Question:
I'm in pretty good shape overall except for a bit of a sensitive back. In order to not to abuse my back, what's the best kind of driving to do:?
drop & hook?
tanker?
flat bed?
I understand that lumpers are always availble to handle the freight?
thanks

Answer:
What a driver with a bad back!
No way hehe..
Hope you take care of your back, I have a probl;em that flairs up every now and then but drive a Flatbed.. For me it is good to get some excersize and stay limber
I do not know your particular ailement.. There are too many illnesses, and problems associated with the back to give specific recomendations too..
BUT... Flatbedding is WORK... you climb, jump around lift chains, binders, tarps.. if you can't do that stuff. then flatbedding isn't for you.
Drop and hooking is the easiest, but it too has some stress on the back from long periods of sitting. I would say this is the least taxing on the back as far as stress, and strain is concerned.
Tankers. they have some climbing to get to the top and fill the things, pulling out hoses and attatching them to their appropriate fittings.. not too bad..
Reefers.... LOTS of excersize here, unless you or your company hires help (lumpers) all the time then this may not be too bad.
Thats all I know about.. though there are more.. like end dumps, car carriers, hopper bottoms.. oh yea, containers.. (used to do those too, they wern't bad, lots of dropping and hooking.. (every day sometimes 2-3x a day)
Did I help ya??

Answer:
I dunno man... I have never had back problems before but lately I am feeling something not quite right in my lower back when I run hard. If I keep the door shut in order to turn 550-600 miles in a day I end up hurting down my left leg. Then when I lay down and go to get back up I can barely straighten myself out again.

Answer:
Gear Jammer do a search on Sciatica and you may find your problem. I've had problems with this on several occasions after spending long hours behind the wheel.
In my case I think it just may have been sitting with billfold in my left pocket. All I know is I switched pockets took out everyting but what very little money I carry around drivers license and it went away.
Sciatica refers to pain that begins in the hip and buttocks and continues all the way down the leg. This condition is often accompanied by low back pain, which can be more or less severe than the leg pain. The term "sciatica" indicates that the sciatic nerve, which travels from the lower back through the buttocks and into the leg, is thought to be the cause of the pain in this condition.
Hope This Helps You.

Answer:
Sensitiive back, HUH. Might be one of those who's back hurts no matter what.
Did you think driving a truck was sissy work. I dont care What you pull your still going to get beat just going down the road. Might concider finding a cushy job like testing out mattresses.

Answer:
I drove end dumps and you do not do much work at all. The extint of work is rolling my tarp and getting in and out of the cab. If that is going to poise a problem then another line of work would be your best bet.
What's the 20 on the testing mattresses??? I think I could do that.This is USAF 2T2 and I approve this message.

Answer:
You are sooo right about end dumps.
I've been pulling one now for about 2yrs & the only "WORK" I do is....
1)Get out to Sign paperwork when I get loaded.
2)"Wet" my load down(I Don't have a tarp)
3)Get out to have receiver sign my paperwork(have to climb about 20 steps to get to office)
4)Fuel trk every other day
whew...that was "work" just to type all of that!

Answer:
Tim you are not who I'm looking for to fill the matress position. But a young single female can get the job. This is for testing out matresses for my sleeper.

Answer:
I would agree about the wallet. When I am driving I dont have anything in my back pockets.
Santa brought me a great gift this year. It is a matress pad, the "memory foam" type. Do not confuse this with one of the cheap egg crate pads. This was an expensive one, but IMHO well worth the money. I find myself well rested in the morning. I have the matching pillow with it that is contoured. If I ever get my own truck I will spend the money to get an actual memory foam matress. Before I would wake up with a sore back, but after the matress pad I wake up ready to go.

Answer:
Buzz man, where's the best place to buy one of those mattress pads?
Thanks....

Answer:
We bought a memory foam mattress pad and it's worth it's weight in gold. We drive team and it's incredible. We bought it at the CB shop I-30 exit 106 in AR at JJ's truck stop.
There have been times when I felt like a mattress tester as we tried different things to make sleeping more comfortable. After many different experiments this memory foam pad on top of the mattress is the hands down winner.

