The Responsibilities Of A Professional Truck Driver
For the interested individual who wishes to pursue the lifestyle of driving the highways, there are rules, regulations, and requirements to learn and know; and a routine to build and follow. The expectation of fun is what you make it. To reach that level of fun might mean first investing the time to do the job right (and like in many professions, it is important to do it right the first time, and every time). The best and most rewarding route to take is through Truck Driving schools, even though the price may seem high, the money is well worth the schooling involved.
Health
First, let’s talk about the requirements. Those requirements basically start with you as the individual. Besides the age, it is important to know that the work calls for driving long distances for long durations, and depending on the type of work, for many days. It is essential that your health is proper, or even improving. There are specific guidelines for those with certain health conditions, but for pleasant reason. No company or operator of any commercial driver would last long if they kept secret a definite condition and without treatment and care by a D.O.T. certified Physician. Not to say that those who have heart conditions, weight, or even mild cases of diabetes are restricted from driving, but there are rules that call for them to show proof of treatment. Anyone who seeks a CDL license must always have a medical card, that shows current physicals, and when the physician has decided the time for the next physical. So even those who are under treatment can drive if it meets a certain criteria, and the next physical to be done may be done at a shorter duration. Of course eyesight, perception, and hearing are important. But the responsibility is solely on the individual to be honest and do everything to maintain good health. This includes personally maintaining eating times and sleep. Being dishonest or hiding facts is not only a crime, but it also puts so many factors at risk, from the company’s reputation, the drivers around you, and depending on the load, may even endanger communities and property. This includes addictions under treatment.
Safety
When we go through to steps for a basic automobile license, we are always told to remember that it is a privilege to drive, and not a constitutional right. In the world of commerce, it is more than a privilege, but also a responsibility. And like automobiles, there is a known learning curve to experience that is there, after all, we are not born with this experience. Mild there is driving schools, and even after school, more training by companies that benefit get you the time to go through a learning period through practice, and not alone. Depending on the type of job, your company may specifically cover positive areas of the all round driving experience, based on the service that company provides. A Bus driver will concentrate on the best driving practices, that includes how to work and even deal with the load you are carrying…people. And, a chemical company may spend detailed time making sure you know how to handle, monitor, and handle emergency situations for that type of load and the hazards involved. Even the lightest type of load, with the non hazardous conditions may need certain understanding of how to hold care of it, so it gets there in satisfactory conditions, such as fruits, vegetables, and other perishables. Knowing how to drive in extreme road conditions is usually discussed, but the weather sometimes doesn’t supply those extreme weather conditions while in training, so it is the responsibility of the driver to ask for help to get through these periods, and there is a regulation that commands the right for the driver to tell their supervisor that the conditions to safely continue is unsafe, without threat to loss of employment. No driver is allowed to feel forced to drive through a blinding snowstorm, for instance, by any dispatcher, manager, or anybody, if the driver does not feel they can do it safely. This also goes for feeling to sleepy or sick to depart the load. Although sleep is up to the driver to make sure he responsibly practices this routinely, and with adequate time, and is a regulation (law).
Maintenance
Besides a company policy on dress code, and health, any type of vehicle, tools, and other equipment must be always be maintained. It is not left to the discretion of the driver to put off inspecting the vehicle, the trailer, its load, and other equipment, instead almost many aspects of these areas have regulations that are required, and are not only fineable, but can also put you out of service, until the problem or condition is repaired or replaced. Building a personal routine is taught, but the individual is held accountable depending on the severity of the problem. Everything from the structural stability, to the required parts of the vehicle and trailer must always be in good condition. If a mirror if broke, for instance, the driver must take immediate action to get it replaced, and not effect it off until you return to the company’s mechanic shop (by regulation, how it is handled by company policy and supervisor decision may vary), and the driver must report and present when, where, and who did the repair, by daily inspection reports. More importantly are the equipment for unplanned and extreme weather changes, such as the windshield wipers working properly, and the defrosters and heater work as well. There are snow chain laws and regulations in a major part of the west and mountainous states. It is also a law to make sure every bulb works on every part of the vehicle and trailer as an example.
