Gettin Tired Of The Lazy Don't Give a Crap Bums

i had a costco run right after i leased this truck. I got there just after another company swift driver did. went inside, dropped off my paperwork, they told me the previous driver was going to live unload and to put my trailer in door 1 and take the MT in door 2...and the company driver could back into door 2. About this time the wife of the driver came back to receiving, and the manager told her of the change. the previous truck was going to back into the only open dock. why all this headache? because they wanted to keep the '08' trailer.

i was floored. they wanted to keep a trailer that, odds were, they were going to drop and hook on the next load anyway. not to mention waste that time sitting at the dock being unloaded. Me? i was backed in, hooked to the new trailer and headed for my next load all within 30 min. not every trailer can be an 08 or a 110-111 series trailer.

 

Take the good one, report the damaged one. Just my opinion and what I do.

 

I'm sick of lazy drivers. We're required to fuel the reefers when returning to the terminal. ooooooo big whoopdiedoodaw! You pull in the fuel line, go get a mechanic to turn on the fule for the reefers and then put fuel in the reefer. But there's drivers who think they're to good to do this. It's really great to grab a load and have to fill the reefer when you know it should have been done when it was returned. On our fleet if it begins to occur often, the trailer numbers are researched and the driver will be reprimanded and even booted from the fleet.

DO YOUR JOB

If the trailer is dirty, I sweep it. If it's damaged, I report it. If it needs fuel, I fuel it.

DO YOUR JOB

If all you're willing to do is sit behind the wheel and whine.......then obviously that's all you are: a whiner and a steering wheel holder.

DO YOUR JOB AND TAKE SOME PRIDE IN DOING IT WELL

 

If I notice something wrong with another trailer, I hang a red tag on it and send in a message to Onroad. If I'm not convinced they got it, I will call them too. I do prefer the pretty new trailers, but will haul a T series or MS trailer without complaint.

 

Question for all the "I should get paid for doing my job" people. I t-called my load and got another t-called trailer on the yard. I post-tripped my dropped trailer and pre-tripped my "new" trailer. During the pre-trip I noticed the driver's side rear marker light wasn't working. I bent all the way down to waist level and looked under the trailer to see that one of the wires was broken in half. I finished the pre-trip and found no other faults with the trailer. I then went to the shop to get a butt-splice to repair the wire. Upon returning to the trailer I got out my tools and fixed it and now the light works.

Being as I was an Electrician for the last 8 years I need to know what I should invoice Swift for my time. Should I bill my time as an Electrician, a Mechanic, or a Driver? Also, should I bill only for the time spent actually making the repair, or should I also include the time spent diagnosing the problem, walking all the way to the shop, waiting for someone to realize I was real, getting the needed materials to make said repair, and walking all the way back out to the trailer?

But seriously, I saw a problem, knew how to fix it, and took the necessary steps to solve the problem. It is a sad statement on the current state of our society that people taking pride in doing their job is something to be pointed out and celebrated. I do my job and that of the slackers, not for the recognition, but rather because I was raised with a work ethic that will simply not allow me to half-### anything I do. As my Dad always said... "Anything worth doing is worth doing right". He usually followed this by saying... "If you aren't going to do it right then don't ##### do anything. It will only make that much more work for me when I end up having to do it anyway".

As I have had to convince several bosses over the years, it takes far less time to do the job right the first time than to F it up the first time then have to fix it later.

PS- while dropping the original trailer I had to pull the Fifth-Wheel Release Handle at least a million times since it is well below freezing here in Denver. Since I feel that as a Driver I should only have to pull that handle Once, how much compensation should I receive for "Going above and beyond'? Also, my glove got all dirty and yucky while pulling the handle... that part really upset me.

 

specially if it means i dont have to sit an hour waiting for directions to be sent to me, and spending the time to go look for it.

 

now that was funny. when i dropped my t-call trl, i had to do the same thing with my 5th wheel handle. i went to my tool box, pulled out a length of chain i have on hand to make door ties when i need....put a hook on the end to hook onto the 5th wheel handle to hold it open. wouldn't ya know, when i went to pull the handle to chain it......it stayed open.....GRRRRR

 

I wake up every day and come to the realization that everyone will disappoint me until I close my eyes once again. You are just gonna have days where crap happens, and when they do you already saw it coming and can chuckle about it. I find it presents to me another challenge, I like challenges.

don't be a whiner, be a winner...

 

Some of those Ts and MSs track better that some of the newer trailers. Doesn't bother me one iota to hook a GOOD old box!

 

lol...if i pull my fith wheel handle with my left arm...it almost always catches....if I do it with my right it may take several tries or I have to get back in the cab and back against the trailer...sometimes several times...and usually on really hot or rainy dayz.......maybe it is some sort of punishment for neglexting other things....LOL