Good Night From II

I don't think it is foreign to them.
They just don't like it very much.
There is simply too much money to be made by ignoring it.

Very stupid in my view, though.
If they set up the best training program in the industry, and being the largest trucking company in the U.S. they could easily do that, they would have both the drivers flocking to their doors as well as the customers.[/QUOTE]

Well the safety's dept role is mostly "reactive" and not very "proactive". I know with mine. When they have several screw up in the same area's, they then make the entire terms drvr's watch some stupid trng video, in other words, a few really mess up, and then we all have to pay for it with remedial training films.

Yes last yr they cut 50 hrs off the trng program with the claim that it didn't affect the level of competency of the newly trained drivers.

I don't think that any trucking company, no matter how safe or good will ever have hordes of new wannabe drivers flocking to their doors. The reason, we made be proud of who we are and what we do, but as far as normal society goes, the profession of trucking in general is greatly looked down upon as a last resort or a "never in a million yrs will I ever drive a truck."

 

And yet is is probably the most required job in the country.
If this one profession/industry stopped for even a week or two, the entire country would stop working.

An enigma, to be sure.
To be so shunned, so disregarded and disrespected, by the society that relies so totally on what we do.
And even by the ones that employ us to a great degree.
It boggles the mind.


"I don't think that any trucking company, no matter how safe or good will ever have hordes of new wannabe drivers flocking to their doors."

I disagree with this statement.
The best and safest will always attract both drivers and customers.

 

It's all perspective ... I do agree with no student driving during the witching hour. The mentor should also be awake during any maneuvers - on /off freeway, etc.

That said, why are we all up in arms? Because frankly any death of a driver at Swift is a rare event. And this one is particularly horrific and involves a student . But again, perspective. When I was at CRE, they were losing one a week.

 

There was a comment on another thread comparing us to Schneider. Number of trucks compared to fatalities and safety and Schneider had more than swift per capita but every one focuses on us. I think that we were at 56 per 22k drivers where Schneider was at 29.

Dot has now said blew right steer tire

 

Pilot in Urbandale. Dropped loadown and nothing going on. SeND mess6and get the same reply as always. Working on it. So happy only 3 more days of this bs. How hard to look at the load board and figure out a way, especially when had 2 days. Guess my voice your choice biting me

 

Stuck another day here in Memphis waiting for my load to get here. Last update was it would be here around 8pm. Wonderful. I can't pick up a load that late and then be expected to drive overnight after being awake all day. Decided that since I will be here a while, I would see what the Memphis shop can do about my ongoing bunk heater problem. I've had it into Columbus about three times and Edwardsville once so far. They clean it up and then after a week or two it quits working again. I wish they would just replace the #### thing instead of constantly cleaning it. The good news is that I can still get my load in the morning and make it home for my home time. The bad news is that I'm gonna have a 34 sitting here, then drive for 10 hrs and start another 34. Have to go home because I have an event to go to on Sunday. That and the load doesn't deliver until Monday anyway. Looks like this week is gonna suck.

 

Planning just sent me a pplan, live load at 1700 in Boone going to Minnesota for tomorrow. They are 50+ loads short up there.

 

Denver planners told me they are 70 short here, not something I like to hear from this area on a Friday.

 

Freight is bad every where for all companies

 

And still, they all cry that there is a shortage of drivers.