Records
A driver is not only responsible to maintain his driver’s license and medical health card, but has other responsibilities such as knowing how to fill out the log book. These daily logs are crucial and can be inspected at any time by both the company and law enforcement. Typically on the daily log book is also a daily inspection sheet for the vehicle which also must be done as a pre inspection and a post inspection. And then there is the company -client forms, usually called the bill of lading. This is picked up with the load, and signed by the driver (showing that the driver is assuming responsibility for the load), and later signed by the receiver, with notes of any damages or losses. Keeping receipts of any repairs and for some companies the fuel receipts are also requested. It truly does not matter what field of profession you’re in, there is always paperwork that is required, and must be detailed with accuracy.
Time
The biggest advocacy of the driving profession is time. You are expected by law to only drive a determined amount of time each day, by regulations, and include the time worked when not driving, which also has a limit. These time frames are enforceable where fines and warning are submitted if violated or ignored. And in contrast, getting to the load and delivering it on time is the customers and company’s goal, which can cause challenges in establishing a routine for the driver and his log book. It is the driver’s responsibility to adhere to the regulations, and inform the company when the time available to finish the job is short. In plain concept the responsibility of promise to timely delivery is shared with the load planner, fleet manager, and dispatcher, and the driver’s roll is to safely get the load there in a timely manner, and by the regulations.
The regulations basically limit driving to eleven hours a day, in a fourteen hour period, where the driver must then have ten hours of off duty or sleep time. Furthermore, the driver must combine his driving time and work time (not driving), and never exceed seventy hours of this combined time in any eight day period, or sixty hours in a seven day period. That last line might sound confusing, but if you work for a company that is only open five days a week, you follow the seven day rule of sixty hours. All other companies that can have you work six or more days, you would follow the eight day rule.
For some people, the logs are the critical “thorn in the side”, that is the downside of the position, because on one hand the regulations limit you, for safety and health reasons, and the loads don’t necessarily follow a time limit, and must be delivered. For the new driver, follow the regulations, and let the company difficulty about the delivery time. With experience, you will learn to adjust your starting time of the work day to get the load there; along with looking ahead to make sure you have the time throughout the distance to go with the load. Senior drivers know about splitting the log time, and everyone knows how important it is to pay attention to detailing your log, when it comes to including your stops and the time you were there. Basically, you log it as you go. Some senior drivers will wait a few hours and then glean up with their log times and locations. What needs to be remembered is the log can be inspected at any time, and when it comes to law enforcement, you should be caught up with your logs. The logs needed for inspection are your current day, and the last seven days only.
Loads
Loads are typically delivered under a certain weight limit. If the supplier has more materials than what will fit in one trailer, based on the weight limit, another trailer would be needed. There are overweight and oversized loads, but usually specialized companies deal with these loads, which are bound by legal permits, and sometimes needs to be escorted. The average driver usually just needs to be concerned about the basic loads, which come in all different categories. Your basic manufactured load may only need to make sure that the driver is responsible to making clear the load is even. By regulations, the tractor trailer has a guideline that it must not exceed. That guideline in its simplest create states that the weight at the point of the steer tires cannot exceed twelve thousand pounds; the weight at the tractors drive tires cannot exceed thirty four thousand pounds; and the weight at the point of the trailer tires cannot exceed thirty four thousand pounds. The total combined weight of the loaded tractor trailer cannot exceed the weight of eighty thousand pounds. The driver must consider all factors to that total weight to keep it legal. Many drivers will never arrive to a pickup point with a full tank of fuel, because the typical supplier wants to load that trailer to the maximum weight allowed, and if you realize that the weight of the trailer is not only on the trailer tires, but also the tractors drive tires, the drive also realizes that the weight of the fuel, the driver (and in some cases, his passenger), and all of their worldly possessions, play an equal roll on the drive tires, where the weight is distributed between the drive tires and the steer tires.
Remember, the loads are what originate the paycheck and company revenue, so the driver must accommodate the supplier with the ability to load that trailer to the weight limit residence. The driver must also make sure the load is balanced, where if there is a heavier part of the load, it is centered in the trailer. These different weighted pallets of loads can help, since we already discussed that the drive tires share a distributed amount of load between the steer tires and the trailer tires. This is also very important, because in adverse weather conditions such as rain, sleet, and snow, and in emergency stopping, if there is too much weight on the drive tires, the tractor trailer may “jack knife”; the same goes for too noteworthy weight on the trailer tires, which would cause the trailer to slide sideways. So if there are lighter pallets, they would probably be more elegant in the front of the trailer (loaded first). Some loads are impartial heavy on all of the pallets (or skids), and leaving residence in the front of the trailer may be another alternative. That means the bulk of the load will be shifted more on the trailer tires.
