Question:
taking a job that gose in and out of northeast to city like new york and boston and new england should i be sweatin bullets. taking a job that gose in and out of northeast to city like new york and boston and new england should i be sweatin bullets.
First of all, New England is NOT a city. Aside from a state of mind, it's an area of 5 states, 6 if you count the largest county in New York..Connecticut. -->
Driving in the Northeast isn't as bad as some say it is, tho, cities like Boston, Philly, NYC can be a little tight getting into especially with a 53' on city streets. Then you have tolls, or I should say, TOLLS, TOLLS, TOLLS! A pocket full of cash helps here!! Traffic can be a real bear, 'specially, at rush hour, am & pm. Just be cool, 'cuz there's nothing you can do about it.
The best advice I can give you is plan where you're going...in advance! Call ahead to see if there is overnight parking, if you need it. While you have the shipper/receiver on the phone, get directions and don't be afraid to ask if the directions they give you are appropriate for 70' of tractor-trailer. Also, ask about low overpasses. Sometimes, when these people that you are asking for directions from, give directions the way they get there(!), and not for a big truck. Check & double check your directions and above all, RELAX. When you leave the shipper/receiver, also ask them for directions to get you back to the interstate.
As for sweatin' bullets, you're not going into a combat zone, tho, in Boston, some years ago, there was an area that was "affectionately" known as the Combat Zone....had nothing to do with combat, tho. --> Some drivers tend to make a big deal out of driving in the Northeast and it's not. Just plan your route in & out of these cities and you'll be fine.

Answer:
Some of the issues I have with going up to the NE have been said. IMHO it is not alot different driving then any where else. What does suck about it though is the parking situation, or lack thereof. This is where good trip planning can make the situation bearable or a major PITA.
The tolls are insane, going up 95 from VA you can plan on paying close to $100 to get to Boston. Yes I know there are ways around this that only add a small ammount of extra miles, but if you work for an ANAL company that relies on a computer program to route you for fuel then sucks to be you(and me right now).
This leads to another reason why drivers do not like going up in the NE, the cost of fuel. If I were an O/O I can guarantee you that I would top off the tanks before I got close to the area. I fueled at the T/A in Fultonville, NY last week and the price on the pump was $1.92/gal.
Another issue is all of the idle laws. You better learn them or be prepared to pay big time.
All in all, IMHO, the NE has an anti truck attitude. It is reflected in their laws.
DRIVER BY CHOICE
Buzzdog

Answer:
For those who have "heard bad things" it will be worse because they are now anticipating the worst.
Your adrenalin will start to flow as you get close to NYC and your anticipatory anxiety will heighten. When the skyline looms large on the horizon your hands will start to get sweaty and the grip on the wheel won't be good.
Forget all the bad stuff you have been told about it. Instead concentrate on getting good directions to the receiver, plan your route in and out well, check the maps for low clearances and non-truck routes, ask others who have done this numerous times for advice.
Certainly there will be others at your new company who have done this numerous times. Listen to those who give you advice other than words like "pray".
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Be willing to let anything happen, it will anyways!


Answer:
The very first time I drove in NYC I noticed that there are thousands of other trucks running all over the place. If it was as difficult as some people would have you believe, you would not see so many trucks successfully completing NYC and New England runs every day.
I once worked part time loading boxes into UPS trucks. A line a worker there shared with me comes to mind when I think about NYC driving. He said, "It gets better, but it never gets good."
NYC driving became much easier when we (wife and me, team drivers) started using GPS mapping software. Well worth the money we paid for it.
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The truck is our home; the nation our back yard.
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The truck is our home; the nation our back yard.

Answer:
"The very first time I drove in NYC I noticed that there are thousands of other trucks running all over the place."
You noticed thousands of trucks?
Were you driving a truck or flying overhead in a plane?
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Be willing to let anything happen, it will anyways!


