talked to a few truckers today and....

Funny..I always tell people that very same thing when they ask about getting into automotive repair

When I was looking into getting into trucking I did the same thing. I went to the Pilot near me and talked with some drivers. Got pretty much a mixed bag of answers. But in the end I decided that it's what I want to do and so I made my own choice. In the end it's pretty much about what you want and your always gonna hear good and bad about every company. I would say make the decision that works best for you. If your gut tells you to do something...do it!

 

I just started driving for the Big Orange. I have no "locked in" agreement, I NET a comma every week and they gave me keys to a pretty nice Omaha Orange Freightliner (it's a two pedal automatic too).

For anyone who may question; I paid for my schooling out of my own pocket. I did not want to owe anyone anything when I started. This allowed me to start where I wanted, as I wanted.

I think it's a great time to do your own research, form your own opinions and see what you can come up with.

I will say that although I have a sweet gig for a noob, it took over 8 months of applications, research and in-person discussions to get where and what I have now.

Can a new driver enter this field and make $50k their first year ? I'll tell you in 7 months, but so far my chances look good.

I strive for this goal for my own greedy-self needs as well as to help show other noobs that it can be done. Don't settle. Good First Time driver jobs are out there and you can make good money at the Big Carriers. Also, there are sacrifices I make to attempt this goal. It's not all donuts and ice cream.

 

It doesn't make any difference whether it is trucking or some other type of business. You can find good and bad companies, just like you can find good and bad employee's.

Being successful has more to do with your attitude than how your employer treats you. It is how you deal with your situation with your employer.

 

You would have gotten the same answers in 1981 and you will still in 2041.

 

I think that office and managerial attitudes come from the corner office. If The Big Guy sees drivers as necessary and expendable evils or hand tools (break one and just get another), then that will filter down to office cubicles, repair shops, and dispatch windows; that's what I have seen and experienced. You can find evidence for at least some driver turnover in crappy managerial attitudes; there's an ATA (?) study from 1995 that confirms this -- I'll see if I still have it.

If The Big Guy says, "We're all friends and we will respect each other, each of us has a job to do and we're all part of a team, and if any office worker (or driver) treats a driver (or office worker) like pond scum, said office worker (or driver) will hit the road," then the corporate culture will reflect his views.

In my view, it all starts with The Big Guy.

 

Attitudes are set at the top and work down to the line workers. Policy is determined in the executive office. I have seen over and over again, however, that you can change the attitude of others with your own attitude. If you approach life in a positive manner, you will receive positive attitude back. I have gone into a shipper who has a bad attitude and by demonstrating a positive attitude seen his attitude change. If you have a positive attitude it will be reciprocated. There are a lot of drivers who have poor attitudes. It isn't limited to dispatchers or those at the corporate office. The reason some drivers have a bad experience with their carrier has as much or more to do with their own attitude than that of their company.

 

A lot of whether this will support you also has a lot to do with where you live and your cost of living...I live in KY where you can own 1,000 acres and a 5bdrm house for $100k, some places that will buy you a nice garage...So the fact someone like me can work for the starting pay and still bank money is a plus, where someone in NY or L.A. may not be able to pay their bills on the same...Many factors will determine whether this is for you or not...

 

Yes. There's an old saying, something to the effect that "you can't do much to change other people, but you can do a lot to take care of yourself," and I think it's largely true. Of course, you can change other people, but you don't always get positive attitude back when you show positive attitude. I've been on docks where positive attitude was met with incredibly negative attitude. Some people are just grouchy (or were at that moment) and I made like a duck--water off my back--and I stayed positive about myself.

But when turnover reaches 125% at a carrier, something's wrong, something that goes beyond poor driver attitudes. Really, I've seen positive guys--guys I knew and ran with--get treated like dirt by dispatchers. Some made like a duck. Some quit. The industry has a reputation for a reason. As for drivers who have poor attitudes, there's no shortage.

With all of that, I loved trucking and have no regrets about getting into it and staying in it. I couldn't change every grouch I met and I sure didn't try. I did a lot to take care of myself. That's life.

 

I think that also you teach people how to treat you.

Some of my co-workers are goofballs, and they are treated as such.

I keep my head down, take every load without an opinion and run as much as they can give me. They talk to me nice, help me when I need it and upgraded ny truck within 3 months of my start date.

Come in with an attitude and you will leave with it. Come in ready to play ball by their rules and you are on your way to the Majors. My thought anyway.

YMMV.

 

Yes and YES!