Rollin' 18 Podcast
Welcome to the "Rollin' 18 Podcast." With over 40 years of commercial driving experience, I can share some of my learning experiences. We can also go over the changes happening in the trucking world. Like any job, trucking is not all about work. Learning how to balance life with trucking can be daunting, but knowing how to do it can be rewarding and comforting. Let's roll on down the road driver, together. Text me anytime with news, suggestions, and stories at (641) 990-5641. God bless, be safe, and keep it between the lines drivers.
Rollin' 18 Podcast
Truck Inspections Uncovered: Safety Blitz Results, CDL Compliance Tips, and Trucker Humor
Ever wondered why so many trucks are being pulled off the road during inspections? On the Rolling 18 Podcast, I, Walter Gatlin, unravel the startling results from a recent safety blitz in Louisville, Texas, where a shocking 43% of vehicles were deemed unfit for the highway. With my four decades of road experience, I offer vital tips on rigorous pre-trip and post-trip checks, underscoring the necessity of staying vigilant as similar inspections ramp up across the nation. This episode is a must-listen for anyone serious about road safety and compliance, emphasizing that these efforts are about protecting everyone, not just cracking down on truckers.
Switching gears to keep things light, I bring updates on CDL compliance, stressing the importance of staying informed about potential suspensions for infractions like drug or alcohol violations. It's crucial to know what the FMCSA reports, and how it might impact your career. To add a touch of humor, I share a chuckle from a classic scene in the 2015 movie "Vacation," where a CB radio exchange lightens the mood. As always, I'm grateful for your support and excited to announce our plans to move to Rumble for an even better experience. Sign off with my signature phrase, while reminding everyone to keep it safe out there.
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Email me anytime with news, suggestions, and stories at rollin18podcast@gmail.com. God bless, be safe, and keep it between the lines drivers.
Welcome to Rolling 18 Podcast. This 40-year veteran is here for anyone wanting to stay up to date in the trucking world. Grab your coffee, hop on board and let's get on down the road with Walter Gatlin.
Speaker 2:Hello drivers and welcome to Rolling 18 Podcast. I'm your host, walter Gatlin, 40-year veteran, out there on the big road and now on the small road. I'm your host, walter Gatlin, 40-year veteran, out there on the big road and now on the small road, still putting in about, I guess, anywhere from 400 to 600 miles a day, monday through Friday, but I'm still just as much a trucker as I was back then. I'm using my voice to help educate anybody that's willing to listen on things that are happening in the trucking world today, along with bringing some advice from the old school days that actually works better today. Today we're going to talk about some important topics and we're going to start off with a story I read about Louisville, texas. Now you can expect this all over the country because they are going to start doing some really deep surprise checks at different towns throughout the United States. We no longer get to look at that one week of the year where they just clamp down on the entire country. It's going to be all kinds of different states, towns and cities that are going to start pulling semis in, and there's a good reason for that, because there are a lot of people driving around a lot of junk today and we know this to be true. I mean, we can't hide the fact. We see it go up and down the road, we see it pass us every day Trucks driving down the road with half of their front end missing headlights, missing wheels, on bald tires, the whole nine yards. Well, they did a surprise deal on October 30th in Louisville, texas. Now, if you don't know, you're not familiar with where that's at. It's off of 35E that goes down into Dallas, 35w goes down into Fort Worth. But if you take that 35E and you go south past Cornuth and Lake Dallas, you will cross over that big bridge that goes across the Louisville Lake and then you will enter into Louisville. Well, they were pulling everything and their mother into that stop that they had set up and let me tell you it was a doozy because 43% of the trucks ordered out of service during that commercial vehicle inspection. 43% Drivers that's almost half. We cannot have that and all of you good drivers out there know this to be true. Okay, we're shaking our head right now going this did not happen, but it actually did because they did an inspection.
Speaker 2:Multiple texas law enforcement agencies, not just dot, they partnered for a commercial vehicle enforcement operation in lewisville. Now, who would have thought they would have picked lewisville? Some of you might be familiar with that area. Go well, they're always pulling us over for one thing or another. Well, I'm telling you, it's going to start happening all over the United States. So be prepared. I'm talking November, december, january, february, march, doesn't matter how cold, doesn't matter how hot. They're going to start clamping down on all these trucks that are out there. That should not be on the road.
