No where to park

When you started driving there were 1/2 the trucks on the road, twice as much parking and the pay went twice as far. You could learn to keep 2 log books and drive whenever you needed.

Youve been driving for 80 years so yeah you got it figured out. Its your generation that let the trucking industry go to ####. "If you need an electronic device" blah blah blah. What planet are you from?

 

I like your Avatar kiddo...........

No,Our generation DID NOT allow this- We got into this Biz to make a career out of it-With High standards and Wearing our hearts on our sleeve.

What Caused this? Megas pumping in people with no direction in life, Not having 100% heart bto be a pro driver....hence the casualties you millennials cause- Not all of you- But its enough to catch the eyes of the FMCSA.

Plus all the Immigrants coming here working and destroying rates we built over time......

Oh,By the way- Truck traffic has TRIPLED since I started......Imagine that huh?

 

Trucking is a job that is done all over the world, always has been. Here in America we have many freedoms. How long did you think that it would take for 'immigrants' to figure out they could go to a place where they could have the best of both worlds and why do you blame them? It doesn't matter where you're from, we're all equal as human beings. The best outcome goes to the most ambitious, doesn't matter where you were born.

 

Stop it Flip flops- You don't see us going to your countries destroying what your people built.....
I don't have anything against any race- But If you come here and become a citizen- DO NOT STEP ON OUR TOES.......Which is happening day in and day out.

Like I say- If I tried going to Macedonia or wherever and competed with those people..They'd send me packing in a heartbeat...Dont Fool with me, I Know How it goes- Better Life here, And we are over-congested, Rates are pitiful in the Freight side and you guys are winning the fight.

 

Ehhh... cant put the blame on any one driver. I think some of us got into trucking with the image of being out on the road living free, only to realize its probably the most regulated industry ever. Truckers not being welcomed in lots of places, they build parking lots designed to keep us out.

The dream of having pockets full of cash, and a girl in every town is all but gone. Used to be men of the world. Now we are mostly seen as fat stinking slobs. 3 out of 4 women I tell Im a truck driver and they instinctively recoil with disgust.

Maybe I should move to WV. They seem to act like you told them your a Doctor or some #### there hahaha.

 

Flip flops was born and raised in TN but I have been around enough to know how the world works. I'm a 25 year company man who is now an O/O. If you don't get my flip-flop avatar joke then I can't help you.

I have no problem with you, sir, except you kind of have a small view of the world. If you want to be in a place where you won't have competition from everyone all over the world then get a specialized degree! TRUCKING AIN'T IT! Oh, what I say is only partly true. Your doctor is probably an Indian-American (from India, not Native American).

If Asians (not 'orientals') didn't fix all the problems with cars by designing a better one, we'd be driving Pintos that have parts fall off and blow with every fender bender.

I could go on. Stop blaming other cultures! They aren't the problem. All human, all equal.

You can't stop progress, can't stop humans reproducing. Who exactly is stepping on your toes?

 

Exactly. How many threads are there on TTR by people who failed at life, so they turn to trucking as a last ditch effort. Threads seeking guidance getting their start because they've been unemployed for so long. There are people who would be homeless if not for the truck they're driving. Hell, just take a look around at most truck stops...the 500# guy waddling in...the folks wearing their pajamas at shippers and receivers...not to mention the absolute stench produced by some. It can be downright embarrassing admitting what you do for a living, because these sorts are the type people associate with this profession. Doesn't help that seemingly every day, we have trucks barrelling into stopped/slowed traffic. That AAA study that everyone likes to quote about 80% of the fatal car vs truck wrecks being caused by the car driver is likely outdated...I doubt it's that high anymore. With automatic transmissions, elogs, lane departure warnings, adaptive cruise control, etc...it is at the point where any idiot can do this job...and they are. Those car drivers who were causing those fatal crashes are now driving trucks because they can.

 

Whenever possible, start your clock about 2:00 am. That way you are pulling into a truck stop when there are lots of parking spots available at the end of your shift. Another advantage is you are rolling in the wee hours through metro areas early in your shift. Another advantage is when you need to take a 30 minute break you can easily find a wide open parking spot WITHOUT tying up a fuel island.

I typically break a "nothing to do but drive" day into three stops. The first stop is about three hours after starting. On that stop I plan for where I take my 30. My next stop after the 30 is long enough to plan where I take my 10.

I take another stop after the 30 to REALLY plan for where I will shut down for the night. I use Truckers Path, Google Maps, and my Rand McNally to figure that out.

As others have noted you take EVERYTHING with a grain of salt. I find hidey holes, Wal-Mart's, etc with Google Maps. I keep body wipes in the truck if I know I won't be able to shower.

There is always somewhere to park. The trick is to find it.

 

Yes that works ONLY on the Drive days- Never works on Live Deliveries and pickups- Unless you can be quick and efficient. Loaded by Noon and gone

 

What I get out of these kind of threads is that the old saying that trucking is not for sissies, does not hold true anymore.
There are many reasons to turn to trucking, the bold hard truth is even as easy as it is now days, I mean heck, you don't even have to pick up a pen and turn a page in a log book anymore, you don't have to look at a map, nor learn to follow directions, TRUCKING has never been for everybody.
I have been at it a good part of the time, since the 70's, don't know what I did with all that money I made back then, heck I never even knew I got rich to start with.
The fact is, unless you are in upper management in some pretty good gig, driving is about as good of a job money wise, and much better than a lot of salaried management types.
It all depends on what a guy wants out of life and everybody expects or wants something different, it seems like the last few years more and more folks want it right now, but it was never like that, at least in my time.
I will say this, if a guy is ambitious, and puts the effort in, he can make a decent living in a truck, make that a good living.
If you want more, that can be done too, but not doing the exact thing 99% of other drivers are doing, look at the hard to do trucking jobs that most do not want anything to do with.