OT: Trucker Question

Whats the big idea behind these snot nosed punks driving big rig trucks and sittin on the floor?

The one I saw today could barely see out the driver side window let alone the windshield.
Looked like the "Where's the beef" granny the way he was lookin thru the steering wheel.

You can't tell me thats a safe way to watch traffic, load, mirrors, etc.
I don't get the "drug dealer gangster" look behind the wheel. Maybe someone can explain it to me.

That is so they don`t have to extend the stick as high to make the glitter shift knob as high as their head....

I put in about 10,000 miles in November and haven't seen that yet. Are you seeing a lot of it?

Back in the day I ran about 2500 miles sitting on the floor only because the air bag in my seat failed. It was a miserably rough ride. The only reason I went that far was it took that long to find the part. At the time I was broke so tolerated it tillI found the part.

Last year I had the bag fail again and couldn't find the part locally. I bought a new seat. I'm a little more flush now.

They think it is cool and i'll bet they were driven PETER BUGGYs . Myself i like to set up and see just what i am about to run over , plus i enjoy the air ride seat . Them young bucks should have driven back in the day before the air ride seat when you wished you could set up a little higher with out stealing the cushion off the couch.

also that is why they only give them ten speeds so they do not have to take there shoes off to remember what gear they are in. Could you just see them tryen to run a twin stick. or do with out a/c , P/S , air ride . Love to see them running and old twin stick with a Hendrickson 44000 rears. Would not take long for them to put some air in the seat.

Try that in an old school without power steering. That jockey probably couldn't turn the steering wheel.

I see it all the time too. Never thought about it but by golly your right. Don't make sense.

Next he'll add the little chrome "chain" steering wheel. He could see over that one.

thats the "new breed" real drivers wouldnt be caught with the truck in motion sitting like that, these are the same wanna be's that show up to deliver their load wearing a muscle shirt, shorts and sandles, they dont have enough proffessionalism or respect to put on a clean shirt with coller, nice jeans and leather shoes to meet the shipper, or the reciver, ie, the man who is paying for his load, and thus keeping him and his truck in business.. like others i want to see everything around my truck and you cant do it sitting on the floor, also i dont play the stereo loud, i want to hear the truck,and what its doing, not music its a shame what these newbies are doing to the industry, or maybe im just too old

Easy does it boys, easy does it. Some of those seat-on-floor, shoddy looking young truckers are some of the sharpest truckers out there. Not all, but a few of them. I learned the ropes of running a log truck from one such fellow, and he did a d@mn good job of teaching me. His reason for sitting low was to angle his knees to be more comfortable. Too many accidents/shattered bones in his youth.

I myself drop the seat sometimes when running down the open highway, to stretch my legs out straighter. In heavier traffic though, I agree, seat up so you can see around you. And I definitely hear you on loving the air seat with hendrickson springs/walking beam! Same with Mack camelbacks.

Now, being as how we're judging, why do all the #$%^#*$ old farmers driving around with their old pickups at 10 under the limit suddenly speed up to 10 over the moment a big rig tries to pass?

Nuff said.

Lyndon

I drive LTL and can't say I see too much of it around here. But when you do see it they have one heck of a nice rig (usually). I say to each his own. I haven't had one cut me off or seen them cause a hazard. The four-wheelers (while there are a bunch more on the road compared to the big rigs) cause more hazards on the road. I am not gonna mention what backround I think has the worst drivers (hint: they are prevalant in North St. Louis and East St. Louis) but they are either doing 15 under in a daze or 20 over weeving in and out of traffic with their kids not in a car seat or even buckled in.

I'm not familiar with this; are we talking about a new African American affectation?

Mostly the cattle truckers like that around here.
I can't explain it but I know what yer talking about. They are the same type that got to bark their jake brake through their 6 inch straight stacks.

AND THE PROBLEM IS? I my self run with a low profile seat in my truck,13"drop visor and have no problems seeing anything going on around me. I'm well over 6' tall and a standard seat does not set low enough to keep from cutting circulation to my legs. I've been "riding the floor for about 8yrs" and I started with a 69 diamond reo with BLOCK SUSPENSION and went to a Autocar constructor with hendrickson. I have driven tri plex,twin sticks,autos. I suggest you ask one of those drivers to sit in his truck and who knows you might come to the low side! What I don't understand is how can a driver sit with the seat aired up so tall his seat dangle in the air and they only weigh 150-180? I'm 300 and I jump in the truck to move it and the seat never moves and my head makes a dent in the roof,why have a air seat it's not doing it's job like that. TRUCKER 18YR TRUCKING VET

AMEN!!!! They have been watchin too many reruns of Chrome Shop Mofia!
Later,
John A.