Speaker 2:The commercial operation took place October 30th at Railroad Park in Louisville, texas. Now the results were there was 182 warnings that's got to scare you all by itself Nine citations, 39 level one inspections and one level 2 inspection. There was 25 out-of-service violations and trucks out of service was 17. 43% of the trucks were placed out of service due to safety issues, not logbooks, not how ugly somebody looked, not because they had booze in the truck, not because they found drugs. They were out of service because of safety violations. This is a no-no. Now, as you know, the owner-operators for the most part stay on top of this stuff because that is their only livelihood. They got one truck, they got one life, they got family. They need to take care of them and they're going to keep an eye on everything.
Speaker 2:You guys that are out there, okay, leasing trucks, or maybe your company drivers or whatever kind of skip the post-trip or the pre-trip? Don't do it. It takes five minutes Now. These participating agencies include the Louisville Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Denton County Sheriff's Office, the City of Denton Police Department, the Carrollton Texas Police Department, the Colony Police Department and the Flower Mound Police Department. They are getting serious, especially in Texas. You guys need to do your pre-trip and post-trip diligently. Make sure you get this stuff done, because they are coming after trucks big time and we know why.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of unqualified drivers out there. There are a lot of unqualified trucks out there. It's almost like they're going to a wrecking yard and buying a semi for five or ten thousand dollars, bringing it up to a certain point where it's almost legal or barely legal, and they're hitting the road with it, even with trailers that are total scrap trailers. Now they say their mission isn't about issuing citations. Their mission is about ensuring that commercial vehicles are safe and compliant so everyone on the road stays protected. And for those of you that don't agree and you just get cocky because you're a truck driver and you think, yeah, they just pull us over just to pick on us. That's not the case in most cases. They may do that to some people, like maybe the guy with the bad attitude or the gal with the bad attitude that constantly does stupid stuff and constantly gets pulled over and then constantly blames everybody else but themselves. We do have those type of drivers out there as well, from verifying the vehicles meet the size, weight, weight and limitations to ensuring drivers are following proper hours of service and equipment is up to standards. Now, let me remind you, 43 percent were put out of service because of safety violations. The cve teams focus on preventing accidents and promoting safer roadways and I'm telling you, ladies and gentlemen, they are going to do this all over the country.
Speaker 2:It takes you five minutes to do a really good pre-trip, post-trip, when you first get out of that bunk go get your coffee, go have your cigarette, go do whatever it is you want to do. And then, when you get back to that truck, or even before you go, do your other stuff, pop that hood, do not turn the engine on, turn the key on. A lot of these newer trucks have that pressurized system for fuel. It will start whining Things inside the firewall will start beeping and buzzing. The things inside the engine will start self-checking itself. Turn that key on, lift that hood up. Turn the key on Walk around the truck. As that key is on, don't start the truck, just leave the key on.
Speaker 2:Walk around. Start looking at your brakes, start looking at your wheels, start thumping your tires, start checking your frame rails. Make sure there's no cracks. Okay, make sure you have no leaks underneath that truck whatsoever. And then walk around completely make sure everything looks good. Do a complete visual, even sneak behind that fifth wheel and look from behind, underneath that trailer, into the back end of that truck. Make sure you don't have any broken shocks, no broken airbags you know blown airbags. Uh, no broken stabilizers, anything like that and then go out to the front of your truck, start looking at that. Also check all your hubs to make sure that you have no bearings leaking.
Speaker 2:Now, once you've done all that and everything looks good, then you go back to the truck, get in the driver's seat, make sure it's in neutral, make sure your brake is set, start that truck up, listen to the sound, listen to what kinds of sound that truck is making. If everything sounds normal and everything's set. Get back out, walk around that engine and that's after. You've checked your oil, your coolant, your power steering, you've checked all your fluids. You made sure nothing was leaking. Like I said before you walk around again, you make sure the belt is flowing naturally on the water pump, on the alternator, all that stuff. Belt is moving fine, everything's moving fine.
Speaker 2:Generally on the newer trucks, when you start it up, the fan will engage in order to do a self-test and things like that. It will stay engaged if you have your air conditioning or defroster on, it will disengage once it decided that it's fine, everything's running fine. And then you check on things and if you notice any problems, shut the engine back down and fix whatever problem you got. That's all you have to do Now. Let's say you've got all your oars in the water. You know everything's fine with your truck, but you don't have a CB. See, that's the problem with not having a CB. That's one of a thousand problems people have when they do not have a CB.
