I was just talkin' to another driver the other day about 1st Impressions. Just as my screen name suggests... I drive tour busses as you all (or some of you) know.
However, I also drive 18 wheelers part time, and a rear discharge concrete mixer part time. I'm home nearly every nite now that I'm married... and have 2 small kids.
There was a time not very long ago though, when I would be gone no less than 4 weeks on up to 6 weeks to 2 or 3 months... at a single shot.
Representation is important, however, in my opinion - and some other drivers I've spoken to as well in truckstops and in my travels... what you wear and when you wear it does make a difference. Personally, driving passenger tour bus = white shirt and tie with tie tack, blue/black or grey pressed pants and shined dresss shoes. Private coach = nice T-shirt or polo shirt or button down comfortable shirt, blue or black jeans, and sneakers if I'm hauling a show/crew. If I'm hauling VIP's for a co. or private charter on a private coach then I step it up to nice jeans with nice shoes and a nice polo shirt.
Driving a concrete mixer I wear uniform style pants with work boots, almost always steel toe and always water proof- Not water resistant (there IS a difference, and in concrete work you tend to quickly find out). I wear a button down work shirt that is clean when I put it on.
Working with concrete is really not a clean job, you're going to get dusty, muddy, wet, and maybe even greasy. People on job sites expect that of a driver, and drivers expect that of the people on the job sites. You try to keep your boots clean, and the "mud" off of yourself as much as possible... but staying clean and working outside on construction job sites usually doesn't happen all in the same day.
Hauling freight... no matter what I'm hauling it in... I've always taken pride in my ride and my self and how I represent the transportation industry. My father was a driver for 42 years, and I've been one for 11 now- going on 12 years. When I walk into the truck stop and I'm fueling up and/or going to get something to eat I may have a t-shirt on that may be wrinkled, and some dirty jeans, and some raggedy sneakers. But it's a truckstop, not a Marriot Hotel... even if it is the Iowa 80 or Whites, or Little America or the finest J Bird... it's still a truck stop- which are built for truck Drivers. I may have nice clothes on, I may have 1/2 nice clothes and 1/2 dirty clothes.... the truck stops are where we as drivers should be able to feel comfortable no matter how we are dressed. Haven't you seen a great looking truck at a truck stop and out jumps a guy who looked like he just got done playing with his dog for 2 hours? if you haven't, then you haven't driven enough.
At a freight pick-up or drop point it is different. Why? Represent yourself clean and professional and you'll find you are "generally" treated a "little" bit better. Sometimes you're treated much better. Why is that? you look professional, Professionally dressed: You don't smell bad= you have used deodorant of some kind and shampoo in your hair recently. you're clean (hair combed/cared for), your shoes are fairly clean/new looking, your shirt isn't wrinkled like you just pulled it out from under the bunk mattress, and your pants are clean - they don't have grease streaks or paint or ink spot or rips on them, and they too are not wrinkled. You don't look exactly like a lawyer, but you don't look like a truck driver who hasn't taken a shower in 4 days, or who has just gotten done hand unloading 115 living room rugs from the front of a 53 foot trailer onto a pallet at the end of the trailer.
When we step into a shipper and/or reciever's dock/office... we are representing more than ourselves. Who is involved? the Trucking co. you drive for...
but you're an o/o? so then you are presenting your own co.!!
You don't want people sayin
"oh ya, xyz expediting, ya, they got a nice truck, but the driver smells and they're always dressed nasty, - makes me wonder how they handle the freight?"...
you want people sayin'
"oh ya, xyz expediting, ya, they're great, always look good all around, even the drivers- they look like they work in an office cubicle and never get dirty, but they run for everybody and drive all over"
The notion that the public percieves trucker as has come "partly" from poorly dressed drivers. The media rarely does us justice either.
Go to a truck show and you will see who drives America... we are a fairly clean bunch.
Dressing to impress makes a difference, you may get unloaded quicker, you may get a load quicker, you may get to stay on the premises to get some sleep. You may be allowed onto the dock to assist with the load.
Driving down the road where you know you'll be in the seat for hours and hours doesn't make much difference how you are dressed.
Driving into a facility where you will be judged as will your company... the 1st thing they see is the truck, either the cargo area, and/or the whole truck... so it should be (taking weather into consideration) in somewhat clean shape. The Cargo Area... If the forklift driver encounters a problem of any kind... they're going to call for somebody to view their issue- and in most cases, you as a driver may or may not be the 1st one they call on.
How many times have you seen the inside of another truck? many I'm sure. some look clean, some don't. Next time, when you see the cargo area of another truck- start observing how the whole truck looks as well. A clean inside generally is going to show a clean outside as well. Just like a house, a house with a nice lawn and nice exterior will generally be clean on the inside as well.
The way people (Drivers) represent themselves speaks volumes about how they represent the trucking industry. Dress nice, you'll be treated a bit better. Dress poorly, you'll find you won't get the same treatment... don't believe me? Try experimenting... you will find that you will want to start dressing better... plus you will feel better about yourself too. people who get treated good... feel good. people who feel good... are happy people. people like happy people, even unhappy people like happy people.
That's my 2 cents.
BBB
