Stupid things we have done

[RichM]

How about we start a thread about some of the stupidest things we have done on the road.

I'll start, a few years ago we were in Boston and got a great run to Seattle Wa with a 2 million dollar computer for Microsoft.

We left Boston at around 2 on a Saturday and started across,about 1800 I stopped for fuel on the NY Thruway at Exit 25 where there are 2 truckstops. I will not reveal the name. I decided to only get about 30 gallons which would get me into Ohio where fuel was quite a bit cheaper. I turned on both pumps,put 15 gallons in the driver side tank,stopped that hose, and put about 15 gallons in the passenger side tank. I then put the hose back in the main pump and went in to pay. The place was virtually empty so I did something which I have never done. I left the truck sitting in the fuel island while we went in to eat.
When we came out I asked my wife to drive for a while.She got behind the wheel and I went in on the passenger side. She drove to Rochester where I took over.

I was approaching Buffalo when a flatbed passed me and was pointing to the rear of the truck.He called on the Radio and set you have something hanging down and sparking. Sure enopugh I looked in the bottom of the mirror and could see sparks fly up. I slowed down not having a clue thinking maybe something from the lift gate is dragging. I went through the Buffalo toll booths and pulled over. My wife wanted to know what was wrong and I told her something is dragging. I got out and looked and couldn't help but to start laughing.. I had never hung up the satelilte hose and when we pulled away it pulled out of the pump and we dragged it 250 miles across NY. I didn't know what to do ,so I just left it on the side.

I figured it was pretty obvious which was the last truck to use that pump but I never heard a thing about it..

 

[SillySafetyGirl]

Rich,

I've left my gas cap on the pump before, but have never taken the hose with me!

That was entirely too funny!

Silly

 

[RobA]

>When we came out I asked my wife to drive for a while.She
>got behind the wheel and I went in on the passenger side.
>She drove to Rochester where I took over.

>I was approaching Buffalo when a flatbed passed me and was
>pointing to the rear of the truck.>
>I figured it was pretty obvious which was the last truck to
>use that pump but I never heard a thing about it..



Rich: I think you were fortunate that YOU were driving when it was finally noticed. I'm sure your wife wouldn't have appreciated a "dumb woman driver" comment about something that was your fault!

 

[LDB]

A few months ago I pulled in and parked in the lot to go inside for a burger. It was a national chain truckstop. I looked out my window and the truck next to me had the filler nozzle in the passenger side tank. As I walked in I looked at the pumps. The pump closest to the door was missing the nozzle. I told the manager at the fuel desk. He said that saved them $60. I don't think they even told the driver but just retrieved it and replaced it. The manager said it's all on quick disconnect now so it's far easier and cheaper to repair than it used to be when the entire hose was gone. Knock on wood but I haven't done that yet, just leave the cap off about once every 6 weeks.

Leo
truck 4958

Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[davekc]

I have done that as well. It seems when it happens it is either 10 degrees below zero, or raining like crazy.
Davekc

 

[Dark_0ne]

I love the chains that hold the gas cap in place. 400 miles once before I noticed and quietly put it back on, all the while hoping no one else had noticed LOL.

 

[raceman]

I am not sure there is enough space on here for me to list all the stupid things I have done. They start with thinking a Fleet Ownership was a good idea and they go from there.

I loaded at P&G one time and it was really raining so I ran from the dock to the seat slammed the door belted up, log booked my moves, hit the defroster, and pulled away. In the mirror I see two guys on the dock waiving so I give em a blast on the air horn and keep on moving. I get to a light and get a couple more waves and I wave back. I finally turned on the CB as I neared the on ramp and the guy a few cars and trucks back says, hey short SH%4, your barn doors open. Oh wow!. Good thing it was diapers. Lot of water from the sky and road.

I picked up at some container place and was docked between two T/T so I was trying to be cool with my backing and smooth with everything I did. I could see the typical smerks from these guys because of the little truck. You know the crap you get from some of them. Well I was spot on with everything I did. Went to pull out and there seemed to be more weight than I expected. So I dropped her into granny and hit it again. Guess what I forgot? The damn chulk. Yep pulled right over it though. Got a Nice Going Big Boy from one of those two on the CB. Oh well.

There is plenty more but I will stop there for now.


Raceman
OTR O/O

 

[terryandrene]

It seems that most of the stupid moves are related to fuel and my most stupid expedite moment was no exception.

It was after midnight during a lengthy run when Rene' and I pulled up to the four wheeler pumps at a Flying J to fuel our nearly empty diesel Ford van. I was not only low on fuel but low on mental acuity as I topped off my tank with the best unleaded gas available. As I hung up the nozzle, I realized the error of my ways and immediately went into a panic mode. What to do in a strange town after midnight. After settling my nerves, I scouted out the maintenance man and sought his help in solving my dilemma. He made some calls but no place local was open that could help me drain my tank. I was running out of the time I had built up on the run and the clock is now becoming my enemy.

