From Day One - Abilene Motor Express (Richmond, Wytheville, VA)

I can certainly understand your frustration, and I feel for you. I am also certain that I am not alone. I would like to offer something to you that might help.

There have been many times in my driving career (which is short in comparison to so many others out there) where I have become SO TWISTED and bent out of shape because I fall prey to the results of someone else's stupidity or lack of planning. I have run into situations that could have been completely different had someone took a minute to pick up the phone and make a call, rather than wait longer than they should have. Or had taken a moment to THINK. And their hesitation, or their lack of consideration affects US, the drivers.... we are left to deal with the problem, or run like hell all night, while they are at home sitting on their recliner, watching Wheel of Fortune, and ordering pizza for dinner. And the last thing going through their mind is YOU. Does this feeling sound familiar?

But guess what? It happens EVERYWHERE in OUR industry. One thing that I am thankful for is that it doesn't happen near as often at Abilene as it does at other companies. And I have worked at another company (remaining nameless) where it was the norm. There was literally ZERO dispatches where there was not a problem due to someone else's oversight or laziness. Most dispatchers, driver managers, and fleet managers either have NEVER even seen the inside of a truck, or have been out of a truck long enough, that they "forgot their roots". Yeah, we have that at Abilene too, but to a much less degree.

Now here is what happens to me... Donna (my BETTER half), is my sounding board. And when I get all frustrated about these kinds of situations, she lets me rant and then more times than not, she says, "Well, that's trucking"..... and she's right. It's usually enough to let me reground myself and put things into perspective. And regardless of how upset I get, it is not going to change the environment we operate in, or the variables we must endure.

Doctors work in hospitals, lawyers work in courtrooms.... we work in roadways and loading docks. We sleep in our office (which has a GREAT view). We deal with more personalities on a daily basis than most people do. We don't have to deal with "office politics" (for the most part). We have to be BETTER than the other driver, because we ARE. We have to be able to adapt to any given situation over the course of a day, or in a fraction of a second. We drive massive vehicles over open roadways, or along the tightest streets. We have to operate in the most adverse of conditions. And even though we may be frustrated, and ticked off at the world, we ALWAYS make sure we have the safety of that small child in a car seat, in that vehicle passing you on the right side. WHY? Because "That's Trucking". And if you are a Professional Driver (which I know you are), I just described you to a tee. I just described every other Abilene driver too.....

Some weeks we get GREAT miles.... some weeks, we don't. One thing is that usually we do not get to be privy to the thought process that goes on during the logistics stage of load planning. We don't have the luxury of knowing where every driver is, or how many hours are left on their clock. I will say this though..... when Abilene gets a "new thing" going, they usually look to use the more reliable and "better drivers", because obviously they want to make a good impression on the new account. Yeah, they may plug a few slots with average drivers, but they try to send as many of their "cream of the crop" drivers into a new situation.

Sorry to be so long winded, but I had to make a point, and hopefully help you see the other side of the coin. We have it pretty good here, all things considering, and certainly better than a lot of other drivers out there working for another company. I would hate for you, or any other valuable driver at Abilene, to throw their hands up in the air, and inadvertently leave due to frustration. Believe me, we have it much better than most. And if you don't believe me, just go look at the other company forums on here. It won't take long to validate my comments.

And if you find yourself saying "Wow, ScooterDawg's a Company Man".... yes I am. I am proud to work here, I am tickled to death with the "overall" way things happen here, and I do everything I can to do a good job. I take care of them and they take care of me. We have it pretty good.

Besides, I have dug ditches in the scorching sun before for a living.... now I work in Air Conditioning.... )

Hope that eases your frustration

 

Bubba, I didn't think you were bashing Abilene... I can tell, from your posts, that you are a class act. More so, I was worried that you were going to end up frustrating yourself into looking for another place to work. Frankly, I would hate to see that happen.... you are certainly an asset to Abilene's operation. And I think everyone else on here would agree.

Can't blame you for your concerns about the miles either. If I was in your shoes, I would be talking to someone too, should it continue. Chin up... I know it will get better.

As a personal sidenote, thanks in advance for helping work out the kinks in this new account. I know myself and our fellow drivers will benefit from your efforts.....

 

Sitting here at the house, enjoying a little home time. Headed for Jensen Beach, FL tomorrow. Going to be an easy run with lots of time built into it.

Swapped out trucks in Richmond on Friday. 1317 is now in the hands of Trevor who just recently came out of training. Nice kid. Really enjoyed meeting and talking to him.

I am now in 1441, which is a Kenworth. Yeah, it is a little smaller on the inside and doesn't have quite as much storage inside, but, man, what a ride. It has some neat little "gimmicks" in it, which is like candy to a high tech redneck like myself. But so far, I really like it.... Plus, Donna has told me I have too much stuff already. Gonna be spending today getting everything put together inside.

Beautiful weather in NC today. Hope y'all are having the same.

Be safe
1