Something I had to figure out the hard way

[Critter Truckin]

Something hit me the other night... literally. I can't figure out the best way to tell you folks... so I thought that a blog type entry might do it...

Monday, March 17, 2008... really really late.

I learned today that the upper bunk doesn't care that your head is coming for it. I learned it by actually richoceting my cranium off said upper bunk. I also learned that the upper bunk doesn't care if you are letting it hear an expletive laced tirade. Which would then tell me, upper bunks don't have ears... or feelings, like my head.

It was dark, and I was just about to get to sleep while Laura was driving. So, as per usual, I told her good night, and crawled my way to the bed. As I sat down on the bed to get her something my head went SMACK against the upper bunk. I then followed up my starry eyed disbelief with a whole bunch of loud *%&* and &$^# and !@$% and finally, %&$*#. After peeling myself off the bottom bunk, and replying to Laura's "what happened?", I went back to the front, had a smoke, took a couple Aleve, and DUCKED before I went back to bed.

For those of you wondering, no I did not log any of that as on duty, not driving and 2... yes, my head still hurts and I have a lump behind my eyebrow. So much for the safety of the sleeper!!!

I said all that to ask this... What was your most painful and/or embarrassing lesson you've had to learn?

 

[jaminjim]

I have a lump behind my eyebrow.

Behind??

 

[Critter Truckin]

Yeah, as in, behind the hair on my eyebrow.

 

[jaymarquis1]

My most painful and embarasing moment was about 9 years ago. I was hauling horses for egbert horse transportation and we had 2 breeding studs in the nose of the trailer, and they had benn snorting and pawing at each other for about 1200 miles. so when we got to thier destination the first thing this stud sees is me that $#@*&^@ horse took a 2x3 inch chunk out of my arm and when I drew back too cold cock that $#@*&^@ horse my co-driver grabed my arm and said that stud is worth morth than you! so then I wanted to hit him.... But I dindt thankfuly were still friends

 

[TwoMotherTrkrs]

Mmmmm. What a GREAT topic, Critter, thanks. I gotta think about this one.

 

[jaminjim]

Critter asked: What was your most painful and/or embarrassing lesson you've had to learn?

Most guys I think would all have the same answer, Lets just say going from elastic banded pants to your first pair with a zipper.

 

[GoGrammaGo]

I think I have two that would have to be a tie.
The first one (pre trucking) was when my 6'5, 350 lb boss came to help me open a drawer at work. It was stuck so he put all he had into and gave it a big yank! It opened. The corner of it got me right in the pubic bone. And I hit the floor. Painful and embarrassing!
The second was the night before I went for my road test. Jay woke me up to ask me where something was. I was startled and sat up quite quickly, while bending to reach under the bed to get the something he was looking for. I smacked the middle of my forehead on the corner of the cupboard. I walked around with a lovely knot/cut on my head. The significance of it being the night before my road test...I had my picture taken for a new license and for the next 4 years I have a picture to remind me. Painful and embarrassing!!

 

[LDB]

I learned that stepping to the ground from the bottom step is a good idea and stepping to the ground from the top step is a bad idea.

 

[fastman_1]

Closed the Hood on my Fingers...Yes it Latched and No I couldn't reach the Hood Release which is inside. took about a 45min before someone came by to help now middle finger is crooked.

 

[greg334]

Don't stand in the way of flying starters....

We were unloading a truck full of started I bought in Maryland, you know those light weight starters for 1939 fords and 1941 Chevrolet trucks.

Well I was right behind the truck catching them and then pitching them into the warehouse front door. The idiot on the end of the line decided to pause a moment to fix his pants and it set off a chain reaction, which ended up not being communicated to the guy on the truck. I stopped because the next guy stood there with a starter in his hands but the guy on the truck didn't look, he pitched .... and I caught it with my skull - all 40 lbs of starter (a light one). I dropped the starter I had in my hands, fracturing my foot at the same time I fell to the floor, blood everywhere, I bled pretty good and everyone panicked - they thought they killed me.

I regained my senses, told them to just wait and stop crying and I compressed the wound to stop much of the bleeding. I got up on my own and made it to the sink, what a mess. after a while, I washed up as best as I could, and was driven to the hospital. No real damage, my scalp was ripped up a bit but they didn't want to give me stitches. I have no scar from it.

This was the first time I got hit, the second time I got it right above my left eye and that bled worst.

We ended up making a rack to bring in starters and generators and my partner was so pissed off that it took three times as long to get the trucks unloaded but he got over it.

The other thing I always seem to do is I hit my head on the spot mirror on my hood when it is open.

 

[RichM]

Forgot to hang up a fuel hose at a T/S near Amsterdam NY, pulled it out of the pump and dragged it all the way to the Buffalo toll booths hanging out of the tank on the passengers side.

 

[arrbsthw]

The most painful thing I have done is missed the last step on ladder for the top bunk.
My hubby told me to make sure my feet were on floor before letting go of ladder...guess
I didn't listen. I let go before feet hit floor, fell backward and hit the gear box (auto trans). Fell to floor, couldn't get my breath and thought I was going to die right there in the truck. Had to go to DR to get muscle relaxers before I could move...Very Very painful.

