Whats the stupidest thing you have done this year.

mrgoodtude · Dec 17, 2007

It's ok your in good company...
Doesn't have to be expedited related but should be something you can laugh about now...
Me
Backed the ##### truck up an incline straight on so my landing gear raised my rear wheels off the ground...
Grrrh
Worst part I was picking up for a celebrity that I kinda hit it off with (you know doing the Expedite dance)at a news station with a helicopter overhead...
Doesn't sound tooo bad does it? \Bad part is I have done this for awhile and certainly knew better.
Mike
PS if this ever happens to you disconnect the air leveling valve from the frame and raise the airbags up to 3 inches:+

Crazynuff · Dec 17, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

I think if you did something stupid then posted it on the internet that would be the stupidest thing you did . I know a driver that got fired because he posted about getting into a confrontation with another driver at a truckstop .Some jerk notified his employer of the forum .
But I'm sure some of you have entertaining incidents we will enjoy reading . We may even try to get Jeff Foxworthy to give you a sign .

TeamCaffee · Dec 17, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

Sometimes talking about the stupidest thing you have done will save someone else from making the same mistake or if they do make that mistake how to correct it.

We where at a customer and I was not paying enough attention and I raised our lift gate to high. Did not appear a problem to begin with we unloaded the barrels into the back of the truck which just allowed the lift gate to come up a little higher. Well when we tried to lower the lift gate it would not move. I thought it was broke and went into panic thinking as the customer was standing right there watching. Bob in his calm way looked the lift gate over and figured out that the lift gate was jammed against the bottom door latches. He jumped down got a crow bar and as I lowered the lift gate he pushed out using the crow bar and the lift gate went down smooth as ever! We are very careful now not to do that one again.

Key to this mistake was to stay calm and work out the problem.

mrgoodtude · Dec 17, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

>I think if you did something stupid then posted it on the
>internet that would be the stupidest thing you did . I know
>a driver that got fired because he posted about getting into
>a confrontation with another driver at a truckstop .Some
>jerk notified his employer of the forum .
>But I'm sure some of you have entertaining incidents we will
>enjoy reading . We may even try to get Jeff Foxworthy to
>give you a sign .

Rick if that is all it would take to get me fired then I am in the wrong Biz

Mike

mrgoodtude · Dec 17, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

Thanks Bob and Linder
That was the point..
Sometimes we are in a rush and barring a catastrophe its ok to be human..
I still learn something new each week

dhalltoyo · Dec 17, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

The most stupid thing I have down this year, so far, because the year has not ended as of yet, is allowing myself to believe that "Bigger" is "Better".

That error in judgment cost me $500+ in wasted time and money.

RichM · Dec 17, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

Didn'tdo it this year but a few years ago I drove away with a fuel hose left in the tank on the passengers side,pulled it out of the pump and dragged it 200 miles west on the NY Thruway.

cheri1122 · Dec 17, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

Following the directions of a nondriver to the Post Office, somewhere in Illinois, I saw a sign on the road I'd just turned onto: "Weight limit 3 tons" AARRGG!! I'm waaay over that, so I turned in at the first opportunity: a short drive, ending at a fenced enclosure, with a small, deserted building inside. Well, the driveway wasn't wide enough - the rear wheels on the passenger side were hanging in air, over the very deep roadside ditch - no way to back up. There was a sign on the fence, "If you observe any unusual or suspicious activity in this area, call this 800 number" Ok, I figure my predicament certainly qualifies as unusual, so I called. I explained the situation to the lady that answered, and she said she would send someone to open the gate, so that I could drive forward far enough to back up, and get out of there. But when the man from Illinois Power arrived, he refused to unlock the gate. First, he said "How do I know what you've got in that truck?" I assured him it was empty, at which point he said "You're not delivering anything here, and I'm not opening the gate to allow you on the property."
He was kind enough to call a tow truck, though, and after another hour, (and $400 out of my pocket), I was free at last.
The moral of the story: NEVER trust the directions of a nondriver! (And watch out for the roadside ditches, too!) :+

nyexpeditors · Dec 17, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

Well, this is when we were new and inexperienced. This happened last year.

