Landstar Corporation - Jacksonville, Fla.
Discussion in 'Landstar' started by fatboy1, Jul 3, 2006.
Page 11 of 14
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You can see more of the car here and the pictures as I was building it back at this link.
http://www.cardomain.com/id/wreckless4thf -
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My simple belief, is that one company take the first step to improve its business practices. Hire better drivers to make them look good and treat those drivers VERY well. Have a basic set of rules and regulations to keep honest people honest and run with the profits!
Sometimes competition is not the best policy. Especialy when it dilutes way too much and creates a goo that we have today.
On one hand, I am glad there is a job surplus, as it is allowing me to enter the field as a newbie and get my foot in the door on a good career. On the other hand, who else is getting hired? I am a retired electrician and electrical instructor. I am not a dummy by any means, but I am not the sharpest tool in the shed either. I can admit that. But what about the person that doesn't have the mental capaciy to flip a burger, much less drive a truck? These CDL mills are rushing them through.
I called a company yesterday that has a terminal right across the freeway from me, and asked about their requirements for drivers. The lady that answered the phone said jokingly, "Breathing, living, able to fog a mirror. Must be able to walk into the office under own power. No more than 25 felonies in the last year, with no more than 7 recreational drug charges."
Joking or not, although I laughed and said, "Did I get Swift's recruiters?", now I sit and think how sad that is. I understand driving is a tough career and it takes a special kind of person to do it. I just hope I fit the bill.
But seeing all the truck related accidents on the news, yes I know its a media slant, one has to wonder about todays truck driver or perhaps its the company that driver works for. If a company REALLY forces the driver to drive tired and fake a logbook, then they should be punished.
Now I have researched several different companies to get a feel for safety records, turnover rates, etc., and I have narrowed it down to a small handfull of ones that I would WANT to work for. So now I have to worry about the other driver. A good driver should know when enough is enough. A good driver should know better than to trust chemicals to keep him awake. Etc, etc....
I am not saying all drivers are like that, but I can tell that a good number of them are. All I have to do is drive down to the new Pilot down the road from me and see all the 'Wonder pills' on display. I, too, take vitamins, but I buy mine from the Walmart pharmacy department, NOT the checkout counter...
Sorry for the rambling....I don't realisicly see a solution to our image, aside from self policing... -
"A star only shines in the darkness".
That rule kept me out of more lousy work when my peers were doing it, and ensured that my time in the service was much more pleasant than it could have been otherwise. If all the people around you, be they truckdrivers or sailors, operate at a low level of performance, then you don't have to do too much to stand out from the crowd. Whether you make your on the job performance bette than the rest of the group, or if you make your appearance stand out, or whatever you do to make your self stand out a little bit above the herd, it will stand you in good stead. If the companies are hiring drivers with "burger flippers" potential, your skills and work ethic will put you in a better position than they find themselves in.
Whether the result is you get a job with a preferred company, or a little bit better equipment, or treated better by the office, or better loads from your dispatch, one way or another that extra bit of effort will come back to you.
While there may be a job surplus, and parts of the industry would like to fill that with drivers from the lowest common denominator, they will always have a need for a premium driver, capable of giving better service than the rest of the pack.
And positioning yourself to be that premium driver will always be good business sesce on your part. -
I couldn't agree more and well written!!
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This industry does have problems. And when it comes to drivers, and how they are affected by those problems, there is only one person on this earth that can do anything to effect change, that can be considered positive in nature. That person is themself. As long as drivers keep making poor, uninformed, unwise, and stupid decisions, as the case may be, the companies out here that exist to utilize their services for profit potential, will continue to exist and thrive.
You "hit them in the pocket", by not working for them.
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
Page 11 of 14