raceman
Veteran Expediter
I want to put my 23 cents in here on the signiture line and experience. As I stated somewhere else on here, I do see a benefit to this and as I read the posts from others I see where it makes no difference.
My feeling is that a lot of the business questions posted on here can be answered by many of us including people that are only researching, no truck time at all.
I have a very long work history and I have been in more things than many people will ever have a chance to be in just because of the family I grew up in. I have owned a body shop, a custom framing and art business, I have worked for one of the largest consumer products companies in the world, I have driven trucks, I have worked in family owned trucking businesses and I have been in brick and block. There is more but I know most of you are over it.
The point is that I have a lot of life experience, I have some trucking experience and I have some expedited trucking experience. I think I can bring a lot to the table when it comes to advice. On this forum at this point in my expedited career I can now share what can happen when you least expect it and that is what I feel many folks on here need to understand.
I have been contacted by many many folks wanting a truck and as I talk to them it becomes clear they are not in a good financial situation right now. That in my opinion is the worst time to get in this business as an O/O. If anything happens they will be devistated financially. Maybe ruined for years to come. It is those people that I hope look at that signiture line, or the rating system info or a persons profile and understand who is encouraging them and who is not.
That is where I see all this credentials thing to be important. I think it also helpful when asking what it is like out there to know the person answering you has done it for X period of time.
When I started as a driver ever time I was on the phone and asked how do you like it, I would say I loved it, it is great. When people ask me that now I say I love the business. The rest of it does not fit my description of a fun day. It is not great in my opinion to be woke up after two hours of sleep only to be told you gotta go 300 more miles. I like getting a good nights sleep. My view is different today. I also would answer the question of new vs used much differently today than I did two years ago and I think it helps people to know my background when they get my answer.
I went into expediting with some trucking experience and a lot of life experience and the life experience fueled my decisions. If I started today I would do it differently than I did. My experience is different. My answers are now different. My pocket book is now different all this new experience does not show up in my signiture line but it will show up in my advice and my answers to questions.
Many times experience matters not when answering a question and other times if the indivdual asking the question has any brains and they ask, "should I get new or used equipment" I hope they look at that line and say out of my answers the guy who said what I wanted to hear has no experience and the guy with 20 years did not give me the answer I wanted but that experience may very well be worth taking. He must have been through this decision once or twice.
I know I am rambling but it seems to me the type of questions being asked may be answered as well by someone who has little experience in trucking as they may be by someone who has a lot. I simply think the signiture information gives a reader the ability to weight the info. If I ask "How much cash should I have in the bank before I buy a truck" A good business mind can answer that as well if not better than a 10 year trucker. Maybe. I think knowing the background from which an answer comes gives you a little better feel for which answer you take. I have given advice to folks based on my life experience and I know it has helped them. I also know they may never have taken that advice if I told them I was a truck driver. In other words there is a lot that goes into what people listen to and why.
But when you come right down to it what does it hurt and what does it help to list your experience? Now if you think about my last few lines in this post you will see I can see where this is six of one or half dozen of another because I see benefit and I see where it may keep someone from taking good advice. But what does it really hurt by sticking it in there for someone who finds it important.
I will end with something for everyone to think about. If I would have listened to the experienced Dr. on 11/27/01 I would most likely be dead or atleast have some organs from another and maybe a not so good quality of life. I listened to a less than experienced medical person with a whole bunch of other research experience, and have all my own guts and have a wonderful quality of life. I am glad I did not see those signiture lines until I was fixed. I listened to a person with 35 years of experience tell me why to buy new trucks and I bought used. I wish I would have seen his signiture line when I went against his advice. Tough spot but I say stick the signiture line in there. What the heck.
Raceman
Owner Two Straight Truck.
Part time driver of one of my trucks and local TT.
15mon.OTR Expediting
1 yr local Expediting
Line Haul TT 2mon.
OTR Straight Truck Plt to Plt off and on 5 years.
