Dress Code?

[theoldprof]

Other than wearing the mandatory ball cap with John Deere or your favorite truck logo, does it matter what you wear on the job? Jeans, or shorts in the summer? Or maybe kilts? I'm thinking of comfort, safety and appearance. What's your take on this?

Thanks. :+ :+

 

[LDB]

I wear jeans all the time. My first company had various shirt styles available with the company logo and I wore those. We don't have those now so I wear clean, non-white pocket tshirts in the summer and nice button up long sleeve shirts for winter. I wish they had nice logo shirts and may get some on my own. I like the look better.

I meant to include that some shippers/consignees won't allow you inside in shorts. Caterpillar is one I've seen the signs for and had the QC reminder to not wear shorts. Besides that they are just not professional looking at all.

Leo
truck 4958

Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[SThomas1]

in the summer i like to wear shorts but depending on where im going that could change. delivered a gm load once in lordstown, oh and the guard wouldnt let me in the plant without putting on a pair of jeans. it was like 90 degrees outside and it didnt seem worth it to change for 10 minutes worth of work but what are yea gonna do? drive safe.
sam

 

[RichM]

Also make sure you carry safety glasses and steeltoe boots with you.Some companies will require you to put them on in order to come in to the shipping/receiving areas.

 

[C5BILL]

And a hard hat!!!

 

[LDB]

I don't have my own hardhat but I do have safety glasses and wear Red Wing steel toe shoes in summer and boots in winter. I don't have an orange vest either and one consignee gave me one and required me to wear it while inside.

Leo
truck 4958

Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[RichM]

There is a chemical company in Baton Rouge that makes you get completely undressed and put on one of their protective suits. One vist to that place was enough for me.

 

[raceman]

Thank you for bring this up. This is a hot topic for me but I never wated to just preach on it. Now I can say what I want to as a response. Let me say I have four children 16 to 26 and they all do very well for themselves and I can tell you I was never happier than the days when each of them learned how to respect themselves enough to present themselves well. They have eached learned what a difference it makes and now it is natural to them.

You can pretty much dress for comfort, safety and look good. You simply need to keep your cloths clean and assure they fit. Outside of that and the few requirements which are rare really, it is what you want to wear.

Now you are saying where is the preaching. Here it comes. The majority of the truckers I deal with all at some point complain as to how the general population views us/them. This perception can be elemenated if we all clean up the trash mouth, stop throwing bottles of urine out of the truck on the ground and most of all clean up appearence. A number of us ranted on here once before about dress. Is it that hard to have a fitting pair of blue jeans and a clean fitting shirt on with a pair of shoes? My God it appears to me that some of these people simply have no respect for themselves and if that is the case no wonder the public figures we are all uneducated, cursing pigs.

Sorry. The answer? meet the requirments of your customer and above that wear things that fit and are clean. It is really simple and if you do not care enough to present yourself neatly what must folks think you will do with the stuuf they put in the rear of your truck.




Raceman
OTR O/O

 

[Lawrence]

While we are on the subject of Shippers - there is also that chemical plant in Michigan that requires all drivers to watch a 30 minute safety video before going to load or unload.

They issue you a card that is good for 30 days.

Lawrence,
Expediters Online.com


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[LDB]

>While we are on the subject of Shippers - there is also that
>chemical plant in Michigan that requires all drivers to
>watch a 30 minute safety video before going to load or
>unload.
>
>They issue you a card that is good for 30 days.
>
>Lawrence,

Yikes! And I thought it was bad the couple times I had to watch about 10 minutes worth to get a card good for one year! If it had been useful or interesting it would have been better but it was just a lecture on common sense. I hope this place isn't on our shipper list!

 

[mvbn1]

Right on raceman!

I picked up a load in Dayton last Wednesday, and there was another driver (Werner) in the shipping office. He was wearing shorts, tennis shoes that weren't tied and a t-shirt that was, well..., let say, a size or two too small for his frame. What a slob!

Most of the people I've meet, in expediting, appear to maintain a clean cut look, and I like that. I certainly don't want to be lumped into the category of the shower once a week-change your cloths once a month-over the road truck driver.

Remember, it does not matter who you drive for, the way each one of us acts, reflects on all of us.

 

[raceman]

Mvbn1, Thank you for your support on this topic. I am sick and tired of over hearing people talk about us as nasty mouth slobs. It simply is not true in most cases.

