It's Time To Be Reliable.

[blizzard2014]

How do some of these people get a CDL?

BIG JOHN

Ok, you guys just got my blood boiling. Let me see. You are in a straight truck; correct? There is a huge difference between driving a straight truck and a tractor trailer. Also, there is a huge difference between hauling generic freight in a tractor trailer and hauling expedited freight in a straight truck. A lot of the stereotypes, bad behaviors, and what appear to be unlogical driving practices make a lot of sense to someone who has actually driven a tractor.

When I was driving tractor trailer for 2 years I was working an average of 100 hours per week while only taking home 750 a week after taxes. Most of my day was spent at shippers and receivers bumping docks and waiting hours at a time to get loaded. I somehow had to get enough sleep on the loading dock to be able to then drive all night or whatever it was that I needed to do to get that load to the consignee on time. A lof ot the time I was driving illegal and tired. I don't know about anyone else in this room, but being on the road for 3 months at a time and working an average of 100 hours a week does not make one a happy camper. Now couple that with the fact that truck drivers are completely controlled by their carriers; they are not allowed to turn down loads, and they cannot just take time off because they are stressed.

So, that driver kept trying to park his bobtail in your spot. He knew that it might not fit. And guess what; he probably didn't care. He probably worked over 100 hours that week, just got sh-it on by his wife, threatened by his dispatcher, kicked out of a rest area by a state trooper, and just wanted to park and get some sleep. He was probably frustrated and perhaps one step away from snapping. By moving to another spot you probably diffused the situation. During my last week on the road as a big truck driver, my wife filed for divorce on me (she was with another man) my truck broke down in Tyler Texas, and I was stuck in a hotel there for a week while they were rebuilding the clutch. I was so angry when I got back in the truck that I couldn't see straight. I dodn't care about anything at that point in time and decided to return the truck and take some time off. And I am one of the easy going drivers (it takes months and months and months of sh-it piling up on me before I snap) what about the drivers who have aggressive personalities? So, in my own way, I can see why drivers act the way that they do.

Trucking is a brutal industry. You have to lie on your logs to make money. The federal regulations keep on getting more stringent while your ability to make a living continues to decline. State troopers are out to get you (write you tickets for doing 60 in a 55 zone) dispatchers will force you to run illegal; and if you refuse, they will send you a load that delivers 600 miles away five days from now with no way to drop it early. If you are tired and pull over on the side of the road to take a nap you, will get a ticket. Lets say have to go to the bathroom, but if you stop, your load will be late, or you will be running behind schedule, so you learn how to pee while going down the road. Sometimes you get to the consignee an hour late because you were loaded late at the bottling facility and then you got stuck behing a slow moving camper driving down a two lane highway in the desert. All ther while your dispatcher did not inform consignee that you were running behind schedule. So, when you pull into the coke distribution center in Henderson Nevada some little short manager comes running to your truck screaming "when you have my coke on your truck you don't stop to pee, you don't stop to play in the casinos, you don't even stop to take a crap when my coke is on your truck!" This really happened to me!!

Now you wonder why drivers do stupid sh-it. It is because no one respects them and because they are consistently pushed to the limit. Some truckers do really snap and it ain't a pretty sight when it happens. It isn't the movies "it is the real life FALLING DOWN" when it happens. Next time you see a driver doing something stupid you have to try and put yourself in his shoes. That guy could have driven 18 hours straight after being up 12 hours and was so exausted he just couldn't think straight. I had to drive 18 hours straight once just to save one of my previous companies accounts. I drove 18 hours with one 30 minute fuel stop and then had to do a full hand unload. I was a zombie, I was angry, hungry, tired, but the freight got there 4 hours ahead of schedule. Then I had to sit there with no truck stop, nowhere to eat, and wait for my hours to catch back up to me so I can do some creative logging. The only thing that brightened up my day is the fact that one of the employees there gave me a ride to McDonalds at lunch time so I could grab me a bite to eat. So don't be so quick to judge truckers because they are having a bad day.

 

[iceroadtrucker]

Ok, you guys just got my blood boiling. Let me see. You are in a straight truck; correct? There is a huge difference between driving a straight truck and a tractor trailer. Also, there is a huge difference between hauling generic freight in a tractor trailer and hauling expedited freight in a straight truck. A lot of the stereotypes, bad behaviors, and what appear to be unlogical driving practices make a lot of sense to someone who has actually driven a tractor.



Now thats telling it like it is Outstanding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[blizzard2014]

I distinctly remember that employee using lysol to sanatize the car after we returned from our trip to McDonalds. j/k.

