Why do truckers tell stories?

I was picking up a load a few years ago & only 2 of us in the drivers waiting room. A JB Hunt driver was sitting there crying with tears streaming down his face. He kept talking about life is so hard because of what Tim did. On and on; finally he asked me, "You do know who Tim is don't you?" I said, "No, tell me about Tim." He said, "Timothy McVeigh that blew up the federal building." He then said he is a bomb and explosives expert and taught Tim everything he knows about explosives because they were stationed together in the Army and he was Tim's instructor. He felt he will have to carry that burden the rest of his life. When he left the waiting room he stopped in the door, looked back at me, let out one more wail, and left. The guy at the check-in window looked at me and rolled his eyes and shook his head.

 

The lead bs'er at the counter is a pro. He has been talking non stop for 37 minutes. He started by asking what kind of equipment every one was driving. 2 van drivers at the counter with him so he started telling heavy haul stories.

 

I'm not a trucker, so I can't pretend to know, but these type of guys are all the same, in my opinion, regardless of what they do or where they come from

The quicker their grandiose tale starts, the more I know it's a heap of BS. In my previous lines of work, it was always the stories of being Special Forces or Marine Recon…if I hear that from a guy's mouth within 2 minutes of meeting him, the BS meter is pinging big time.

Liars are insecure, regardless of their profession

 

Its not just drivers.

Half the guys sitting, drinking, telling stories in the VFW never served in the military. Your evening news is so extremely biased and opinionated that it should count as fiction.

I'm an observer too. I listen. Why? It's like the CB...for the most part, nothing too serious to concern yourself about. But someone will say something that I need to hear...especially in my line of work.

My local news in my hometown has a spin they put on the news. They will show 'prominent' people in a positive light, but the regular folks they have to make look bad. It's actually quite interesting in how they do it.

If you wasn't from the area, and you watched our local news, you would think that everyone in the area is either inbred or ghetto. But that's the way our local news media operates. If they didn't have an eyewitness that fit their profile, they would bring one in and tell him what to say.

The liars, from what I've seen have several things in common.

1. They always complain about the inability to make money in trucking today. "Hmmm, guy says he's been driving THIRTY years and he's not making any more money than what he did 3 decades ago. Hmmm, is that just him, or is that everyone in the transportation industry? 30 years ago, I didn't know any drivers making $200 grand, now $200 grand is average. So, it's just him. Why can't he make any money? Wait. Within 5 minutes, he will tell you why he doesn't make any money."

2. They need an audience. So the guy will go from the restaurant counter, to the TV room to the fuel desk, to the shop lobby. "When does he drive?" Aha! Now you've solved the primary reason why this guy doesn't make a decent paycheck.

3. They are more concerned with their hair than with their teeth. Yes, get out of bed and comb your hair, but all of your teeth are rotting. Haven't seen a long haired fellow in the military this side of Steven Segal's "Under Siege".

 

Do you believe the aliens have an evil scheme to devour your brains while you sleep each night? Do you think the government's out to get you and you alone, like you're really special to them for some reason? Are you a conspiracy theory nut?

Yea that can happen, makes sense, you're right... Is it something I'm going to go crawl up in a ball and hide in a corner over? ...Nope

I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and use common sense.

 

Thats funny as hell.

15 years ago, I worked with a guy name Jack. Jack would tell stories of fighting in WWII, Korea and Vietnam Nam. He retired from the Secret Service and the sheriff's dept.

"Jack, how old are you?"

"So, how did you fight in WWII? You couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 years old."

Wheres Senator Claighorn when you need him? Or Commander McBragg?

 

Your profile says you are a student who joined the forum February 2014. Does this mean you haven't pulled a revenue load?

You said "I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and use common sense." How do you even know what that is?

I've been defending newer drivers on here but not this time.

I'm going to go way out on a limb and predict you don't last a year in your first assignment.

Good luck in your future endeavors outside of the trucking industry.

 

The veteran's rep at the unemployment office I used to go to had a sign on his computer: "There were 595 Navy SEALS in Vietnam, and I've already met all 2000 of them"

 

really? Can you also divide by zero?

 

Why do you listen if you think we stretch the truth a little?.......