Can social media be the demise of bottom feeder companies?

This is EXACTLY why this industry cannot be changed by social media. We're looked down on like the scourge of the earth. Just a bunch of dirty nasty dumb@#@ truck drivers. All we do is kill and maim people and get between them and their destination. The authorities and the main stream media are great at throwing the bad apples the industry has into the barrel with the rest of us. Thus, the whole barrel is bad in the general public eyes.

 

"The Dreams of Youth are the Regrets of Maturity"- Darkness.

I see the zombie virus is alive and well. Social media shall save the day! "We can make the world a better place through social media!" Really? Through social media, you are alerted every time Kim Kardashian stains her underwear. Yes, that certainly has made the world a better place. You are better informed! Without the media, you would never be able to keep up with important topics like Kardashian cheese stains in underwear.

Met a driver that I helped out that asked me if I had 'facebook.' No. He wanted to keep in touch and 'befriend' me. No thanks. I dont need social media for friends. Be a man and buy me a beer.

Rusty Bolt is right...social media wouldnt see CREngland, they'd see 'those "evil truck drivers", the scourge of the American roads. "Am I Evil? Yes I am." Great song by Metallica.

So, I will be the villain.

Was doing a brake job on the rig in my brother's driveway. Some kid rides up on his bike and starts up a conversation.

That actually shocked the boy. Should I had taken the time and try to shed a positive light on the trucking industry so that perhaps this kid would have went on to social media and told of a positive experience with a nice truck driver? Why in the heck waste the time? You worship the idiots like that Cyrus skank and demonized Bill Cosby for something that allegedly happened 4 decades ago.

Speaking of the media, there's been quite a few times, when I run into some little town that the media is standing there with the cameras, watching me and my crew bring a superload through. All the blue haired old women shake their fists angrily because they dont know how to circle around their blocks and get home.

You're quite naive, arent you? 6 months down the line, some bonehead drivers goes through that town, and plows into a building, the media is going to talk about how dangerous trucks are and they're going to show the footage of my truck. They will put a negative spin on a driver rescuing a puppy from a gator if they could.

 

Isn't 'doesn't not' a double negative, rendering your statement to mean...


Twitter, Facebook, Youtube does social media make.
???

 

You're missing the point. Nobody outside the trucking industry cares. There is no way (unless someone gets killed) that your "investigation" goes viral. So, what you'd have to do is, get on the inside with your pen cams or whatever. Film it all. And then go on a shooting spree.

However, the story that goes out to the general public will be "Disgruntled Billy Bigrigger kills 5 in Utah. Mr. Bigrigger's driving record was far from stellar. In 1967 he was involved in an accident that injured 2. In 1971 his license was suspended. And on March 30, 1981, it was stated by a family member that he was within 20 miles of Washington D.C. when President Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt. Whether he took part in the assassination attempt is unclear. No further details on today's incident have been released. The tragedy is still under investigation."

Now, the accident. He and his dog were injured when he drove off the road to avoid a bus that had came across the median on bad roads. His license was not suspended. It was merely not renewed due to him being in Vietnam on his 3rd tour. And there were a million people within 20 miles of D.C. in '81.

The world needs a villain. Guess what. The trucking industry (more specifically, truckers) are that villain. Get used to it.

 

I think the point is most of the people coming into the industry are down and out, without a job, or the time to do the right research. Also consider these same people are only planning on driving until they get back on their feet.

lots of people use social media, but only are familiar with the "social" part of it. Teenagers for example.

 

posting below, somehow this was repeated.

 

Too many posts to read thru right now, so let me say this also, no one really likes truckers, except save for family, and very close friends. NO ONE CARES about us, PERIOD. We are a pirah to so many. Yes, some "average Joe/Jane" may show us some courtesy when we need to make a turn, change lanes, etc, but those are few and far between.

When I get to see "some social media" about trcuking or truckers, it is many times, to capitalize on accidents, injuries, deaths, train derailments.


Sure, "once in a blue moon" a good hearted story about a trucker saving someone's life from a burning car, or saving a lost pet.

Otherwise, it's "let's bash truckers, every chance we get", from the general public.

Let's be honest here, we did this to ourselves, by NOT policing ourselves as well as say, Ham radio operators, or the automotive trades by Certifying by a national body that is recognizable, like ASE is.

We do not, nor did weed out the scumbags that entered, and continue to enter each and every day. Many people that can't do nothing else, not even flip burgers, are now truckers. We lowered OUR standards years ago, and we complain that the once hard to get a job at company, takes in all scum and trains them.

We will NEVER band together and make any corrections, as we NEVER have any time to really get involved, as we leave the truck stop counter saying, "i'll let those other guys do it, I ain't go the time", yet that very same driver, "talked the talk", but will NOT "walk the walk", to help make improvements.


