Question:
All too often in and around the places drivers hang out (truck stops, terminals, warehouses, etc) those words ring out from somebody, and you wonder what kind of BS that driver's company is trying to pull now. Is it a company driver told to find his own load, or maybe he was told to go and get 5 gallons of oil and do his own oil change and PM in the parking lot, or does it have something to do with a really crummy lumping deal?
When you get down to it though it often comes down to the company asking the driver to replace a headlight, of a taillight, or put a new set of wiper blades on the truck himself. The company is willing to pay for the parts but they are not going to pay the driver the $15 or $30 or whatever the shop is charging to do it so the driver is not being paid, at least not directly, and certainly not in his one track narrow mind.
In reality doing many of these minor repairs yourself, if you are willing and able, can often end up paying you a great deal of money by not causing you to loose valuable time.
Those who have driven for any length of time will tell you two things. One: Time is money and Two: Going into the shop for any reason will result in at a bare minimum of a one hour delay but more often than not a 3 to 4 hour delay for even the simplest of repairs such as wipers, headlights, etc.
So by doing these simple repairs yourself you may save yourself several hours which could be used for more productive things like scooting down the road, and even at 25 cpm averaging 45 mph you just made $22.50 by staying productive instead of wasting time.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
Yeah, you may not be paid for the few minutes it takes to replace a headlight, but many companies won't pay a driver to wait around at a shop all day until a mechanic can replace that headlight either. Time is money in this scenario.
@#*!%$^@!
Answer:
I find it humorous that "Drivers" claim to be
"Drivers" when it comes to touching Freight and
paid but are willing to be"Mechanics"for free.
Before the arguements begin the repairs legally
should be logged so why not Log the shop wait
time as Sleeper Berth,just like you do Dock time.
Or just keep adding to the list of FREE accesorial duties being performed by Driver
and now Mechanics today. What next Tire Repair?
Mike
Answer:
You would rather sit in a truck stop waiting for 3 or 4 hours, for no pay, waiting to get a headlight or tail light replaced that you could do yourself in 5 minutes and be gone and back to making money.
Life isn't black and white. Sometimes things do not come down to plain right and wrongs. Sometimes it is a matter of choosing between the lesser of two wrongs.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
I see Mike
No,I think you missed my point.
You would rather sit in a truck stop waiting for 3 or 4 hours, for no pay, waiting to get a headlight or tail light replaced that you could do yourself in 5 minutes and be gone and back to making money.
Why not? Drivers do exactly that when Logging
ALL that DOCK(unpaid)TIME as SLEEPER BERTH.
Drivers are performing too many FREE services
as it is to Employers.
Todays "Driver"thinking amazes me. I'm a Driver,
not a"paid" Lumper but I do Mechanical /Service work for free. At the rate it's going with the
Freebies I do foresee a how to"fix a flat"class
during Orientation.
Mike
Answer:
Originally posted by RABELAM:
I find it humorous that "Drivers" claim to be
"Drivers" when it comes to touching Freight and
paid but are willing to be"Mechanics"for free.
Before the arguements begin the repairs legally
should be logged so why not Log the shop wait
time as Sleeper Berth,just like you do Dock time.
Or just keep adding to the list of FREE accesorial duties being performed by Driver
and now Mechanics today. What next Tire Repair?
Mike
Well, were I paid breakdown for the hours it takes to get a headlight replaced, I certainly would allow a mechanic to do so. But since I am not, and since it will also cost me time and money should DOT see me running down the road with 1 headlight, and since the rules state that the driver is ultimatly responsible for the condition of the vehicle, I am going to take the 45 seconds it requires to replace that headlight. That IS a drivers responsibility. Lumping trailers is not, and even though my company pays 100% for lumpers, or will pay me the same to lump my own load, I don't do it.
@#*!%$^@!
Answer:
I see everyone's point: In a perfect world, we would be paid to do our job, and everyone else would be paid to do their respective jobs. It's the old school, union way. It's a nice system, but it can get out of hand really quickly.
I remember one incident that vividly showed me how silly it can get: When I was driving a haul truck at the mine, I got a headlight knocked out. Called the pit dispatcher, he sent out a mechanic to fix it. Problem was that the mechanic was only allowed to remove the light from the housing, while we waited for someone from the warehouse to deliver a headlight, and an electrician to come disconnect the old light and plug in the new one, then the mechanic was allowed to put the new light in the housing and send me on my way. The whole process took about an hour, for a job that would've taken me, or the mechanic, or the electrician, or even the warehouse guy 5 minutes to do.
It is my firm belief that everyone should carry at least one extra head and tail light, a set of wiper refills, and know how to change them. It also doesn't hurt to carry a small toolbox, or at least a Leatherman. Maybe even an extra serpentine belt for those of us who have the newer stuff. (I'm not about to contend with changing V-belts - that the mechanic can do) Why spend 2-3 hours or more waiting for a mechanic to get there, when you can get going again in 5 minutes or less?

