The Old days are dying and the New drivers only smell like they have.

Yeah wifey likes the ice tea and iced coffees as well.

Just wanted you to know I do have a sense of humor. I actually spent 3 months working part time at the McDonalds in Walmart in Mechanicsburg Pa last summer. I got sidelined due to sleep apnea and was sulking at home. The wife was working as a cashier at the local Walmart Mickey Dees and told me to "stop feeling sorry for yourself and come work with me."

Talk about a bad trip! LOL! Oh well I swallowed my pride and went.

I interviewed with the Store Manager and took their little aptitude test prior to filling out an actual application (not mentioning I had been through BOC in Boston Ma for manager training) and scored perfect. She about fell all over herself offering me a job at a higher rate than they were advertising.

I leveled with her that I had previous experience and although she wanted me to come aboard as a manager right away I declined. I told her it was just part time 'till I got clearance from the doctor' to get back on the road.
It was kinda funny working with a bunch of kids half my age in the grill and showing them alternate ways of getting the job done. Of course a couple got ruffled feathers at first because I was "acting" like a manager (old habits die hard I guess) but they got over it. A couple were in line for promotions and were afraid I was going to get their promotion (too funny).

It was kinda fun though after being out of the grill for 15 years to see how things had changed and gotten faster (except when their new fangled toasters and clamshells malfunctioned). Then I was able to step up and show some "old school cooking." I showed the kiddies how to toast the buns on the grill and then showed them how to cook the patties "old school" Sear, season, turn, and pull, they seemed to respect me and accepted me rather than resent my intrusion after that (a couple of customers even commented that the burgers even tasted better!).

A couple of the younger managers even started asking for my advice and suggestions. Was kind of an ego boost (I must admit). 3 months later I got back on the road and even stole my wife from them to put her on the truck with me.

Morals to the story? Old skills learned years ago may be resurrected to provide a paycheck when your job of choice is unavailable and be careful what you say or who you dismiss as inferior or beneath you. The person you dissed may be the person you wind up working for later on in life (the old saying "be careful whose toes you step on as they may be attached to the ### you will be kissing later on" is definitely apt).

So watch out Muleskinner because I spent alot of time talking to these young kids and even showed them pay stubs from being a truck driver. Seeing thousand dollar plus (after taxes) paystubs got a few wide eyed stares and lots of questions. So in a few years (after they get out of high school and turn 21) some of them MAY be joining us!

 

Oh yeah? I got a big ol' cup of their tea up north somewhere. Was late at night so I don't quite remember where. Was a long trip. Only had a minute to trash around so I grabbed a cup and a burger or two. Hit the road and pulled over about 40 miles away spraying the woods a funky shade of brown. Had to throw the tea out. Tasted like it sat on the counter a year or two. Guess I shoulda thought about that before I ate those double McNastys with cheese from the CrackDonalds. Lesson learned............

 

It depends on the store. A corporate owned store has more advancement opportunities than a franchise. When in Maine I worked for a franchise owner (back in the 90's you had to have liqiud assets of at least a half million plus attend BOC "Basic Operations Course" to buy a store and use the McDonalds trademarks) who was pretty cheap. His quality control motto was; "it aint old 'till its sold!"

There are all kinds of timers and guides that are "supposed" to be used now a days but back then the sandwiches were made in advance and put into a heated holding bin for the customers. We used numbers 1 thru 12 to track the length of time the food was in the bin which correlated to the clock numbers on the wall. Many times the owner would come in and remove all the numbers from the bin while he barked orders and ran the production station. Want a grill (special) order while JP was on? It would be a 20 to 30 minute wait. Many customers would leave rather than wait. He was a real treat to work for. French fries were 7 minutes and then were supposed to be tossed out while the sandwiched were good for 10 minutes.

But you asked wether being a manager paid good. The short answer is no (in my case anyway, you could have gleaned that from the aforementioned story which illustrates the owners desire to save money regardless of quality control standards). After working for him 4 years and being promoted to crew trainer, crew chief, and finally swing manager I was making a whopping $6.35 per hour! Of course that was back in 1991 in a small town in Maine.

Fast forward 16 years and to the state of Pennsylvania and the managers for the owner op store I worked at with the wife were making around $9.00 per hour to start. Of course most of them were put on a flat salary and then compelled to work 50 to 60 hours per week for what equated to 45 hours in pay. Different owner ops but same philosophy in regard to pay and "saving money."

For store managers and district reps they can make 50 to 60 grand a year easily but they will be putting in 70 to 80 hours per week and are on call all the time. It takes time to make it to those levels, several years in fact, and advanced operations courses are mandatory.

As for the wife she is a good girl. After 20 years together (18 married) we know each other very well and get along very well (high school sweethearts). You may see us holding hands or chasing 1 another at a truckstop near you sometime. I am the 6' 2" white fat guy with glasses and she is the 5' 2" chubby little pale girl with a dark brown perm that sprouts like Carrot Tops hair out to the sides.
Arguing or fighting with her is a losing battle because all she has to do is make me laugh and then I cannot defend myself. Shes just so darned cute I can't stay mad at her for long anyway.

 

Don't need any chill pills - the weekend is here, I am at home, spend the entire weekend here with my family, do some chores, some "do" lists, relax, do whatever I want. I don't really need to add anything to what Muleskinner already wrote in terms of the junk drivers being churned out by the likes of Swift and other such "fine" companies. But, as he said - the NUMBERS of "junk drivers" - what I like to call them - is definitely far more than the numbers of professional drivers. I don't call a driver a professional that looks like he just crawled out of a maggot-filled dumpster, and smells like it too. Why? Because he's been on the road? Lol. Gee, don't remember that being any excuse 20 plus years ago. It's just pure laziness and slothfulness, that's all it is.
I know several "new" hands that aren't like that, though - but many of them are generational drivers - their dad drove and their grandfather started the who driving scenario. Their trucks are clean - even spotless - both company trucks and OO's - inside and out. They are dressed for work. Just another issue - if you are working - and driving a truck is working - why aren't you DRESSED like it? A frickin' nasty, stained-filled t-shirt with shorts that look like they were thrown into a hamper and then pulled back out again to re-wear without washing.
Plus, I don't quite understand why new drivers think that they should be making as much money as some guy or gal that's been out there for a long time? I just see and hear a lot of complaining. I wasn't making CRAP when I started - never breathed a word of complaint about it.
I have an admittedly easy job - at the the driving and delivering part - no complaints there - no complaints about the bennies and no real complaint about the pay. Even if I did have complaints about it, I wouldn't go around re-telling it to every person with a set of ears on their heads.........

 

I have never seen the truck stop you talk about, but because my older brother started driving with the old timers, he described it to me that way, I was rather insulted myself. Imagine thinking you might run into drivers who would say excuse me ma'am, and hold a door open for you, even if they are thinking you shouldn't have to be out on the road, and finding a bunch of no manners chimps in cloths, doing all of the things you described, it was almost enough to make me run screaming for home.

 

Do you older drivers freak when you see a woman driver in a dress??? I always take care of my cloths when I go out, but I find it easier to get comfortable behind the wheel, and put on some good miles, if I am in some comfortable breathable cloths. Let me know what you think.

 

Depending on what you look like most of us would like NOTHING better!