Why the big deal about slip seating?

Lots of reasons. Some drivers are nasty or don't take care of the equipment. They neglect and abuse stuff. You ever get in one where someone spilled a wiz bottle and you will know why.

 

Wait until the trucks are 5-10 years old and some are trashed out, or you follow a tobacco spitting pig, or someone that leaves grease on the seat or steering wheel, stinks, or keeps the truck torn up. I guess if you're the pig it doesn't matter much. I'm not accusing you of being a pig, just an example. You come in one day and your truck has the fender torn off, clutch is to the top, you end up being in the shop because of another drivers bad driving, ect. New trucks are one thing, but trucks don't stay new all the time.

There also was a time when carriers didn't order trucks with am/fm radios, a/c, p/s, and those other nice things. You had to bring a box with your am and cb radios, plus your antennas. You either put a board across the seats if you actually had a passenger seat, or if no extra seat, you laid in the floor with your feet on the drivers seat when waiting for a long time. These were times when you cussed the nasty driver before you.

 

I got in one time that was so thick with smoke the smell was nasty. I think he smoked a carton of camel nonfilters with the windows up and the heat on.

 

My dad used to drive OTR for JB Hunt. They did slip seating. The real reason behind it is not because the truck sits idle or because of nasty drivers. It's because they found out in a study that some drivers will respect a truck and drive it properly, some will not. The bad drivers will constantly break stuff and put excessive wear on the truck.

Slip seating solves this problem because the bad drivers will spread their destruction out over several trucks. The better drivers will tend to fix things that the bad driver over looked or destroyed and ignored fixing.

Dad used to have a different truck every time he come home from JB. This was back in the late 70's to mid 90's. I don't know if they still do it now.

 

You get in a truck at night, turn the key and BAM ! The last idiot left the radio on full blast. Or he left sunflower seeds all over the floor. You were already tired when you came to work because you work nights and can't get decent sleep in the day so you're already cranky and then you have to be blown away by a #### radio left on full volume. Very annoying and inconsiderate. Fenders torn off, flat tires that the last moron didn't check or he didn't notify the shop. Now you waste more time. Some smoke-a-holic left a stench that makes you sick before you even step foot in the cab. You smell it as soon as you crack the door. Then you look for the compliance book but presto.... all gone ! Now where is that #### thing?? Over here, no... under here, no.. up top, no... oh there it is right behind the #### seat ! Always in a different place with different trucks. Then there are the better drivers who spray some kinda crap to make it smell better which it does as opposed to cigarettes.

 

what they all said.......nuff said.......

 

Do you smoke?

 

When I did slip seating, my "co-driver" had a stereo rigged with speakers and equalizer on the dash which he left in the truck. Since it blocked the fender mirror and defroster, I'd move it. He went whining to the DM.

Maintenance? Fueling? He couldn't be bothered. I drove at night on mileage pay; he drove daytime on hourly. Can't tell you how many times I came in for a 500 mile night run to find the tanks on empty.