Trucker Dump - A Trucking Podcast

Well, it finally happened; I was going to run out of time on my e-logs before I got to my destination. What would happen? Find out in today's podcast. But before that happens, I tell you a few examples of how e-logs are affecting my efficiency and performance as a driver. There are links to my first two podcasts/blog posts on e-logs, "Fear and Loathing of Electronic Logs" and "E-logs: My First Impression," and three of my Twitter buds are mentioned, @Dean0806, @DroidTrucker, and @darkstaff. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

Today's podcast is brought to you by a bone-headed rookie mistake that I made the first day I had my electronic logs. I tell you that story and how e-logs affected the situation. I also tell you what happened during my e-log training session. Good times. Uh-huh. If you missed the first installment about my "Fear and Loathing of Electronic Logs," you may want to check that out before you meander into this one. And once again, @Dean0806, a.k.a. Dean Vader gets another mention for his helping me understand e-logs. There will be a couple of videos of different e-log units if I can remember to post them. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

This one was prompted by a run-in with a police officer who can only be described as a giant jerk. Well, that is without having to put the "Explicit" tag on the show. In order to explain why I ended up in this predicament, I briefly explain how the 70-hour rule and the 34-hour restart rules work. You'll learn what double-booking is, and we'll wind it up by explaining how all these factions work against each other. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

Are you ready for another story? Well, I picked up one of my stranded fellow company drivers the other day and it prompted me to cover this topic. So if truckers are on the road all the time, should they own a home? What do most truckers do? Find out in today's podcast. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

I've been pretty darn frustrated with some of the changes that have been happening at my company. In today's podcast, I share those concerns through a letter that I wrote to the safety director at my company. The names have been changed to protect the innocent… and my job. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein.

Hang on as we discuss the dispatch process and I go on a mini-rant about "verbal" dispatches. In the end you'll hear what makes a good dispatcher and how to kill a bad one if it becomes necessary. In the feedback section, I mention @darkstaff's Tumblr page. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

Welcome to another whine-fest. Boy, do I have to be careful with the way I have to say things today. In the course of the podcast, I happen to mention Twitter friends, @Dean0806 and @raysunshine77, the "Sucking It Up" podcast/blog, TruckDriversNews.com, and believe it or not, Sesame Street. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

Electronic On-Board Recorders, or EOBR's are to the trucking industry what the Black Box is to the airlines. So why are so many drivers ticked off about them? Is there anything to fear? Find out in today's podcast. Links mentioned in the podcast are: An OOIDA article on the myth of "driver fatigue" The "Truckers Get Lost" podcast/blog" Wikipedia's explanation of EOBR's An article from TheTrucker.com about making EOBR's mandatory The "Fear and Loathing of Electronic Logs" podcast/blog Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

You'd think if any industry would be good at supplying driving directions, it would be the trucking industry. You'd be wronger than actually using the word "wronger" in a sentence. Today I give you the "do's and don'ts" of providing good directions. We also discuss GPS, Google Maps, and map-reading. Trucker or not, you can benefit from this podcast. Also mentioned is the "Trucking in the Northeast" podcast/blog. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

As the title suggests, this one is all about the pros and cons of driving at night. And in case I forget to mention it in the podcast, "There's less traffic at night." There is also a brief explanation of why there is a TD53.5 on the blog, but not a podcast version. That is if you give a rat's patooty. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

Alright. If you are considering truck driving as a profession, this is a must-listen-to podcast. Seriously. I'm also hoping all you non-truckers will take the time to listen to it. I have absolutely no doubt that it'll make you stop and think. And in doing so, maybe you'll show a little consideration the next time you encounter a big rig trying to switch lanes or make it around a tight corner. Trust me, this isn't a pity party. It's simply a long list of things that most non-truckers take for granted. The "Why I Do This" podcast is mentioned in passing. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

This podcast largely involves me whining and coveting @WilsonHines life. Yes, it's sad and pathetic, but there you have it. It all comes from the fact that I've been trying to get off the road for years and Wilson managed to beat me to it. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

August 19th is my birthday, so that means you've got to give me something. In this podcast, I list a whole bunch of Twitter friends and "demand" them to fork over one of their outstanding traits. Are you on the list? There are too dang many links to mention here, so if you want to find out more about these awesome peeps, just go to the blog site and click away. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

In today's podcast, I battle my fear of electronic logs by enlisting a Twitter friend, @Dean0806 who's already been using e-logs for a while. He helps us understand how his system works and explains that each trucking company can set up the system differently. He also addresses some of my fears. Mentioned in the podcast is Jason from the Truck Driver's News Web site, the guy who graciously (or stupidly) let me guest post on his site. Also briefly mentioned is my love of Planners, as explained in the podcast called, "When Planners Don't." Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

No matter where you go (especially in the trucking world), there always seems to be someone with the potential to annoy the living crap out of you. This is especially true when it comes to driver orientations when starting a new job. Oddly enough, this truism was shattered this time around… or was it? I also give you a handy tip that will undoubtedly make your next (or first) driver orientation more tolerable. And I also have a visitor in the introduction of the show. Everyone say hello to Fred. In the feedback section, I mention frequent commenter, @helmetorheels blog site, appropriately named, "Helmet or Heels: I'm Comfortable in Either!" Check it out. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

We all have the tendency to think our lives stink at times. Sometimes we need something to happen in order to put things in perspective. This is one of those times. I tell the story of meeting a brand new husband-wife team and the horrible experience they've been having. I also happen to be in the middle of a job change, so that's always fun. And there's a quick reference to a Twitter friend, @diesel_lady within the podcast. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

The trucking world isn't exactly what I'd call "sanitary." Three things happened over the course of 24 hours that should help you understand what we truckers are dealing with out here. This story is a real doozy. As you may have guessed from the name Trucker Dump, I'm really in my element when the topic is bathroom humor. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

Lucinda read the blog post called "Go to Bed Angry" and wrote in to ask for advice on riding along with her trucker-husband after the kids are out of the house. I realized two things: 1.) This was going to be long enough to constitute its own podcast and, 2.) I didn't know enough about this subject to answer the question. Therefore, I called upon two Twitter friends, Patricia Powers (@luv18wheels) and Sabrina (no longer on Twitter) to give Lucinda some advice. I also discuss some of the differences between being a company driver and the different types of owner/operators. Thanks to Ray Lawson (@Lawsonbulk) for his help with the owner/operator stuff. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

Today's podcast was hard to record. This is by far my most emotional podcast to date. Prepare yourself for "The Split." Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?

Being stuck in a truck with someone for weeks at a time is hard. And that makes finding a good co-driver a challenge. Even if you've got a willing spouse, they may or may not be your best bet. So who does make a good team driver? That's what we're discussing today. And how to avoid bludgeoning them while they're sleeping after you find one. Got a second to Rate and/or Review the podcast? Download the intro/outro songs for free! courtesy of Walking On Einstein. Mystery Feedback Song - Only a cheater would click this before listening to the podcast! You aren't a cheater, are you?