Ask a Feeder Driver, Feeder Driver FAQ

[Covemastah]

Otherwise known as the Mud Pit..

Oh. Across the street at the landscapers ,, gotcha

 

[Covemastah]

@over9five , they sent a friend of mine to Littleton with an mt God did he bitch. Not my job. Blah blah. They rented a lot down there some place ??

 

[brownwannabe]

I think a restriction is put on your CDL if you're not able to drive a manual?

you can test out on a small International through a private cdl company that uses a synchro 5 speed, was just like driving a Honda. got my restriction off that way. I haven't heard of any of the larger carriers that offer their own cdl schools, Swift, Prime, Knight etc etc, I don't think any of them have you learn or test on a manual.

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

When I started in feeders in '85, we had 5 speed GMC's with wet clutches. We were trained to double clutch every shift in feeder school.

 

[trickpony1]

When I started in feeders in '85, we had 5 speed GMC's with wet clutches.

If I recall, weren't those air assist clutches?

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

If I recall, weren't those air assist clutches?

I don't recall. I know the clutches were filled with transmission fluid, and it gave us an extra fluid level to check everyday.

 

[trickpony1]

The clutches did have fluid...I agree.
The clutch pedal was air assist and didn't require massive quads to operate it.
The GMC Astro's I drove had 5 speeds, air assist clutch and rigid mounted cabs that were popping the rivets out.
The reason I remember this is because, as a newbie, I jumped up in the cab, started the engine and crammed it in reverse.

The air hadn't built up yet and I had to drive around in a circle, in reverse, until the air built up enough to operate the clutch to get it out of gear. This is the reason we were trained to park in neutral in case the clutch air leaked down.

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

The air hadn't built up yet and I had to drive around in a circle, in reverse, until the air built up enough to operate the clutch to get it out of gear

Now that you mention it, I remember jumping in the tractor and firing it up as a newbie. It didn't have enough air pressure to get it out of gear. Someone had parked it in gear and it locked up. Those GMC's had Keysor air conditioners retrofitted, and they always leaked water into the cab. The carpet always smelled like a wet cat.

 

[over9five]

@over9five , they sent a friend of mine to Littleton with an mt God did he bitch. Not my job. Blah blah. They rented a lot down there some place ??

Yup, right on 2A on the way to Ayer. On the road the book company CPU is on...wth the name, cant think of it now.
1A Auto moved there from Pepperell too.

 

[Yeet]

The air hadn't built up yet and I had to drive around in a circle, in reverse, until the air built up enough to operate the clutch to get it out of gear. This is the reason we were trained to park in neutral in case the clutch air leaked down.

Pardon my arrogance here but couldn’t you have just revved up the rpms with the clutch pushed in to get your air back up? Or did the clutch not work at all? I wasn’t around when this was a thing, genuinely curious.

 

[2Down2Many2Go]

Pardon my arrogance here but couldn’t you have just revved up the rpms with the clutch pushed in to get your air back up? Or did the clutch not work at all? I wasn’t around when this was a thing, genuinely curious.

Im curious also, but i think he could've did what you said had he not put it in reverse. Maybe once put into gear it's locked up until tha proper psi !

 

[Yeet]

Im curious also, but i think he could've did what you said had he not put it in reverse. Maybe once put into gear it's locked up until tha proper psi !

Maybe. But if someone left it in first to park then you jumped in it after the air bled down, there would be no way to get the air up before it stalled if the clutch didn’t work and it was stuck in first.

 

[trickpony1]

Maybe. But if someone left it in first to park then you jumped in it after the air bled down, there would be no way to get the air up before it stalled if the clutch didn’t work and it was stuck in first.

Correct.
We were also taught to assure the transmission was in neutral before starting the engine.

 

[trickpony1]

Pardon my arrogance here but couldn’t you have just revved up the rpms with the clutch pushed in to get your air back up? Or did the clutch not work at all? I wasn’t around when this was a thing, genuinely curious.

The clutch didn't work at all until sufficient air had been built up.

 

[Johney]

The clutch didn't work at all until sufficient air had been built up.

If the clutch didn't work and someone left it in gear and it leaked down, how did you start the engine?

 

[Shiftless]

If the clutch didn't work and someone left it in gear and it leaked down, how did you start the engine?

Hit the button and you are moving if the air has bled off.

Remember! The brakes need air to operate also, if the system has bled down the brakes have released too. On top of that, these strong diesel starters can fire the motor and if left in the lowest gear they still could over run the brakes even if there was some pressure.

 

[Siveriano]

Write every job you want to cover in the order of your preference. If you didn’t get any of the jobs you bid on, that means drivers with more seniority on the spare list bid those jobs also. Once they get to the end of your choices, if all those jobs are gone you get placed on the job remaining with earliest start time left at any building. Doesn’t matter building or M-friend, S-T, or T-S. If you specifically don’t want to work at a certain building then what you do is after you write in all your job picks, at the end you write in no such and such building. My advice to you is, do not write in 5 jobs since you are brand new. Chances are most weeks you won’t get any of them. Write in as many as the paper will allow you to write in for the space you have, to avoid getting stuck somewhere you don’t want to be.

And the co worker who told you it’s a waste of time bidding jobs, because they put you wherever they want anyway. don’t ask him for advice anymore. He’s clueless. That’s not the way it works.

That doesnt make any sense. seniority is everything. stand up for your rights or else they will keep walking all over you. speak to a respected stew.

Yeah thats what i figured. Talk to one of the people in charge and what they explained to me is that we are short on drivers so that the company choose what jobs not to cover and lucky me the 5 i bid on were on the cut. Make sense tho.

 

[trickpony1]

If the clutch didn't work and someone left it in gear and it leaked down, how did you start the engine?

You get a mechanic or a fellow feedah driver with a jumper hose to charge your system.

 

[trickpony1]

if the system has bled down the brakes have released too.

Don't the spring brakes activate if the air is lost?
I thought that's what a leak down test (remember that thing known as a pre-trip?) was for?

 

[Shiftless]

Don't the spring brakes activate if the air is lost?
I thought that's what a leak down test (remember that thing known as a pre-trip?) was for?

I know most have heard the old guys saying the young guys have no clue what we started out in! This was said for decades! When it comes to vehicles? This is NOT the same company I worked for in what you see today! They ran everything till they couldn't get parts for it!

No fault of the mechanics! Don't get me wrong! They did the best they could considering most tractors where I worked out of were 15 to 20 years old with crazy miles on them that were 2 driver tractors that were shared. Those days it was all about minimalism! If its not there it doesn't need service or have to fail. There was no A/C. No power steering. They bought some Mack trucks and took the P/S off them for us to use!

So to answer your question? Spring brakes were as good as could be expected with crazy miles on them. Most drivers couldn't tell their springs were shot as we always had trailer on 100 percent of the time and the trailer masked the issue a bit! On top of that the weights were totally different than the weights in trailers today at UPS!!! I started feeder in early 1979 and Yes my first truck was a 64 international only 15 years old. I think it had? Heck cant even remember! I want to say 4 or 5 million miles on it. That was a boatload for a 1960's tractor.

So I as sit back and look back at what I have written! Man I am glad I have been retired 15 plus years!