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The term NN traffic was used in the article, but google only showed up NN traffic as being used for neural networks. I am pretty sure, neural networks is outside of the scope of hauling. Would someone please define this term in the article. 72.234.1.218 ( talk) 14:02, 30 November 2008 (UTC)
A bit more research. I think NN means National Network, but I could not find much information about National Network. I think perhaps NHS, National Highway System is a more universal term, though I do not know. 72.234.1.218 ( talk) 14:10, 30 November 2008 (UTC)
National Network refers to the network of repair and towing companies. It is actually an inclusive term, as there are tire networks (Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone, ect.), repair networks (Major truck stop, manufacturer service centers, ect) and towing services. Typically the most used network is the tire network, second is the service network. The NN traffic discussed is along the major routes, I-10/40/80, and I-5/15/25/55/65/75/85/95. Some routes like I-90 west of Minnesota and east of Washington is a low utilization route, due to the lower population along that route. Therefore quite a few companies wont allow routing on I-90 as they are long distances from the network for some companies. [1] Bjbeardse ( talk) 07:25, 7 June 2016 (UTC)
Does anyone else find this an unreadable sentence too?:
"The nighttime signal of one truck driver to another, when a truck in front is attempting a lane change, of briefly turning the headlights off and then on, or of briefly flashing the high beams to indicate that the rear of the trailer has cleared the vehicle being passed, after which the truck passing flashes the tail lights one or more times in any of various rhythms to signify “thank you,” remains in common use, and is usually also understood by the public; drivers of smaller vehicles often use it to signal truck drivers in this way as well."
Whoever is better at English than me, pleeeease chop it up a bit ;) MosquitoNL 14:11, 11 April 2007 (UTC)
It is a bit of a run on sentence isnt it? If you pause for each comma it helps in the reading. Its basically when one truck passes another and the trailer clears and we flash the lights to alert them that they can get over safely. However the use of this is technically against the law and you can be ticketed for it if you have no been trained as a signal person. No cop really enforces this. There are instances when i have signaled a truck over and then have a four wheeler (passenger car) try to pass and almost get killed. Worldgate 01:23, 23 September 2007 (UTC)
I'm changing it, and I'll come back and sign this when I get home ;) Important notes; Not limited to nighttime, there is no taillight switch, and high beams are not cool (Seriously). It can't be too illegal, because I've used it so the guy could get over and the law man behind him could put the hammer down. Instead of "to indicate gratitude," I was real tempted to put, "to say '`Preciate it.`" I like to flash the OK just before the passer's tailgater lines up with my bumper. Phaedrus420 17:13, 15 October 2007 (UTC)
Can we get a higher resolution picture of a truck driver please? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.27.196.35 ( talk) 06:50, 14 October 2007 (UTC)
...does refer to a weigh station, but I've never heard this explanation. -- Phaedrus420 ( talk) 04:46, 2 January 2008 (UTC)
I've never heard it either. The story I heard was that they called it a chicken coop because a lot of weigh stations have small shacks for the office building that look like tiny chicken coups (is it coop or coup?). ErgoSum88 ( talk) 05:20, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
It is simply a comedic term for a weight station. AFAIK it has been in the lexicon since the 1940's. And it is coop. bjbeardse ( talk) 1440, 18 MAR 2016 —Preceding undated comment added 19:40, 18 March 2016 (UTC)
Ok I'm new to this editing pages stuff, and there are so MANY rules and formatting codes I'm a little overwhelmed. I made a few changes but then I realized there was already a page for CDL info so I was wondering if we should just delete the whole section and put a link to the CDL article? Also I added a section about "trucker lifestyle" but I haven't had a chance to say much about it. I've been driving for two years so I know a few things but I was wondering if anyone else out there would like to collaborate with me on this section? Thanks! ErgoSum88 ( talk) 05:25, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
The current text reads: "Many companies today utilize some type of satellite vehicle tracking" under the heading of "Satellite tracking". I think the section would be better renamed from "Satellite tracking" to "Positional tracking". Satellite units are expensive, and while they are still the legacy default in large nationwide fleets, newer and smaller fleets tend to use cell phone technology, which does not require the additional investment of a satellite unit plus the satellite messages costs. The text seems at best a little dated, or at worst a commercial for satellite units like Qualcomm.