 

[broker]

Blizzard, take a chill pill.
You take the only comment I made on this issue and that made your blood boil?


Refresh my issue with this person:
#1, backing into a spot that had no parking yellow lines (it was still daylight) and concrete to stop anyone from trying.
#2, you couldn't get an average sized car into it.
#3, he had to angle in because there was not a chance you could get in straight.
#4, he kept backing until my truck stopped him.
#5, it was a bobtail, no trailer.
#6 and the biggest joke of all, HE DID IT AGAIN>.

If he was this tired, upset or whatever, can you imagine what harm this guy could do on the road.

If he had done this to one of the T/T's that were parked there, I'm sure it would have been ugly.
T/T drivers were cussing each other out all day in the parking lot, for a lot less issues than this.

I never raised my voice, used a cuss word or told him how bad a driver he was (even after the second hit)
I said, "here, give me time to put my stuff away and get the truck started. Then I'll move across the street to the F.J. and you can have my LEGAL spot.
He never even thanked me.
Sorry, this guy should not be out here representing the trucking industry.
If he is having problems, get off the road for awhile, then come back after some rest.

By the way, when you were talking about being forced to keep driving, I think you were talking about company drivers and then not all.
I was an O/O from 1971-2005, (5 trucks, 4 companies) and never was forced to keep rolling. Plus, in all that time, I never backed into anyone, anywhere.

Truck driving is like most things in life. Somehow people slip in that don't really belong there.
BIG JOHN

 

[greg334]

Big John,
It amazes me that no one thanks people anymore. I have given up my spot a few times, I am small enough to park in a lot of spots that trucks can't fit in, not bobtails you know what I mean. I try to be courteous in a lot of my actions and it sometimes gets frustrating when the rude trucker comes through.

Phil,
Please quote the source. But thanks for proving my point - well said.

 

[blizzard2014]

I did not say all truckers snap. But this guy could have been having the worst week of his life is all I was trying to say. And, yes, you are right, there are a lot of truck drivers out there on the road who do not belong behind the wheel. This guy could have very well been one of them. I was not atacking just you. I was attacking all of the people who seek to unfairly stereotype truck drivers.

Look, a lot of people who got into trucking at the same time I did lost their homes, families, credit ratings, etc. No one told them that they would not make jack the first year in the business and that driving a truck wasn't as fun as the recruiters had led them to believe.

So, for whatever reason, this guy was having a bad day, or he is just a plain old idiot. That is not for me to decide until I have a talk with him personally. Also, no offense to you Broker, you are cool, I was just angry with the fact that some expediters think they are somehow better then truck drivers. I have seen expediters kicking pee bottles out of their sleepers and driving as reckless as truck drivers on numerous occasions.

 

[blizzard2014]

Also Broker, now that i'm calmed down, I will break it down a bit more logically. The pay grade in the trucking industry for new drivers and even veteran drivers has gotten pretty cheap. Now, if you as a company are only going to pay your new drivers 26 cents a mile, don't expect to attract the cream of the crop. When pay scales are low and drivers are treated like cattle, you are going to have workers who are frustrated and ambivalent. Until the so called "truck driving mills" are closed down and the industry begins to pay higher wages in order to attract well skilled and highly qualified drivers, we are going to be stuck with the dregs of the industry. This is just part of the problem that is contributing to the negative stereotype of truck drivers.

 

[ATeam]

This is just part of the problem that is contributing to the negative stereotype of truck drivers.

When you say "truck drivers" I am beginning to wonder what you mean and what stereotype you hold of them, and whether your stereotype is fair.

Would you call expediters like Diane and me "truck drivers?"

We have CDLs but not Class A. They are Class B. We drive straight trucks, not big rigs. We earn a living by using a truck to pick up and deliver freight safely and on time. When we became expediters, we made good money from the first day and were happy with our work and found the life and work to be fun. We have never been employed as a company driver. We do not allow anyone to push us beyond the limits of safe vehicle operation and while we can understand accidental contact between one truck and another, we see no justification whatsoever for making the same contact twice in a row.

So, what say you? Are we truck drivers? Do we fit your stereotype or do we have to allow ourselves to get ground up by the industry and leave urine bottles behind to be the real deal?

 

[blizzard2014]

Do you drive a truck for a living? I rest my case. I did not say all drivers are acting badly.

 

[iceroadtrucker]

When you say "truck drivers" I am beginning to wonder what you mean and what stereotype you hold of them, and whether your stereotype is fair.

