Swift Flatbed Division... ?!

My company pisses me off and I know they don't like me much at all, but for some strange reason, I still make good money with them and probably home half the year. They have so many screw ups, so few talented drivers that I can just sit and wait for money. That's why I stay. I'm not here to win a popularity contest or for the kool aid, I'm here for the money.

They want to hold my hand and micromanage me and think for me and feed me KoolAid and control me and all that other mega carrier BS. Heres how stupid their guys are:

Had some big loads coming out of Laredo going to Florida. Had a 'senior' driver pull up, with all kinds of wind blade stickers on his truck. Yeah, pure BLADE #####. The loads were on 53 ft steps with the sliding rear axle, and 12 wide 25 ft long, 44k loaded to the rear of the trailer. These guys all secured their loads and tarped them.

I used the forklift, slide my load against the step, tarped and secured and hammer down. Suddenly, I get called by some deskjockeys. "Stop. We need you to stop. There's a problem with the loads. They were loaded wrong. We need to figure out what to do. I try to tell the deskjockeys that I don't have any problems but because ##### had a problem, I have to have a problem too. I told them that their little pet driver, #####, doesn't know what he's doing. They were wanting me to turn around and take the load back and put it on a flat.

No sir, my weight is fine. I am 36000 on the spread.

"But Six, when you get to Florida, you will have to close the spread."

And Florida gives me 44k on the tandem. Closing the spread will put me at 38500 on the tandem.

"But Six, ##### says that that's for non divisible loads."

Look it up. Quick google search FLORIDA TANDEM 44000. That's not for non divisible loads, that's for everyone.

"Well, we are going to look more into this."

An hour later, I get a message about how to load this and wait until you get to Florida and close the spread.

Gee, thanks!

 

It is amazing, the reason I responded to this is I wax talking to my buddy that still works a the freight company I used to work at. He said they were lecturing them on yard times (the amount of time after you're dispatched until you cut the yard) they were complaining about this when I was there. There are a couple of habitual offenders the most of the rest are fine. In the real world you would think you would go to the guy with the problem and say, what the heck is your problem? Everyone else seems to be able to get out but you can't, shape up or ship out. Instead the lt get the school kids in the room and lecture everyone which obviously does no good. Once in a while my boss will say something that starts with "you guys" that's is far as he makes it with me, I ask if I'm the problem, if I'm not leave me out of "you guys". In my response to snowman I was talking about leaving the industry and this is why, people can't stand up for themselves so someone has to do it for them. At my company (which is a good one and I like them very much especially the owner for the record) there is NO pressure to do something illegal or unsafe. They no where I stand and they can't make me shift gears, so if the need something above and beyond it's a discussion between men and it's that simple. A LOT of problems wouldn't exist if this were the way.

 

The problem is, there aren't enough men around anymore to make a difference in the majority. So what should we do? STAND apart.

You see these threads about automatic vs manual. There's nothing wrong with preferring an automatic. There's everything wrong with not being able to drive a manual.

"But Six, the industry is moving away from manual and going to autos."

And the industry is moving from manly to fat and effeminate too. A DRIVER should be able to drive anything! Any truck. Any piece of heavy equipment. I would want to. So what do the megas do? Cater to lowest level. A few days ago, some fool came in here reprimanding people for not learning Spanish. Someone reasoned that if the Spanish want to live in America, they should learn English. Of course, that's the politically incorrect thing to say, and the effeminate all got offended (as usual). Why are the effeminate so quick to get offended? I dunno, I'm not effeminate.

Pedro, Hector, Raul, Juan, Chico and Abel all apply for jobs in Colorado. None of them can speak English, except Hector, who can actually understand English well. They all get hired. Who gets the supervisor job? Is it fair? Well, the effeminate will tell you that it's unfair and the employer should learn Spanish. Really?

"Well Six, why do they cater to the Spanish and put signs out in Spanish and stuff?"
Divide and conquer. There are Americans. Black people are AfroAmerican, and Mexicans are SpanishAmericans. Right? Wrong.

I have a friend who drove a really clean 379 Pete. Good man. Solid driver. Lives near San Antonio. We went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant. The waitress tried to speak to him in Spanish, and he tells her to speak to him in English. The waitresses looked puzzled." Señor, aren't you Mexican?" He said, "No, I am American." He speaks perfect English. He speaks perfect Spanish. But when Mexicans try to speak to him, he will only speak to them in English. Personally, I was impressed. He will tell you that his grandparent immigrated. His parents are natural born citizens and so is he. Manly! Way to make a stand!

 

The company I'm with just invoked a set of rules for over height loads. Completely redundant. Now we have to check call twice a day measure the loads every morning. Fill out a checklist sheet every morning. Then go get trained by some idiot that failed as an o/o and is now a recruiter or some lame title job on how to haul an over height load. Six yer right just fix the problem children and leave the rest to the ones of us that use common sense and don't have problems getting the job done. I have done this for over 34 years. Do I need a refresher every now and then, sure! It's called work! We got a new company president who is trained in risk management. Doesn't have a clue on how to run a trucking company! Just keep counting the beans!

 

@superhauler , you mean to tell me that they treat you like a 3 year old? Say it isn't so! Your name, and your 34 years doesn't mean squat to the new Safetyman. He doesn't know how to do your job, but he's talking to you as if you are a pre schooler. Your people have to be reading from the same playbook as mine! You're trying to play football, but they are trying to hold your hand to insure that you don't fumble. Handholding doesn't work.

 

Yep! Handholding? More like hands tied up. There is something in the work by a group of us, a large group. It will happen after the first of the year.

 

I worked for them. Had a few issues with pay.

 

Superhauler, I heard about the safety class you had to listen in on, plus the other deal also.
Six, I remember those stop stand down msgs we used to get. Got one as I was running down the road. The idiots set the Qualcomm where you had to stop to read a msg. Well at end of day when I stopped I read the msg and 3 more..
So I call in, where are you, at jobsite. Why were you running they ask. Wrll I can't read msg going down road and I finally stopped. But we have a safety stand down due to bridge hit. You weren't to be running. Well make where I can read msg and I would of stopped, oh and I didn't hit the bridge