I didn't make these changes, as they seemed better for discussion first, and think the protocol is to propose it here first. ( J0gatsby) 17:45, 19 March 2012 (UTC)— Preceding unsigned comment added by J0gatsby ( talk • contribs) 17:45, 19 March 2012 (UTC)
I've made vast improvements to this article. I've more than doubled it's size and added many important refs. I just need someone to help me add a worldview to some parts. I only know about the U.S. aspect and I don't think I can make many more improvements without someone's help. Thanks. ErgoSum88 ( talk) 09:58, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
I'm thinking of taking most of my additions to this article, and moving them over to a new one devoted only to American truckers. I've already started new article on the US trucking industry and articles on US trucking regulations. I'm thinking of building a template/infobox to naviagte between all the asepcts of the trucking industry specific to the United States. Its obvious this page is going to take forever to wait for additions from other countries. NOT that I have anything against reading about trucking info in other countries, in fact I kind of enjoy reading about the differences. But until we can get some more cooperation, I'm going to have to stick with what I know... and I know America. I'm also thinking of starting a WikiProject about the Trucking Industry in the U.S. or something...... so if anybody wants to join my efforts, please hit me up on my talk page. I've only been editing for about a month now, but I have html experience and I am not afraid to be bold. Whaddya think? ErgoSum88 ( talk) 08:18, 20 February 2008 (UTC)
I'm sorta new to wikipedia but can provide a lot of info on Truck driving in Australia. The first big thing that could be added is that Australia is facing a huge driver shortage too, due largely to the image of the industry. This is troublesome, given the often spoken about "doubling of the road freight task by 2020".
Also I can give info on some of the regulations:
Axle and axle group weights in Australia are as follows -
Single Steer - 6000kg Single Steer with "Super Single tyres (tread width greater than 375mm)" - 6500kg Twin steer w/o load sharing suspension - 10000kg Twin steer with load sharing suspension - 11000kg Single drive or trailer axle - 9000kg (Super single or dual) Tandem drive or trailer axle - 16500kg (Super single or dual) Triple drive or trailer axle - 20000kg (Super single or dual)
Also a modified triple axle combination (such as having a blown tyre) is automatically dropped to 15000kg.
Heights. Standard maximum height nationally is 4.3m. Car-carrying trucks or livestock trucks are allowed to go to 4.6m.
All these figures are standard nationally but enforced by state based organisations (RTA, TransportSA etc.). All these rules are enforced by persons of the relevant agency stationed in "checking stations" on most highway routes. They also enforce the filling out of log book information, and although they are not police officers are permitted to fine drivers for breaches.
Also the road access for multi trailer combinations is restricted to those routes listed in a "gazette" published annually, available from the state agency relevant to the area. Double road trains, triple road trains, b-doubles and b-triples all have seperate gazettes.
Quad axle groups have recently been approved for use in South Australia but Im unsure as to their weight allowance etc.
There are various rules regarding the transport of "oversize" loads but I dont think i need to go into them for this article. Also the licensing for Dangerous goods transport in australia is common nationally but im not really sure about it. You have do a course and get a DG licence, and hold an "AIP passport" but I dont know much about that.
Lengths: Standard semi trailer length is 19m. B double is 25m or 26m with a FUPS system and some other modifications. roadtrains go up to 54m or so but we can jsut refer to the page for road trains for that.
If you want any more info just ask. :-)
Whitfan ( talk) 00:47, 27 February 2008 (UTC)
I'm not the OP, but the part on Australian driving hours is also incorrect.
It says you're allowed 14 hours driving in a 24 hour period. That's not entirely true. In my copy of the National driver log book, it's 14 hours WORKING, (includes loading/unloading, cleaning and maintaing truck etc), and a maximum of 12 hours of actual driving. So, the 14 hour thing includes pretty much all truck related activities, and you have to spend the remaining 10 hours not doing work. —Preceding
unsigned comment added by
124.187.200.67 (
talk)
07:35, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
Why are truck drivers often portrayed as killers and rapists? In movies, many killers are truck drivers. Why is that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.94.186.41 ( talk) 11:19, 19 June 2008 (UTC)
I just found this story from the LA Times - FBI database links long-haul truckers, serial killings - which seems to suggest that the aforementioned question by Anon isn't far from the truth. Very interesting deveopment which might prove a useful addition to this article. According to the article: "We don't want to scare the public and make it seem like every time you stop for gas you should look over your shoulder ... Many of these victims made poor choices, but that doesn't mean they deserved to die." -- ErgoSum88 ( talk) 15:27, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
In the article's history, there is a list that got lost somewhere in the last 6 months: diff. -- User:Docu
Completely missing, unless you want to confuse slang w/ culture. US trucking is Southern, and ex-military; you adapt to them: "I can't believe that I am driving with a Yankee."