Would you call expediters like Diane and me "truck drivers?"

We have CD-Ls but not Class A. They are Class B. We drive straight trucks, not big rigs. We earn a living by using a truck to pick up and deliver freight safely and on time. When we became expediters, we made good money from the first day and were happy with our work and found the life and work to be fun. We have never been employed as a company driver. We do not allow anyone to push us beyond the limits of safe vehicle operation and while we can understand accidental contact between one truck and another, we see no justification whatsoever for making the same contact twice in a row.

So, what say you? Are we truck drivers? Do we fit your stereotype or do we have to allow ourselves to get ground up by the industry and leave urine bottles behind to be the real deal?

The man and wife teams have it made. It's got to be like a never ending honey moon for both of ya.
Ya never have to worry about going home to see the better half as the better half is always with ya.
There are those of us out here that envoy ya.
Now far as Class of License A B and so forth.
Let it be known there really are not very many man and wife Class a Drivers out here. Oh there are a few. But most are in straight trucks like yours. U have made it quite clear to everyone that one can get away with more things (Parking) is the big one for that matter with a straight truck.
Feel Fortunate and that U and others like U have that luxury.
Also feel fortunate that U own your own rig, while many of us do not and drive for somebody.
You also have a choice. You don't have to here my truck my rules. So again You something more Freedom to choose.
Many of us do not. Oh many choose to sit here between the doors and still until we reach that plateau of which you have obtained we are still nothing more than prisoners of our own demise.
So when you see some cranky Truck driver in a Truck stop take into consideration some of the above things.
You my friends have the life of Riley a never ending Honey moon while we have just dreams.

 

[ATeam]

It doesn't get my blood to boiling, but it troubles me some that this talk about "truck drivers" seems to focus on the stereotype, as if there was only one kind of stereotypical truck driver and a few exceptions from the norm.

Stereotype, schmerotype. No two truckers are alike.

 

[layoutshooter]

This is still a free country. You are not yet forced to work in job you don't like. We ALL do what we do, what ever it is, BY CHOICE!! No one is holding a gun to anyones head, there are no ball and chains. I am in the position I am in today as a result of all the decisions that I have made in my past. I can enjoy the positive sides of this business. There are negitives. Which ever side I chose to look at today I am sure of one thing, I, and ONLY I, made the life choices that put me here. There is also just no such thing as a never ending honeymoon. Life is NEVER total bliss. Staying married for life is hard work. It takes TOTAL comittment. Layoutshooter

 

[iceroadtrucker]

This is still a free country. You are not yet forced to work in job you don't like. We ALL do what we do, what ever it is, BY CHOICE!! No one is holding a gun to anyones head, there are no ball and chains. I am in the position I am in today as a result of all the decisions that I have made in my past. I can enjoy the positive sides of this business. There are negitives. Which ever side I chose to look at today I am sure of one thing, I, and ONLY I, made the life choices that put me here. There is also just no such thing as a never ending honeymoon. Life is NEVER total bliss. Staying married for life is hard work. It takes TOTAL comittment. Layoutshooter

Shooter I can see your eye looking through your scope of your rifle while looking through my scope.
cross hairs are dead on and its 1850 yard shot.
With a 50 cal it's totally possible
Just as in a close quarter combat situation I'd opt for 4 clips and the MP3 then Draw my Nine .

SHHH.
If My statement of Never Ending honey moon struck a nerve of which it must. Hey man and wife teams have the best of both worlds.
Think of it like this any time can be quality time, and Seeing the whole country together well hey that's a dream many wish for but never get. So from this side of the Fence the Grass really Looks Greener and it is, the water bill is higher as well but hey.

 

[layoutshooter]

No nerves struck, it is just not reality. That's all. Nothing is ever that easy or that hard. Everything is what you choose to make it. Speaking of .50's, I was at BARRET today!!! Love the smell of new rifles. Layoutshooter

 

[layoutshooter]

Hey IRT, here is a pic for you!!!!!!! My nephew sent it to me last night. This is the result of when a would-be car bomber, in a little Toyota (little bomb), meets rounds from a Barret!!! Score Barret 1 car bomber, gone!! Near Faluja, Iraq, last summer. Layoutshooter

 

[broker]

Thanks blizzard for clearing that up. Thought you were directing your anger towards what I posted.

