Ferret has something he wants me to tell you....

Stuck in the fog, layover and detention pay being racked up, all because CS didn't have a pick-up number...nice restaurant with strawberry rhubarb pie...something I wanted to say for those who are considering or have signed up for a CDL school...




Someone mentioned that I may have crossed from noobie to rookie…as this may be the case then I would like to offer a taste of “the life, the job” for those who are still waiting to enter their noobie phase. Most of this is aimed at the solo OTR as that is what I am able to speak to. It should also be added that I don’t struggle with the greatest of personal conflicts that drivers have to deal with, wife and kids, so I can’t speak to that dynamic…I can say that from conversations I’ve had being away from those you care for the most has to be the hardest part of this job/life and to those who are able to maintain that balance I can only bow most humbly to your efforts…yours is a world of true sacrifice for those you love.
Good on ya!

First off, lower expectations; both financially and personally. If you go into “the game” thinking you will be buying a custom Pete festoon with chrome and lights to rival Las Vegas in just a few months or that you should be able to net 3000$ per month from day one then you are sadly mistaken. If you only go home 1 or 2 days a month for the first three months and you are lucky with your DBL then you might GROSS 3000$ per month coming out of the gate. If you need to be home for a couple of days every other week then you are going to come in way below 3000$. One of the bonus metrics is days available and worked so taking time off cuts into your earning ability and could impact that metric (there are 5 metrics and all are weighted at 20% with some weighing higher than the base 20% if you excel; you need 75% to earn you ¼ bonus the first year). Yes a few outliers will be able to reach higher levels of income but it is better to be surprised by your exceptional performance then expecting you will be one of those batting above average.

The same is true for what you will be able to run as far as hours and miles are concerned. I am a type A and I use a formulaic approach to most everything I do. I expected to operate on a set schedule; that went out the window with my first dispatch. Having said that you should attempt to develop a routine that fits how your body reacts and how your sleep patterns evolve. Personally I am a morning person so I don’t run too late in the day. Your first responsibility has to be to yourself and maintaining a happy and healthy approach to your working life. Find a system you like and allow it to bend a little; inflexibility is the surest way to burn-out. No two runs are every the same and betting a shipper or receiver will ever have your interest at heart is a patsy’s wager and a direct path to the padded sanatorium and that obligatory quantity of mood modification meds. They, like your carrier, only care about moving the freight and getting the goods they expect. If you are low on hours or have another load you need to go pick up…well that’s a you problem. Need a toilet? There is a porta-john that was last cleaned during the Nixon administration. Down to 45 minutes on your 14? Sorry no parking on site or in the area but there is a rest area about 90 minutes up the road. Hungry, haven’t eaten all day? There is an overpriced vending machine with the unhealthiest of choices at some shippers and at every OC. Learn to roll with the punches and keep grinding.

As a student you are extremely concerned with driving that huge truck and keeping it under control and you should be; but you will quickly learn that driving, as great a responsibility as it is, well driving…it’s the easy part. Driving is the one situation you have control over; all the other bits feel like you’re a small boat in a tempest of chaos and random idiocy. If you are quick to lose your cool you may as well start looking for another line of work right now. If your sense of humor is limited, or you like to argue with petty functionaries just to let them know you are right then don’t expect to get that live load done any time soon. This may be one of the loneliest jobs in existence but success is found in having warm and welcoming people skills; the kind of skills that makes the security guard want to release to you a newer trailer or convinces the shipper to load you first even though you came in last. A warm hello and a slightly flirtatious nature will go a long way to making your day run smoothly and might just improve someone else’s day, one whose job is considerably more sucky than yours. The one or two times someone has lost there cool and gotten their panties in a wad over my being late or early or whatever I was able to smooth over by taking full responsibility (thought it wasn’t my fault) and being very humble…chest bumping or worrying about “respect” is the mentality of Neanderthals. Those times I took one for the team the team won, I got my load and rolled on with nary a hair out of place; what do I care about wining as long as I am driving miles. Making friends works better than making enemies.

