I'm getting a little tired of it

[TJ959]

From time to time and no matter what the subject of the post, someone has to take a shot at the van drivers. It offended me when I drove a "D" truck and it offends me more now. Everyone has an opinion just like they all have something else. It seems to me that you're showing your posterior when you make such comments about something you know next to nothing about. It bothers me a great deal when someone I ordinarily respect makes a derogitory comment about a class of driver when they have no experience in that size truck. Anyone who is making a living in this business is working long hours away from their loved ones. They all have the expense of operating their own business and very few benefits. I've waited a long time to make this comment because I didn't want to start something. Now I've done it. Things would be a little better everywhere if we all thought a little before we dined on our foot.

 

[greg334]

Tom
As a van driver I have to put up with the same c**p I had to when I owned cube trucks and had them all over the east coast and in the south. I get the impression from a few because I don’t drive a real truck, I could not comment on real truck issues. Well there are no real truck issues that don’t affect me and I have the right to comment on every one of them. Not to sound defensive but after so many years of driving everything but a truck for a living, I find it natural to be a little defensive when faced with these things.

People on this site are actually more civil to each other than most of the sites out there and a lot of us, even though we disagree, most seem to understand we are all in this together. Lawrence and the moderators have done an outstanding job keeping this site active and moving forward. Regardless (from my point of view that is) how badly some get beat up or how heated a discussion gets, there is always something to learn about the business. I haven’t heard really many negative things about vans here, as I heard on another site. Nothing has yet to offend me to the point I want to throw my laptop out the window.

To tell you what I put up with on the road is completely different. I have in some cases really p***ed off some truck drivers, too bad. I recently had one driver at the fuel pumps b**** at me because I was in his way and needed to move to the RV lane to fuel - NOW. I stood there and listened at him complain about cube trucks and vans always in ‘his way’, I politely told him that I had a Comdata card and I did not like the idea of fueling in the truck lanes, because it interfered with the trucks and they had it hard enough, blah blah blah. I also added very politely if he wanted to help me, I would like him to tell the manager who told me to fuel in this specific lane that I am interfering with his ability to fuel so I need to fuel in the RV lane. I would be very happy to move for him but can’t. Once I asked him his help, he walked away.

This is not the first time something like this has happened in the fuel lanes, when I ran my dodge truck a few years back, I had horns blown (could not hear for a week), a truck creep up on my truck to the point it almost touched and even had a note on my truck asking me not to fuel in the truck lanes. I can get nasty too and did with the first two I just mentioned. I usually tolerate a lot of c**p but this stuff was different so I call their companies and complained and then had my lawyer follow up with letters to their safety departments to ensue they got the message. The horn blower had another surprise when he scaled down the road, I won’t tell you what I said to the people at the scale but he was delayed for a long time and think he will think twice pissing people off. The office who I talked to told me he will make sure a message is delivered and I know it was.

 

[davekc]

Certainly as far as expediting they have more in common with each other than not.
My only personal issue is the ones that park on the fuel island and then go in and eat or shower while a line is building behind them.
That tends to be TT and RV's where we have experienced that. Not vans.


Davekc
owner
21 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[greg334]

>
>Certainly as far as expediting they have more in common with
>each other than not.
>My only personal issue is the ones that park on the fuel
>island and then go in and eat or shower while a line is
>building behind them.
>That tends to be TT and RV's where we have experienced that.
>Not vans.

you know dave, I try like heck to get out of there just out of courtesy. If I am not loaded, i will park, otherwise I make it quick.

I find when I am stuck behind a truck who pulls up, goes in and just disapprears and I can't go anywhere, I get really frustrated but what can i do. The last time this happen was at a Toledo Truck stop, the driver pulls up and blocks the two end isles...fuels up...pulled up (still blocking everyone in I might add)...goes in...get his food...eats...and then take a shower...all the time I and three others drivers are stuck. even after we had this guy paged, he never showed up. the others were really nasty to the manager, so the manager was out there directing traffic to get us out of there and toledo police show up with a tow truck. I don't know what happened after that but i hope towed the truck out of there.

 

[cheri1122]

Thank you, Tom, for saying what I felt, but didn't want to post in case I was just being overly sensitive.
There may be some who drive a van because they want to skip the logs & scales & be home every weekend, but they won't last long when they find that we log, (when hauling hazmat, or in Alabama, & maybe states I don't know about), we scale, (in several states that specify "all comm vehicles", and also when hauling hazmat, and we don't get home every weekend - unless we're willing to dh a thousand miles (in which case, you won't last long before you're broke). I am in Dallas now, & haven't been home (NE Ohio) for 2 weeks, & don't have any idea when I will get there. I know how hard this is for people with families, but it's not real easy for us solos either - there is a lot of unanswered mail piling up in my mailbox!
I decided to drive a van mostly because there's so much I need to learn about the business side of being an o/o that I wasn't ready to jump into buying a C or D unit first thing - I figured if I can learn the business practices, there will be time to move up in a year or two.( And I decided that without any help from EO, as I discovered this site only after I bought my van)
People who drive vans are exactly like every other group of people - there are good & bad ones, lazy & hard working ones, smart & dumb ones, etc, etc, etc.
People who generalize about groups of "other people" are proclaiming their place in the group of people called "ignorant".