Euro trucking must be an interesting mix, and Euro truckers seem to like to camp more than hang at truck stops. Canadian trucking is similar to US trucking, except Canada has no "South," and I bet Australian trucking is likewise similar. I noticed that Australian trucks are largely American brands.-- John Bessa ( talk) 14:20, 15 December 2009 (UTC)
I believe that an American trucker's life expectancy is ten years less than the average American.-- John Bessa ( talk) 14:28, 15 December 2009 (UTC)
I believe that 30% of American truckers are women.-- John Bessa ( talk) 14:28, 15 December 2009 (UTC)
The health section needs to be rewritten. It is specific to Australia, and contains irrelevant speculation such as the belief that many drivers push themselves to the limit -- in spite of the hours of service limitations described elsewhere in the article. I was a truck driver myself, and while I won't claim truckers don't ever drive while fatigued, I think it is much less common than it was 30-40 years ago. Regardless of my beliefs, there was no source for this statement, nor was it really relevant to the section, which focuses on health, not hours of service. -Stian ( talk) 21:12, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
Since someone put an empty section for vehicle visual signalling, I've written a separate article for it. Since I'm driving in Europe only, anyone living in US, Australia or Asia is welcome to expand it —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lasombra bg ( talk • contribs) 09:37, 19 May 2011 (UTC)
It would be good to find a reliable source to document what many of us already know; namely, that reefer drivers frequently receive backhauls of dry goods to avoid extensive deadheading.
The section on wages/compensation seems to consist primarily of undocumented opinion.
75.252.119.134 ( talk) 01:21, 25 September 2011 (UTC)
The Compensation/Wages should appear as a main topic. I recommend moving it to Topic 5 and adjusting subsequent topic numbers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Driverpatriot ( talk • contribs) 23:59, 1 January 2012 (UTC)
Update: Absent any objections to my above proposal, I have undertaken a reorganization of the article. Steps include making 'Driver Compensation/wages' a stand-alone section and revising the outline of the Compensation/wages' section. To address the author's original intent of highlighting challenges related to compensation, I propose including a section under the topic 'truck driver problems' titled "Unpaid work time." This section can address all sorts of unpaid work time, including as it relates to short miles (which is what the original author appears to have set out to accomplish.) Driverpatriot ( talk) 16:52, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
I have made several contributions to the article (more to come) and removed the "globalization" and "refimprove" tags. There are 195 countries (196 with Taiwan) in the world, the articles does have some global perspectives, so this tag is unwarranted and unfair. The refimprove tag was a career dated tag so if it is deemed warranted current inclusion should be with specifics. Otr500 ( talk) 08:49, 7 April 2012 (UTC)
There is a lot of incorrect and/or outdated information. Statistics are clearly dated. There should be more up to date statistics available. Healthier food is becoming more available at truck stops, and food carried on trucks may more frequently have been purchased at Wal-Marts, many of which allow a few truck short term parking at edges. Some Wal-Marts actually have dedicated spaces for trucks near the Automotive entrance. Find sources and reference for this. There also seems to be considerable opinion expressed in the article, even at this stage of editing. Hours of Service is incorrect - US DOT allows up to 70 hours in 8 days of combined on-duty not driving and driving hours. Shift or daily maximum is 11 hours driving with 14 consecutive hours following 10 consecutive hours of off-duty and/sleeper berth. All these can be referenced with the latest edition of the FMCS book. As for obesity, health issues, etc., more current information is needed. While obesity is still more common, the number of fit drivers seems significantly higher than expressed here. The DOT medical certification process restricts drivers with serious medical conditions. The section on driver health needs to be overhauled. Also some information could be separated into different articles, or may already be duplicated in existing articles. Refiner ( talk) 17:41, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
I've moved the following comments from the top of the Talk page into the body of the outline:
the Safety section of this article is insane —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.74.18.181 ( talk) 02:52, 28 April 2011 (UTC)
"A truck driver (Commonly called a trucker, driver or teamster in the United States and Canada, a truckie or ute driver in Australia and New Zealand"
Now, I've lived in New Zealand my entire life, my father was a trucker, and I spent a good part of my childhood on the road with him, and I've never ever heard the term "ute driver."
Has the person who added that even been to New Zealand?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.234.252.254 ( talk) 09:14, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
Would a UTE driver be one who has a personal/recreational pick-up or SUV, not a commercial/pro driver? Njbob ( talk) 06:49, 4 July 2008 (UTC)
Driverpatriot ( talk) 17:43, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
This section was headed 'Drivers work hours'. This section deals with government regulations of drivers' work hours. "Hours Regulations" is a broad-enough heading to encompass those regulations, whatever they're called in their respective jurisdictions. Driverpatriot ( talk) 17:47, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
Types: There are three types of truck drivers but the section is confusing and with errors as it is a little complicated. Not to mention there are no references.
Paid by the load: The content states Getting paid by percentage is the preferred way of business among veteran drivers and owner-operators. Typical percentage among owner-operators pulling flatbed trailers is between 85-90 percent of line haul being paid to the driver. Additionally the driver may receive 100 percent of fuel surcharges and fees for extra pickups or drops or for tarping loads.. This article title is "Truck driver". The above sentence mixes an owner/operator (a driver that owns his/her truck) and a simple truck driver with among veteran drivers and owner-operators. A truck driver, per the lead, "is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck". A "veteran driver" can be any driver but an owner-operator is a driver that owns his/her own truck.
