Why Do We Demonize Team Driving?

Having teamed with a "friend" and now with my hubby, the only way I will ever team is with my hubby. I'll go solo otherwise. The "friend" thought we could be more than that . . . even though I was married and he was also friends with hubby.

 

why do we demonize teaming? I didn't know about everyone else, but I had a Codriver put our 78,000lb truck in neutral going down a long and pretty steep hill, to race another CRST truck. Idk, I'd just rather be the only one responsible for My life.


remember, not everyone is driving because they like to drive. a lot of people, this is the only thing they're (barely) competent enough to do. these are people who call truck diving one of the harder jobs in the country... do you REALLY want that guy responsible for your life while you're sleeping?

look around next time you're at a truck stop: the people going the wrong way in traffic, the people yelling at the guy they just blocked in for not moving, the ones that take 20minutes to pay for their future diabetic size coffee. Sorry to say it, But this is NOT an intelligent industry. there's tons of smart people out there driving, but for every one of them, there's probably 2-3 who you wonder how they even figured out how to get dressed, and you'll see some who haven't even grasped that.

These are your potential Codrivers... once I can go solo, I'm never looking back.

 

Those that are driving only because they are barely competent enough to do so are NOT why trucking is called one of the hardest jobs in the country . . . far from the truth, but those are the ones that are the reason for more and more regulations, stupid rules, and dangerous behavior on the roads.

 

but even still, would you really want someone who thinks our job can stand up to brain surgery in its level of difficulty being the driver while you sleep?

 

Reaching with that comparison . . . as I said, I would only team with my hubby, or run solo. You are at risk with the idiots on the road whether teaming or not . . . if solo, they are just in a different vehicle. And trucking is actually one of the top 10 dangerous jobs in the country . . . it also requires math, map reading, diplomacy (at shippers and receivers), clerical, geometry (backing), and a host of other skills on top of the driving . . . that is why some people consider it hard . . . they actually have to think.

 

I'm with Lilbit on this one. Excelling as a driver requires processing a far greater amount of information that most people realize. It's why new drivers tend to pull stupid trucker tricks; they are trying to operate in information overload, and that loss of situational awareness is a recipe for disaster. Trucking might not require the level of education that brain surgery does, but it does require a person to have the intelligence to properly deal with the huge data flow. There are a lot of uneducated drivers out here, but you'll find the good ones are gifted with quick minds.

I do hear what you're saying, rockstar. This isn't brain surgery. But it is a very demanding job that requires far more decision making on an extended basis than most jobs, far more than many are capable of handling.

 

Up hill, down hill, right turn, left turn, stop, go, ect, ect. Not that hard of a job, but let me think ? Three weeks in a small space cohabitating with another human being. For some unknown reason I thank brain surgery might be worth a try. I do have a set of golf clubs. LOL.

 

the thing about hammers post, while I'll admit that our job does have its challenges, saying it's hard because of what he listed is like saying being a career is hard because you have to do math.


it's just driving. you should be a defensive driver, paying attention to everything around you, following every law, etc. no matter if you're driving a truck or a little camry. If these things should be a habit before you even think about getting into one of these trucks. Steering and backing the trailers is a skill that can be taught. Loading the trailer is something very commonly done by a minimum wage work er.

And yeah, our job is very dangerous, but a lot of that is just because of the amount of time we spend driving. every minute, is another minute that you can be in a fatal crash. The longer you drive, the higher the chance is that something will happen. We can be responsible. but have no control over everyone else. i'm parked at a truck stop right now, but that doesn't mean that somebody won't crash into my truck tonight.

Ultimately, we're just driving. we're doing what the average person does get to work, just with a really long trailer behind us.

There's people who just accept that like all jobs, ours has outs challenges, which I think w what hammer we took to say, but then there's people who see this as taking sine kind of highly trained skill. the second group is who I was questioning is you'd really want driving while you sleep. Driving should just be driving, while being she out of habit, not some nerve-wrecking nightmare where you're hoping you dint make one tiny mistake and die.

I'm not putting the job down in any way, I'm just saying that in comparison to other jobs, it's easy. But the fact that there are people who see this as truly difficult job scares me when it comes to teaming. Driving should be second nature you, driving safely and defensively should be a habit, you should already be able read every sign. someone that thinks out traits driving a truck to get into these habits, I don't went driving when I'm in the truck with them. I'd only want someone who was already safe.

 

If driving is so easy why do so many people get killed doing it?

 

Golf is a waste of a perfectly good walk!