Dateline 1982: 30 years ago. You were a new driver. Why were you....

I consider this a good turn for trucking. It was nice knowing help would come, but it's much better knowing it's already on the way. I agree TECHNOLOGY has changed things , but back then it took TIME before DISPATCH knew your were late , today it is INSTANTANIOUS.

 

I wasn't going to post anything here but now I think I will to try to bring my blood pressure down a little. I'm one of those brand new drivers getting ready to start my driving career and it is because of this sucky economy. I thought about trucking in 1984 when I left the military. One of the reasons I never did was because in 1979 I started out driving a triaxel dump truck in WV. I really cant compere dump truck drivers with OTR drivers back then but back in the good ol days my training consisted of about one day with another driver watching what he did and less then 10 hours of training me in my truck before I was on my own. That job lasted about three months. No one ever told me not to shift gears going down hill. Of course it got cought in nutrial and I wasnt able to get it back in gear so I coasted into the truck in front of me. That scared the sh it out of me. That was my last day. Even then I liked the job and wanted to keep at it but thought better of it. I'll take my training I've received now any day over my training back then. I'm getting ready to go out with a trainer on monday to finish what I started in 79. Hopefully all will go well. That's my 2 cents.

 

Yes there was a LACK of initial training back in the DAY.

Saw a lot of KIDS and I mean kids driving the NY THRUWAY late at night as DAD was getting 40 winks in the jump seat.

 

So, tell the truth, Godfather...how often did you lube the drive chain on those old Macks?

 

We just pissed on them while we were fueling....

 

I agree with Otter's post the most. A lot of variables to this topic. I think the one that bothers me the most is the instant gratification and entitlement attitude that has perpetuated side by side with developments in technology. And it ain't just the under 30 crowd either. But that's sort of a rehash.

The change I've seen goes beyond this. I guess starting about the 80's (actually a good choice for a timeline break), with the technology boom there seemed to be a mentality change on how people viewed vocational work.

Before that, occupational training was career oriented. There were formal apprenticeships and new entrants worked hard to become skilled and sought after. It didn't matter if you were digging ditches, hammering roofs on, or driving a semi, you took pride in that skill and carried that forward to improve your pay and employment prospects.

Which leads me to a questions: How many of you that attended high school after 1985 took even one vocational class?

Later on, every kid was supposed to be on the fast track to college and occupational training became the default fall-back for the kids that for whatever reason didn't succeed at a college degree and on to a white-collar office job. Even though the talent exists with those that went the vocational route, it's like the attitude changed to one of getting them out the door with a diploma and not producing a talented apprentice.

The trades, not just trucking, have seen a decline in the last two decades because of this. New entrants are treated as if this is their last resort and no effort is put into developing talent. At the same time, there are many who have exited professional careers for one reason or another and entered a trade thinking "anyone can do that, so I can." In both of those cases, a few will make it. And a lot of people will discover it's more involved than they could ever imagine and wash out.

The last piece of the puzzle is the way big business is run now versus then. Mega carriers existed before 1982. The difference is, they had a long plan. Managers looked at year over year and five year prospects. There was an investment mentality. That was reflected in how drivers were recruited and trained.

Now, all those college prodigies I spoke about are populating middle management somewhere and only focused on hitting this month's numbers for a bonus payout. They don't give a rats a ss about next year's numbers - that will be someone else's problem by the time next year gets here. And they sure don't care about the quality of anything they produce.

So.. to speak to the OP question, I think new drivers in 1982 had the benefit of a completely different mindset about vocational work that today's new drivers typically don't. The result is that the new recruit today has a lot more to overcome than we did 30 years ago, and in my opinion, is more likely to fail as a result. Nothing personal to the new folks - you just have to swim through a tougher current to achieve success.

 

Dateline 1982 ??? I started driving for money in 1972, but had driven "non professionally" hauling milk out of my grandparents farm in Canada since the late 60's...Had to join the military to get out of that gig..

 

I agree but I'm not sure where this places me I'm 35 have always worked an outside job I learned how to drive in a 1974 Mack dump had a 5 gallon bucket for support under the drivers seat I ended up going to a driving school in 01 and started driving daycabs right out of school no training just handed the keys and a stack of bills and was told "Your route is that way" I didn't get any formal training until I came to swift Hell I had over a million miles before I even got on the trainers truck I try to get as much knowledge as I can but most of the guys just laugh at you at truck stops now a days cause your in a swift truck to me its a just hard for me to used to the open road on some two lane road in the middle of no where I feel more comfortable being in the city but when you spent 11 years running nothing but city routes I guess that comes with the territory

 

There are some differences between drivers 30 or 40 years ago and today. Much of it was attitude. We didn't have truck driving schools. We learned on the job. We made mistakes, but had other more experienced drivers to help guide us along the way. Many grew up on farms or around trucks. We had more of a can do attitude. We didn't mind doing what was necessary to keep our trucks rolling. We helped one another. You rarely heard profanity on the CB. We used to have some interesting conversations driving across the country. There was more camaraderie among drivers. It was rare for anyone to threaten or call another driver names on the CB. If we had a problem with a driver we either talked it out or punched it out and it was over and done with.

We had some jerks, but they never seemed to last very long. Many had criminal pasts, but it was more difficult to check at that time. Drivers respected themselves and most people respected drivers. It was not uncommon for drivers to pull off the road to allow cars to pass and even signal them when it was clear. If a driver pulled off the road with a problem, you could usually expect one or more other drivers to stop to help. It is rare to find any driver who will stop to help another driver these days.

There are so many newer drivers who are so tethered to their technology that they cannot function when something happens. Some may not even have a map in their truck, only a gps. I wonder how many can actually read a map? One thing that I have noticed the last few years is that more and more drivers are cutting me short when they come back in front of me after passing. They no longer wait until they are given the all clear. Even without having been given the all clear, those of us who started several decades ago would not have done that. I also see many more drivers tailgating other trucks and 4 wheelers. You never saw all the urine bottles or trash in parking lots a few decades ago. I don't remember seeing so many accidents involving trucks when I first started. The worst ones were usually during bad weather. Roads were not as good then as now. Not all main roads were 4 lanes or divided highways. The government was still working on most of the major interstate highways.

One main difference I see today from a few decades ago is the background of drivers. Back then most who started driving would continue as a career. Most had a high school education or were high school dropouts. It was rare to see a driver who had college in his background. It was considered more of a career then. Today, it is more something to do until their "real" career comes back. Even though more are better educated today, they are less professional. We used to have a good time when I first started. I wonder if new drivers still enjoy the business as we did. There are many more regulations today and the more controls that are placed on this industry the less fun it becomes. I see the better drivers moving away from the industry.

I am somewhat encouraged by some of the newer drivers that I see. Some would like to experience what I did when I started. It is a different world. We all had to learn. I think the difference is that when I started drivers were more willing to learn. Those whom we learned from were often those with many years experience. There is such a turnover with major carriers that new drivers simply don't have the exposure to the level of experience we enjoyed when I started. I know a number of people who have been driving for decades. None had a trainer or went to driving school. We all have millions of safe miles behind us. I would like to see new drivers hone their skills. To be fair, I also see some older drivers who could take a few lessons on being courteous and professional. We need to help one another to do our jobs better and present a much more professional appearance.