So the only thing social media will do is, dig us a deeper grave, rather than say, "hey that poor bastoid is working too hard for cents per mile, and never gets home."

If it were up to the general public, they would wish us all dead.

All because we allowed things to happen, and never got involve

 

I will try to stay on topic: As I reenter back into this trucking game; as many experienced/veteran drivers do, I have narrowed my job search down to smaller sized companies "bottom feeders". In doing so, there is not a lot of information out there about these smaller companies.

Many of you who have read my previous post, know that I have this thing about asking questions; and I mean asking a lot of questions. Hence my questionnaire.

Recently, I have contacted perhaps 30 plus of these smaller outfits by phone (some with 2009-2012 but the majority with 2010- 2014 or newer trucks) and after taking charge as to why I am calling, request that I send the reminder of my questions by fax or email to them to review and answer.

Now back to the OP; Instead of relying on the new technology such as social medial, why aren't we drivers (including the new/younger driver) adding these small "bottom feeders" here on the truckersreport for starters?

If you are or have been unfortunate to have experience the displeasure of driving for one of these outfits, we would really like to know your story; at least I would. Out of the 30 so called "bottom feeders" that I contacted, 25 were Bosnian, Serbian, Polish, Russian or other Eastern European Countries. The other 5 were your typical small real American type companies.

Here was what I got in response to my attempt to ask or gather any relevant information that would give me confidence in even attending their (NO ORIENTATIONS WITH THESE OUTFITS!) 2-4 hour meet & greets and here's the key along with your first dispatch! With no time to check out the truck as most of these outfits are very desperate to get a body behind the wheel and go. You learn about the company while you run.

Of the 25 Eastern European Companies (most have predominately Volvos) 12 of those Companies answered all of my questions, but what concerned me were their demands of running a minimum of 3800 miles per week/ or that know one is available after hours to provide support. The other 13 Companies either skirted around the questions, vaguely answered, or even had the audacity of adding "it depends, we will see or lets just try it out first etc". 4 of this 13 had the nerve to call or text me back to ask if I was still interested. NO WAY WAS I COMMITTING TO THIS!

Of the 5 real American Companies 3 had completely answered my questions to my satisfaction, and the other 2 did not wish to answer any questions simply because "NO DRIVER HAD EVER ASKED THEM SUCH QUESTIONS BEFORE AND THAT IT WAS TOO MANY QUESTIONS TO ASK". Just unbelievable response!

These "bottom feeders" should have a place/forum section here on the truckers report whereby their names, DOT numbers and your/our experience with them can be posted whether good or bad! btw: They can often times be found advertising on craigslist nationwide! Be advised and demand all of your questions be answered before committing yourself to a bad situation with the "bottom feeders". WHY TURN TO SOCIAL MEDIA, WHEN WE HAVE THE TRUCKERS REPORT! I hope I stayed on topic and "aimhigh"

 

Swift etc. can spend $10,000 to make sure your Vlog comes up at 1000 on google. Go ahead and search this term: "Working for Swift Transport." I just did. 3 pages of nothing but good. And yet every experienced driver I've ever talked to tells me they are horrible.

Social media is great. Taking on the largest company in the US? Good luck with that.

We all know there are bottom-feeders out there. It's up to the perspective employee to do some homework and yes, maybe even work for a pretty rotten company for a while so they get the experience to put on a resume.

And in defense of some of these "bottom-feeders," I know from another industry that I hired 5 and ONE of those would still be working for me in a year.

A lot of us just coming into the industry don't know how or aren't willing to work the long hours and irregular schedules that JOB REQUIRES. If you want 9-5, go to work for a local company that pays you $15 an hour. You can get better. A LOT better. But like any new hire, you have to pay some dues.

Some of my people made $40k a year (This is in 1985 or so). Some made 20k.
One of the things I like about trucking is that you get out what you put in. Sure, there are some rotten companies. ($0.25 a mile? Are you kidding me?) But most are NOT that bad.

Most of the reviews I see are transparently a case of an angry employee who wasn't willing to do the job, who dumped his truck in BFE because they didn't like their dispatcher. Who the Heck does that? You couldn't even take it to a terminal?

Granted I'm a noob. I could go with a rotten company and write a nasty review. But I'm always cognizant of my OWN shortcomings. Most of the negative reviews I've seen have been from people who have NOT been this way. (Cause there's ALWAYS more to the story than what the writer admits to (Even in my case where I trashed a training company).

If you wantto trash Swift, don't write a flipping blog entry,contact the NYT, etc. Yes, if you have a compelling story,they WILL tell it. If you're a whiner who signed a contract that anyone with an IQ over room temperature would have balked at, Caveat Emptor. No one, including the MSM is going to care.