 

[butterfly610]

Let's see...when am i not getting hurt. Always hitting my leg on that stupid little lever that sticks out so you can adjust how close or far back the seat is, bumping into things when the truck is moving, basically...if it can happen, it will and does happen to me! Lol...I just seem to be a magnet for these things. This winter, there was some ice out on the ground and I was walking very carefully up some steps, and right when I get to the top I fell right on my knee and practically jerked my arm out of socket trying to keep myself from doing so.

Most embarrassing was actually as a child. I had a jacket that the zipper got stuck and the teacher had to call the janitor to bring a tool and come open my jacket...in front of the whole class. This was in 1st grade, and I was pretty embarrassed.

 

[cheri1122]

The most embarrassing moment for me was the first time I tried to open the hood on a big truck, from the center.....the guys nearby let me dangle in midair for a few minutes, before they stopped laughing & showed me how to open it from the side. Man, do I hate wiseguys! (Except, of course, when I'm one of them)

 

[nightcreacher]

As long as were are talking about that bottom step,my worst moment was in the wheel alignment shop.Getting out of the truck,after stepping to the ground,just to find out it wasnt there.As you all know,in the alignment shop,your on a rack,when i finally landed,I was on my back feet up,head down on the concrete steps that go down under the rack.I was as white as a ghost,didnt go to hospital,but I did get a free wheel alignment.I remember this everytime I get out of my truck,and the weather changes

 

[Paul56]

Realizing that I had left an open coffee in the cab at the same moment as I watched the rig reach the maximum tilt on the tipping platform to empty the wood chips out of the trailer.

One only makes this mistake once.

 

[P51bombay]

I learned that stepping to the ground from the bottom step is a good idea and stepping to the ground from the top step is a bad idea.

Yep, and that concrete and hips don't mesh well, now I keep hold of something just in case. Also along a similar path - parking next to a jersey barrier because its more convenient to step onto than the ground is a bad idea. I USED TO do this a couple times a week at the inspection lane (border) when walking over to CC to cancel my bond and would park close to the barrier, step out on the flat top then walk the 75ft or so to where it tapered down to 18" or so and step to the ground. Well one day I did just that, stepped out, closed the door, took 1 - 2 - 3 steps and missed number 4...............just like stepping off the top step straight to the ground. It hurt of course but more hurt was my pride having done it in full view of all the passenger traffic waiting in line.

 

[dcalien]

Rolling a pallet jack with a 1000 pound pallet on it over the top of my big toe is one option for removing a pesky ingrown toenail.

 

[Suds43]

Best to use ALL the steps...

Looking back, it's kind of funny, but surely wasn't at the moment.
Delivered at Fayetteville, NC. Had backed to the dock in the first bay. The wall was pretty close to the drivers side door so I figured I'd just jump out on the passenger side. I slid out of the seat planning on stepping on the top step, but someone moved it (that's my story and I'm sticking to it, but actually I do believe my wife pushed me, LOL) So, I"m headed for the ground in a hurry, face first. I put my arms out to break the fall and 'save face', literally. End up breaking my arm in the process.
To make it worse, called the local police to get directions the nearest hospital and they couldn't figure out where I was or give me directions!!
Ended up suffering thru the night. Had another load pick-pick scheduled for the next morning. Went to fill up with fuel and the girl at the cash register gave me directions to a hospital. Went there and told them they had exactly 1 1/2 hrs. to examine my arm, if they weren't done in that time I'd have to leave, no matter what. Had to pick up on time!
X-ray's done, 4" spiral fracture starting at my elbow going down towards my hand. Nurse comes up to me and wants my autograph!! lol She said I was the first person she'd ever seen that had fractured their arm and didn't want any pain meds.......
So, we're off to get the next load that was headed to Wisc. Truck owner would take over the load when we got home in S.E. Missouri.
Here I am, left arm in a cast and sling. Drove I-40 between Nashville and Knoxville in a down pour. Me driving, my wife shifting! Was a pretty interesting ride back home.......

 

[Humble2drive]

Hmmm, nothing too painful but I could write a book full of the embarassing things. This might be the worst one since I am still teased about it today:

Pulling a half loaded 48ft trailer through the bad part of Chicago. I had a local lumper with me for the day telling me which 13'5" bridges I could make it under. I diidn't fully trust his memory so I had him hang out the window, holding on to the mirror and he would watch to make sure we were clear.
One more bridge to go before getting back on the interstate. He spots me and I have about 1.5" clearance. I take off happy as a clam then about 2/3 of the way through WHAMMMM! We're stuck there like a mouse in a trap with 3 choices:
1) Send the lumper out to stop traffic and back out.
2) Send the lumper out to let some air out of the back.
2) Keep going
I looked around and saw packs of Chicago's finest gang members standing around watching like a pack of wolves while an injured deer is dying. Needless to say, I went forward, ripped the roof off the top, got on the interstate and drove straight to Ft. Wayne IN for a new roof.
Note to self: When your loaded up front, the back of the trailer is going to be higher. Lesson learned.