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Final Post - I Quit
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<blockquote data-quote="pickup" data-source="post: 603070"><p>LTD - best wishes on your new career path. </p><p></p><p>some words of advice - many a truck driver has become an independent operator and have gotten burnt. The money starts flowing in and based on the first month of income start proudly telling everyone how much money they are earning(for example, they will simply subtract the cost of insurance and fuel from the income and state the remainder as their income). They then proceed to pay off back bills and live high on the hog for a while and then sh-t happens. </p><p> </p><p>A fuel pump goes or the tires that seem good to you have become so bald that not even the Hairclub for men can save them. Make sure you are putting money aside for a maintenance account for the anticipated (and unanticipated) expenses associated with maintaining your truck. </p><p></p><p>Also, the question of taxes. Many an independent trucker with money flowing to them have played the game of not paying or underpaying taxes to Uncle Sam and got away with it for a while but sooner or later the taxman came a knocking and did not buy into their reasoning that the income tax was never ratified by the states or that undocumented supposed expenses of your business were tax deductions. </p><p></p><p>Oh sure, you have some more leeway than guys who get their entire income documented on a 1099. I assume you are taking some or many cash paying jobs and thus that should remain undocumentable. (Yes, I am advocating ducking taxes if you can). But remember everything paid by other than cash will most likely have to be treated as income. If not , the IRS has a chance to detect it. </p><p></p><p>Also, question of your truck. I am not going to research this but it sounds like your truck is a commericial truck based on the weight (I assume the 34,000 lbs would be the weight of the vehicle and the full load) and thus requires the operator to have a class b c.d.l (or a Class A will cover it) . Another hint, does it have air brakes? If so, then you definitely need a cdl B (Minimum) with an air brake endorsement. </p><p></p><p>If the weight is correct and you need a c.d.l. , you are supposed to comply with your intrastate laws governing the operation of your vehicle such as hours of service (log rules) Intrastate rules of hours of service are usually more favorable than the interstate ones but they still apply. Cover your butt, know the rules, and know if and when you are breaking them . You may have to carry a log book. The Pennsylvania D.O.T. are tough , knowledgeable, and fair but they don't tolerate ignorance. They also like to set up their inspections and portable scales at any given rest area along the interstate. It might be best for you to avoid portions of the interstates where there are rest areas whether or not you figure out your duties as an operator of a commercial vehicle. </p><p></p><p>If you are doing any trips to other states, then you are now an interstate trucker and pretty much subject to those same hours of services rules that</p><p> govern the interstate tractor trailer guys that pull the 53 foot trailers. I said Penn D.O.T. was fair. By comparison, Maryland's D.O.T. is not. Don't go into Maryland unless your t's are crosses and your i's are dotted. Interstate operations mean also you getting an IFTA sticker(International fuel trade agreement????). I won't explain what that is about. If you are going across state lines, I gave you enough to figure it out.</p><p></p><p>Best of luck L.T.D. But, I hope we do not see a posting from you in a few months about how your truck burnt down and you didn't have insurance for that or that your license was suspended and you didn't know about it. Your truck and your license are now more than before , your livelihood. Protect them both. </p><p></p><p>By the way, a freightliner that runs on diesel has a fuel water separator that is difficult to use(if they are still designed the way they were years before ) You can't see the level of fuel and water and the petcock is hard to close(seems to close but will leak and your engine will stop running with air in the line and the procedure to bleed the air is a b-tch_. If that is still the case, replace the fuel water separator(like many trucking companies do) with one in which you can see the level and has a much more trustworthy petcock. And use it . If you don't eventuallythe water will collect and rise in the reservoir and then start remixing with the fuel and go into the combustion chamber. </p><p></p><p>If you have a diesel vehicle, read that owners manual and find out if you have a heatplug(I don't know if that is the term but it is something that preheats the combustion chamber when you are starting on a cold morning). If you don't give it time to work(which you do by turning the ignition key but don't start up and wait 30 seconds), you can slowly damage your combustion chambers. Should be something in the manual about that and there is probably an indicator light for it on your dash.</p><p></p><p>I am tired, I ain't editing and aint elaborating. I gave you more than enough. Good luck LTD. </p><p></p><p>P.S. Don't screw around with hazmat, you ain't got the permits or insurance to cover this. At least I don't think you do.