Noob Rant to the Old Guys

but things will change, the ones that cant drive and get into an Accident, Multi Tickets, Incidents, Positive DRUG TEST. Those will be eliminated.

 

You are absolutely correct, but that doesn't change the fact that the new driver today will be the old driver tomorrow and the cycle will start all over again.

 

we all had to start somewhere , right?

I dont think nasty bathrooms are exclusive to t/s. Nor are slobs exclusive to trucking I imagine.


As with any profession there is a learning curve.

Couple weeks ago 30 yr driver stated he was learning something new about trucking everyday. Guy was kind and more than respectful to a student at a t/s.


Wasn't pulling a load , but #### it felt right being behind the wheel in that seat. Hope the road agrees with me.

 

LOL! Yep,but its the older farts like me that will drive forever..

 

I hate to burst your little bubble Wharf Rat, but truck stop bathrooms were a lot cleaner 30 years ago, and it wasn't because the janitor did his job better.

You want to lay all this trash on someone, you best start looking at the other boys from your generation. We did have respect for one another at one time.

Hey blackw900, as a former skateboarder, you know as well as I do blindsiding a skateboard doesn't count unless you're loaded 14' high nose to tail. LOL

 

About 90% of new drivers today will be on a Greyhound tomorrow . That figure has been quoted over and over by trainers and newbies seeing other newbies in their classes dropping like flies .

 

So that leaves 10% of what number of applicants? Not everybody is cutout to be a truck driver same as not everybody is cut out to be a plumber. This industry is adapting to a new workforce same as just about every other profession is right now. Generation "Y" is the next generation to enter the workforce 18 to 28 years old. Technology savvy, very fast paced, multi taskers. I just retired from a profession that if I did not stay on top of this I would have been run out 7 or 8 years ago. They are focused but require more mind stimulation than we would. To us a year is nothing to them a year is a lifetime. whether you what to believe it or not this is what our generation has created, directly or indirectly.

 

You got that right!

 

This industry as a whole is adapting to a new workforce by offering lower wages and less benefits . With a few niche exceptions driving a truck is no longer a profession . For too many it is a temporary fumbling attempt to fulfill a boyhood fantasy . Get out there a few months and get enough pictures for a scrapbook to show your grandchildren and tell your tall tales .
It isn't just the younger generation entering the industry . Schneider recruits from AARP . Many of the 18 to 28 year olds I see are not very fast paced and I'm not too impressed with what they use to stimulate their minds .

 

One problem the younger drivers have is that they are too reliant on their technology. If their gps stops working they don't know how to read a map. They are lost, literally. The more reliant we become on technology the less we will be able to think on our feet and think. I can often calculate figures in my head faster than some younger people can with a calculator. I get a lot of younger drivers kidding me because I don't have a gps. Well, I can still read a map, although I have been thinking about buying a gps. I suppose that I will give it some more thought. No need to rush into anything.

Another problem that I see with younger drivers is that they don't or won't even change out a light on their trailer. They would rather spend 4 hours in a truck stop waiting on a mechanic to do it rather than take 15 minutes, if that, and do it for themselves. Most in my generation would change out the light ourselves and get back on the road.

I think that there are some who would change out their light, but I agree with RickG in that there are too many who are only here as a temporary fix to their job situation or to fulfill a childhood fantasy to drive a truck rather than to begin a new career.