Answer:
You and Rail just aint seeing eye to eye lately air ya??
The best way to deal with all the crap the the northeast lays on a truckdriver.......dont go there --> -->
CD -->
If you think education is hard......try ignorance
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CD
recovering dweller..........oilfield trash division

Answer:
Fortunately, I have enough experience, and drive for the right people that I do not have to go there if I don't want to---and I don't want to!!!
I will do Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and the parts of up-state New York that you can get to using I-90 (and that's only because I'm given their cash to pay tolls---not using mine and then waiting to be reimbursed).
Population (whether anyone wants to admit it or not) is the biggest head-ache. If you're lazy like me; the population up there constanly requires you to "drive" the truck. You can't just set the cruise and listen to your XM and navigate your rig safely---you have to be alert and on the defensive at all times. (I'm not saying you can go to sleep and put her in auto pilot everywhere else---I think you know what I mean).
Also; the people up there (especially Boston) are the rudest, crudest, most un-caring, non-understanding, every man for themselves kind of people, so don't expect any kindness and giving when it is time to make a right turn or a lane change.
As it has been mentioned---"DON'T GET LOST"...you can get yourself into some bad predicamantes. Plan your route.
Do not trust your dispatchers directions!!!, get your directions from the shipper/consignee, and as U-Turn said, double check them for trucks---not how the receptionist got to wrok, but how a "big truck" can safely and leagally get there.
Face it; you are a newbie---and as such, you must put in your time (just like everyone else). Everyone else in your company has done the same---and some now have the "time" put in that they can and do, request that the "new guy" get those runs, and not them.
In short, to answer your question: Yes, driving in the Northeast is as bad as you fear; but sometimes it is required and you must "take one for the team"...plus it is good experience, and future employers know it. Why do you think they put the space on an application that asks: "What states have you driven in in the past (# of) years?"
Good Luck
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Cover Your Cans People!!!
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It's apparent this place is never going to change....then again; why should it? It gets the clientel it deserves.
Bette Midler

Answer:
Originally posted by Paul56:
You noticed thousands of trucks?
Were you driving a truck or flying overhead in a plane?
No need to be confused. It's as I said. Thousands of trucks. If you were to stand on the George Washington Bridge and count the trucks coming in and going out, it would not take you long to reach thousands. As I drive around the city, there are trucks everywhere you look.
By the way, I see in another post that you are not a truck driver any more and are now studying to be an accountant. Do not accountants and accountant wannabees have message boards of their own? Why don't you go play in their sandbox?
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The truck is our home; the nation our back yard.
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The truck is our home; the nation our back yard.

Answer:
No need to be confused. It's as I said. Thousands of trucks. If you were to stand on the George Washington Bridge and count the trucks coming in and going out, it would not take you long to reach thousands. As I drive around the city, there are trucks everywhere you look.
Of course there are trucks all over the place. I am hoping you were not so bored or brokedown that you actually had the time to count literally thousands of them.
By the way, I see in another post that you are not a truck driver any more and are now studying to be an accountant. Do not accountants and accountant wannabees have message boards of their own? Why don't you go play in their sandbox?
As you enter the Roundtable area have you seen the following text: "Comments from non truckers are always welcome. "?
I have enough of a background with trucks to continue to enjoy the forums here at TruckNet.
Any more questions? No? Good. Now take your bad attitude and scoot.
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Be willing to let anything happen, it will anyways!


Answer:
You're asking this on a newbie board ? Why don't you go ahead and ask these $%#@^%$ who's the best to work for. Geez
*** Just keepin' it real ***

Answer:
You're asking this on a newbie board?
Why not? It is as good of a place as any.
On a personal note, if you didn’t eat your cheerios in the bathroom you wouldn’t be in such a sour mood.
-J the realist

Answer:
PA & upstate NY are not too bad.
When crossing the Delaware river try to cross at a major bridge......you know,one that is part of a much traveled route. Some of the smaller,off the beaten path,free bridges have low weight limits. They also have officers on duty watching for trucks. I've been told of truckers getting 2000$ fines for ignoring the signs. This info came from a bridge officer I know.
Use your trucker's atlas & get good directions. When getting directions,ask about low clearences/weight limits.

Answer:
1. Dont get lost
2. carry lots of cash
3. Dont use your turn signals(they'll never let you in the lane if they see thats what you wanna do)
4. If you're scared, stay home
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LIARS SUKK

Answer:
All of the above...but, Not as bad as some say.