of anywhere else using them in longer combinations. Some of the Road Trains in Aussie are pretty impressive
As far as the hourly pay issue, right now, I’m very Thankful for hourly pay. I’m sitting in the parking lot at the Canadian Border crossing, and for some reason they rejected my paperwork, said that dispatch would have to resubmit it, without telling me (even though I asked) why it was rejected, just something in the system evidently.
I have meat for three different cruise ships at the dock in Vancouver, BC about an hour away. My dispatcher hoped at 07:30, to have it resolved by 09:00, my appointment times for the ships are 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00, with security check in at the port, it could be an interesting day, and maybe some unhappy ships
All I know is that it won’t get there any sooner than I will, it will be right behind me
Doug
I wish taxi drivers were paid by the hour. Although now with Uber it is pretty much moot.
I would bet that a lot of the taxi passengers are glad they’re not😉
Especially those who didn’t plan to leave early enough going to the airport
Doug