There is no driver shortage in the US. Large companies such as Swift, Werner, US Xpress, and Western Express engage in a practice of hiring inexperienced drivers, training them at "Approved" schools, keeping them 6 moths and then actively encouraging them to quit. None of the large companies want experience drivers. The reason is simple economics.
The US Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962 provided funds to train drivers. This has come to abused as corporations only interested in profits tend to do. Here is the "Scam" for lack of a better word.
Wannabe driver calls BFI (Bottom Feeder Inc. a derogatory term for the big trucking companies) and asks about becoming Billy Big Rigger. The recruiter (Pretty much a well paid professional liar) will fill the neophytes head with 45,000 bucks a year and .38 cents per mile after training and $600 a week for training. The Liar then says there is a $1000 sign on bonus. So Billy agrees and sets a school start date.
At the "Approved School" Billy discovers that he has to sign a "Promissory Note" to pay back the training costs if his employment lasts less than 12 months. This figure is usually somewhere between $3500 and $7500. All the while the USMDTA pays BFI $5658 to train this driver. 3 1/2 weeks later our hero has his CDL. Next up is orientation at the closest terminal.
At orientation Billy gets the boom lowered on his head. He is getting $250 for orientation and the $600 has dropped to $350 and the sign on bonus will be paid $100 a week for 10 weeks AFTER he gets his truck. 4 days later orientation is over, but there are no available trainer trucks. Billy now starts spending money to wait. 1 week later he in on a truck with a supposed human being that can best be described as "Crusty". Crusty is paid $250 of the $600 Billy was promised for training, and Crusty is not interested in the least in teaching Billy how to run the truck, just drive it. Crusty is using Billy's log to make a lot of extra money that Billy will never see. Crusty has been at the company 7 months and is a very angry person with bad hygiene habits. In fact Crusty was a N00B just 8 months ago.
Billy somehow survives the horror, and finally get his own truck. He gets a 2012 Freightliner Cascadia with 353,500 on the clock and a demolished interior. His first week with his own truck is spent in the shop fixing what the last driver wantonly destroyed. He is now wondering if he made a terrible mistake.
After six months of 3000 mile weeks, the BFI gets the funds from the government and immediately drops Billy's miles to 1800 or less a week. The BFI then proceeds to tell him that he has to train other drivers to get more miles. Eventually the mileage drops to less than 1000 and billy is deeply in debt. He has to quit prior to the 12 months in the promissory note. Even if he had not quit, the BFI would have fired him for "Failure to Produce" before his 12 months were up. Now Billy has no job is upwards of $15,000 in debt and has no prospects as the BFI reported a "Driver Abandon" on his DAC.
Welcome to the world of truck driving in the United States. Now multiply this by 120 N00B's a week and multiply that by 12 and that is the number of people ripped off per week by the big companies, now you understand why the "Driver Shortage" is total Bull poop. Bjbeardse ( talk) 20:31, 18 March 2016 (UTC)
Is "commonly referred to...teamster" quite right? Aren't you confusing the job (sitting in a wagon behind horses) with the union? Should you use the word sort of out of context, or just lose it? Sammy D III ( talk) 22:12, 5 September 2016 (UTC)
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I am finding good reason to argue that the section "Paid by the mile" needs to be changed to "Paid by the kilometre". Wikipedia is a website used world wide, there are only 3 countries in the world that continue to use the imperial system, while there are 191 countries that use the metric system, and 1 country that uses a mix of both. As a percentage, a mere 1.5% use imperial. Therefore for the sake of ease for the other 98% using metric, any reference to the imperial system should be changed to the metric system. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Scraginses ( talk • contribs) 12:24, 15 January 2019 (UTC)
Hello Williams Lana ( talk) 10:22, 16 April 2019 (UTC)
Text and references copied from Truck to Truck driver, See former article's history for a list of contributors. 7&6=thirteen ( ☎) 19:36, 17 April 2019 (UTC)
In June 2022 a merge of Teamster into this article was proposed.
The article is suitably referenced, with inline citations. It has reliable sources, and any important or controversial material which is likely to be challenged is cited.There is at least one inline "Citation needed" tag from Jan 2015.