Took a load from Arkansas to Sydney Nova Scotia. Then sat 2 days in Nova Scotia thinking we would get a load offer.

Now we learned our lesson the hard way. We don't take everything that is offered, no matter how many miles is on it.

x06col · Dec 17, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

Buying anuther truck!!

dieseldiva · Dec 17, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

>
>
> Buying anuther truck!!

I'm with the col although not this year. Ours was the biggest mistake we made in our expediting career to date.....bought that truck in 2003 and that decision haunted us for four long years!!!

To quote a well known country music song..."thank God and greyhound she's gone"!!!!!!!!

pelicn · Dec 17, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

Thinking we could go with local jobs and make the same money.....thankfully, we have a great owner that took us back.

mrgoodtude · Dec 18, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

Some really good stuff here:+
Saw a guy in Ft Wayne the other day that didn't lock the jaws on his 5th wheel completely (5 degrees outside grease thick) and dropped his trailer in the front of the truck stop.

dabluzman1 · Dec 18, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

This year at the ripe age of 55 I convinced my wife we should quit our
jobs, leave home, live in a truck, in a new venture for us called......
EXPEDITING.

Oh wait there is more.

We are still doing it.

Which is dumber?

Seven months have flown by since making what could have been the biggest mistake of my life.

BUT, Linda and I are still rolling along excited about this challenge.

We are about to wrap up this year. Go home enjoy a couple of weeks off and start it all up with all of you in 2008.

Here is to a Very Good New Year to all of you, and I hope your Holidays are a joy.

We celebrate Christmas and to all that do, Merry Christmas.

Linda and Dave

Moot · Dec 18, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

When I try and remember the stupid things I have done this past year all that comes to mind is all the stupid things I haven't done this year but have done in the past. Like:

walk into a womens restroom. Did that twice in one week. The first time the bright orange vinyl couch was the tip off. The second time it was the two women at the sinks.

set a case of Green Giant Nibblets on the cooktop and accidentally turned on a burner causing the plastic wrap and cardboard to burst into flames.

stuffing a set of doubles into a deadend lane between a building and a fence at a Target distribution center all because I failed to notice the guard shack had been relocated.

Sheetrocking my basement and paying a pro to do the taping and spray the ceiling, only problem was I forgot to cut out heat vents in one room. Now I can't find the heat trunk.

I'm still alive so I haven't done anything stupid enough to be fatal.

easyrider2697 · Dec 18, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

Accepting this load.....4 straps, 2 load bars, 2 2x4 chocking the wheels, and it still broke loose and came out the back door.....very costly on my part, lost 1000 mile pre-load, 3 days out of work, 280 miles of free deadhead to repair , then still had to pay $1000 ded. on a set of $1100 new doors. Lesson learned on my part...look close inside trailer..single E-track, not logistic post....never again will one be pulled behind this truck( with freight that is).

greg334 · Dec 18, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

Are all of Panther's trailers like that?

easyrider2697 · Dec 18, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

>Are all of Panther's trailers like that?

like what gregg, single e-track, or with freight hanging out?

most are not single e-track, and I cant answer about the freight part

Crazynuff · Dec 19, 2007

RE: Whats the stupidest thing you have done this y

>>I think if you did something stupid then posted it on the
>>internet that would be the stupidest thing you did . I know
>>a driver that got fired because he posted about getting into
>>a confrontation with another driver at a truckstop .Some
>>jerk notified his employer of the forum .
>>But I'm sure some of you have entertaining incidents we will
>>enjoy reading . We may even try to get Jeff Foxworthy to
>>give you a sign .
>
>Rick if that is all it would take to get me fired then I am
>in the wrong Biz
>
>Mike
Well for one thing that driver was a freight hauler , not an expeditor and it likely wasn't the first negative experience this carrier had with the driver .