And the truck is a Pete and the trailer is a cattle pot. When I'm on a long trip I sometimes have to lower the seat to the floor just to get some circulation back in my legs but I'm 6'2". Let's see those young'uns sit on the floor in an old cabover with spring ride. Or any old semi with spring ride, for that fact. The jewels will be a hurtin! Jim

I first noticed it back seven-eight years ago, and back then it was a Peterbilt thing. Maybe more are doing it now. When I had my Int'l I kept the seat down where my knees were slightly higher than my hips. which put me at about a foot higher than those petercar guys. A year ago I had aload of lime come in and I hopped into the International with the driver and there he was on the floor. I asked what was the mater was he trying to look like one of those Peterbilt guys and he said no he liked his International but his doctor told him to set his seat so that his knees were higher than his hips, and he was about 6-2"

I'm a recently (last year) retired truck driver with nearly 1.5 million miles on my A$$.

The comments below about the low seats and drivers are correct.

Another observation I made: If there is one or more trucks parked right beside the scale...NOT in a designated, marked parking place...it is a 99% safe bet it will be a long nose Peckerbilt ... or perhaps a W900 KW...with a gazillion lights burning.

And yes...it is the little, skinny fellows that sit so low!!

6 inch straight pipes??...I've seen/heard LARGER!!

What has been discussed here sure does NOTHING positive for the image of Truck Driver.

Best compliment I received was "You don't look like a trucker."

Rick

For your ammusement
I’ve got my share of crevasses, pock marks, and wrinkles in my face and forehead from black ice, white outs, blown tires, dumb drivers, shifting loads and the like, when I had enough I changed vocations from hauling them to loading them. I remember one time in particular on a cold, darn cold morning, when we had to load up four flats and a dry van with salt and sand equipment. Not quite dark in the AM. the sun painted the high clouds a blood red. All the trucks were lined up but one, and they all were pretty well lit up and looking fine. Our attention was directed to a jet black 359 with “Ski- King” gold leafed on the back of the high rise sleeper. If this happens to be any of you reading this then well I’m sorry. But I would have given my eye teeth and my left baby maker to drive that Pete though.
Sun glassed he was, with a bald head wearing a Harley skull cap, didn’t know all he had on was cut-off bib overhauls and flip flops until the door swung open. Mind you it was in the teens as I remember it. That good ol’e trucker stretch, reached over to take that trucker swing out of the cab, and something caught his bibs. There he was swinging and cussing in the wind. The Lord works in mysterious ways as here in front of all us road worn drivers was our mounted trophy. We got him down and yes he was really embarrassed, but he helped us all do our jobs and was there until the last truck was loaded. I got no complaints but iit was a darn good show.

There are 3 large Rock Quarries 7 miles south of us, the highway coming north in the summer time, when DOT sets up inspection stops they usually report 90 to 100 trucks per hour (some of these guys are running a 15 mile round trip so some trucks get counted 2 or 3 times in that hour).

A lot of them are tri-axle Mack’s and Freightliners pulling tri-axle pups, about a ½ dozen of these drivers have the low seats and the strange thing is most of those drivers are pretty tall. I have never asked anyone why they do this; it does look strange to me.

One of the neighbors who is about 6’4” use to run a sharp looking Pete with dual chrome stacks (straight pipes), a visor that hung way down, a ton of marker lights, and the low seat that left his eyes just above the rim of the steering wheel. At the time he was pulling a grain trailer and he loved to come by and rattle ours and the other neighbor’s windows with his Jake brake.

A local independent trucker from my neck of the woods sits on the floor of his long nosed Pete. He told me he was in New Jersey running 80 MPH or so when the truck felt like it was working a little harder than normal. He checked his brake buttons and they were in,hand brake was up, but the truck just didn't feel right. After a few miles he found out he was pushing a small car. He noticed it when he saw a hand come up in front of the left side of the hood. He then said he remembered seeing a small car enter the interstate right in front of him in heavy traffic, and this was the car. A couple of ladies were in the car and when he backed off they got off at the next exit as soon as they could. Jim

It's not just old farmers!!!

I have asked a couple of those low rider drivers. They both said it makes them harder to shoot at. I guess they were hauling a lot of loads into the LA area. I move the seat to help with the circulation, but I don't like the rough ride of having the seat on the floor.
Tim in OR