The driver does have another useful means of equalizing the weight. There is an adjustable slide called the fifth wheel, over the drive tires, and the trailer tires (also called tandems), can slide too. So if the fifth wheel is too far forward, more weight is now added between the steering tires (steers for short), and the Drive Tires. Moving the fifth wheel wait on lightens the weight on the point of the tractors steers and drive tires. This helps out when you do have a lot of fuel in the tanks. Moving the Trailer tires forward now makes more weight on the trailer tires, and takes some weight off the drive tires. But of course, now the driver must consider bridge laws, which can be more elaborated at another time, but there is laws that require a minimum distance between the drive and trailer tandems. These laws exist based on the bridges not having an excess of weight in one given residence of the bridge, to prevent collapse. For now, the strictest piece of the bridge laws require a minimum forty foot distance between the center of the rear tandems of the drive tires and center of the front tandems of the trailer tires.
The driver also needs to assume the weight to the top of the trailer, since this greatly affects the center of gravity when tractor makes turns on ramps and intersections. If the weight is heavy to the ceiling of the trailer, the driver must remember this, because if he takes a turn to mercurial, the trailer may tip over. Bustle may also dictate to the driver that the heavier the load, the more time it takes to accelerate, and the driver must proceed slower than posted speeds around turns, ramps, and corners.
There are also types of loads that need more attention, such as perishable and frozen foods, and chemical deliveries, as opposed to delivering toiletries and candies. Perishable and frozen foods are transported in refrigerated trailers, known as reefers for short. These trailers have a refrigerated unit that works with a separate motorized engine. This means the driver also has to check the radiator fluid, oil, and belts on this refrigerated unit, just like the tractor. These reefer units also have the same type of refrigerant as the average air conditioner and home refrigerator. So the driver must also make sure these parts are working and have their gain levels of fluid. Of course, the drive does all this before going to assume up, but from beginning to end, the driver is to monitor the unit to view for possible breakdowns. Lastly, it also runs on fuel. Many units have automatic defrosting periods, but again, the driver needs to make sure it is running just, because some perishables can only be kept so cold, while others cannot be kept at a warmer temperature. The shipper usually tells the driver where the temperature needs to be kept at during the delivery, and the driver must preserve that unit working throughout the delivery, and get it repaired when it breaks down. The driver must know that definite products spoil, while other products are ruined if they freeze.
Chemicals are delivered in all sorts of forms and fashions. They can be acids or oils, gases or explosives, and even sensitive to temperature. These require the driver to obtain knowledge of chemical transportation safety, and secure an endorsement. The transportation of chemicals are governed by regulations, from making sure the tractor and trailer are fit for the trip, to marking the tractor trailer with the appropriate signs and symbols, to how the driver is to disappear over railroad tracks, bridges, and the exclusions of tunnels (as well as some bridges). The driver must always avoid gargantuan populated areas, and there are even restrictions on the roadways that do not allow go by the driver. The bill of lading must also correctly state the type of chemicals in a distinct diagram, that the driver must make positive is properly written out (this also includes an emergency number for accidents and spills). The driver must also review other written booklets to know what to do in the event of an accident or spill, since many chemicals can be dangerous to people, the environment, and property as well.
With homeland security pointing out the dangers of terrorism, safeguarding the load is also the driver’s responsibility. Almost all loads are given numbered tracking seals by the supplier, but this is a requirement for chemical loads, and the trailers must have a padlock on them at all times.
Depending on the type of chemicals, drivers must also consider where they plan to take rest periods and sleep, since this load must be kept safe, and at the same time be safe from the population and the environment.
Delivery
Daring to build a concept of how transportation simply looks, a supplier has built up a client, who in turn wants his supplies delivered to that location. The supplier calls a company who can pickup those supplies and gets it there safely, and in a certain time period. This might sound like it could be said that plot, if you were the only one in charge of making that commitment to the supplier and his customers. But it usually goes through many more positions, before the driver even gets assigned that load. First of all, there is someone waiting or looking for a supplier that’s needs the load delivered, and then a time frame of promise of delivery has to be established. Now the load has to go to another department who can establish if there are enough available drivers for that load, and sometimes this is funneled through different positions from a load planner (who assumes the time frame of travel for that load, based on speeds), all they way to the fleet manager or dispatcher. By this time, the load has been committed to, based on how many working trucks and drivers there are in that residence, those drivers own available periods of time to work (even drivers have their own needs for time off and vacations), and deals with all the other variables that come back to hamper the timely delivery, such as the weather, accidents, traffic delays, and even the drivers time exhausted before, during, or even close to the end of the delivery. So far, that is before the driver knows about the load.