The article is reasonably well-written(#4). Can't give a pass when the article has an Oct 2010 "factual accuracy" tag and is in need of updating. -- Otr500 ( talk) 03:25, 13 February 2023 (UTC)
Car Drive 196.190.61.199 ( talk) 15:21, 12 April 2024 (UTC)
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The term NN traffic was used in the article, but google only showed up NN traffic as being used for neural networks. I am pretty sure, neural networks is outside of the scope of hauling. Would someone please define this term in the article. 72.234.1.218 ( talk) 14:02, 30 November 2008 (UTC)
A bit more research. I think NN means National Network, but I could not find much information about National Network. I think perhaps NHS, National Highway System is a more universal term, though I do not know. 72.234.1.218 ( talk) 14:10, 30 November 2008 (UTC)
National Network refers to the network of repair and towing companies. It is actually an inclusive term, as there are tire networks (Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone, ect.), repair networks (Major truck stop, manufacturer service centers, ect) and towing services. Typically the most used network is the tire network, second is the service network. The NN traffic discussed is along the major routes, I-10/40/80, and I-5/15/25/55/65/75/85/95. Some routes like I-90 west of Minnesota and east of Washington is a low utilization route, due to the lower population along that route. Therefore quite a few companies wont allow routing on I-90 as they are long distances from the network for some companies. [1] Bjbeardse ( talk) 07:25, 7 June 2016 (UTC)
Does anyone else find this an unreadable sentence too?:
"The nighttime signal of one truck driver to another, when a truck in front is attempting a lane change, of briefly turning the headlights off and then on, or of briefly flashing the high beams to indicate that the rear of the trailer has cleared the vehicle being passed, after which the truck passing flashes the tail lights one or more times in any of various rhythms to signify “thank you,” remains in common use, and is usually also understood by the public; drivers of smaller vehicles often use it to signal truck drivers in this way as well."
Whoever is better at English than me, pleeeease chop it up a bit ;) MosquitoNL 14:11, 11 April 2007 (UTC)
It is a bit of a run on sentence isnt it? If you pause for each comma it helps in the reading. Its basically when one truck passes another and the trailer clears and we flash the lights to alert them that they can get over safely. However the use of this is technically against the law and you can be ticketed for it if you have no been trained as a signal person. No cop really enforces this. There are instances when i have signaled a truck over and then have a four wheeler (passenger car) try to pass and almost get killed. Worldgate 01:23, 23 September 2007 (UTC)
I'm changing it, and I'll come back and sign this when I get home ;) Important notes; Not limited to nighttime, there is no taillight switch, and high beams are not cool (Seriously). It can't be too illegal, because I've used it so the guy could get over and the law man behind him could put the hammer down. Instead of "to indicate gratitude," I was real tempted to put, "to say '`Preciate it.`" I like to flash the OK just before the passer's tailgater lines up with my bumper. Phaedrus420 17:13, 15 October 2007 (UTC)
Can we get a higher resolution picture of a truck driver please? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.27.196.35 ( talk) 06:50, 14 October 2007 (UTC)
...does refer to a weigh station, but I've never heard this explanation. -- Phaedrus420 ( talk) 04:46, 2 January 2008 (UTC)
I've never heard it either. The story I heard was that they called it a chicken coop because a lot of weigh stations have small shacks for the office building that look like tiny chicken coups (is it coop or coup?). ErgoSum88 ( talk) 05:20, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
It is simply a comedic term for a weight station. AFAIK it has been in the lexicon since the 1940's. And it is coop. bjbeardse ( talk) 1440, 18 MAR 2016 —Preceding undated comment added 19:40, 18 March 2016 (UTC)
Ok I'm new to this editing pages stuff, and there are so MANY rules and formatting codes I'm a little overwhelmed. I made a few changes but then I realized there was already a page for CDL info so I was wondering if we should just delete the whole section and put a link to the CDL article? Also I added a section about "trucker lifestyle" but I haven't had a chance to say much about it. I've been driving for two years so I know a few things but I was wondering if anyone else out there would like to collaborate with me on this section? Thanks! ErgoSum88 ( talk) 05:25, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
The current text reads: "Many companies today utilize some type of satellite vehicle tracking" under the heading of "Satellite tracking". I think the section would be better renamed from "Satellite tracking" to "Positional tracking". Satellite units are expensive, and while they are still the legacy default in large nationwide fleets, newer and smaller fleets tend to use cell phone technology, which does not require the additional investment of a satellite unit plus the satellite messages costs. The text seems at best a little dated, or at worst a commercial for satellite units like Qualcomm.
