Off On The Wrong Track

After twenty years of driving a truck, I thought I’d seen it all when it comes to crazy things in the trucking world. But a few weeks ago, I came across something new. Something I had definitely not seen before.

The weather was cold and a lot of trailer brakes were freezing up. A few of the newer drivers at my job had never experienced the joys of that and appeared to be having a difficult time of it. Actually, it’s really not that big of a problem. If the brakes are frozen, all it takes is a little rapping on the bottom of the drum with a hammer. But, if a guy doesn’t know that, or know exactly how and where to hit, it can be a nightmare. One guy apparently decided it was too much of a hassle and didn’t bother.

He made it out of the terminal fine. But as soon as he got to the county road where the ice gave way to dry pavement, he quickly blew two tires. It seems rubber doesn’t last long when skidding across the road.

I was on my way in, about two miles from the terminal, when I saw him sitting on the road. I stopped to see if he was okay, figuring he’d blown some tires. All this I’d seen before. Every winter someone does it. Usually, however, drivers do not stop and just sit there. We were on a narrow two-lane road with no shoulders. It was dark and he’d turned his lights off. Anyone coming around the corner would have a hard time seeing him.

I suggested he drive a half mile down the road to a big graveled lot and turn around. He’d already ruined the tires, it wasn’t going to hurt much to take the trailer back and get another one. Besides, he needed to get off the road.

But Mr. New Driver had other ideas. He thought it’d be better if he just backed all the way to the yard. Yeah, that sounded like a plan! Back two miles around corners, up and down a few hills, down a road with no painted lines, no shoulders, and a ditch on either side, while it’s dark. A new driver! Yeah, I didn’t want to be around for that!

I rolled my eyes, said okay, and drove on to the yard. I had another trip to make, so I switched trailers and headed back out. But I didn’t make it far. That same guy was blocking the road not too far from where I’d left him. At first, I thought he’d just gotten sideways but the closer I got, it was plain he had bigger problems.

Instead of backing all the way, he’d decided to use the railroad crossing to turn around. Yes, he’d backed the trailer off the road, down the tracks, then got the tires of his cab stuck in between the railroad ties. The rest of his cab was sprawled across the road, effectively blocking all traffic. He couldn’t move forward or backward. And now, instead of two blown tires, he had six.

Even more alarming was the guy’s suggestion that he get a ride with me and just leave his truck there—on the tracks! Our shop mechanic, who was on his way home, and I, both nixed that. It took over an hour and involved a chain and me towing the other truck but we did get the guy off the tracks and back to the yard.

Now for the kicker. While backing a truck to the yard from where the guy had stopped seemed like a bad idea, it is certainly not impossible. I know. I’ve done it. Twice. (No, I didn’t blow out my tires). Neither time was by choice. On both occasions, the train had derailed. Since that takes days to clean up, I was left with only one option: back up for two miles around corners, up and down a few hills, down a road with no painted lines, no shoulders, and a ditch on either side, in the dark. I made it just fine too. Of course, I didn’t try backing down the railroad tracks. Call me crazy but I’m pretty sure those were made for trains, not trucks!

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook and paperback on iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Diesel Books, and Smashwords, or at www.bruceabordersbooks.weebly.com. Amazon Profile - http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS. Bruce A. Borders also serves as the Vice-President of Rave Reviews Book Club.

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Backing Up

Unlike some truck drivers, I actually like backing up. The smaller the space and the more difficult the situation, the better. I just like the challenge. However, that wasn’t always the case. When I first started driving a truck, the first place I was sent served to create a lot of frustration and left me wondering why I ever decided to become a truck driver.

I’d arrived at my delivery destination just after sunup on a bright summer day. The dock I was supposed to back into was an inside recessed dock with no lights. Lights may seem unnecessary since it was daylight but, for those of you who may not know, the bright sun outside makes for a very dark hole inside. The end of the trailer disappears once it goes through the door. In effect, I was backing into a building blindly. To make matters worse, there was no room to get the truck and trailer lined up straight with the dock before backing up. And with the many smaller buildings, machinery, and piles of supplies all strategically placed in the way, I had to negotiate a virtual maze – with little room to spare. Somehow, they expected me to get the trailer backed into the dock and have it end up straight. But, as the guard pointed out, I was a “professional” driver.

I’m sure the dockworkers, and everyone else who gathered to watch, were not at all impressed by my lack of proficiency at my job, but they didn’t say anything. They all waited patiently until I’d finally gotten the trailer into position so they could unload it. Both their silence and patience were remarkable considering it took over an hour before I was done.

Of course, with practice, backing up became much easier and before long I looked forward to what the next challenge would be. After 10 hours or so of highway driving, backing into tight places was a welcomed change of pace.

With the driving job I have now, I don’t do much backing, usually only once a day. The nice thing is I don’t have to put the trailer into a particular spot, I can choose from any number of open slots. Some drivers might instinctively pick the easiest ones but I like to look for the most difficult. It provides something to test me and keeps me in practice.

Over the years, I have kept a mental list of some of my favorite backs. Generally, to make the list there needs to be not enough room and multiple turns involved. A real life labyrinth – in reverse. Yes, I do like backing up.

More than a year after that first backing fiasco, I was again sent to the same warehouse where I’d made my first delivery. For a long time, I’d wanted to return and was glad to finally have the chance to see if it was really all that difficult or not. To see if the months of practice of backing through small alleys and into docks made for much smaller trucks had paid off.

Conditions were nearly the same when I arrived – a bright, sunny, summer morning, the same obstacle course to maneuver through and a dark building to back into. The same guard was on duty and I recognized many of the same dockworkers. I hoped none of them remembered me. That dream was short lived as one of them instantly smiled and asked if I’d had any practice since I’d been there. I laughed and said, “I guess we’ll see.”

While they all waited, I got the truck into position and backed into the building, relying on feel when the back of the trailer disappeared. This time, in less than three minutes, I was ready to be unloaded. Apparently, at some point during the year, my truck had drastically shrunk. No one applauded or anything, but judging from their faces, I’d say they all were happy I’d learned to like backing up.

Bruce A. Borders, author and songwriter has over 500 songs and 9 books. Over My Dead Body, and The Journey, his latest books, are available on Apple I-Pad®, Amazon Kindle®, Barnes & Noble Nook® and Sony Reader®, Kobo, Diesel Books, and Smashwords. For more information, visit http://www.bruceaborders.com/. See Bruce’s Amazon Author Page at www.amazon.com/author/bruceaborders or view his Smashwords Profile at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BruceABorders