The driver gets that information, and now must look at all of the variables from available time, health and readiness of himself and his vehicle, if he/she is qualified (in some cases a driver may not have a HAZMAT endorsement to transport chemical loads, and it is their responsibility to let the dispatcher/Fleet manager know that they cannot do the load, by law), and the route of move. The driver and the dispatcher/Fleet manager stay in touch throughout the delivery from time to time, to do whatever it takes to get that load there safely, and onetime. It becomes evident through experience that the driver also takes in consideration the weather forecasts and road construction to the point of delivery, and makes the dispatcher/Fleet manager aware of any appending possible situations.
Now everything up to this point was done by telephone, postal, or internet. The driver is the first person who physically meets those at the suppliers company, as well as the delivery point. Actually, the driver is the person who is seen at every aspect of the delivery, from how he presents themselves to the shipper/supplier, to how the load gets there, to meeting those at the final destination. In short the driver answers to many different areas of business throughout the delivery, and this extends to the public as well. “How is my Driving” is on many of these trailers on many companies. The driver also goes to fuel stops, scale houses or port of entries, and also inspection points. There are many important and prominent roles to the transportation business, but it is the driver who is the most visible, and physically noticed from beginning to extinguish of these deliveries.
Monies and clientele can be lost based on the scheduled delivery, but it can also be factored by how the driver handled themselves throughout the whole course of the delivery. The delivery must also be there in good, no, great condition, so depending on if the trailer is a flatbed, van, reefer, or small box, the driver is responsible to make determined the load is tied down, blocked in, or simply do, secured.
At that concludes the simplest version of a business conception of transportation. There is the pushing of the driver to do that time frame, stay longer in the truck instead of going on home-time, impartial not yet, and the disposition of the people met during the course of the delivery. Weather has a plot of making a pleasure straggle into a challenge too. That’s the reality in a nutshell too. But that the downside, and like any job or position, none of us are there for free. It is how we perform our money too. Being a professional driver is what you make of it, but it is also what is expected from you as well. And although even I have attempted to point out the importance of the truck driver roll over other aspects of this business, the truth is that in any type of business, the backbone of the organization is teamwork, and it solely depends on one element, communication. Everybody must be responsible in their position, as it has been deemed in the business view to have a key factor to the business in one form or another. As a driver you may desire respect, but in the same sense, you must always give respect, and to whomever you may approach. This is a profession, and the standards are set by the individual driver. The business of truck driving is challenging, and a different aspect of the type of business is not for everyone. For many transportation companies they offer forty eight states – Over the road, along with other boundaries such as regional, and local. There are many diverse types of specialized driving positions as well, remember I did mention that there are overweight and over height loads that require permits and escorts. Sail boats are delivered as completed products, and houses are delivered in sections, as two examples. People Move Mountains, and supply exports, or need imports as well. This calls for professional Truck drivers. The professional truck driver’s roll is the respectable transportation of the load, but, time is money in any business, and that means the load needs to get there in a timely manner as well.
I look back at all the places I have gone, and the lessons I have picked up and learned. I have had my good and hard times, and wish that I was geared to do this as a career. But putting the responsibilities aside, I also think on the places I have seen, the sights by man and nature, and the people and their lifestyles, and I realized that I got paid to go there, and not my paying to find in these breathtaking and amusing sights. I have seen the shores of the Atlantic, as well as the Pacific; I have climbed the high mountains, and seen the desert floors; and I know how to get there too. I truly wish I could go back, and maybe I will. But it is a career roll, and I am striving to be a writer. By driving again would be in short intervals, and some businesses may tolerate it, but their needs call for someone who can focus one just the business. In the end it would be worth it, to decide to drive for a living, and for those interested, I’ll be the first to respond that you should do it. At first, and as a beginning driver, you must build the stamina, routine, and in some cases put in the time. But in the end, the money is good, with seniority, and the rewards are what you compose it. If you aspire to the roll of Professional Truck Driving, this is for you.
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Filed under vehicle breakdown cover by on Jan 24th, 2012. 
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