I didn't make these changes, as they seemed better for discussion first, and think the protocol is to propose it here first. ( J0gatsby) 17:45, 19 March 2012 (UTC)— Preceding unsigned comment added by J0gatsby ( talk • contribs) 17:45, 19 March 2012 (UTC)
I've made vast improvements to this article. I've more than doubled it's size and added many important refs. I just need someone to help me add a worldview to some parts. I only know about the U.S. aspect and I don't think I can make many more improvements without someone's help. Thanks. ErgoSum88 ( talk) 09:58, 4 February 2008 (UTC)
I'm thinking of taking most of my additions to this article, and moving them over to a new one devoted only to American truckers. I've already started new article on the US trucking industry and articles on US trucking regulations. I'm thinking of building a template/infobox to naviagte between all the asepcts of the trucking industry specific to the United States. Its obvious this page is going to take forever to wait for additions from other countries. NOT that I have anything against reading about trucking info in other countries, in fact I kind of enjoy reading about the differences. But until we can get some more cooperation, I'm going to have to stick with what I know... and I know America. I'm also thinking of starting a WikiProject about the Trucking Industry in the U.S. or something...... so if anybody wants to join my efforts, please hit me up on my talk page. I've only been editing for about a month now, but I have html experience and I am not afraid to be bold. Whaddya think? ErgoSum88 ( talk) 08:18, 20 February 2008 (UTC)
I'm sorta new to wikipedia but can provide a lot of info on Truck driving in Australia. The first big thing that could be added is that Australia is facing a huge driver shortage too, due largely to the image of the industry. This is troublesome, given the often spoken about "doubling of the road freight task by 2020".
Also I can give info on some of the regulations:
Axle and axle group weights in Australia are as follows -
Single Steer - 6000kg Single Steer with "Super Single tyres (tread width greater than 375mm)" - 6500kg Twin steer w/o load sharing suspension - 10000kg Twin steer with load sharing suspension - 11000kg Single drive or trailer axle - 9000kg (Super single or dual) Tandem drive or trailer axle - 16500kg (Super single or dual) Triple drive or trailer axle - 20000kg (Super single or dual)
Also a modified triple axle combination (such as having a blown tyre) is automatically dropped to 15000kg.
Heights. Standard maximum height nationally is 4.3m. Car-carrying trucks or livestock trucks are allowed to go to 4.6m.
All these figures are standard nationally but enforced by state based organisations (RTA, TransportSA etc.). All these rules are enforced by persons of the relevant agency stationed in "checking stations" on most highway routes. They also enforce the filling out of log book information, and although they are not police officers are permitted to fine drivers for breaches.
Also the road access for multi trailer combinations is restricted to those routes listed in a "gazette" published annually, available from the state agency relevant to the area. Double road trains, triple road trains, b-doubles and b-triples all have seperate gazettes.
Quad axle groups have recently been approved for use in South Australia but Im unsure as to their weight allowance etc.
There are various rules regarding the transport of "oversize" loads but I dont think i need to go into them for this article. Also the licensing for Dangerous goods transport in australia is common nationally but im not really sure about it. You have do a course and get a DG licence, and hold an "AIP passport" but I dont know much about that.
Lengths: Standard semi trailer length is 19m. B double is 25m or 26m with a FUPS system and some other modifications. roadtrains go up to 54m or so but we can jsut refer to the page for road trains for that.
If you want any more info just ask. :-)
Whitfan ( talk) 00:47, 27 February 2008 (UTC)
I'm not the OP, but the part on Australian driving hours is also incorrect.
It says you're allowed 14 hours driving in a 24 hour period. That's not entirely true. In my copy of the National driver log book, it's 14 hours WORKING, (includes loading/unloading, cleaning and maintaing truck etc), and a maximum of 12 hours of actual driving. So, the 14 hour thing includes pretty much all truck related activities, and you have to spend the remaining 10 hours not doing work. —Preceding
unsigned comment added by
124.187.200.67 (
talk)
07:35, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
Why are truck drivers often portrayed as killers and rapists? In movies, many killers are truck drivers. Why is that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.94.186.41 ( talk) 11:19, 19 June 2008 (UTC)
I just found this story from the LA Times - FBI database links long-haul truckers, serial killings - which seems to suggest that the aforementioned question by Anon isn't far from the truth. Very interesting deveopment which might prove a useful addition to this article. According to the article: "We don't want to scare the public and make it seem like every time you stop for gas you should look over your shoulder ... Many of these victims made poor choices, but that doesn't mean they deserved to die." -- ErgoSum88 ( talk) 15:27, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
In the article's history, there is a list that got lost somewhere in the last 6 months: diff. -- User:Docu
Completely missing, unless you want to confuse slang w/ culture. US trucking is Southern, and ex-military; you adapt to them: "I can't believe that I am driving with a Yankee."