Answer:
Not all tanker gigs require handling hoses and climbing up on top......food grade tankers is by far the "cushiest" side of the industry(most places i dont even get outa the truck....the bring my paperwork to me) Yea I am getting spoiled..............not all food grade is this "plush" I haul milk 99% of the time and this particular sector seems to go really well with my "x-flatbedder" frame of mind
needbettersleep.com Try this website for the "memory foam" pad I got one after i purchased a tempur-pedic bed for the house.......AMAZING the difference a good nites sleep can afford you!!! Also check your local yellow pages for a "relax the back" or something similair type store.
CDrecovering dweller..........oilfield trash division

Answer:
I'll give you my experiences and you can go from there.
First off, I drove LTL for a number of years, as well as a route salesman for Canada Dry for a short time. My back and body where in great shape back then. I could unload 44,000lbs of Tide on the floor in about 4 hours. I could keep up with some of the best of lumpers out there.
Then I started driving OTR. Now I'm 53 years old, 6 foot, 228lbs (with steel toed boots, LOL)
Not in bad shape, but not in the best of shape either. I too run food grade tankers nationwide.
Now I'll give you some of my experiences I've encountered in OTR and what you may be experiencing now.
Not All truck suspensions, seats, or mattresses are the same.
What I call back slap, is when the seat slams against your back all day long. The seat isolator just doesn't travel long enough back and forth or smoothly. It bottoms out in this back and forth sliding motion. This will tear up your back and your tailbone while driving.
I left Indian River over this issue in 2001 with their International truck. I cannot afford to have my back destroyed in this business. I can always get another job, but I cannot get another back or spine.
Subject of mattresses. You can buy a standard size twin posterpedic mattresses for your truck. (don't give me the DOT mattresses size crap, save that crap for the steering wheel holders out there)
A twin mattress from a mattress store is less expensive and you'll get the highest quality for your buck. You can get a single mattress without the box spring on sale for less than $100.00 often in the $60.00 range. Shop around. 80 inch Truck mattresses are too expensive for what you get in terms of comfort. You'll pay through the nose for a 80 in. truck mattress. Standard size twin sheets and high quality linens from 250 to 600 thread count are available for your tastes and needs.
See if your carrier will foot the bill for new shocks on your truck. Shocks are one of the least looked at problems in the trucking industry as far as ride comfort is concerned. My carrier just put new shocks on my truck, 2004 Columbia, with 114,000 miles on it.
Next, truck seats.
There is a product I highly endorse to any truck driver out there. It's called a AirHawk seat cushion by a company, ROHO. I'll leave a link to their web site at the end of this post.
You can buy the AirHawk at some T/A's, Petro's, and some other Truck stops carry it as well. They are hard to find, not all T/S's carry it, so you'll have to keep your eye open for one. There expensive, about $150.00 for the standard seat size, a little more for the wide model at the T/S's. You can order one directly from ROHO's web site but you'll pay $190.00 for the standard size.
I suggest you get the correct size to fit your truck seat. I don't recommend the wide size for a stardard size truck seat. The wide cushion will overlap too much on the sides and the front on a standard size truck seat.
Is the AirHawk worth the price? To me, yes! I'd rather leave my CB at home than my seat cushion. It completely eliminates any tailbone pressure. I've run 800 miles non stop with no spine or tailbone pain. I do mean non-stop. That means the truck never stopped once, from the T/A in Commerce City, Co. to the T/A in Walcott, IA.
Some of the T/A's are currently selling a Gel seat cushion for about $40.00, these are not the same as the AirHawk. I have no experience with the Gel seat cushions, so I cannot comment on these.
I suggest you read through all the links on RoHo's web site and see for yourself if this is something you'd be interested in. Click the Commercial Vehicle link at the top of the page for the truck seat cushion and information pertaining to it.
http://roho.com/

Answer:
I looked at the web page for the Airhawk cushion. It looks very interesting. Does it have to hook to anything? Is it only on the seat bottom, not the back? Where can I buy a set of 800mi. kidneys? That's usually the only thing that stops me.

Answer:
The AirHawk comes with an attaching cord but I took it off. I didn't need it. The cushion cover has a sticky rubber backing that prevents it from sliding.
800 mile kidneys are not available but I do have a Rubbermaid leak proof pee bottle that I bought for about $3.00. I use bleach to keep it clean.
Yes, I can pee and drive at the same time. It's called multi tasking. I've been doing it for years. Funny, I was talking to one of our drivers. He said he tried peeing and driving. Pissed all over himself, the truck, and his seat. He must be the same guy who leaves a big puddle on the floor in front of the urinals at the truck stops.. LOL Some people just never get the hang of it....
I don't do the 800 milers often, only once in a blue moon. About twice a year on the average. There are some days/nights I enjoy trucking too much to stop if I have the hours to slide back on the log. Back logging!
Yes, it's only the seat bottom. ROHO does have a full seat back and cushion combined, but you'll need to get a loan to buy it. I bet it's real expensive. It's on their web site under medical.
Why does ROHO charge so much for their products?
Most of their products, like most other medical suppliers qualify for medicare reimbursements for the disabled and elderly.
I have to say, they do make a high quality product with a proven background in this field for 30 years.