Getting away with Murder

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by Shackdaddy, Sep 3, 2021.

  1. Chrisap55

    Chrisap55 Light Load Member

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    I think during the Covid shutdown last year, a lot of random people who had no business applying, ended up at these CDL schools. It's an easy job and they get to travel they think. Now these companies are left with nobody after they all went back to their regular jobs or careers. My buddy is a CDL instructor at one of the megas and he says they take on 8-12 new students a week and when I spoke to him back in May or June he told me 1 out of 28 make it past not one year, not one month, but not one week out with an OTR trainer. The bean counters have obviously been blaming the instructors, the OTR trainers, etc. but honestly nobody is to blame except for whoever chose to hire these furloughed teachers, accountants, etc. into a low paying trucking job designed to take advantage of them for tax write offs. They're smarter than most truckers out here and bailed ASAP.
     
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  3. WCA64T SFA

    WCA64T SFA Bobtail Member

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    Haha! That's just about as dumb as putting "Rolling Coal" on a Prius or similar hybrid contraption.
     
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  4. bzinger

    bzinger Road Train Member

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    Ya gotta work pretty hard at getting fired at my company these days .
     
    Bud A. and Shackdaddy Thank this.
  5. Geekonthestreet

    Geekonthestreet Medium Load Member

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    No. Accountants and teachers don’t make crap. Both only make like 40k a year (SOME make 60k depending on location and experience). It’s the trucking hours and constant nagging and lies that turn people away. You gotta have your wits about you and a lot of resilience and drive. It has nothing to do with smarts. And to level up in trucking to the good jobs takes a lot of patience.
     
    Lightfoot71 and Bud A. Thank this.
  6. SteveScott

    SteveScott Road Train Member

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    I know a guy that's worked for the same mega carrier for over 10 years as a functioning alcoholic. He doesn't drive drunk that I'm aware of, but doesn't have a home and lives in his truck. He gets hammered in his truck on his resets. He has a few speeding tickets, accidents and one time he even drove over a boulder leaving a truck stop and dragged it down the road under his trailer for a couple hundred yards. Every time I hear about him screwing up again, I keep saying "this has to be it, they'll fire him". But they never do. Why? Because he lives in his truck and takes any job they throw at him and gets it there on time. I'm not even sure how he still has a license with all of the crap he's done. I have no doubt he'll keep his job there as long as he can keep his license. Carriers must weigh the risk against the money they make from drivers like this and put their bottom line up as a priority over public safety.
     
    Bud A. and Shackdaddy Thank this.
  7. John E.

    John E. Light Load Member

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    I know many truckers who are heavy drinkers. Many of them don't have any incidents. Some of them are the best drivers I've ever met. Have been many times I've driven on the same road as these guys and I never felt nervous meeting them . They can handle a Rig as good as anyone I have ever driven with.
    Give me an experienced alcoholic if that is the proper word over an inexperienced driver any day of the week.
    I'm speaking from experience, concerning drinking as I drank hard for many yrs. Gave it up a no of yrs. ago as I was going to die from it.
    So, I still like the Guys who can have a beer or a few drinks and still function. These Guys have taught me a lot. I'm grateful to them.
     
    kemosabi49 and CorsairFanboy Thank this.
  8. SteveScott

    SteveScott Road Train Member

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    Luckily, most commercial drivers won't agree with your assessment of good ole boys driving after a few drinks. That attitude may have prevailed before the mid 1980's, but not today. Anybody who drives good after a few drinks would drive better with no drinks in their system.
     
    Bud A. and ParochialNimrod Thank this.
  9. supersnackbar

    supersnackbar Road Train Member

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    One word (or is it 2) Youtube....
     
  10. CorsairFanboy

    CorsairFanboy Medium Load Member

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    Don't forget to like and subscribe!
     
    Bud A., bzinger and N00bLaLoosh Thank this.
  11. Redtwin

    Redtwin Road Train Member

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    I don't believe in mouthing off to customers or playing games with my employer, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying the driver shortage as it means I have zero concern about walking into another job tomorrow if this one no longer works for me.

    I've had too many jobs (non-trucking) in the past where I had to eat **** on a regular basis, because I couldn't afford to lose the job as there wasn't another paying as much.

    Made a promise to myself to never get into that situation again. It was absolutely soul destroying and I'm convinced management got off on knowing they were doing that to employees.
     
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