Then, the Manager emerged and I asked him if he had an oily water separater into which I could drain the gasoline. He said "no problem, drive to the far end of the big truck pumps and drain into the grated duct running around the perimeter of the pump island. I figured I had enough diesel in the filters and lines to drive around the corner to the fuel islands. While siphoning the tank with a garden hose section, the smell of the 30 gallons of gas was so noxious, I was relieved that no other trucks were present to see what the idiot van driver was doing at their pumps. It was an easy matter to fill my empty tank at the diesel island and be on my way.

I suspect the truth be known, many diesel vans have had similar experiences.

 

[merkurfan]

Well.. I came close to gas in the diesel. Swiped my card at the pump, grabbed the unleaded nozzle almost put it in the hole when I realized what I was doing.

 

[redytrk]

Oh it is painfull to relieve some of these moments.

Way back when I was running a Diesel van I too started filling with gasoline. The nice fuel attendent noticed what I was doing and ran out to stop me.

I remembered that some times "BigRig" drivers will add some gasoline in winter. This caused me to belive I could blend the two. Since I was able to switch between two tanks,I would only switch to this tank for about 10 minutes every half hour.

Believe it or not it worked with no apparent problems.

 

[LDB]

I haven't btdt yet so I don't have the tshirt but it's been on my mind since looking at that Aerocell. I'll have to figure out some variation of the measure twice cut once theory for pumps with gas/diesel mixed.

Leo
truck 4958

Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[Lawrence]

Rich,

Oh man - all these years and I have never heard that story. Oh man that is too funny! At least we can laugh now...

Great topic!

Lawrence,
Expediters Online.com


Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.

If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

A billion Chinese can't be wrong, eat rice.

Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.



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[raceman]

Here is my latest. Just did this yesterday morning.

Delivering bulk junk mail from printer to Post Offices. Most POs are very small at the dock area and have Mail Jeeps parked all around the dock as well. It always takes some work to get backed into one.

Got to my stop yesterday with my big ole Freightliner that has swing doors which I usally, along with dock workers, just love because of the extra room. This was going to take some work to get into. I actually went in and asked if they would be moving any of the mail trucks soon. The guy said "no most drivers pull into that little hole over there and then just wiggle a while to get in."

Well about 15 minutes later I was in nice and tight against the dock. I must have turned the wheel a 1000 times. Shifted from reverse to first another 1000. I got out proud as a peacock and the guy said "How we gonna get the mail outta that box?" I forgot to open the doors and pulling forward was not the answer.

I said a number of things I would not even say in a truck stop before getting back in and starting all over. Man did I feel small.


Raceman
OTR O/O

 

[merkurfan]

My last carrier hauled a lot of junk mail from Chicago to Minneapolis. When I used their truck it had a roll up door. When I bought my own it had swing doors. I backed right up to many hard to get in to docks in my new truck with out opening the doors...

I think I did it 6 or 7 times.. And my old mack did not turn on a dime, it was more like a 8th mile race track. (she swung wide.. really wide)..

 

[Finn777]

The first time I ever backed into a dock with a dock lock. I asked the dock guy how it worked, He said "The hook will come up and grab your bar".So I went backwards and forwards for who knows how many times and nothing.Went back inside and informed the guy the "hook" was not working."O yes it is he replied I used it on the truck before you let me see,and proceeded to press the button that locked the bar" Presto" There was about Three other drivers there who thought that I must be One slice short of a Loaf of Bread. I Could not wait to get rid of that load and get out of there.x(

 

[theoldprof]

I didn't do it, but I saw it. Couple days ago while driving past the local Co-op I saw the fork truck driver had lost a bag of something off his forks. Instead of lowering the forks, he stopped the truck and left the forks up about chest high and picked up the heavy bag of material and struggled to heft the bag back up on the skid. This is a prime example of "work harder, not smarter.

I said I didn't do it....... yet.

Thanks. :+ :+

 

[FlameMerc]

All of these stories are about gas being put into diesel. How about this one. I went on vacation with my old car club. We were about 40 miles out of Memphis, when we needed GAS. All of these cars are Full Custom Radical Painted Cars. So they grab a lot of attention.

When we got off I-40 A Trucker came on the CB and said about My Buddys Car. " Thats a Bad M#$@ER, and I came back and said I don't think it said that on the side of that car. ( All of our cars have some kind of Name on them.) It scared my buddy, because we were in a truck stop,and what I said got the other drivers going on the CB. So we all gased up,and most of us took about the same amount of gas. So we were compareing prices. When he came up and said he got the same amount of gas we did,but paid a lot less for it. we all joked and said what did you buy diesel?

Well we got back on the road and the guy following him said , Hey I smell Diesel. we all laughed, and as we hit the ramp his car started to smoke big time. We made it to Memphis where he drained his tank. We all still call him Diesel Dave. ..Butch