User talk:Squattingdawg

This trucking companies don't want you to know.

Here's a story similar to how I became interested in, licensed, and learned to drive.

My dad started driving in the end of 1959 or close to it. I believed he was a dock worker for Adobe Daries on La Cienga Blvd Los Angeles. He pulled milk tankers from Los Angeles to Tulare,Camarillo back to Los Angeles. there they would back the rest trailer in and park the front trailer beside it.

He also worked for a otr company pulling a refer to Hunts Point Market, New York weekly as a team.some of the other companies he drove for was Little Audreys, Sam Tanksley, Bordens, Johnston Yogurt, Myers transport. He also taught our mom to drive. His driving career ended around 1981 or 1982. He was in the sleeper when the co driver hit black ice and rolled three truck in believe around Cheyenne, Wyoming, suffered physical and mental injuries that ended his driving career.

When I was attending junior high in Downey, I would go with him to unload at places like Los Angeles produced market, Vienna Sausage, Farmer John, and then help him load produced in places like Salinas, Santa Paula, Fillmore. In those days three trailers were not quite wide enough for 2 pallets so the loads were hand stacked on the floor, adjusting three heights to ensure weight distribution was correct, not like now after you move things with forklifts.

The way he taught me to drive was first backing into docks, and eventually going down the road. Fast forward about ten years or so,I didn't get licensed till 1988 when I was working for Waste Management. The truck and trailer I used was actually not a class a type vehicle. It was a Ford F750 with a boom and a 25' flatbed trailer. The examiner for commercial was out I'll, and the substitute did know the difference. I drove a roll off truck and trailer for Waste maybe a year and a half, then worked out of the industry for about 6 Years.

In 1997 I attended USTDS, then went to work for a bulk hauler out of Adelanto, ca.Stayed there about 4 Years, this company did not care about drivers, equipment, or laws. If you were to complain you simply did not work fora couple of days. Back then you could extend your 14 hour day indefinitely by showing off duty.and you were expected to do just that.in addition, bad brakes, tires, and frequent brake downs. I would average 100 plus hours in 8 days and log 70'. This was normal in the industry. Falling asleep in downtown traffic was something drivers would fight daily.

From there I went to a company whom had a yard in Kingman, As. Worked for them hauling produce for a couple of year.