State of trucking: to be legal or iilegal?

When I first began driving big trucks 15yrs ago, a old timer told me one day that "son no matter what you do out here on the road that one day the DOT is going to pull you over and the best thing you can do is to be nice and polite to him and maybe he'll just take a little bit of your money, if you're nasty and aggressive he'll take alot". What the old timer told me was true. The DOT has so much authority over commercial drivers and there vehicles that they can basicly write you numerous citations at anytime for a multitude of reasons. Thats just the way that the law is set up. You can buy a brand new rig, drive it off the lot and any DOT officer worth his badge can find numerous things wrong on that rig to write you up on if he or she wants too. When I tell the newbies this most don't beleive me, ask any DOT officer and he will tell you the same. Is there really any such thing as running completely legal? 15yrs ago this industry was much different from what we have out here today. Drivers stuck together more and the level of hate and discontent was far less than what it is today. Back then I think that we as drivers approached our jobs with a totaly different mindset, it was about doing your job, taking pride in your ride and having fun on your run. Most of us really enjoyed the freedom and the lifestyle that trucking was all about. Convoys were big back then, 10 to 20(sometimes much larger) big trucks all running together. We would carry on on the CB radio for miles joking,talking and exchanging info about road conditions,traffic, bears and scale houses and whatever. It was great, you could just ride and have a good time while making new freinds and moving freight across the country. Sometimes you would be having so much fun and enjoying the comradery of the people that you were running with, that you hated to leave them to go deliver your load.It was agreat time to be a truckdriver. Now a days drivers isolate themselves in their trucks only communicating with other drivers to find out why traffic has stopped. Most of the drivers that I see out on the road these days are unhappy, in poor health and lack good hygiene. Somewhere along the way, it seems as though all of the fun was taken out of it. I'm still trucking and I still enjoy it, but it makes me sad to see were trucking is going. Most companys out here now just use and abuse drivers for as long as they can stand it and then move on to the next one. You have drivers out here that don't know what they are doing training other drivers and instead of drivers becoming better, they're getting worst. It seems to me that the industry as a whole is trying to take the driver out of the decision making process all together, but when the ---- hits the fan its all the drivers fault. And logs and new hours of service, what a joke. We've got some pot belly politician in washington(who has never even been inside of a big truck telling us the best way to do our jobs, what a joke. I log what I have to to show the DOT what they want to see, and I do what I have to do to get the job done. Log books are about revenue not safety. If they were you would be able to log your driving exactly as is without the threat of violation. Somedays I only drive 3 or 4hrs and I'm so tired that I can hardly keep my eyes open, other days I drive 12 to 14hrs non stop and feel great. A log book or HOS rules don't determine how you feel. You as being a professional truckdriver have to determine how you feel and when you are okay to drive. If I had to drive for one of these companys that I see crowding the highways today I would'nt be driving OTR. They expect drivers to take it with a smile and never question anything, just do as you are told. Thats not trucking, thats slavery. If you question then you will be labeled a problem driver. When a driver leaves a company, 1 of 2 things happen. Either they get you or you get them, and when you get them, you know what happens to your DAC(which is also a joke). I own my own truck and trailer and I run under my own authority. I only run with 3 brokers and they know me and they know where I like to run. I fax them a BOL and they cut me a check(no waiting). Owning a trucking business is'nt all fun and games, you must have a good accountant and attorney and your paperwork must be meticoulous at all times. Some weeks are better than others and nothings promised. For me its the only way to fly, I control my loads, when and where I run and my money. For me thats priceless. This industry is forever changing and we as drivers must cotinue with it, but one thing holds true" common sense will take you along way in this business", .

 

As far as any of you thinking of going into the trucking business for yourself, I've seen this question posed on this site in various post and for every driver that tells you that it won't work, you could also find 10 who will tell you that you can. It's always funny to hear someone telling another driver why he can't or should'nt be a truck owner solely based on their own failures. You don't need 12yrs in the business as a company driver or extensive knowlege of truck mechanics, although the latter may help. 6mths to 1yr is plenty of time to assess the chosen feild. The only must haves are a solid finacial base and a good mentor(someone who has been doing this successfully for several years) who is willing to take time to show you and advise you on making business decisions. Listen learn and ask questions and you will be fine. The more control you have over your business and the more independent you are the more money you will make and the more responsibility you'll have. Good luck

 

Gearjammin, That seems to be a ligit site with some helpful info, be it for a price. The more tools that you have to help you operate your business, the more informed you'll be about making business decisions, and thats a good thing. Owning a truck and trailer and running a trucking business is a constant learning experience, none of us will ever know it all, but the more knowlege you have, the better business decisions you'll make.

Notarps, Comparing what 1 man does to what another man does is like comparing night and day, and yes It is a cut throat business, but why is one man in the trucking business right now making money hand over fist and another man selling his trucks off to stay afloat? How is it that a convicted felon can get out, drive commercially for less then a year, get his own authority and now be his own boss in a prospering trucking business and another man with 30 yrs of experience in the industry be about to loose his shirt? Who knows? People are different, and they go about doing things in different ways. When I was thinking about going into business for myself years ago, I did'nt listen to the ones who said I could'nt, I listened and emulated the ones who were doing it and encouraging me to pursue my dreams. There are many reasons why men fail, there are more reasons why they succeed. Someones always ready to tell you why you can't, the ones to listen to are the ones who tell you why you can. In this business all it takes is a good solid finacial base, a good mentor, the willingness to listen and learn and the desire to work hard and succeed.

Hey Luv, All I did was state what I do. I did'nt suggest or encourage anyone to run illegal. My statement as you posted in your response to me says it all and was simply put. Show me where I told anyone to run illegal. When professional truckdrivers start ignoring how they feel and only gauging their driving time by a book, it'll all be over but the crying.