Speaker 2:A lot of people could have been warned that they were down there doing that deal. A lot of people would have said something. You could have known about it. And even if you're in full compliance, you don't want to deal with that mess. Pull off, hit yourself for rest area before you get to Louisville. Take a break, eat lunch, even if you just started, pull off, set for a couple hours because eventually they're going to be done.
Speaker 2:These inspections are going to be short and sweet couple hours long at the most. That many agencies around. They're going to pull in and dive into as many trucks as they can. They're going to get their fill and they're going to leave just like sharks in the water. I'm not saying that DOT and police are sharks in the water, but they want to surprise everybody. They want to keep everybody safe. But if you know you're in compliance and you don't want to deal with that stuff, that's the best reason to have a CB. Those of you that are trying to skate the law and driving around in broken vehicles, I honestly hope you get caught because I don't want to see you or anybody else dead on my trip to deliver what I need to deliver you or anybody else dead on my trip to deliver what I need to deliver. Now I want to bring up FMCSA's CDL rule that they're going to be changing and it's a test for safety and freight capacity.
Speaker 2:The state licensing agencies have been given flexibility on implementing new drug clearinghouse regulation. How effective a new CDL requirement is at keeping the roads safer from drug and alcohol abusers could hinge on the ability of individual states to implement the change that will affect tens of thousands of truck drivers. Now here's the new requirement on. This, referred to by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as Clearinghouse 2 and scheduled to take effect Monday, which was yesterday, will immediately revoke the driving privileges of close to 200,000 CDL holders, based on the latest drug and alcohol clearinghouse data compiled by FMCSA. Now a truck driver with a drug or alcohol violation in the clearinghouse database as of next Monday, will be prohibited from performing any safety sensitive functions, including driving a truck, until the driver completes the new FMCSA's return to duty. They're calling it the RTD process, which involves education, treatment and an RTD test. But how the new rule will improve safety as well as the trucking capacity will depend on, at least in part, on how each state implements this.
Speaker 2:Fmcsa deliberately gave deference to state drivers license agencies, which will have 60 days after they're notified by FMCSA that a driver residing in that state is in prohibited status to complete a record, the CDL downgrade on the driver's record. Okay, so it's very important, somebody said. I think it's fair to say the relationship between FMCSA and the states has at times been strained and that's the reason the FMCSA is doing this, because the states are allowing non-compliant drivers to stay on the road even though they've had habitual problems, because the state driver's license agencies have their own way of doing things based on their state-specific law. A trucking regulations expert stated that FMCSA starts requesting changes from them. They typically grant as much flexibility as possible. In this specific case, states have different rules around what information can be placed on a motor vehicle record, who can obtain one and when. Some states have more protective driver privacy laws that could prohibit some information from being provided. Once again, they're hiding habitual drivers, which is not good for any of us. It says here, for example, states will determine whether the reason for the downgrade or other discretionary licensing action or the individual's prohibited CMV driving status is posted on a CMV operator's driving record and for how long the information would remain. The rule states Garney does not anticipate that such flexibility will have a negative impact on safety, and he stated here I think FMCSA ultimately decided that what's most important is that the downgrade happen and that the driver's privileges be revoked. That's important because as motor carriers conduct their annual reviews or seek to hire new drivers, they'll order a new MVR and see that that driving privilege has been taken away.
Speaker 2:Now what's the capacity shakeout With regard to the effect the rule could have in tightening freight capacity, given that a sudden downgrade for cdl holders could effectively remove trucks from the market. Many trunk trucking companies are waiting to see how things shake out. It depends on how that implementation happens. They're responding to an analyst question about the rule during the trucking company's earnings call in october and this one gentleman said derrick leather. I think what they're probably hearing in terms of quietness out of the conversations with fleets is a lack of competence in where the rule lands, how that lands and the significance of any enforcement implementation. I would put it in the same category as the tightening of a visa requirements that are taking place right now relative to the southern border and that we're very encouraged by, but I believe it when I see it. So, basically, what they're trying to and John Gallagher is the one that wrote this for Freightway News and it's very important because there's going to be a lot of drivers out there that are going to have their privileges suspended as of tomorrow.
