Truck sneezing

I don't fully disagree with you, but let's address who made "my generation" this way...

The answer is to look in the mirror.

Maybe not you specifically, but your peers did this both in law and how they raised their kids.

Me? As a kid that enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together, building stuff.... But by age 10, I wasn't allowed to tear down a push lawnmower and try and rebuild it because my father wanted it fixed... So he bought a new one and then threw away the one I wanted to poke at... He had all the tools, space, he used to do it himself, he simply refused to let me do it

As much as you gents like to dump on younger drivers knowing nothing, just have the humility to realize it was you guys that made us this way. If you run into someone that's actually trying in #### near any way, we're that person with the chip on our shoulder, despite y'all's best efforts

/Rant

 

I respect your opinion, and it's the older generations duty to laugh at the next generation,,and visa-versa, or so I was told.. And I disagree, it has to come from within. My old man was a carpenter, and was appalled that I wanted to be a truck driver. However, despite his rejection, I was a gearhead, something he was not, and I made a career out of trucking, because I was a "natural born leever puller". Don't see a lot of "us" today. My problem, and it's probably more of an economic thing today, people that for whatever reason, are out of options, and truck driving may be the only game left for them, how hard could it be, you just sit there,,like my EX-wife used to say. And like I say, with the equipment today, it's entirely possible. However, it's still trucking, and a lot of stuff will come up, where you need SOME mechanical smarts, and it's why mjd has a field day posting trucker screwups and turnover is so high. Companies today have no choice, they HAVE to fill the seats, and take the mishaps as "part of doing business". It's also why insurance rates are in the stratosphere. It's also why 35% of new drivers quit within the 1st 90 days. Having lived a lifetime of trucking, one can easily see the differences today.

 

I was told on once that my truck was farting last night.
Turns out I had the bunk vents open, it was me farting in my sleep, wife says I do it all the time.

 

That's like saying every biker is a tough guy....Ok

 

They are Super Truckers!

 

Everyone passes that test with memorized lines.

 

I think you are correct in saying that the environment you grow up in plays a major role in your potential for mechanical ability. Maybe it's the video games that occupy a kids time these days rather than a bicycle. At least kids riding bikes would need to learn how to tighten a chain or patch a tire. The funny thing is that I'm relatively young (in my 30's) but I've taken every opportunity I could to learn a trade. From mowing lawns for the neighbors as a kid to running heavy equipment and driving truck while still in high school. I looked up to the old timers and valued their knowledge in every aspect. I could've been playing Nintendo but instead I was out on a hillside setting chokers behind a cat. The choice was mine and nobody else's. There's too many people who expect far too much while sitting around waiting for it to come their way. My advice to the younger generation is to get off your ### and get out in the real world as soon as possible to learn how to provide for yourself. Not understanding the air system on a truck that you drive is a prime example of a lack of effort and energy put towards your trade. We live in the information age, you can download an exploded diagram of your air system in less than 10 seconds on Google. The old timers had to find someone who owned a parts catalog or order from a dealer. There is absolutely no excuse for a modern day driver to not understand the most basic operations of his truck.

 

You're correct, but that's why we have people on the road without knowing how their truck actually functions. I feel like instead of an incompetent DMV tester with a clipboard there should be an old timer that calls on their vast catalog of knowledge to ask the prospective licensees random hypothetical questions regarding the operation of their truck. I think the old timer would be better suited to weed out the posers who don't take their job seriously, it would be obvious to a seasoned vet.