Failed my truck license twice, because I'm "a real biker"

[Motu]

...depending on the motor taking it to red line all the time, youll kill it.

But my respects to motu for being even able to drive a commer...did it have the petrol or diesel in it, was it perkins or detroit or commers ts3 motor made by Rootes-Lister which was a 2 stroke?.

I don't drive big trucks these days,just little ones sometimes.Guess I was too literal with the ''red line''....most of the trucks I drove didn't have rev counters,you just took them up to the govenor.I notice modern trucks (the ones I have driven) have tachos with colours,you keep them in the green ''sweet spot''.

That particular Commer had a 6 cyl Perkins,but I've driven them with the TS3 and the petrol with the nasty updraught carb.The Detroit Commers were done here in Huntly by Gills,they put them in Fuso's too.When I drove Fuso's they had a gutless V8 in them,that was at RFL,and they had some of the first Fuso's in the country.I wasn't a truck driver,but a truck mechanic....a far better job I think.

[RT527]

We installed computerised Navman units on several trucks for a company and after only 2 weeks the drivers hated them becasue the computer reported back to HQ everything about the truck..the rev's..the speed..their location...time taken and route....any faults...and most impostant of all to the company...fuel comsumption. After a while the company began disiplining drivers and 'retraining' them on the correct way to drive to get the maximum life and best fuel economy out of the individual engine/ gearbox combo's. This far out weighed the cost of having the units installed and prolonged the life of the trucks. As for EBS.....in my experience it provides CONTROL in a situation that would otherwise have the rear most axle locking up and throwing the trailer or rear end out...as was discovered by Fonterra when they installed it on their units. This is all just my own personal experience adn each to their own.

Im not disputing the fact that they aren't good...just that we as truck drivers shouldnt be getting ourselves into situations that require the use of the abs/ebs unit....its all about driving to the conditions.
As for the navman units, they are good. the help identify bad driving habits....and if you owned a business would you want a driver to get the best fuel efficiency from your vehicle...after all keep the revenue flowing and maybe just maybe you might get that wage rise you have been asking for. I did a stint of driving for fonterra out of waitoa...hated it...money was good, but I got sick of doing circles and nearly getting hit each time I turned into a gate.

[RT527]

We have Navman Gps and On board Camera`s facing driver and the road in front..

No Cell phones...and even no using the Rt or Cb anymore...Means loss of bonus..

Any over speed reports..Means loss of Bonus..

Any damage means loss of bonus..

Un clean trucks...Means loss of bonus...

Fonterra dont have shit....I drove 638 last season at Te Rapa....And half the time the fckin thing wouldnt start!!!!!

I mean who the fck would want to be a truck driver....Ok Fonterra starts there temps on $26.38ph.....But they are wankers..

Crazy Steve...

Geez now thats taking it to the extreme, who do you drive for...we might be going the way of the cameras soon.

Cant even pick ya nose any more with out the boss watching.

[smokeyging]

We have Navman Gps and On board Camera`s facing driver and the road in front..

No Cell phones...and even no using the Rt or Cb anymore...Means loss of bonus..

Any over speed reports..Means loss of Bonus..

Any damage means loss of bonus..

Un clean trucks...Means loss of bonus...

Fonterra dont have shit....I drove 638 last season at Te Rapa....And half the time the fckin thing wouldnt start!!!!!

I mean who the fck would want to be a truck driver....Ok Fonterra starts there temps on $26.38ph.....But they are wankers..

Crazy Steve...

I can’t understand why company's would want to ban C.Bs. they really are a safety issue in my mind. i don’t know how many times they have saved my bacon plus i’ve probably saved others, stock on the road, were black ice is, best part of course, the cops, and great to help with fatigue.

[Gibbo13p]

Fonterra dont have shit....I drove 638 last season at Te Rapa....And half the time the fckin thing wouldnt start!!!!!

I mean who the fck would want to be a truck driver....Ok Fonterra starts there temps on $26.38ph.....But they are wankers..

Crazy Steve...

Tried engineering? Dirty, Noisy, somewhat stressful at times ...have enjoyed it since I haven't been driving or Driver training but I'm going tanker driving for a while if I can....can't make the same money any where else so maybe a bit of tempering up is needed.

what boxes are fonterra running now? And are they doing 13 hour days? during the 4 on 4 off?

[lb99]

shitty old trucks

I had a 1980 mitzi dump truck stuck on a SH1 roundabout in blenheim today ..... heres a gap, chuck it in gear let the clutch out...... nothing, clunk, stall, gap gone, try again.....heres a gap, chuck it in gear let the clutch out...... nothing, clunk, stall, gap gone, try again.....heres a gap, chuck it in gear let the clutch out...... nothing, clunk, stall, gap gone, try again.....

you get the picture

the clutch mechinisim got bound up somehow and wouldn't release. we had the lane blocked for ages

I had the yard boy on board, he was freaking right out at all the traffic behind us (a tail back half way through blenheim), but we had 4m3 of chip on board so it wasn't like we could get out and push.

finally a semi coming the other way spotted that we were in trouble and blocked most of the roundabout for long enough for us to just start the fucker in gear and finally get rolling, I was laughing my arse off. some times shit happens.

truck is in the workshop now getting fixed (again) but she got us through the day with clutchless changes (just dont stop, no matter what), after all its not my name painted on the side

[MIXONE]

Try driving a Aveling Barfid.A real man's truck.

[Quasievil]

The secret to driving big rigs is slow n smooth, revving it is pointless as peak power isnt in the high revs, its all about torque. The last trucks I drove (macks n kenworths) would be rarely lifted above 2400rpms with me at the wheel, if you over rev you arent driving it properly, in a mack or kenworth unless youre smooth at the right revs etc you WONT be changing gear period its like a sycronised dance in that everything must be perfect to change gear and be effective.

[vifferman]

I sorta failed my HT licence test the first time: turned up for the test, the cop (yes, back in those days) said, "Ah.. we'll just check the truck over before the test....hmmmm..." and sent me back to work. The RUC was about 5000km over. So, rather than issue me a ticket to give to my employer (a Gubmint department), he sent me back with a warning.
When I went to sit the test, I booked the truck, and was told it was U/S - the brakes were 'ted. So... I had to help the mechanic bleeed them before I could go. The test itself was a piece of piss - just had to back around a corner, and drive around the block.