 

[davebeckym]

Great post Cheri!

I drive a van because you can probably make as much as an o/o in a van as you could driving a straight truck for a o/o. If you don't have experience driving it's almost impossible to get financing for a straight truck. So like you said, a van is a great way to learn the business.

It's a lot easier to learn where to park, eat and shop in a van too.

BTW I kept my WMCA membership even though I wouldn't be home much. You can use most Y's in the USA and Canada for no extra charge. I've only had to pay a small fee at 2 or 3 Y's. Great place for a van driver to shower, excercise and play. Some have parking for bigger trucks too.

 

[Moot]

I started out driving a "B" model Mack with a triplex pulling a 42' trailer. Kinda of a earn while you learn deal. Since then, I have pulled household goods, TL, rail pigs and containers, pulp logs, reefer and LTL in doubles. After 20 years I finally graduated to a long wheelbase cargo van! If I can do it anyone can. So there is still hope for all of you "D" units. Keep your sites aimed high and be patient. Some day you too could be the proud owner/operator of a cargo van.

 

[Moot]

Post Script: I'm a bit slow. The smart ones go straight to cargo vans and skip the rest. Moot

 

[terryandrene]

Moot makes a good point

Many of us are in the Vans for a variety of reasons. We are as pleased with, and proud of our choice, no less than those who choose a different size truck. Our role in the surface transportation industry is no less important than those that drive the 'big trucks'. There are so many of us because we fill an important niche, cheaper and faster. The customers like us because we get there faster and cheaper and we like it because we get there faster and cheaper.

Can't we all just get along?

 

[theoldprof]

Terry,
I noticed how you can deliver cheaper: You are still running an 02 license plate!! If you bought current plates like the rest of us, you might not be able to run so cheaply.

Thanks. :+ :+

 

[terryandrene]

The 01 plate is on the front

 

[huntn1]

yeah i have had drivers give me the one finger salute a time or too, or cuss a little on the cb when i am cruising about 62 or 3 and getting my 25 miles a gallon. they dont bother me though runing wide open because of the new hours of service while they try to eat and drive cause they have no time to stop. as long as they dont say it to my face everything will be rosey.

 

[highway star]

"Can't we all just get along?" A quote from a deep, philisophical thinker like Rodney King really puts things into perspective. Makes our differences seem rather petty. It kind of makes you want to stand in the middle of the World Famous Detroiter van parking area and shout, "I love you, man!"

Or not...

As has been pointed out here allready, those who want to belittle us don't really know what they're talking about at all. When we do our job well we are all appreciated. It does'nt matter if it's in a B-unit or an E. And, even though I've only spent a month in a T/T in the last 15 years, I would still put my skills up against anyone.

To those who would say that we're lazy, I say it's just the opposite. If I'm not tired I don't have to deal with a piece of paper that says I am. I had a run this week that was 340 deadhead and 1294 loaded. I did this run very safely with a 4 hour sleep break and a 1 hour meal break. And, just for the record, more time was available if I needed it. I delivered 12 hours early.

I know that I've seen this attitude here once in a while, but it's been very rare. This is a good group with an "in this all together" outlook. So Tom, my advice is to just turn the other cheek. Your rear end cheek.

Oh, yeah...#4 in Phoenix tonight!

 

[ATeam]

I wouldn't take anti-van comments personally, TJ959. Such comments are not so much about you or your truck choice as they are about the emotional or mental state of the comment maker.

I recall a big-rig company driver recently talking on the CB about how he loved today's sky-high fuel prices. His company paid for his fuel. He said he was looking forward to the day when owner/operators went broke because of increased fuel costs. He hoped for $6.00 a gallon and said, "Owner/operators have it had it too good for too long." That was not a statement about the industry or owner/operators. It was a statement about a jealous, small-minded, self-centered company truck driver.

 

[cheri1122]

That driver wasn't real bright, either - if his company has to pay more for fuel, there's less profit with which to compensate drivers. I want the company to do well, so we can all share in the rewards!

 

[TJ959]

I no-more than posted this and my DSL link went down and then I got a load so off I went. I really wasn't too upset but it seemed like it was time to say something. We all tend to make general comments that will offend someone. I'm no exception to the rule. I changed from the big trucks to a "D" because I just didn't like them. I changed from the "D" to a "B" because I'm a single driver. I feel if you stay busy, you can be more profitable single in a van than single in a "D". The fact that you don't have to log or pass through the scales is just an added benefit. For me It's a business decision. Thanks for the great posts.