Please! Don't tell me the truth!!!!

It's easy when you are anonymous here on the interwebs to complain and gripe. It's what people do, it's called life. We have the same thing in law enforcement when it comes to message boards. My old dept. is the king of venting and complaining. Want some good reads, check out leoaffairs.com and go to the Pinellas County section. Hilarious I tell ya. We all have our gripes whether it be with work, boss, significant other. It's just easier to do it here cause you don't have a person ready to yell back at ya, give ya a knuckle sammich', or fire ya. Just my .02

 

I remember my first post on here about my starting my CDL school at the local adult education school. It was decently received and I was told I had a good head on my shoulders and I should do well. Then I mentioned that I was choosing TMC as my first choice because a well respected forum user recommended them and Melton as my first places. Well since then Ive seen the posts about how TMC was such #### and several individuals post that they were a joke. Not to mention the few individuals that stated that I would fail because I went with a starter company.

The point is I can find any number of people who have posted negatives about any company on here or any place else. Why? Because you will find far more complaints than you will positives. Everyone complains when they arent happy, but very few if any ever post why they like what the company they are with. Local car manufacture to me, Honda of America, said to be the best, most coveted jobs around. Great pay, great insurance, never lays off. My best friend is a Production Staff associate, thats one step down from coordinator. He says he hates his job but stays at it because the money is good, and his insurance is great. My step father, has worked for Honda since 1987, he sold his truck, and both his flatbed, and reefer trailers and come off the road when his wife divorced him and took everything. He went to work for Honda and is getting ready to retire in the spring. He hates it, and says he made lots more money as a trucker running his own authority as a flatbedder and then being leased on with Schneider. Then there is my dad that has been a OTR driver running dedicated from Dayton Ohio to Kansas City for 10 years running with Cordell Transport, 1.5million safe miles, No insurance, .46cpm, and is running on paper logs, he hates it because in order to make his 3 drops a week, he must run questionable or it isnt worth it to him. Hes considering quitting there and doing something different, or retiring from trucking altogether to go back into a factory.

One thing ive come to understand in my short time out here, there is no shortage of drivers who ##### and complain, you can spot them at all the restaurants at the TS. They are the loudmouths at the bar talking loud so everyone within the building walls can understand their #####. Drivers leave their companies for something else because they see something that is slightly better than what they currently are doing. Some people are just never satisfied.

I for one am definitely satisfied with TMC, there have been some bumps in the road. Show me a company or a job inside trucking, or out that doesnt have bumps...I gross between 1000-1300 a week(that will probably drop some with the season). The insurance is great/cheap. They give me my loads and leave me relatively alone. Yes I have a camera in my truck. Ive learned how it works by contacting the manufacture myself. Its not as bad as you conspiracy theorists think, and It wont be in my truck very much longer. I like what I have here, yes TMC is a starter company, they take students, they have rules...what company doesnt? Fact of the matter is some people just like to ##### to be ######## because it makes them feel empowered or important.

 

#7 is true only if there are white volvos involved.

 

thats true. To a certain extent the big fleet companies all play the same games and treat you like a number. Some guys don't mind that but I just never really liked the powerless, trained monkey feeling I got when I've had my brief experiences with them.

 

I know everyone's experience is different , but my time at swift has been positive overall. ..

 

I may be wrong, but from where I sit it seems like we are seeing a bit more positive attitude about SWIFT than we used to.

 

IMHO truck drivers tend to internalize situations and make it about themselves personally rather than seeing the big picture. For example, you're driving for a mega carrier that uses a computer program to generate pick up and delivery times and gives you a fuel route. The program is designed to give you something to shoot for to be more productive, maybe it says you need to drive all night in order to hit the target time for a drop and hook. Maybe the program gave you a fuel route that takes you through a scenic tour to boot.

Now the driver wants to ##### that the company is "pushing" him too hard to make a ridiculous schedule AND forcing him to take a slow route through a lot of traffic lights instead of a slightly longer route on interstates. Sound familiar?

Instead of being proactive and (gasp!) learning how the computer system generates times and routes and maybe (gasp!) talking to driver managers and load planners face to face to find out how the computer program works and whether or not the deadline for delivering that load is tomorrow at midnight OR that he can CERTAINLY take a more efficient route...

... NOOOOOOOOOO!...

... gotta ##### and moan. "They done it to me!"

The larger the company the more likely a computer program generates delivery times and routes. If a driver simply (gasp!) communicates with their driver manager and load planners as if they were (gasp!) human beings then he/she would have a better handle on how to be successful in that situation. IMHO the cowardly way out is to shrink from the responsibility to communicate directly with the folks that can help you be successful and then go badmouth them anonymously.

Grow a pair. Pick up a phone. Walk into the office and ask how to run successfully. You might find out you have more options for being successful in your situation than you give the company credit for.