The dispatch system, the company oversight and micro-management, the regulatory controls, the bs directions, the load issues, the number of numbers you are expected to know and recall, the Surry boys parked on the scales…the pee bottles strewn about…the CBtards who feel the need to critique your every action but who are incapable of defining the word critique…the parking battles…the docks…the crazy docks…KEHE distribution in Clackamas OR…trust me, in comparison, driving is easy and way more satisfying.

A couple of insider suggestions:
Get some high quality toilet paper and carry it in a sandwich Ziploc every time you feel the need to go. Between the poor standard used in rest areas or the complete lack of any available having your own stash of soft and plush TP will remove that stress from your life and might just make that part of your day a special bit of relaxing “me” time.
Learn to float…you are more in tune with the beast that carries you when you listen and float; your world slows down and you start to feel where things need to be. Very Zen like-be one with your PU.
Avoid eating brown foods…they are usually deep fat fried; yes, most everything the J and Pilots have is in that color scheme. Eat an apple a day; if you do then you have a better chance of using that TP without wasting 30 minutes or straining.
Stay off the CB
Don’t yell at the TV or try to convince anyone about your political philosophy or nuanced understanding of Special Operations or what Original Intent “really” means or how it is you, unkempt and dressed in your finest, yet dirty, Oshkosh, ended up in Aspen rubbing elbows with the rich and famous but here you are still a company driver…we already have more than enough of those people at every truck stop and OC. Listen more than talk and you’ll be surprised at how hard it is to get some people to stop talking plus by listening it will allow you to learn something and no one will think you just another blow hard super trucker…I personally like to smile and nod and toss in the occasional incredulous “wow”.
Bathe even when it is not Saturday. The new Pilot program allows you a shower everyday once you have filled 500gal; after which you can fill at Loves or Petro and start to earn some showers for those days where your plan doesn’t involve a Pilot or J. Now there is an issue with your bonus metric but in your first year you should be ok if you don’t go crazy off the fuel solutions matrix.
Do a PTI at least every other day…gauge check tire pressure on your tractor once a week…the most important PTI is right after a PM, they forget to tighten things or replace caps. I have had two emergency landings in small planes, both times from system checks being missed in pre-flight…no I wasn’t the pilot and yes both involved a change of underwear. Don’t be that guy with the headlight out and an obviously soft tire on the trailer fighting to maintain lane control.
Make it a goal to be the slowest and safest granny on the road…critical events are the mark of jokers and tickets prove nothing but a poor skill set and a lack of awareness to who is in your side mirrors. Being called a super trucker is a pejorative reference and no one who is skilled or knowledgeable would refer to themselves as being a “ST”.

Those flatbed drivers with 5% bodyfat and cowboys boots are the guys to ask if you have a question…they might be hard to approach but if you’re honest about your inexperience that will usually try to give you some insight. Never ask to borrow a tool, only a clown would not have tools or know how to use them…these guys are way old school-hence their wealth of knowledge-and old school can rebuild a motor while restarting their 70; they expect you to know an off-set box open end from a star drive before they will give you the time of day.

Don’t be that guy: The guy who parks and urinates in the lot while trying to pretend he is looking at his glad hands or drive axel when a toilet is only meters away. Don’t be that guy who double parks on top of the guy who parked on a red fire lane. Don’t be that guy who leaves pee bottles or trashes a toilet stall. Don’t be that guy who leaves his truck parked in a fuel lane while he (or she) goes inside for a Subway, coffee, shower, etc.

And if you ever decide to be that guy who uses a pen knife to etch some prison graffiti on a toilet seat then I will be that guy who puts super glue in you tractor door locks. Every day you will see something that makes you say “it’s that guy…” just don’t be that guy.

Lastly…control your expectations and leave your ego at home. You can take out a school bus with one inattentive moment so treat your world with the level of professionalism your CDL suggest you are suppose to have. Don’t judge others; spend that energy on making sure you are doing the best job you can. Expect the unexpected and laugh at the absurd everyday…you will have endless opportunities. Know before you start your life on the road…you are going to gain weight; if you don’t then please, I beg you, tell me how you do it.

Now go do, that voodoo, that you do, so well.

Little Eddy

 

I went to the link and watched the video...OMG
No shirt, no class, no standards of personal hygiene, no integrity or code of honor, no sense of personal responsibility...oh look, no job!
He's that guy and a bag of chips!!!