I have seen plenty of expediters and T/T drivers who look very presentable and many of the folks are actually very proffessional and in a lot of cases very into the Lord. No dirty mouth nasty slobs get forgotten and the clean cut ones are not remembered by the general public. Why? Because the bad seeds stick out.

How can it be so hard to just look decent? We get free showers and truck stops have washing machines. For a couple of bucks you can be clean and smell, well not stink. I guess this is all wasted print because those who dont care are not going to change based on this.



Raceman
OTR O/O

 

[TJ959]

I'm a little late on this issue but... I try to look neat, Pressed Jeans, Polo shirt with collar or Long sleeved shirt with button down collar. I refuse to wear shorts but that's personal. No-one needs to see an old man in shorts with white legs and blue veins.

 

[highway star]

Is there anything but shorts and a very loud Hawaian shirt in the summer? I don't think so.

 

[Broompilot]

Summer time, I aint soak'n up a pair of Jeans loading and unloading. Dockers or Wrangler shorts not cut offs but nice shorts. I always wear a pressed button with pocket shirt. I love the Western shirts, cotton is very thick and they stay pressed and neat for more than one wear if you do not sweat to much. Red Wing boots for summer, Coyboy boots winter. I am just more comfortable in boots than tennis shoes.

Cool days Black Jeans or Blue Jeans. I find that Blue Jeans show dirt to much.

Neat appearence, combed hair, brushed teeth, face shaved and washed, hair cut at least every three weeks or sooner. Hair is a personal prefrence and if I would look good in long hair I would have it but I don't.

I required the same in my last business. This was my second biggest hassle with employees as they could not see why it mattered. It did to me and I was the boss, fired a few people for this policy. Even my staff at Gibbs were written up for not having shirts tucked in and not having a belt. My dept. my policy period.

 

[dukesadog]

Hard Hat, safety glasses, fire suit, steel toed boots with the titanium instep covers..
..dont forget the grounding strap for the shoes, kevlar gloves, gel filled knee and elbow pads, cattle prod, spare batteries for that and hearing aid. light sticks, flashlight, belt for the ABC fire-extinquisher,
fresh air breathing aparatus with the towed generator for that and if you are in LA or Miami....you need the extra SWAT kit with the bullet proof vest and Spanish dictionary

That should cover it...whether you can walk or not depends on how light your gear is

dukesadog

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Duke... I almost smoker-hacked myself to death laughing so hard!!! :7 :7 :7 :7 :7

T-hawk

*cough cough* :+

 

[guest]

I think that any time you are in front of customers if you wear a shirt with some kind of collar it will cause them to react more favorably to you. This may manifest itself by the Barney Fife security guard being more accommodating or by the plant manager noticing that your company's drivers seem more professional. Long pants are typically more professional than shorts, but if it's hot enough even the police wear shorts.

An orange safety vest should always be in the truck. It could save your life if you find yourself on the side of the road doing something to your truck and it can save you time if you arrive somewhere that requires safety vests. If you ever hit a deer with your truck and the police and/or game wardens are dispatched to the scene of the accident, you want to make sure you have that orange vest on because many states require deer hunters to wear such vests.

Keeping safety glasses and a dust mask handy is a good idea apart from any formal requirements. I am always amazed at the stuff that people breathe in without thinking about it, whether it's dust, smoke, fumes or germs.

It is also helpful in some situations to carry a clipboard. A clipboard and a shirt with a collar ought to get you through about anything.

 

[terryandrene]

Two points for the orange vest idea. I'm gonna get one for the auto and the truck. It would also be easier to flag down help with one on; not that any of us would ever need help.

The clip board is a bad idea 'cause you'd just look lika a government worker pretending to be busy.

Terry

 

[redytrk]

Yestreday our company had 5 trucks lined up at one of our very inportant shippers.

Most were neat and clean except for one slob.He was wearing a dirty "muscle shirt"(his muscles were all in his stomach)Dirty cut-off shorts.

I was really embarassed that he would approach this very good customer in this manner.

If the company was aware of the apperance of a few of these individuals,they would require uniforms,as the do in "White Glove"

This driver loudly and profainly complained that he was making no money. Never mind that he sat at home and turned down 9 loads in a row.

The good news is that he said he was going to quit.He said he can make $8.00hr flippin burgers at Burger King.

Thank God we dont go to Burger King any more.