now, thats real life

[ki4ned]

im graduating school next saturday(roadmaster orlando), im going to orientation for 2 or 3 days (with werner) and have to do 275 hours of training. how is it if i want to take my 707 with me? i know i have to have a cb radio, because dispatch is on cb, is the company putting in a cb for me or do i have to buy one? whats about antennas?, no guys, im not going to be 10-4 good buddy, but the money isnt that bad. so thats not a troll, every idea is welcome.

73

christoph

[W4BD]

KI4NED

Well I will bet money that the Company isn't going to put you a CB radio in the truck or that the truck will even have an antenna mounted.

Get yourself a couple of phased antennas for 11M and make a mount using "VISEGRIPS" and clip them on your mirror mounts on each side. As for you ham rig do the same thing excep use a lip mount seperated from the 11M antennas or even a mag mount. You could use 2 mag mounts for the 11M and visegrip your HF antenna to the mirror mounting.

Keep it between the ditches and the Bear off your As*.

73's

[N2RJ]

Hello

Congratulations.
Now time to learn arabic.
Talk to cowthief. You'll make lots of money! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[W5HTW]

You're sure "dispatch is on CB?" Not the experience my step son had, driving for Werner. They use Nextel PTT systems, but dispatch is on the satellilte. I seriously doubt Werner uses CB for any kind of dispatching. They may, though, have trucks with CB radios already installed, which is common.

As to your ham radio, I also doubt you will be permitted that during your training period. Once you have completed that, you will be assigned a truck, and you MAY be able to install a ham radio.

I think you may be misinformed. In fact, I don't know of ANY trucking company, even local only, that use CB for dispatching. However, a good many truck drivers use Nextel LIKE a CB.

Good luck in your new career.

Ed

[ki4ned]

[QUOTE]I think you may be misinformed. In fact, I don't know of ANY trucking company, even local only, that use CB for dispatching. However, a good many truck drivers use Nextel LIKE a CB.
[QUOTE]well i read on the truckerforum.com, they said that dispatch is on cb, when you pull into the dock, i gues i will see?? any truckers here on the big z???

[ka5piu]

Hello.

Werner uses the Qualcomm omnitracs system for long haul dispatching, but for yard work, things like your load is ready, is done with CB radios.
Also, most larger shippers and receivers use the CB, everything from when to go in and what dock to bump to getting a lumper.
The CB radio is also important for things like traffic information as well as directions to truck friendly restaurants and the like.
The other thing that will help you is a copy of PC miler.
This is the truckers version of a mapping program, complete with low bridges and limited access routes.
And, you will find that quite a few hams are a pain in the arse when they find out that you are a driver who is also a ham, so keep it under your hat, at least until you are sure of that person, and even than, do not give that person anything that will ID your truck.
Keep Amateur Radio and your job apart.
Trust me, you will be happier in the long run.

[KA9VQF]

Years ago I was once a bigtimeproffessionalovertheroad longhaultruckdriver.

I only worked for Werner for a short time. Maybe it was because I had already put several zillion miles in with other companies but I was on the road for them within three days of my application and became a “Certified trainer” later that week when they had me pickup another driver in Texas to bring him to an abandoned rig in Kansas so he could bring it into the yard.

Every now and again they would have me pickup someone else and I would get the trainer pay in my next check for however many days they had been with me.

I preferred to drive solo. Usually I was putting in the kind of miles that a really good team would. Illegal as hell but there were no electronic logbooks at the time so you could get away with a lot.

It took me a few years to figure out that being a truck driver was not a job for a fellow who was married and wanted to stay that way.

Your mileage may vary.

Many truck companies are deathly afraid to let you have anything but the company installed radios in your rig. Riley and co have actually been cracking down on “export” 10/11 M radios. Complete with big fines to the company for these illegal radios.

The company my cousin drives for these days has a policy of no non company radios in their rigs that extended to his XM satellite radio. He finally got permission but he has to carry a piece of paper from the company to have it.

Although he is not a ham, he tells me that there are several who drive for the company that are and they so far have not been permitted even a 2M rig. This has not stopped some of them but they are careful to remove any trace of the ‘offending radios’ before they get to the yard.

There have been a few drivers that have been “given the opportunity to find other employment more fitting to their abilities” because they had an HF rig in the truck when it was inspected.

The few months I drove for Werner, years ago, there was no restriction on what I wanted to put in the truck for radio. I am sure this has changed. My best guess is there will be some POC CB like maybe a Cobra 19 and a pair of co phased antenna mounted already. Also the company policy will probably limit your ability to use your own rig of any kind be it a better CB or anything else.

I have seen a resurgence of sorts locally in CB antenna being mounted on new cars, trucks and even motorcycles. I have not heard much more traffic on the band lately tho. I wonder why folks would go to the bother of mounting an antenna if they don’t have a radio to go with it but if they do have a radio in the car they don’t seem to be using it, at least not locally. Maybe it is for when they take trips or something.

