And, most importantly, Hines wants surrounding drivers to know that they share something important in common. And Hines wants people to remember that without tractor trailers, there is no food on store shelves or fuel at gas stations. And be patient with us.” Hines said he constantly gets the middle finger from surrounding drivers who don’t like his speed, not realizing he needs more time to get up to speed merging on a highway or needs longer to stop. When asked what he wants other drivers to know about truckers that he thinks they forget, he shared something that every commuter should remember of one another. Hines has never competed, but XPO has drivers that do. Small mistakes can be very costly in many ways. Winners of various divisions in Georgia then compete nationally, all with the idea of promoting safety behind the wheel of these precious loads and large trucks. The Georgia Motor Trucking Association holds the annual Georgia Truck Driving Championships at Lake Lanier, a competition that includes written tests and driving course skills to measure driver acuity and safety. He said around 20 drivers have reached at least a million miles out of the 150 or so drivers at his terminal. Hines said that XPO has what it calls the “Hall of Fame” for drivers that reach the one million and two million-mile crash-free benchmarks. He said that stopped drivers on shoulders will often not even check the traffic before darting into it. “When I see someone is on the shoulder, I get over one ,” Hines said, noting Georgia’s “Move Over Law,” which requires drivers to slow below the speed limit when passing emergency responders or to get over one lane. Hines also braces for the worst when he sees cars on the side of the road that may be preparing to reenter traffic. “So I anticipate when I look down and see what they are doing.” Hines’ high big rig perch means he has a bird’s eye view for all the dangerous, annoying things drivers around him do: applying makeup, phone-use, eating, and drifting out of their lanes. That’s what gave me my first million miles and my second.” “I try to take my time and never be in a hurry. Hines also imparts arguably his greatest wisdom, besides prayer. I make sure they see me and make sure there is a way out.” That training conditions Hines’ alertness, proactivity, and patience. The training includes weekly Monday morning meetings, persistent safety courses every other week, and even hazmat training every five years. “I do offensive and defensive driving, to anticipate what a driver may do or may not do.” Hines practices his company’s five-step safety protocol behind the wheel, leaning on the training he and his cohorts constantly receive. Once behind the wheel, Hines’ head is on a swivel and constantly calculating his surroundings. “Every time I roll off this yard, I say a prayer.” “First thing I do when I get in that truck is a proper pre-trip ,” Hines said of the check inside and outside the truck to make sure all equipment is in order. But he has a process that keeps him between the ditches. Hines does shorter runs than his fellow drivers, so his trek to a million takes longer. This kind of freak instance was more the result of someone else’s mistake than Hines’, but goes to show just how hard driving unscathed in big rigs is.ĭespite that, Hines said there are several people in XPO’s Atlanta division that have achieved two million crash-free miles consecutively and one who has gone over three million miles. So that happened and I had to start all over again,” Hines, a truck driver of 31 years, told the AJC and 95.5 WSB. And I scraped him because I sat so high up and didn’t see them. Students are asked to disclose disability-related needs prior to the start of the program to help ensure that there are no delays in accommodations and that the student can enjoy the full study away experience.“I did have a little spill in the parking lot, because a driver in a four-wheel parked in the tractor lane. Please provide information about your accommodation needs at least 4 weeks prior to departure in order to allow time to arrange for accommodations. Examples of accommodations include note taking assistance, extended test time, a quiet testing location, alternative text/media, and accessible housing. If you receive disability-related accommodations at UGA or at your home university, or if you anticipate needing accommodations at your program location, you will arrange for them with your program director and the staff in the Disability Resource Center. Areas of disability include, but are not limited to visual, hearing, learning, psychological, medical, and mobility impairments. UGA study away programs strive to provide reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Global Education & Leadership Certificate.Peace Corps & UGA Peace Corps Prep Certificate.
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