Welcome to the industry.

I have been looking over some of the posts in this section and an alarming thing has occured to me.

One guy doesn't know how to hook up his trailer, another does not know what his axle weights should be to be legal but he does know that he needs to slide his trailer tandems "a few more holes".


Here is my advice to you.

If you feel you are not properly trained and don't know how to perform the duties that keep you safe as well as legal then please stay off my highways.

If you were not properly trained and you have an accident, you alone are responsable. If you injure or kill somebody because you were not able to do your job properly, you are the one who pays the consequences. Your boss will not find his rear in jail, you will.

It is your sole responsability to make sure you are prepared. If you don't know, ask somebody before you go load that first load. That is what you paid your CDL school for. That is why your new boss is paying your trainer.

Driving a truck is not all about how many "pull-ups" (what babies wear when potty training) you use to back in. It is not about how much money you will make or get cheated out of. It is not about that shiny ne wbig rig.

Driving a truck is about getting your ### and a load from point A to point B in one piece and back home to momma again. And without killing somebody on the way.

BTW, take as many pull-ups as ya' want. Nobody except another newby is counting.

I've been driving since 1979 and I still can't back up.

Oh Yeah, If ya screw up, be an adult and be responsable. After all DOo-Doo Occurs.

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Does this count when its 1100pm trying to park at Pilot? You know the Pilots with a lot the size of a 2 car driveway, and claim theres parking for 100 trucks.

Everything else I agree with, we all have to start somewhere, I think more drivers need to be reminded of this, and be more leanent on the newbies. The guy at that pilot got all kinds of ###### on the radio becouse he couldn't get in to the spot, he got so frustrated he poped the breaks and gave up. Not a good thing guys. This guy worked for the same company as I, so I was able to help him. I'm still new to the the big truck so its fresh in my head, but some people forget, and act like they got in the truck for first time and started doing 300 degree blind sides. ( havent seen that blind sided yet, but I did see a Kinard driver do a 300 degree back, and only pulled up when he went into the straight line to the dock ) Hats off to that guy

DITTO

So corey has a problem with the guy who isnt sure about his weight but then he cant back up after all that time....who is the risk?...pilot isnt no truck stop it is an oversized gas station...pilot sucks...hey corey maybe instead of acting like its your road how bout offer some of the new guys the advice they need..you needed it once yourself. Thats the problem with you guys that have been out there for 20+ years you seem to forget your roots. This post upsets me because it demoralizes the brotherhood of the trucker.

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one more thing there corey i think your "I USED TO BE PROUD TO BE A TRUCK DRIVER" says it all about you.

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Booboobone,
I think you miss understood my post. Doesn't matter though. You seem to have a problem with me anyway. I do not care what you think.

By the way, it is KC0REY to you. That would be Kay Cee Zero Arr Eeee Why.

Phoneticly?
Kilo Charley Zero Romeo Echo Yankee.

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Ya know......I've given this some thought and I've decided to address this.

My post is about the schools and companies taking a guys money and then putting him on the firing line with out proper training.

I am certainly not anti new driver. As I've said before, this industry needs new people. But we need properly trained people.

I often offer advice when asked. Glad too help whenever possible.

As to my siggy, the public used to regard truckers highly. Now, they think we are the scum of the earth.

Why do you suppose that is?

BTW, there is no Brotherhood of the Trucker. It is dog eat dog and every man for himself. Very few drivers are willing to help a fellow driver out.

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Without jumping into this argument, or disagreement as it may be, I would like to offer a couple of thoughts...

Cc0rey brings up a point worth mentioning, but I see it a little different. We see from some of the questions from newbies, that there is a severe problem in the quality of training that exists out there. That goes without saying.

I also know that when I look back to when I first started, and remember how green I was, and how little I knew. I was completely oblivious to the laws, the regulations, weights and measures, etc. I don't know how I made if quite frankly, but I learned.

I also listened. Believe it or not, the CB can be a great source of information, when you sort through the utter crap that comes across those airwaves.

I didn't go through a school. They didn't exist when I began my adventure into the trucking industry. I was given a book full of those regulations, and I read it. I STILL read it.

I read with great interest the thread that involved hooking up to a trailer, and realized that this has been a controversial subject for decades. I remember when there were no springs in brake chambers, and if the air leaked out of the system, that hooking to a trailer could send it backwards into something, or down an embankment if you didn't charge the system first.

I have a motto, and I've typed it in here several times. There are no stupid questions, except for the ones that are not asked. I would rather answer a question a hundred times, than for someone to fail to ask it out of fear of being perceived as being dumb or inept.

I am aware of the lack of training that these CDL mills offer. The training carriers are largely inept in their attention to details that drivers need to be versed in, before they get out there.

At the same time, safety should be a number one priority at all times. I am equally fearful and in wonder as to why or how some of these people make it out here on a daily basis, without there being more horrible mistakes being made. Unfortunately, it's the experienced drivers that are making the worst ones lately.

I can't estimate the number of times over the years, that I have taken time to assist a driver that obviously is experiencing some difficulty, be it in backing in somewhere, or in figuring out how to adjust his weight, or how to log. I've lost at times, a couple of hours to help someone, and the smile and the thanks I get from them really makes my day.

Trucking has changed, and not always in a positive manner. We get so wrapped up in making our runs, or making our pickups and deliveries, that we don't take time to look around or to sometimes to even care, when a newbie is not up to speed on something. I've had to look the other way as well, when I was under the gun to get my job done. But, I know that taking a little time can mean so much to a driver who is completely frustrated or stressed to the max, and who just needs a helping hand or a point in the right direction.

I've seen some really stupid things done by newbies over the years. I also try to be ever mindful that I was once where they are, and that I too could have been seen similarly by others. I try to focus on that, and lend a hand, rather than to criticize...because more is accomplished to alleviate the problem, that is....unless you run into someone that doesn't think they need any assistance. Then I criticize...and pray.

Easy, killer.

I know he's easy to take the wrong way. I made that mistake once myself, but what you described as veterans forgetting their roots? I don't see that in kc0rey. If he was that kind of a jerk I don't think he'd be posting to this board. When veterans behave that way it's out of fear. There's nothing to fear here.

Truth be told, I think that sort of asinine behavior is rare in truckers, but it's VERY prevalent in the construction business, especially the pipe trades.

Pipe fitters are the worst of all for this, They don't want to teach anybody anything.

The important thing to remember is that we were all rookies once.

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.

Just out of curiosity...

Alpha, Bravo, Charley, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, G......., Hotel?, Indigo, J......, Kilo, Lima, Michael, November, O......., P........, Q........, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Unicorn, V......., W........, X........, Yankee, and I thought "Z" was Zulu.

Which ones did I miss?

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Z-Lady's devoted hubby.