Okay. Rant time!!

Well, I, for one, chose to drive trucks for a living. Yes, I said "CHOSE"!!! No, I'm NOT crazy. Because after 7 years in the construction trades, I said to myself "Oh, to Hell with this!!.

Now, I know this may offend some people, particularly those who seem to think the trucking industry has become a sort of dumping ground for undesirables, and to an extent I can agree with such statements. After reading this, some may say I fit the aforementioned description. Frankly, I don't care.

No, I don't play well with others. No, I don't like to be constantly watched. I do, however, work well independently and therefore don't need to be watched and babysat like some co-workers I have. I receive my bills in the morning and will do my best to deliver them all. I just don't have it in me to milk the clock. I just want to get my work done so I can go home. I only ask that I NOT be bothered constantly. And no, I don't feel that's asking too much.

There. Now I feel better...

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

Need some oxygen there, buddy?

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No good deed goes unpunished......

Why would you think that you would or could be considered an undesireable, based on what you offer, Mack? There's nothing wrong with not playing well with others, unless you are totally lacking social skills to conduct business with the people you encounter in the course of your job, and there are plenty of people out here that meet that criteria, but they don't do very well in trucking, because they are constantly butting heads with people. There's no need in that.

The fact that you don't need babysitting, and are independent is a plus, in my opinion, because that's a requirement of the job. Drivers that cannot work independently and need constant hand holding are a liability, and they are in the wrong profession.

The undesireables, again in my opinion, are the ones that are in this profession because they cannot fit into society in some capacity, and are totally devoid of principles, motivation, and/or enough social skills to interact with other people, and only drive a truck because they couldn't survive in another profession at all, and would otherwise be homeless.

In that respect, we HAVE become a dumping grounds of sorts, because there are plenty of people out here in trucks, that meet all or some of that criteria.

Thank you, Turbo. That wasn't directed at anyone in particular.

I enjoy what I do, and I do it well. When I was a kid I figured I'd wind up as a truck driver, because I was always self-reliant and adventurous, had a good sense of direction, and enjoyed the solitude. The building trades just weren't cutting it for me. Too many bosses...

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

Thats why im getting into trucking. I like not having someone standing over my shoulder. I got enough of that in doing production work. Security wasnt that bad. But the people in that business dont believe in fair treatment. Im almost willing to say security guard jobs and some trucking companies are about the same when it comes to being bad. They will let you take the blame, and the pay sucks because you just dont get raises......


Gary

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Just a man in the world trying too find his way over the speed bumps

I do it for the Glory!

If you dress like a slob, you are a slob. If a driver dresses like a slob and stinks because he/she can not find their way to the shower and he/she goes to a customer like that, he/she is representing the company he/she drives for and his/her fellow drivers. The customer is going to remeber the slob stinkin driver and think that ABC Trucking is the ones with drivers like that. The company I am leased to has policys in place and drivers must be neat and clean in their apperance before going to our customers to load or unload, no shorts, no sweats, no flip flops and no t shirts with bad sayings or pictures. If you are seen doing this termination is possiable. Just like our trucks are washed when they get dirty, sometimes weekly. They don't care what you wear when you are driving the truck, but when your around the customer they do.

Have pride in yorself, your company and your ride!

I beg to disagree that wearing shorts/sandals makes you a slob. If you are dirty with torn and tattered clothes then yes that would make a slob. But not clean and neat shorts and sandals.

Owe Brickman, you need to pay attetion to the post. I never said if you wear shorts and sandals it will make you a slob, what I said was that is our company policy that we are not allowed to wear them while we are at the customers. I could show you a picture of a slob but I think you have seen the same picture in the past. I wear shorts and sandals myself but not when I am that our customer locations. More to do with safety then anything, we pull flatbeds and go to alot of steel plants etc...

Slob: One who does not take a baths/ showers on a regular basis, wears the same clothes day after day, someone that stinks, has body odor, does not comb their hair, brush their teeth, use deodrant, someone that has lots of food stains on their shirt. etc...... their is proablly more but I will stop their.

I was at a truck stop the other day and seen a driver came out of the resturant wearing a button up shirt, the problem was he looked like he just woke up and forgot to comb his hair, he only had the top three buttons button on his shirt, and the rest of shirt was exposing his big ole beer gut because the shirt was to small. I am sorry but this is a slob. Then they wonder why they don't get respect from no one and get treated the way they do.

We had a driver a long time ago that when he took his truck to the shop the mechanics would make him drive it in and out of the shop, they would not work on anything on the inside of the cab nor would the road test it. Finally word got back to the boss on his third visit to the shop and the boss went to his truck and opened up the door and got a big o'le breath of funk he bought up chucked. That driver went walking that day. They had to burn the mattress and had to have a carpet cleaning service come out and clean the inside of the cab.

Makes you wonder how some people live...

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

Slob \/ and I've heard about pigs like what you mentioned.