Networking

Networking -

1. 1.
   the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.
   
   
   A few months ago, I met a young driver, 23. He came up to me to ask me questions about being an owner operator and spec’ing a truck. Well, he signed up for a lease deal and is having a few issues. We were in the same city at the same time and so I invited him to dinner. I had a pilot car pick him up and we went to an Italian restaurant with 2 other people. When we get to the table, he whips out his phone and puts those ear bud things in his ears.
   
   Are you having a phone conversation?
   
   “No. Just texting.”
   
   Do you need those things to hear?
   
   “Well, no.”
   
   So, why do you have them in your ears?
   
   “Well, I always have them in my ears.”
   
   That’s rude. Could you take them out and put them away?
   
   Hey guys, if you are new to the business, and someone invites you to eat dinner with some other guys in the business, it is a business meeting. You were invited in order to get a chance to meet people that you may need to know. Don’t be occupied with the phone, this is an opportunity to network and help your business grow. Facebook can wait.
   
   If you are wanting to be a successful owner operator in the OSOW/open deck world, you are going to have to know some good people for when bad things happen.
   
   If you go to a business meeting and didn’t learn a thing, odds are you weren’t paying attention.
   
   If you are new to the business, and having troubles, yet you are sitting at a table with people in the business, and you don’t ask any questions, you wasted an opportunity.
   
   Contrary to popular beliefs, money isn’t just going to fall in your lap. There is a science to trucking.

 

Wow, very rude. Sadly this is how many people react today, not thinking about taking advantage of the experience sitting right in front of them. It was kind of you to invite him to dinner to help educate him, the least he could do is be present at the dinner.

I too do this with folks that want to learn the car haul or towing trade and often it turns out just like your dinner did.

 

I would like to do heavy haul, wish I can meet guys like you @TripleSix on the road to talk to.

If your ever in the Vegas Area let’s meet up. I’ll treat you to dinner in exchange for what makes you tick.

 

Good on you, hand.

He didn’t realize he was being rude until I pointed it out. Seems that everyone thinks that if they want to learn something about trucking, the only thing they have to do is browse YouTube videos. You see an idiot on camera... how do you know if he’s a skilled driver?

 

That is exactly the problem, they don't even realize they are being rude. Society today has come to accept using a phone or other device everywhere -to the point where we are forgetting how to socialize in public.

 

Plenty of good people in the OSOW end. Usually, they will be at the Petro in Vegas. The ones you want to meet are not the ones sitting at the lunch counter announcing to the world that he’s heavy haul. He’s just another idiot. All he wants to do is get an audience and talk down to you. That ain’t cool.

A real heavy hauler has that “quiet professional” thing going. He’s not looking for an audience to be condescending towards.

 

I think socializing, networking and possibly picking up on opportunities like the one aforementioned in the OP are really being lost.

I think a lot of it really is due to technological advances over time. We no longer have to go out to get social interaction or build things like social skills. We can simply sit on our couch naked eating Cheetos and tweet about it.

 

That’s the thing I approached a few, They aren’t willing to talk and felt awkward. Meeting someone willing to talk is a different story.

So if your willing I’m willing, hell I’ll even put you up in a hotel room just to get a day with you to pick your brain.