When I was driving for a living most of the places I went to used CB’s to call the drivers and assign them to a door for unloading. I’d be willing to bet that they still do. I know that at the place I work now they use cell phones instead.

There is a sign at the entrance gate with our number posted on it, the driver is to call and leave their number {if receiving is busy} or are given instructions when they call.

On the rare occasion that the driver doesn’t have a cell phone there is a wired intercom only phone in a box near the gate.

Be sure to do all your paper work, if they offered you perdium <sp> or any other “bonus” pay incentives be sure they inform you of what forms need to be filled out and that you have them in hand when you are on the road. That was why I left them. I was supposed to get $10.00 an hour if I had to wait longer than 8 hours to be loaded or unloaded. I turned in the paperwork every time this happened and never saw a dime of it. Also if I had a multi drop load I was to get $10.00 for each drop after the first one. Again never saw any of that money.

Hopefully you will like driving and will get all the money due to you for the job.

Remember to do the progressive shifting thing {if you keep the turbo whistling and the exhaust cackling and both ‘sound happy’ you will be getting good fuel economy} and don’t idle anymore than you have to.

[nq6v]

New rigs come with intrigal co pased mounts, and wired and coaxed for C.B. It is too useful to be ignored. Most stops and pickup locations use C.B. to tell drivers where and when to pull up to a dock. Many truckstop scales use it to talk to drivers. nd DOT staffed scales to talk to drivers being weighrd. And many highway cops have then to talk to drivers when they observe a violation. I find the cops with then issue fewer tickets to drivers and more to 4 wheelers.

And when that rig is riding my dot bar, i just tell him to back off a bit or go around.

ZAnd let us not forget the road rage. It tgets colorful.

[W0UZR]

Quote[/b] (ki4ned @ Aug. 25 2007,19:20)]im graduating school next saturday(roadmaster orlando), im going to orientation for 2 or 3 days (with werner) and have to do 275 hours of training. how is it if i want to take my 707 with me? i know i have to have a cb radio, because dispatch is on cb, is the company putting in a cb for me or do i have to buy one? whats about antennas?, no guys, im not going to be 10-4 good buddy, but the money isnt that bad. so thats not a troll, every idea is welcome.

73

christoph
Quote[/b] ]I'm graduating school next saturday(roadmaster orlando), I'm going to orientation for 2 or 3 days (with werner) and have to do 275 hours of training. how is it if I want to take my 707 with me? I know I have to have a cb radio, because dispatch is on cb, is the company putting in a cb for me or do I have to buy one? what's about antennas?, no guys, I'm not going to be 10-4 good buddy, but the money isn't that bad. so that's not a troll, every idea is welcome.

I fixed your post

You say you are just graduating? I guess school is WAY different now daze than when I was there......

[KA9VQF]

Quote[/b] (w0uzr @ Aug. 26 2007,05:04)]Quote[/b] (ki4ned @ Aug. 25 2007,19:20)]im graduating school next saturday(roadmaster orlando), im going to orientation for 2 or 3 days (with werner) and have to do 275 hours of training. how is it if i want to take my 707 with me? i know i have to have a cb radio, because dispatch is on cb, is the company putting in a cb for me or do i have to buy one? whats about antennas?, no guys, im not going to be 10-4 good buddy, but the money isnt that bad. so thats not a troll, every idea is welcome.

73

christoph
Quote[/b] ]I'm graduating school next saturday(roadmaster orlando), I'm going to orientation for 2 or 3 days (with werner) and have to do 275 hours of training. how is it if I want to take my 707 with me? I know I have to have a cb radio, because dispatch is on cb, is the company putting in a cb for me or do I have to buy one? what's about antennas?, no guys, I'm not going to be 10-4 good buddy, but the money isn't that bad. so that's not a troll, every idea is welcome.

I fixed your post

# # # # You say you are just graduating? #I guess school is #WAY #different now daze than when I was there......
I am willing to bet he is graduating from truck driving school.

[wz9o]

Was the dark of the moon, on the sixth of June
In a Kenworth, pullin' logs
Cabover Pete with a reefer on
And a Jimmy haulin' hogs
We 'as headin' fer bear on I-One-Oh
'Bout a mile outta Shaky-Town
I sez Pig-Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck
An' I'm about to put the hammer on down
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[kg4rqa]

I believe I'll just walk out to the pasture and shoot my bull in the butt with a BB gun!

[kg4yus]

Quote[/b] (W5HTW @ Aug. 25 2007,21:57)]#I seriously doubt Werner uses CB for any kind of dispatching. #
Werner uses CB, but not as a true dispatch.
Werner boasts a "company" Channell, 23 IRC. Some distribution poins will contact werenr drivers on the same "company" channell.

I knew a guy who drove for Werner for about 3 months. They screwed him on his pay bi-weekly for 2 of the 3 months. He was in the same boat, just graduated from Roadmaster Orlando, and "recruited" instantly by Werner. He though it was a pretty good deal but ion the end he knew he could've done better holding out for a company without all the hype and build you up promises.

Hope it works out for you, good luck.