I never take a T/T parking spot, that is even close to the buildings. Besides, Kathy and I love to get in as much exercise as possible.
Many T.S's now have places for bobtails and straight trucks. That is our first choice. If not, we take a back row T/T spot.
If we know we do not need to leave early the next morning, here is what I'll do.
If I see a bobtail go around the lot a second time, I get on the CB and have them stop by. I go up and ask when will he/she be leaving the next morning. If they are leaving before us, I pull our truck back and guide them in front of ours. (if the lot is not on an incline)
I have always been thanked for that.
Sorry but I won't park mine in front of them. Seen too many trucks get the nose run into by those "tired' T/T drivers trying to back in.
BIG JOHN

 

[greg334]

I'm with Blizzard Phil, you don't drive a van, it surely is not an RV but it is a truck with a truck chassis and a truck box - hence you are a truck driver.

You have a license that says that you can operate a truck, so you are a trucker.

It is like the IT profession, when someone calls themselves a web guru or a database administrator, they are still IT professionals.

The same applies to trucking, the real expediting work is slowly fading away and we are becoming more and more into LTL freight, which is part of trucking so you are a trucker.

But what do you call a van operator?

 

[blizzard2014]

But what do you call a van operator?

Severely handicapped! Cargo vans are so severely handicapped when it comes to hauling freight that they should be allowed to park in the handicapped parking spaces at the J. j/k

 

[inkasnana]

I am a truck driver. I drive a truck owned by someone else, but that is our choice at this time in our career. I consider myself a professional and I act and behave accordingly. I see myself as a representative of the company that I carry freight for and I do my best to present that company in the best, professional image that I can. Even though I drive a truck that is owned by someone else, I treat that truck with respect and care as if it were my own.

I have attended some college but did not finish. Life happened and I chose to raise my children first. At that time they were the most important aspect of my life and their needs and wants were put ahead of mine. Again, my choice. My children are now grown and that part of my life is over, and if I could do it all again I would do it the same. I have no regrets on not finishing my education for the sake of my children. If you want to call me an uneducated trucker, feel free.

I don't get to shower every day and sometimes it's several days before I get the luxury of stepping into a less than desirable truck stop shower, but getting the freight on down the road and delivered on time is more important. If you want to call me dirty and smelly, feel free.

On the days that I am parked in a truck stop waiting for a load I spend a lot of time sitting in my sleeper and reading the forums on my laptop or watching movies and tv shows. I go to bed late and I sleep in late in the mornings. If you want to call me lazy, feel free.

But when I get a call for a load, I get our pre-trip paperwork done, plan our route, make sure we choose the best routes to get to both the shipper and the consignee on time, drive safely and respectfully, present myself to the customers and the general public in the most professional manner that I can and do the best possible job that I can do for both the owner of the truck and the carrier that I haul for. After delivery I finish the required paperwork and discuss with the carrier and the truck owner where the best place would be to wait for the next load.

If I have to live with the stereotype of being considered an uneducated, dirty, lazy and unrespectful truck driver then so be it. At least I get the job done safely, professionally and on time. Maybe someday I'll become "a real truck driver" by owning my own truck. Until then I'll just continue to "pretend". (Apologies to all of the O/O's out there, that last remark was just made because of the attitude that I got from some of the previous posts that unless you are an O/O, you aren't "worthwhile". NO OFFENSE intended to all the O/O's!! )

 

[MentalGiant]

The man and wife teams have it made. It's got to be like a never ending honey moon for both of ya.
Ya never have to worry about going home to see the better half as the better half is always with ya.
There are those of us out here that envoy ya.

You my friends have the life of Riley a never ending Honey moon while we have just dreams.

We husband and wife teams wished it was a honey moon every day. But, the truth is, we all have our bad days and our good days. Yes, it is nice having your spouse with you so can interact with them on daily basis. But, its just like any relationship that is away from each other for long period of times and ones that see each other every day, you still have to work at to keep it alive and to be happy. There are stressful times on the road that will tear apart a married couple, which I have heard that has happened unfortunately.

I believe being this close to each other every day, test our love and devotion to each other. Even being compatible. But, you can not say its a honey moon. Now days, especially the younger couples get angry with each other just "in some cases" will say I want a divorce. Its the simple solution for them. Instead of working out their problem with each other. The government has made it to simple to get a divorce, it happens so much more.

My wife and I have been married for 10yrs this coming June. We had our share of bumps in the road. But, we are still together and love each other. Do I wish we could of avoided the arguments we have had and the ones still to come? Of course I do, but we are only human, we each have different thoughts and feelings about things. Yes, we are incompatible in many ways and we are compatible in many ways. We just have to work out our differences and go from there. Even after having our differences, we don't hold grudges against each other, because we know we think differently about certain things, but love will always win if you let it.