Euro trucking must be an interesting mix, and Euro truckers seem to like to camp more than hang at truck stops. Canadian trucking is similar to US trucking, except Canada has no "South," and I bet Australian trucking is likewise similar. I noticed that Australian trucks are largely American brands.-- John Bessa ( talk) 14:20, 15 December 2009 (UTC)
I believe that an American trucker's life expectancy is ten years less than the average American.-- John Bessa ( talk) 14:28, 15 December 2009 (UTC)
I believe that 30% of American truckers are women.-- John Bessa ( talk) 14:28, 15 December 2009 (UTC)
The health section needs to be rewritten. It is specific to Australia, and contains irrelevant speculation such as the belief that many drivers push themselves to the limit -- in spite of the hours of service limitations described elsewhere in the article. I was a truck driver myself, and while I won't claim truckers don't ever drive while fatigued, I think it is much less common than it was 30-40 years ago. Regardless of my beliefs, there was no source for this statement, nor was it really relevant to the section, which focuses on health, not hours of service. -Stian ( talk) 21:12, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
Since someone put an empty section for vehicle visual signalling, I've written a separate article for it. Since I'm driving in Europe only, anyone living in US, Australia or Asia is welcome to expand it —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lasombra bg ( talk • contribs) 09:37, 19 May 2011 (UTC)
It would be good to find a reliable source to document what many of us already know; namely, that reefer drivers frequently receive backhauls of dry goods to avoid extensive deadheading.
The section on wages/compensation seems to consist primarily of undocumented opinion.
75.252.119.134 ( talk) 01:21, 25 September 2011 (UTC)
The Compensation/Wages should appear as a main topic. I recommend moving it to Topic 5 and adjusting subsequent topic numbers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Driverpatriot ( talk • contribs) 23:59, 1 January 2012 (UTC)
Update: Absent any objections to my above proposal, I have undertaken a reorganization of the article. Steps include making 'Driver Compensation/wages' a stand-alone section and revising the outline of the Compensation/wages' section. To address the author's original intent of highlighting challenges related to compensation, I propose including a section under the topic 'truck driver problems' titled "Unpaid work time." This section can address all sorts of unpaid work time, including as it relates to short miles (which is what the original author appears to have set out to accomplish.) Driverpatriot ( talk) 16:52, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
I have made several contributions to the article (more to come) and removed the "globalization" and "refimprove" tags. There are 195 countries (196 with Taiwan) in the world, the articles does have some global perspectives, so this tag is unwarranted and unfair. The refimprove tag was a career dated tag so if it is deemed warranted current inclusion should be with specifics. Otr500 ( talk) 08:49, 7 April 2012 (UTC)
There is a lot of incorrect and/or outdated information. Statistics are clearly dated. There should be more up to date statistics available. Healthier food is becoming more available at truck stops, and food carried on trucks may more frequently have been purchased at Wal-Marts, many of which allow a few truck short term parking at edges. Some Wal-Marts actually have dedicated spaces for trucks near the Automotive entrance. Find sources and reference for this. There also seems to be considerable opinion expressed in the article, even at this stage of editing. Hours of Service is incorrect - US DOT allows up to 70 hours in 8 days of combined on-duty not driving and driving hours. Shift or daily maximum is 11 hours driving with 14 consecutive hours following 10 consecutive hours of off-duty and/sleeper berth. All these can be referenced with the latest edition of the FMCS book. As for obesity, health issues, etc., more current information is needed. While obesity is still more common, the number of fit drivers seems significantly higher than expressed here. The DOT medical certification process restricts drivers with serious medical conditions. The section on driver health needs to be overhauled. Also some information could be separated into different articles, or may already be duplicated in existing articles. Refiner ( talk) 17:41, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
I've moved the following comments from the top of the Talk page into the body of the outline:
the Safety section of this article is insane —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.74.18.181 ( talk) 02:52, 28 April 2011 (UTC)
"A truck driver (Commonly called a trucker, driver or teamster in the United States and Canada, a truckie or ute driver in Australia and New Zealand"
Now, I've lived in New Zealand my entire life, my father was a trucker, and I spent a good part of my childhood on the road with him, and I've never ever heard the term "ute driver."
Has the person who added that even been to New Zealand?
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.234.252.254 ( talk) 09:14, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
Would a UTE driver be one who has a personal/recreational pick-up or SUV, not a commercial/pro driver? Njbob ( talk) 06:49, 4 July 2008 (UTC)
Driverpatriot ( talk) 17:43, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
This section was headed 'Drivers work hours'. This section deals with government regulations of drivers' work hours. "Hours Regulations" is a broad-enough heading to encompass those regulations, whatever they're called in their respective jurisdictions. Driverpatriot ( talk) 17:47, 11 March 2013 (UTC)
Types: There are three types of truck drivers but the section is confusing and with errors as it is a little complicated. Not to mention there are no references.
Paid by the load: The content states Getting paid by percentage is the preferred way of business among veteran drivers and owner-operators. Typical percentage among owner-operators pulling flatbed trailers is between 85-90 percent of line haul being paid to the driver. Additionally the driver may receive 100 percent of fuel surcharges and fees for extra pickups or drops or for tarping loads.. This article title is "Truck driver". The above sentence mixes an owner/operator (a driver that owns his/her truck) and a simple truck driver with among veteran drivers and owner-operators. A truck driver, per the lead, "is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck". A "veteran driver" can be any driver but an owner-operator is a driver that owns his/her own truck.
