12/13/2010 I was in an accident

If we as professional drivers didn't drive any time the conditions for spotty black ice were possible, America would shut down...Heck, there wouldn't be a show called Ice Road Truckers and the people in many parts of Alaska would have to depend on airplanes or move...If he was in a 4 wheeler they would have just blamed it on conditions, happens every day, but since he was a trucker, the hang em high mentality comes out...

Like the car that slid off the road and killed a trucker recently helping another vehicle that slid off of the road, I'd almost bet that was just blamed on conditions, however, if it was a trucker that slid and killed 4 wheel drivers helping others, it would be manslaughter...You have to fight the double standard...

 

Thing is, walstib, you know as a pilot that you are held to double standards. The pilot is not allowed to make mistakes, on landing, for example, and neither is the trucker. In some respects, we are being held to the professional standards that we demand others see in us. How's that for double standards.

You are right, though. People who claim that you are supposed to shut down whenever there is even slightly adverse conditions had better step up to the plate and pay my wages for half the year. When that happens I'll be glad to shut down for ice, snow, wind, fog and any other meteorological phenomenon you care to mention.

 

very well said..lots of truth in this post... IF you choose to run in adverse conditions..you pay the price when something happens...

 

i agree for sure, i dont wanna be held to the same standard as retarded half witted drivers that do dumb crap like dont merge properly, either not speeding up enough or slowing down enough. god i f-n hate that!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!! i wish i had a megaphone to cuss them out.

ok sorry back to the point at hand lol. i take lots of pride in my driving, i make sure if the roads are icy i go very slow, take extreme caution. you can't be too safe. i was out driving in a storm with 3 inch's of slush and snow on top of that with ice at the bottom, no problem got the day done.

 

accidents do happen though. my boss will allow 3 accidents per calender year and then you're fired.

 

Seems generous enough. I honestly doubt that I would get that level of lenience, in spite of my good standing with my boss.

 

OTOH, we are supposed to be professional drivers. I know I'm gonna catch some flack for this, but I really do think we should be held to a higher standard. When you consider the type of driving we do, the sheer number of miles we drive, and the size of vehicle we drive, we #### sure better be professional.

 

yeah i really cant think of anyone i've worked for as lenient, nice, and easy going as this guy im working for now. you really gotta screw up to get fired. i've been there 8 months and havent had any substantial problems, a couple things but not anything i wasnt able to explain. one stop called my boss because i told him i wasnt going to run around his store finding his empty milk crates because i'm on salary and my boss didnt appreciate me disclosing how i'm paid, but he said you're right you need to know how to tell them no or they will have you doing all sorts of crap. the other i was using a bathroom at a stop that the manager gave me the code to the door too and the owner flipped her crap when she found out. my boss just mentioned it to me.

 

it sucks that you had to learn that lesson the hard way but at least it didn't cost you your life or anyone else's and you still have a job.