Dan Rather blasts trucking, industry blasts back

The next big winner would probably be a chicken hauler...

 

Desiree!!! My friend!!! Sooooo good to see you here.
I told you before and will tell you again, CONGRATULATIONS for your GUTS to expose these truths and do the hard work for ALL of us, truck drivers out here. Hopefully others will come forward, share their experience, get involved, participate, so we can change the status quo. See you around girl.

 

I'm probably not responding in the right are to the person above but...anyways..
When I first came on I used to make jokes that we could pitch a reality show called 'Trucking with the Stars' and chronicle celebritys going through a CDL Mill and living with a trainer for a month then teaming with someone, same level experience and film it. it would be hysterical.

It would also give the non-trucking community a good glimpse into what really is going on and I think the trucking industry would be embarrssed like they should be for allowing these unsafe practices to continue.

Even with good training, the first year if highly stressful because you are learning so much

 

I just posted my Final Installmet to My Student Trucker Story which was mentioned in the Dan Rather Report 'Queen of the Road" It's very long to read it all and when I started it I never knew it would be this long or big. To read it entirely you have to scroll to the botton first and click to see all comments and then they all drop down from the top.
http://www.askthetrucker.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-lady-trucker/

Cheers, Desiree

 

I agree, I had been interested in becoming a truck driver for a long time, but had to wait due to family obligations. I did not go through the CDL Mill, I went to a 4 week local private school, and go good training and time behind the wheel.

The thing is, out of 9 students, (the three in the class before me, my two classmates, and the three the class after mine) only 2, myself and another guy in the class before me, were not there through Workforce or Vocational Rehab.

The ones going through Workforce or Voc. Rehab were only barely interested in being truck drivers, let alone, safe professional drivers. During lunch one day, the topic was on the high turnover truckers. One guy literally said, "I only need to make it long enough to get fired and get my unemployment again" With that kind of attitude how conscientious of a driver do you think he will be. I can't imagine going trough the stress and learning of the first year if you are not really interested.

Also, out of the 9, only 4 were not felons, and that is in a private school.

I think a reality show would make he public aware and scared.

Seriously... Somebody, the student pool needs some chlorine

 

"Trucking with the Stars"... great idea. I would not generalize though.... there are very good CDL schools. The Technical Colleges, like the one I went to in GA. I think all CDL schools should be like them. Their program was a little long (for those who want to become "instant" truck drivers....). It was a 3 month program, very thorough, 2 weeks in the classroom, and the rest of the time on range and on the road. They had included a course on defensive driving. ATA went there one day to talk about the trucking industry. We had plenty of time practcing in the trucks, on hwys, rush hr traffic, country roads... They are accredited, everything... Dept. of driver Services goes there from time to time to examine the instructors. They are held up to high standards. These CDL mills are a joke. They should be closed or change. What does it take to have that happen?

 

It is a tough mess to cean up. I also went to a quality local private school. I almost went to a CDL Mill, but thanks to the experienced drivers here, I redirected to a private school.

However, on the Monday that I started along with only two other students at the private school, some 25 or more started at the CDL Mill I was gonna go through. With the low quality CDL Mills pumping out more students than the quality schools that means the majority of new drivers have poor training.

Now, even though I went to a private school because I wated to become a professional driver, my two classmates were there through Workforce or Vocational Rehab and do not really have a true desire to be professional drivers. The industry needs more pride and not be the last resort for the down and out.

They harp on about driver shortage. But when the health industry had a nurse shortage they didn't open the doors to just anyone, felons, uneducated, homeless and push them through crapy schools.

Here is a portion of an aricle on an inexperience CREngland Driver...

Nieves Olivares, who is from Puerto Rico, was having a hard time understanding the traffic signs that he encountered. He also did not fully understand what was conveyed to him during the 3-week training that he underwent before he started driving professionally.
During the first 27 days on the job as a truck driver, Olivares received multiple tickets for traffic violations and considered quitting. On November 7, 2005, he reportedly sent text messages to dispatchers telling them that he wanted to quit. 15 hours later, he sent another message to handlers to let them know that he didn't know how to install snow chains onto his truck. He was told to ask someone to help him. The following day, a handler sent Nieves Olivares a message apologizing but also noting that the trailer that the trucker was hauling needed to get to its destination.
It was later that day that Nieves Olivares hit Dunn's vehicle. Following the Portland, Oregon trucking collision, Dunn, who sustained serious injuries, including a fractured cervical spine, was in pain and suffered from depression until her death 19 months later.
In the last two years, CR England truckers have been involved in 13 deadly truck crashes. Yet government regulators rate the company as satisfactory.

Unbelievable... How can that be satifactory...

 

I think I'll sit this one out. I wanna get back into trucking, but, I think I'll wait for the "Out of work white collar types that dream of the open road", to figure out that theres more to trucking than shiny trucks and beautiful sunsets.

Apparently, if all these people are getting driving jobs, there are jobs to be gotten. However, how long will they stay, if and when the economy picks up again, will they go back to thier 6 figure careers?

And then how picky will the companies be when they need drivers?

Will they be dismissing expirienced drivers because of a 3 year old misdeameanor, that has nothing to do with operating a motor vehicle?

Will they really require a driver who has not driven for a year that still maintains thier CDL to go back through an entire Commercial driving course?

The public has long viewed truck drivers as 2nd class citizens, Funny how some of those same people are now fighting to become one.

Mabe Dan should ride along for a week or 2.

Sorry for rambling, just some random thoughts.

 

I think that this thread has been mis-titled! After reading all the responses, it seems the only people that are upset with Dan Rather and this story are the ATA! The majority of posters here seem to agree with the story. Maybe a more approiate title would be "Dan Rather and the truth about trucking" or "Trucking Industry lobbyists upest as Dan Rather exposes 'Trucking's Dirty Laundry'."
Anyone else have a different title???

 

if this isn't a "CDL mill," then what is? what ever happened to apprenticeships, where you simply started working somewhere, learning from a master? oh wait, that wouldn't result in someone getting rich. (in this case, the owner of the "school.")