Worthless

Today's Thoughts By Jeff Head 11/4/12 Worthless

Another day, another Rant, yup the wide world of trucking has once again bit me in the butt. I have often said that I would rather drag a truck across country on its nubs rather than try to get it fixed out on the road.  I know that there are good shops out here, honest mechanics and shop owners and I also know that you have better chance out there in Las Vegas, NV then you do of breaking down at a decent shop.

Anyway, Sunday last week, I pulled in to take a bit of a break. As usual, I walk away from my truck one way checking things out as I go, then return taken a different path checking out the other side. As I walked up the driver’s side of my trailer headed for the cab, I heard a slight air leak. Turns out that the hose, I have the straight kind; was leaking just a bit where it came out of the glad hand connecting to the trailer. I think about it as I check it out. All I have planed is dropping this load off, pick one up and I will be at the house in about five days. Experience has taught me that this little leak is nothing much to worry about, but I tried to be a safe and legal driver and with my luck, I will end up getting inspected on the way home, so I do the right thing and I set about fixing it.

I walk back into the truck stop and start checking out parts. I find on the shelf both glad hand ends and hose end kits. Everything I need to fix the problem except for one little problem. The cheaply made in some third world country over priced hose end kit does not fit the glad hand. So I cut my day three hours short and wait for the shop across the street to open up first thing in the morning.

First thing in the morning, I show the mechanic what needs to be fixed, and I go grab a cup of coffee. When I get back, they have put on the same cheaply made part to fix the hose. I complain that a plastic hose end will not hold up with all the pressure of a twisting and turning trailer. Just too much pressure will be put on that plastic and it will snap. “Oh no” says the shop. “We put these on all the time now and we never have a problem.”  I am already running behind so I kick out one hundred and eight dollars for a two dollar part and fifteen minutes worth of work and I am on my way.

Exactly one week later, I walk around my truck and the plastic part is blowing air. Worse than the first time.  The only thing I could find where I was at to fix it was a cheaply made in some third world country hose. Thirty five dollars and no wrench to put it on but at least I had it if I needed it. It was Sunday so nothing is open around here but I did find a shop fifty miles from where I was at so I eased that way.

The mechanic, after an hour and half wait, walks up to my truck and though my open window I point out the problem. As he is looking at it and I am getting out of the truck, I say “wait until you cut that (slice) line so that.” I never even get to finish my sentence.  He says “No problem, I have just what you need.”

So for the next two hours, we search and search through all the junk in his shop for the right part. “I could have sworn I had the right size.”  Finally the boss man shows up with the road truck and the right part is found. He puts it on and being as it is the right part, I decide to go ahead and replace the other side. As he reaches to start the other side, the first hose he just puts together falls apart leaving the hose end kit hitting the ground and the hose left swinging up against my fuel tank.  He put it together without any ferrels inside. So off we go on another thirty minute hunt for the ferrels.

About four hours later, another hundred dollar bill and I am out of there with two used but correct parts and my truck is now fixed. I went through all of this to keep the DOT happy, to be a safe and legal trucker. Truth of the matter is, is that little pin hole of an air leak would have held just fine until I made it to a known shop. The two hundred dollars would have replaced not only the hose ends, but the complete set of hoses with new hoses. And the time lost waiting until the next day, and then hunting through junk piles to find the right parts could have been spent easing down the road instead of hauling arse to make my appointment on time.

As I look back upon my little adventure I have to ask, Is the FMCSA really keeping these highways safe buy forcing us to fix every little insignificant thing at the exact moment that it happens. The first fix left me with a part that could have failed at any second. Leaving me with locked down trailed wheels at highway speeds, but at least it did not leak when you were standing there inspecting the truck. The second parts were old and used and now after spending so much time and money on them, I will have to go ahead and run them. I cannot afford to fix things three and four times to get the right.

We need flexibility in this industry if we are to both survive and be able to run safe and legal.  Sure trucks need to be in good repair and drivers need to be able to make their appointment times without being pushed. But insisting on instant fixes to minor problems out on the road away from a decent shop is not doing this. Truckers are being sold cheap and unsafe fixes at unrealistic prices because they are caught in a bad situation. Because they know that if we do not fix this little bitty pin hole of an air leak that the DOT will shut us down and then we will really find ourselves screwed.

Somewhere along the way, truckers need to make a profit. Without profit, no trucker can pay to keep their trucks safe. Forcing us to unwisely spend our money in this fashion will only force us into bankruptcy.  And as for asking fir a refund from the first shop, I hope that one day, the boss will finally show up and answer the phone.

Be safe peeps.

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