Speaker 2:Now when the states find out about this information, are going to have their privileges suspended as of tomorrow. Now, when the states find out about this information, it's going to be relevant because some may not find out about it, for, you know, several weeks, a month or two, and then that driver will be notified. So some of you might have some time. If you know you have a problem with your CDL you've ever been caught with drugs or alcohol in your system or failed a test you know that you might be looking forward to having your license revoked in a very, very short period of time. So I think it's. I think it's best if you start checking for your own information and find out exactly what's on there, find out what the FMCSA is going to give your state and find out whether or not you're going to have a job within the next week or two. That's all you can do, and the FMCSA is adamant they're going to start tightening the rules with the states so that the states do not become too lenient. We've had way too many truck wrecks out there, way too many fatalities. The same thing with, you know, down there in Louisville, texas, where they're starting to surprise people all over the country for no reason During the winter, during the summer, they're going to start pulling these trucks in left and right and they are going to put a stop to the fatalities, at least as many as they possibly can.
Speaker 2:Now, do you guys want to hear something funny? There was a movie put out in 2015 called vacation, and I don't know if it was a an extension of chevy chase's vacation years ago, but it is really funny and if you haven't had a chance to see the movie, see it. But there is a trucker scene in there where these guys are on vacation in this real silly looking car and this car has these weird looking gadgets. It's almost set up like a ride car at Disneyland. It's got the funky dashboard, it looks like a bear and all this other stuff, and they're trying to be this happy, silly little family. They're so ignorant. It's unbelievable, but it is a funny, funny movie.
Speaker 2:There's a scene in there where they talk to a truck driver and uh, they, they. The car, the new car that they bought, came with a cb in the dash. He presses a button, the cb comes up, just like it would in a spaceship. He turns it on. He's showing the kids how to talk trucker lingo. And then the kid uh goes, can I talk to him? And then all hell breaks loose. Check this out. Oh hey, look at this, looks like we got ourselves little old convoy. Let's say hi.
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness, it has a cb radio. Yeah come standard and all prancers. This way we can talk to truckers.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Now, guys, you just have to speak their lingo, right? I'm going to ask them if there's any police up ahead.
Speaker 1:Breaker one nine. Rubber ducky. You got any Smokey the Bears in your kitchen Over? You're clean and green for the next 20 clicks, he replied. I know what does that even mean? I have no idea, but who cares? He seems nice. He does seem nice, doesn't he Copy that, good buddy Over. Can I try that? Yeah, of course. When you finish talking, say over Okay, cool Breaker one nine. My friend Jesse says all truck drivers are rapists. Are you a rapist? No, sorry over. No, no, what are you doing? What? You're ruining it? Sorry about that there. Good buddy, you know how little boys are when their mouths get going. Not to imply that you are fond of when little boys' mouths get going in any way. I'm not suggesting that you are a sex offender or a pedophile. No, yeah, so that's CB Radio guys, neat huh. I'm not suggesting that you are a sex offender or a pedophile. No, yeah, so that's CB Radio guys, neat huh. Hey, dad, what's a pedophile? Well, kevin, when a man and a boy love each other very much. No.
Speaker 2:I think that's funny as that. Hey Dad, what's a pedophile? Well, son, you see when an adult likes a boy and then mom says no, no, we ain't explaining that to our kid, Stop it. It's funny as hell. It's a good movie Vacation 2015,. The trucker scene. There's all kinds of movies with trucker scenes that are really funny. If you type in trucker scene in movie clips, it'll bring up a thousand of them. You guys will still have a blast, but anyway, I appreciate you checking it out, checking out Rollin' 18 podcast.
Speaker 2:I'm all over the internet. Go down to the description. You'll see where I'm on Instagram and Facebook and all that stuff. I try and have as much fun while working as possible. I try and put out content whenever possible, but I really love doing the podcast. But I appreciate you folks downloading and or listening to my podcast. I also put it on YouTube with a visual of me driving down the road in a semi and on Rumble. Eventually I'm going to be getting rid of YouTube because their algorithms are screwed up and I'd rather just deal with Rumble, because I think their quality is a little bit better and I think they don't mess around with people. Even though I don't do with politics they always play favorites with other people. Rumble doesn't do that and I'm kind of sick and tired of that anyway. So anyway, appreciate you. God bless, be safe and, as always, keep it between the lines. Driver.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to Roland 18 Podcast. Please visit Walter's podcast site at Roland18podcastcom or his social media sites such as Instagram, facebook and TikTok. All links are in the description.