Roehl selects ALK CoPilot Truck Navigation system

You can always tell when its a know-it-all super trucker who needs to retire. Even the comments they make sound like something you would hear from someone who should have been retired. Or someone who was in that old pete or a cab over truck way to long with their old man, instead of being a child. Times change, and so does business and people. Trucking wont ever go back to the way it was. Get over it people. If you dont like technology being apart of the change, QUIT. It would open up a spot for someone who'll be grateful for the opportunity instead of b****ing about everything. Furthermore, it isn't safe to try and read a map and maintain steady control of an 80, 000lb 70ft long vehicle for 11-14 hours. Take it how you want, the new generation of trucking is here to stay. Electronics and all!

 

i love my gps. i have yet to open my map for a route. they dont get down to street level in alot of bigger cities like chicago and whatnot. ive gotten wrong directions from a shipper and from a reciever. now one thing i will do is call the local city help line (chicago for example) and say im coming from this direction and going here. whats the best way to go. then i double check that against my gps. 99% of the time its spot on. the old way of truck driving is gone guys. if you wana sit there with your ruler and country atlas and measure from here to here and figure out your times and then go to the state maps and figure your roads then try and find the city maps and look for more roads and spena a hour figuring your route by all means then do it. dont forget to ask for directions on the cb too. thsoe are always right arent they?

ill just plug in my address and take off and adjust my route on the fly accordingly.

 

LMMFAO! Good one driver!

 

Sure I could probably do that, but the budget won't allow it right now. 7 on 7 off would be sweet, but it's part time basically. You're only working half the year. I need to earn my stripes, then I'll be looking for something like my buddy has, which is home weekends and making 50K annually. He runs hard during the week, which I have no problem with.

 

I give up hoping they dont turn into a mega.

 

It started with aircraft: We hated the darn things initially, then got to realize used correctly it makes the trip more efficient; you have warnings way ahead on routes, changes in direction, and believe it or not they now alert the top ten managers by email when an emergency happens or if you're overdue by 30 minutes. There's a whole list of things now. Page after page of useful/not useful info to include sun rise, weather, you name it. Now, 30 years later I can't get along without the darn things.,
Unfortunately everything you do driver wise in a truck will be there eventually, so now's the time to develop good habits so they don't shoot ya down!

 

Driver I believe they are already there. When you are screening Drivers with less than a year experience who know next to nothing out here to become trainers that is a pretty good sign. Yes they did ask me about it after my 1 year mark but I told them I didn't have enough experience to become one. They were like what do you mean, you have more than enough. Yeah ok. When I had new Drivers coming up to me concerned that they were over 12k on the steers when they scaled or if I picked up a relay that came out of FL with the tandems set wrong. That pretty much told me what kind of trainers they had, garbage. Those trainers didn't teach them anything. I have been out here for 2 yrs now and I am still learning and that will never stop.

 

I sort of have a problem with the young guys who say "I want to make a lot of money and be home with Mama every day!" Sorry, Son, it doesn't work that way!

I'm going to a trucking school in a couple of weeks and know this:
I have "Zero" rep with any dispatchers or DM's. My plan is to take a suit case and plan on being gone the first two years, even if it's every day. I have to pay my dues before I can call "1-800-Wah-Waah" or start gripin' about the company. And take it from this old War Horse: You know who the best trucking company is? It's the one who pays your salary! If I wanted to gripe about a company, I waited until I worked for someone else. You don't have to listen to me, but trust me, all careers are the same when it comes to paying your dues and I expect truckin' will be the same.
Hope to see ya on the road.

 

Talked with a Swift trainer, had his first student with less than a year experience driving and a brand new Kenworth lease to go with it. Another driver that he referred to Swift after he finished his training wanted to train and got his first student as soon as he finished the training program. Had only made one or two trips alone and then had a student! That's a 'mega'.