Answer:
highwayman,
You are absolutely on target with your reply.I'd like to see someone unload a truck in five minutes but I have changed many a bulb in my first year of driving and will continue to do so.The shops in our terminals are happy to give me a few extra bulbs and I carry extra wire and connectors in my little tool box for these "minor repairs".However I will not unload trucks.Five minutes to change a bulb or God only knows how long waiting for someone else to do it?I do it and get on down the road so someone else can unload my trailer.

Answer:
Yup,you guys always manage to make me laugh.
I'm a Driver that won't unload for wages but I will perform repairs for FREE and supply my own tools,supplies to boot. I'm willing to falsify my Log concerning Dock time but not Shop time.
I will accept less and never ask more as long as I get those poorly paid miles,I'm todays Driver.
Mike
Answer:
All trucking companies have to take care of their fleet equipment, including such things as headlight replacements or adding oil. Now, you as a driver are only paid when you are moving, so it will take far less time for you to put in a new headlight than it will for any company to dispatch a mechanic out to do it.
Just carry some tools. Keep a socket wrench set, a few screwdrivers (regular and phillips), some duct tape, some windshield washer fluid, oil, headlights, bulbs, clamps, tire pressure gage, crowbar, etc. Anything more major should be left to a mechanic for safety.

Answer:
Originally posted by RABELAM:
Yup,you guys always manage to make me laugh.
Mike
As the saying goes....simple minds and all that.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
While not every company will do this many will. If you find yourself facing a small quick repair that you are able to do yourself but lack a special tool for, such as a torx screw driver for example, the company may very well pick up the tab for it and allow you to keep the tool in the bargain.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
Will spend 7 hours on a dock sorting and segregating freight for $40 (because he is paid for it.)
Will spend 4 hours waiting to have a headlight put in by some truck stop service tech because he is not paid for it.
Will log every minute everywhere in the correct line and end up running 500 miles per week because he has burned hours on the dock he could have used to get sleep, and wasted hours at the truck stop waiting to get some stupid thing fixed when he could have been running.
And I can hear it now too. Mike to company: "Boss man. Yeah the engine just stopped running and it made this horrible sound before it died."
Boss: " Mike did you check the oil?"
Mike: "No Boss. You pay me to drive not to check the oil."
Or how about this one:
Mike: Boss I am stuck on the road. Ran out of fuel. I am at MM 300
Boss: Mike why didnt you use your scheduled fuel stop at exit 335.
Mike: Because I dont get paid to fuel the truck.

I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
Where you in the military?
My reason to ask is that I hate doing other peoples jobs too. I hate that I see some places have contracted cleaning, but I have to mop and sweep areas that I don't even work in.
I understand where you are coming from but believe me if it saves a little time and is easily repair, like a headlight, then why not. But if it something like a belt, I am not touching it. To much room for my name to be used as a reason for liability. I know I am not a headlight changer but I am responsible for it so why not do it. I am not saying that I will do a inframe at a t/s, but lights, blades, and occasional fluid I can inderstand.
TimThis is USAF 2T2 and I approve this message.

Answer:
I can see Mike now as a company driver
I managed to spend most of my time Employed at Union Carriers where I was in fact PAID to perform all the accessoral duties,which may
have affected my beliefs.
I have replaced Headlights on the Road but not for free.
Will spend 7 hours on a dock sorting and segregating freight for $40 (because he is paid for it.)
That would be about minimum wage,just about what Drivers average for the 100 hours per week they put in. Besides the FACT I would not work for a Carrier that paid that wage.
Will spend 4 hours waiting to have a headlight put in by some truck stop service tech because he is not paid for it.
Log Sleeper just like you do while actually ODND.
Will log every minute everywhere in the correct line and end up running 500 miles per week because he has burned hours on the dock he could have used to get sleep, and wasted hours at the truck stop waiting to get some stupid thing fixed when he could have been running.
And if you were to be PAID for ALL those duties
you do for FREE the mileage wouldn't matter,plus
the FACT you wouldn't be falsifying your Log.
I tried the OTR/TL segment of"Driving" and decided
I wasn't that desperate for a job and sure not working for free.
Mike