Based in Cincy Ohio
Currently at Express-1
[font color="red"](Since this was brought back to the top) Edited by Dreamer for easier reading with Raceman's permission.[/font]
My feeling is that a lot of the business questions posted on here can be answered by many of us including people that are only researching, no truck time at all.
I have a very long work history and I have been in more things than many people will ever have a chance to be in just because of the family I grew up in. I have owned a body shop, a custom framing and art business, I have worked for one of the largest consumer products companies in the world, I have driven trucks, I have worked in family owned trucking businesses and I have been in brick and block. There is more but I know most of you are over it.
The point is that I have a lot of life experience, I have some trucking experience and I have some expedited trucking experience. I think I can bring a lot to the table when it comes to advice. On this forum at this point in my expedited career I can now share what can happen when you least expect it and that is what I feel many folks on here need to understand.
I have been contacted by many many folks wanting a truck and as I talk to them it becomes clear they are not in a good financial situation right now. That in my opinion is the worst time to get in this business as an O/O. If anything happens they will be devistated financially. Maybe ruined for years to come. It is those people that I hope look at that signiture line, or the rating system info or a persons profile and understand who is encouraging them and who is not.
That is where I see all this credentials thing to be important. I think it also helpful when asking what it is like out there to know the person answering you has done it for X period of time.
When I started as a driver ever time I was on the phone and asked how do you like it, I would say I loved it, it is great. When people ask me that now I say I love the business. The rest of it does not fit my description of a fun day. It is not great in my opinion to be woke up after two hours of sleep only to be told you gotta go 300 more miles. I like getting a good nights sleep. My view is different today. I also would answer the question of new vs used much differently today than I did two years ago and I think it helps people to know my background when they get my answer.
I went into expediting with some trucking experience and a lot of life experience and the life experience fueled my decisions. If I started today I would do it differently than I did. My experience is different. My answers are now different. My pocket book is now different all this new experience does not show up in my signiture line but it will show up in my advice and my answers to questions.
Many times experience matters not when answering a question and other times if the indivdual asking the question has any brains and they ask, "should I get new or used equipment" I hope they look at that line and say out of my answers the guy who said what I wanted to hear has no experience and the guy with 20 years did not give me the answer I wanted but that experience may very well be worth taking. He must have been through this decision once or twice.
I know I am rambling but it seems to me the type of questions being asked may be answered as well by someone who has little experience in trucking as they may be by someone who has a lot. I simply think the signiture information gives a reader the ability to weight the info. If I ask "How much cash should I have in the bank before I buy a truck" A good business mind can answer that as well if not better than a 10 year trucker. Maybe. I think knowing the background from which an answer comes gives you a little better feel for which answer you take. I have given advice to folks based on my life experience and I know it has helped them. I also know they may never have taken that advice if I told them I was a truck driver. In other words there is a lot that goes into what people listen to and why.
But when you come right down to it what does it hurt and what does it help to list your experience? Now if you think about my last few lines in this post you will see I can see where this is six of one or half dozen of another because I see benefit and I see where it may keep someone from taking good advice. But what does it really hurt by sticking it in there for someone who finds it important.
I will end with something for everyone to think about. If I would have listened to the experienced Dr. on 11/27/01 I would most likely be dead or atleast have some organs from another and maybe a not so good quality of life. I listened to a less than experienced medical person with a whole bunch of other research experience, and have all my own guts and have a wonderful quality of life. I am glad I did not see those signiture lines until I was fixed. I listened to a person with 35 years of experience tell me why to buy new trucks and I bought used. I wish I would have seen his signiture line when I went against his advice. Tough spot but I say stick the signiture line in there. What the heck.
Raceman
Owner Two Straight Truck.
Part time driver of one of my trucks and local TT.
15mon.OTR Expediting
1 yr local Expediting
Line Haul TT 2mon.
OTR Straight Truck Plt to Plt off and on 5 years.
Based in Cincy Ohio
Currently at Express-1
[font color="red"](Since this was brought back to the top) Edited by Dreamer for easier reading with Raceman's permission.[/font]