There is no driver shortage in the US. Large companies such as Swift, Werner, US Xpress, and Western Express engage in a practice of hiring inexperienced drivers, training them at "Approved" schools, keeping them 6 moths and then actively encouraging them to quit. None of the large companies want experience drivers. The reason is simple economics.
The US Manpower Development and Training Act of 1962 provided funds to train drivers. This has come to abused as corporations only interested in profits tend to do. Here is the "Scam" for lack of a better word.
Wannabe driver calls BFI (Bottom Feeder Inc. a derogatory term for the big trucking companies) and asks about becoming Billy Big Rigger. The recruiter (Pretty much a well paid professional liar) will fill the neophytes head with 45,000 bucks a year and .38 cents per mile after training and $600 a week for training. The Liar then says there is a $1000 sign on bonus. So Billy agrees and sets a school start date.
At the "Approved School" Billy discovers that he has to sign a "Promissory Note" to pay back the training costs if his employment lasts less than 12 months. This figure is usually somewhere between $3500 and $7500. All the while the USMDTA pays BFI $5658 to train this driver. 3 1/2 weeks later our hero has his CDL. Next up is orientation at the closest terminal.
At orientation Billy gets the boom lowered on his head. He is getting $250 for orientation and the $600 has dropped to $350 and the sign on bonus will be paid $100 a week for 10 weeks AFTER he gets his truck. 4 days later orientation is over, but there are no available trainer trucks. Billy now starts spending money to wait. 1 week later he in on a truck with a supposed human being that can best be described as "Crusty". Crusty is paid $250 of the $600 Billy was promised for training, and Crusty is not interested in the least in teaching Billy how to run the truck, just drive it. Crusty is using Billy's log to make a lot of extra money that Billy will never see. Crusty has been at the company 7 months and is a very angry person with bad hygiene habits. In fact Crusty was a N00B just 8 months ago.
Billy somehow survives the horror, and finally get his own truck. He gets a 2012 Freightliner Cascadia with 353,500 on the clock and a demolished interior. His first week with his own truck is spent in the shop fixing what the last driver wantonly destroyed. He is now wondering if he made a terrible mistake.
After six months of 3000 mile weeks, the BFI gets the funds from the government and immediately drops Billy's miles to 1800 or less a week. The BFI then proceeds to tell him that he has to train other drivers to get more miles. Eventually the mileage drops to less than 1000 and billy is deeply in debt. He has to quit prior to the 12 months in the promissory note. Even if he had not quit, the BFI would have fired him for "Failure to Produce" before his 12 months were up. Now Billy has no job is upwards of $15,000 in debt and has no prospects as the BFI reported a "Driver Abandon" on his DAC.
Welcome to the world of truck driving in the United States. Now multiply this by 120 N00B's a week and multiply that by 12 and that is the number of people ripped off per week by the big companies, now you understand why the "Driver Shortage" is total Bull poop. Bjbeardse ( talk) 20:31, 18 March 2016 (UTC)
Is "commonly referred to...teamster" quite right? Aren't you confusing the job (sitting in a wagon behind horses) with the union? Should you use the word sort of out of context, or just lose it? Sammy D III ( talk) 22:12, 5 September 2016 (UTC)
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I am finding good reason to argue that the section "Paid by the mile" needs to be changed to "Paid by the kilometre". Wikipedia is a website used world wide, there are only 3 countries in the world that continue to use the imperial system, while there are 191 countries that use the metric system, and 1 country that uses a mix of both. As a percentage, a mere 1.5% use imperial. Therefore for the sake of ease for the other 98% using metric, any reference to the imperial system should be changed to the metric system. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Scraginses ( talk • contribs) 12:24, 15 January 2019 (UTC)
Hello Williams Lana ( talk) 10:22, 16 April 2019 (UTC)
Text and references copied from Truck to Truck driver, See former article's history for a list of contributors. 7&6=thirteen ( ☎) 19:36, 17 April 2019 (UTC)
In June 2022 a merge of Teamster into this article was proposed.
The article is suitably referenced, with inline citations. It has reliable sources, and any important or controversial material which is likely to be challenged is cited.There is at least one inline "Citation needed" tag from Jan 2015.
The article is reasonably well-written(#4). Can't give a pass when the article has an Oct 2010 "factual accuracy" tag and is in need of updating. -- Otr500 ( talk) 03:25, 13 February 2023 (UTC)
Car Drive 196.190.61.199 ( talk) 15:21, 12 April 2024 (UTC)