im shure all pumpers came accross the new ready mix driver who either washes in your hooper without you knowing or says he cant back up to your pump. just curious to see if im the only one who experienced this? lol

Yea right, Just you!!! None of the rest of us have ever seen a totally inept mixer driver......................

Last summer I was looking for a pump in a new subdivision and was witness to a good example of the word inept.

A new (woman) driver was stopped at the bottom a hill, obviously searching for low gear, and as she shuttered into motion her drum started to slowly rotate the WRONG direction. It was perfect. She, very evenly, distributed her 9yd load on the newly paved road all the way up the hill. //// This is in one of those subdivisions that always scream at the operator if there is any concrete on the street when the pour is finished.

Price of the concrete... $97.00 per yd

Price of the clean-up... $3,500.00

personal satisfaction...  priceless

No way,new driver.I personally never heard of it.On second thought I seem to remember one day at a resort called Winter Park ski area a new driver was backing down hill to the pump and low and behold his brakes couldn't stop him.From that day forward I wore pantyhose so everyone couldn't see what I did when he hit the pump.A new driver,you bet.He had no idea of what brake adjustment was.

we had a guy that rolled his mixer twice and hit two diferent vehicles and because he was friends with the safety guy somehow they were not his fault. this is a guy that got hired and said he's been driving mixers for 11 years, lol. same managers threatened to fire me for refusing to go up a dangerous hill. bastards, lol.

OK I'm gonna tell a story on myself:About a year ago I was pumping a bridge deck and watched as a driver who was unloading into my hopper,WHILE talking on his cellphone and looking occasionally back over his shoulder to see if he had put enough on the ground yet.Well the mud was spilling over the hopper,down my tarps and splashing on him ,so he steps through the 90 and pushes my tarps down. Well I came off that deck like I knew how to fly and asked him what the hell he was doing.He said the splash was getting him dirty,and he didn't like it.I just about come unglued when the super MADE me go back up on the deck saying it was costing him money while I was not pumping.As we got back up on the deck I explained what had transpired and he said he would take care of it.When I looked back down the driver flipped me the bird and made kissing motions at me! NOW I was HOT!!! When he left I went down and cleaned off the back-end while I waited for a clean-up load.Guess who came back ? Yeppers,and he did the same thing with my tarps! Well the super saw it this time and started to go down the hill ,but I asked him to wait! I was gonna settle this MY way! While Mr cellphone was waiting to be unloaded I grabbed a 5 gal. bucket and filled it about 1/3 the way up. I walked down to his truck and quietly opened his passenger side door.I upturned the bucket on the drivers seat , then went back up the hill to finish the pour. When I was done I told the super he could go down and tell the driver whatever he wanted. When the driver got into his cab all hell broke loose,with me on one side of the super and the driver on the other! The super told the driver what he had seen,and to get in his damn truck and leave the jobsite.The driver called his boss and before the day was done the driver was looking for employment elsewhere

I know a few operators that would have not shut their pumps off and treated him to a hopper explosion. Guy like that are pretty rare(thank goodness). In my younger days, when I was hotheaded, I might have swung the boom over and poured a couple of stokes on top of his drum. I just call their supervisor now. That usually takes care of it.

Treat all mixer drivers the way you want them to treat you..........Yes it will be hard to do at times,but,seems like things go smoother.We as pump operators can set the tone for the pours we are servicing.,without even knowing it.You know,spilled concrete is kind of trivial,when you really think about it,it can be cleaned up.Never make light of a mixer driver having "problems",but never let them do anything in an unsafe manner.In this business the answer is either yes or no,there are no in betweens.Be invisible but yet well seen by everyone on the site,no games.......Respestfully.from SELA

Bisely57,

You are right. That is the best way to handle the situation. I mainly call in on Drivers who don't respond to kindness ad intentionally do things to harm or damage a pump. New drivers can be taught by pump operators about certain things such as level of concrete in the hopper, listening for a horn to stop discharge, etc.

Russ

Hey Many who was the readi mix company? what were their colors if you don't want to say who was the company?

Hey Tim you never told me that story! That was a good one! Sounds like you have calmed down in your old age! Hee Hee.

Hi Tracy,sorry but been busy.If I said Cody would that help.It was Pumpco's unit 49