Trans Am Still

Several reasons .....even in this area where trucking is a major employer I see many people that jump to the conclusion that a trucker is at fault when there is an incident. Then there are the many rules and regulations on a federal level that assume that working adults don't have enough sense to know when to eat and sleep without being told.....and then there are the scams. Also, there are those trucking companies that do push unreasonable schedules and switching of days and nights and threaten the driver's job security if they do not comply. It made me curious as to where the problem actually starts so I started looking at schools around the country ......and one of the first ads that I saw said No English, No Problem we speak Russian, Romanian and Polish. Another search and I found many many schools with the same basic ad. Then instead of having training that was a number of weeks, I saw ads where you purchased so many hours of training.....with 10 to 12 hours being the highest number of hours in a package deal. How can that work? How can that be safe? And doesn't it hurt all of you out there doing the job? It seems to me that the end result is being regulated and not the root of the problem. The language situation just has me wondering....how do you navigate the problems that a driver faces on a daily basis ....to me that would be very stressful. I have a Dutch friend who is an O/O and I know how hard he studied to learn all of the little quirks of the English language....he didn't feel safe as a driver in this country until he had a basic understanding. I was truly astounded by the hourly package deals on CDL training.....Really? I had no idea!

Of course, I have it in mind that between all of us we could write the definitive book on driving and come up with a prototype for the ultimate driving school franchise and all retire as multi-millionaires!

 

So, with trucking schools teaching in different languages, are they next going to propose some sort of complicated road signs in a variety of languages? That would also mean altered elog systems, maps, etc. Sounds like a can of worms to me. We are an English speaking country and people migrating to America for whatever reason should learn and speak our language. Like, even delivering or getting loads would be nearly impossible for a trucker not speaking English.

 

That was my impression from some of these ads ....that they tested out at the schools......for an additional $400 to $650. That didn't set right with me either. It was almost like they were saying pay for a few hours of training and then pay me this nice big sum of money and we will guarantee that you will pass. It is taking advantage of folks looking to earn a living and placing them and everyone on the highway with them at risk. Unethical.

 

I think that is part of the problem, jungHo. We already have drivers out there that can not even read a sign that says Reduced Speed Ahead. Nobody seems to care until there is an incident. I know of two accidents, one involving a Russian driver and one involving a Chinese driver. Neither one spoke English, both were going more than 15 mph over the speed limit.
These schools are the ultimate scam. They take these people's money, guarantee them a CDL with little to no training, promise them the American Dream and do not care that they are placing the lives of these folks in danger.....and many other lives also. It is a problem that needs to be addressed. It hurts the whole industry.

 

Unfortunately I have zero knowledge of these schools down here. I got my Class 1 Chauffeurs license in February of 1977 when I was 21. I spent many a year prior to that teaching myself how to back one up in the family business, in of all places Hunts Point. By the time I went OTR in 1980 I had more miles going backwards then I did going forwards. These one hour or one day schools didn't exist and we didn't have these white Volvo's running around the country doing whatever it is that they do. After all these years, if I had to do it all over again I would do it the same exact way I did back then. I see what's out here, I want no part of that type of training these folks go through. For instance, my biggest pet peeve is a new driver getting "Trained" via CRE. They spend September and October learning their new trade, then are cut loose the first time the snow, wind and Ice shows up in Wyoming, the next thing you know they are sideways, crossways, upside down and every other configuration you can come up with on I-80. At the start of every winter season I hope and pray that when and if it happens, I'm nowhere to be found.

 

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end......yada, yada, yada.

 

MISSOURI

Expect nighttime lane closings on I-44 between Marshfield and Northview (Mile Markers 100-96) beginning Wednesday night, July 9. That's when a resurfacing project begins. Expect to see crews on the road and one westbound lane closed between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.

 

I really detest brokers who.can't get their act together!!!!

 

Sitting at the second pickup waiting to be told what's going on. Turns out I'm only supposed to get 2 pallets here but it's moot point now. I opened one door and 10 cases came tumbling down. Looks to be about 200 cases that need to be restacked. Even load locks wouldn't have prevented this. It's a right mess, boxes pressing on the doors. I told my DM to have the second pick cancelled and just let me dump this mess in Odessa. I heaved the fallen cases and a few others into the trailer near the top of the pile and got the doors shut again. My gut told me not to seal it until after I figured out what was going on with the second pick so if they would just say go, I can seal it up with the seal that matches the Sterilite BOL and go to Odessa. I'm 5 hours in on my 14 and only gone 87 miles! Laying in bed trying to keep cool. It's nearly 100 degrees out right now.