Driving a rig is not for faint of heart
Successful trucker has to factor in what could go wrong and how to beat the odds
There are quite a few things about driving a commercial rig that the public never considers. Being in the driver’s seat, I made those discoveries the hard way. Living the dream would hardly describe it.
There are all kinds of drivers. I met and worked with them all, but the two main ones are the businessman, whose office is a rig’s cab, and the man who drives a truck just for a paycheque. I like to think of myself as a charter member of the former.
Sure, it’s a natural high to pilot a big commercial vehicle, to be able to take it across the country, across town, or even down a narrow alley. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to show up at the customer, on time, with a load that is in perfect condition. The receiver is happy to unload your trailer, and you are empty and heading for a reload in record time.
That is the way the industry is sold to the rookie wannabe driver. I will not be the first to burst that bubble, but that scenario hardly ever happens. Why? There are just too many variables that factor into the perfect world of trucking.
Take, for example, a short haul, Metro Vancouver to Seattle. The driver owns the tractor but is leased to a company who supply the trailer/container and the brokerage service — which find the loads for a percentage of the income.
Now the dispatcher, if he is human and does not play favourites, assigns a load from downtown Vancouver to downtown Seattle. He verbally tells the driver of a load to be picked up early afternoon on a Tuesday, and wants it delivered by 7 a.m. Wednesday in Seattle.
The driver has to make sure his rig is ready to do the job. He has to ensure he has all the permits needed to cross the border and to do business in the States. Then has to get in line to get loaded, then asks himself where can he store this load, safely before he leaves for Seattle. The driver is responsible for the load, and although insurance is a necessity to do business, if the load is stolen, answering police questions is a time consuming factor.
So, the truck is loaded and parked in a safe area. The driver decides to cross the border at 4 a.m. to do the two-hour drive to Seattle to arrive for his 7 a.m. delivery time, one hour early. His dispatcher assured him the delivery time is a sure thing.
But, what if there is a delay at the truck crossing at 4 a.m.? It happens all the time, every day of the week. So, he finally clears the border at 5 a.m., and now realizes, he is not going to make his 7 a.m. delivery time. He will be part of the morning rush hour, meaning he’s added at least 30 minutes to his planned two-our driving time. Late arriving. Missed appointment. Go to end of line. Will probably miss appointment time for back-haul to Canada. The day is wrecked from the get-go.
Should he have departed at 3 a.m. or earlier? It’s a question that has no definitive answer. Too many things to go wrong and they usually do, day after day, trip after trip.
A successful driver has to factor in what could go wrong and try to beat the odds, and that starts as soon as he fires up his rig.
One more item you never think about when you see that rig roll by is what happens when that driver injures himself? Does he self-administer first aid? Will anyone stop and help him? How will anyone even know he is injured? The answer is, the driver needs to set up a backup in case the unexpected happens, and it will.
It is a dangerous profession, and mishaps or accidents to the driver happen on a regular basis. Sadly, and too often, serious accidents are only discovered after the fact because no backup was in place.
Driving a rig is not for the faint at heart.
I could fill a newspaper with stories about life on the road, but why not share yours? Send them to Driving editor Andrew McCredie at amccredie@postmedia.com