XPO | Linehaulers..do you take your break?

CenturyClass

Lead-side Recruit
Credits
0
I know I dont take one, and I dont really know if we should as if you do when you get to the FAC, the greeter asks why youre late..lol

So from the time I swipe to outbound until I get back to my SIC the next morning, I do not take a legitimate break.

Do you guys actually take your 30 min break?
 
should you take a break? ABSOLUTELY ! ! !

this post is directed at night line-haul specifically.

Unofficial results of safety data when plotted on a 24 hour grid provides evidence of the importance of taking your 15 minute breaks during line-haul operations. Apply this data to our operating model (drive-reship-drive) and many factors come into play. The most dangerous hour for our night line-haul is the tenth hour. This falls into a window between 5 and 7 a.m. Sunrise, maximum level of traffic, etc. are factors contributing to the challenge of operating safely during this time. The second most dangerous time period is the fourth hour, the last hour of driving before arriving at reship. Given our operating model, twice nightly the last hour our drivers are operating their equipment is the most dangerous. Now apply driver fatigue and our personal challenges to drive defensively. Knowing how unsafe the motoring public can be, knowing how fatigue can dangerously effect how we react to situations around us, why would you not want to stop and take that 15 minutes at the 3 hour mark of your run to better prepare for the safety challenges that are ahead of you? Instead of fighting off fatigue and telling yourself "I can make it" one hour from home, why not stop and refresh the mind and body to better prepare for all the stupid, unsafe behaviors we encounter every morning? Driving defensively is all about acting not reacting. That 15 minute break puts you back in charge, back on your game, and thinking about everything around you. Calculating and creating time and space around you instead of reacting to situations that can lead to lane departures and stab braking. Remember preventable is about involvement not cause.

You can rebuttal all day about arriving late and the big bad company this, and the big bad company that... but bottom line is safety. If you do an honest day's work and you do it safely everything else is secondary.
 
Even if it is only stopping on a ramp and laying your head on the sreering wheel and catching a few minutes of zzz'z, getting out of the truck and doing some jumping jack's or walking around the truck to get that blood pumping does wonder's. Call somebody and start a coversation or get on the cb and say President Obama is the best president we have ever had.....all those things help me wake up:stirthepot::hyper::shift::coffee1:
 
i do both ways.......safety first .........no one has ever asked why i was late .......it takes as long as it takes to do it
 
Since I am mostly a city driver, I take my 30 minute lunch every day. However, on the occasions that I do run linehaul to fill in when others are off, I STILL take my 30 minute lunch/break in the middle of the night somewhere. No one has ever questioned me about it.

I would sooner be home 30 minutes later and alive than trying for 30 minutes earlier and not make it. No one really honestly sees the value in taking that 30 minute break, but once you start taking it, you fully understand its value.
 
Back when we used to have first in first out, that was crazy. If you have a run were you had 10-20 guy's going and they hand loads to 8 guy's at the same time, and the first guy in get's to leave first? What kind of policy is that? It created so many problem's among the driver's and not to mention the safety part, there is alway's a couple guy's that are going to do anything they can do to be the first one in. You couldn't even stop to take a leak, even though you might be the number#1 driver but you end up being number#8 if you have to go the bathroom. That was insane. Luckily, they didn't enforce it most of the time, but as soon as somebody would tick of a fos, they would enforce it as retaliation because they knew it caused driver's to argue. Now as long as your not late you hold your seniorty spot, but I heard that some terminals say it's who dispatches first? So guy's will stand around and can't leave until the #1 and #2 ect ect dispatche in the right order. I don't get that, if that's true.
 
There is a senior driver at my term, who will ***** and cry and will seriously call XGO to complain that a lower mortal has dispatched before him. So usually if my loads are ready, I sit around and play with myself until he hooks and dispatches. Some guys take the seniority **** way to serious, this isnt the military. I had some rank while I was in, and it didnt matter one bit to me.
 
There is a senior driver at my term, who will ***** and cry and will seriously call XGO to complain that a lower mortal has dispatched before him. So usually if my loads are ready, I sit around and play with myself until he hooks and dispatches. Some guys take the seniority **** way to serious, this isnt the military. I had some rank while I was in, and it didnt matter one bit to me.
Why does it matter who dispatched first?? As long as you not late to the fac, don't you hold your spot?
 
The only way we get to speed is downhill. I don't know of any who don't go as fast as possible. 62 on the flat isn't seting the world on fire, but it helps when you get to the downhill when you can acually keep up with traffic instead of causing traffic backups when traffic is a bit heavy! Not to mention the cussing and swearing by other truckers when you get in that left lane and it takes several miles to pass that Swift or Prime!
 
The only way we get to speed is downhill. I don't know of any who don't go as fast as possible. 62 on the flat isn't seting the world on fire, but it helps when you get to the downhill when you can acually keep up with traffic instead of causing traffic backups when traffic is a bit heavy! Not to mention the cussing and swearing by other truckers when you get in that left lane and it takes several miles to pass that Swift or Prime!
Not all roads are 65. Ask California drivers who have to drive 55.
 
What do you drivers in Texas and other states do when the speed limit is 75 and 80? Run with the 4 ways on all day? Driving 15 miles below the limit is when you must use 4 ways.
 
There is a senior driver at my term, who will ***** and cry and will seriously call XGO to complain that a lower mortal has dispatched before him. So usually if my loads are ready, I sit around and play with myself until he hooks and dispatches. Some guys take the seniority **** way to serious, this isnt the military. I had some rank while I was in, and it didnt matter one bit to me.
It will matter to you one day. No one should run around another driver. Drivers have a time to show up to dispatch on time, if you are sitting around playing with yourself then don't come inso early, or do a proper pretrip and let the senior guy get hooked and dispatched.
 
Just remember EVERYBODY was on the bottom at one time, and they moved up. If you got in at the right time you moved up quicker than guy's are moving now, but it might take 10+ year's before you get a bid you really like and you may never get it, like daytime L/H.
 
Seniority in seniority out is the only way to do it. It eliminates the racing crap and it eliminates everyone waiting on the senior driver.
 
It will matter to you one day. No one should run around another driver. Drivers have a time to show up to dispatch on time, if you are sitting around playing with yourself then don't come inso early, or do a proper pretrip and let the senior guy get hooked and dispatched.

Obviously you didnt read very well. I'm the bottom guy and I dont run around anyone. I said if iwas given a load and an empty or a set of empties I cant dispatch till the other guy finishes loading his trailers and does the same. every term does things a little diff. But i guess when a little seniority is all you have to cry about and hold on to then by all means sir. See what how much that seniority means if you lay a kite over or something. Absolutely nothing. No drivers' name is on the door or trailer, so just show up to work and give an honest days labor. that simple
 
Top