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pickup, post: 603070"] LTD - best wishes on your new career path. some words of advice - many a truck driver has become an independent operator and have gotten burnt. The money starts flowing in and based on the first month of income start proudly telling everyone how much money they are earning(for example, they will simply subtract the cost of insurance and fuel from the income and state the remainder as their income). They then proceed to pay off back bills and live high on the hog for a while and then sh-t happens. A fuel pump goes or the tires that seem good to you have become so bald that not even the Hairclub for men can save them. Make sure you are putting money aside for a maintenance account for the anticipated (and unanticipated) expenses associated with maintaining your truck. Also, the question of taxes. Many an independent trucker with money flowing to them have played the game of not paying or underpaying taxes to Uncle Sam and got away with it for a while but sooner or later the taxman came a knocking and did not buy into their reasoning that the income tax was never ratified by the states or that undocumented supposed expenses of your business were tax deductions. Oh sure, you have some more leeway than guys who get their entire income documented on a 1099. I assume you are taking some or many cash paying jobs and thus that should remain undocumentable. (Yes, I am advocating ducking taxes if you can). But remember everything paid by other than cash will most likely have to be treated as income. If not , the IRS has a chance to detect it. Also, question of your truck. I am not going to research this but it sounds like your truck is a commericial truck based on the weight (I assume the 34,000 lbs would be the weight of the vehicle and the full load) and thus requires the operator to have a class b c.d.l (or a Class A will cover it) . Another hint, does it have air brakes? If so, then you definitely need a cdl B (Minimum) with an air brake endorsement. If the weight is correct and you need a c.d.l. , you are supposed to comply with your intrastate laws governing the operation of your vehicle such as hours of service (log rules) Intrastate rules of hours of service are usually more favorable than the interstate ones but they still apply. Cover your butt, know the rules, and know if and when you are breaking them . You may have to carry a log book. The Pennsylvania D.O.T. are tough , knowledgeable, and fair but they don't tolerate ignorance. They also like to set up their inspections and portable scales at any given rest area along the interstate. It might be best for you to avoid portions of the interstates where there are rest areas whether or not you figure out your duties as an operator of a commercial vehicle. If you are doing any trips to other states, then you are now an interstate trucker and pretty much subject to those same hours of services rules that govern the interstate tractor trailer guys that pull the 53 foot trailers. I said Penn D.O.T. was fair. By comparison, Maryland's D.O.T. is not. Don't go into Maryland unless your t's are crosses and your i's are dotted. Interstate operations mean also you getting an IFTA sticker(International fuel trade agreement????). I won't explain what that is about. If you are going across state lines, I gave you enough to figure it out. Best of luck L.T.D. But, I hope we do not see a posting from you in a few months about how your truck burnt down and you didn't have insurance for that or that your license was suspended and you didn't know about it. Your truck and your license are now more than before , your livelihood. Protect them both. By the way, a freightliner that runs on diesel has a fuel water separator that is difficult to use(if they are still designed the way they were years before ) You can't see the level of fuel and water and the petcock is hard to close(seems to close but will leak and your engine will stop running with air in the line and the procedure to bleed the air is a b-tch_. If that is still the case, replace the fuel water separator(like many trucking companies do) with one in which you can see the level and has a much more trustworthy petcock. And use it . If you don't eventuallythe water will collect and rise in the reservoir and then start remixing with the fuel and go into the combustion chamber. If you have a diesel vehicle, read that owners manual and find out if you have a heatplug(I don't know if that is the term but it is something that preheats the combustion chamber when you are starting on a cold morning). If you don't give it time to work(which you do by turning the ignition key but don't start up and wait 30 seconds), you can slowly damage your combustion chambers. Should be something in the manual about that and there is probably an indicator light for it on your dash. I am tired, I ain't editing and aint elaborating. I gave you more than enough. Good luck LTD. P.S. Don't screw around with hazmat, you ain't got the permits or insurance to cover this. At least I don't think you do. [/QUOTE]
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