Swift Regret

Open wounds need changing often. They have to drain as well. There are horrible things that could develop if neglected.

Good luck to 88, hopefully that will heal in time.

 

What you have just experienced is exactly what all the rest of us have gone through.

The situations that you describe are not unusually difficult or ‘out of the box’; in fact, with time, you will find that these situations are nearly nothing, especially if you ever obtain a local delivery gig where you are driving a 53 footer doing 8 stops a day and backing through crowded parking lots while backing into tight, hairpin docks designed back in the 1950’s for small, straight trucks. Many of us are doing exactly that every day, all day.... and we all started out just like you.... and none of us were weak enough to blame our employers for our own decisions... even if we started out with the lowest of the low... like Swift.

You simply just continue with everything that you are assigned, move slow, yield to others (even if you’re sure that you have the right of way), and do your best to get a decent rest at the end of every day.

You might be better off selling auto insurance...

 

What are the hours?

 

Having done both, I would say that trucking is a much better career, even if the hours are worse.

 

Whatever you do, don't give up. It sounds like you have a good amount of common sense. You learned a lot from your mentor but you didn't get enough backing experience, that's not the end of the world...it'll come in time. Practice when you can. You said you were't prepared....here's a shocker....most of us weren't unless they grew up in a trucking family. Nobody in my family ever drove but it's what I wanted to do so I stuck with it. There were times I wanted to leave the truck and find a ride home and give it all up. Looking back that would have been a huge regret. I have 3 million behind me now and I'm telling you we need drivers with common sense out here, they're fewer and farther between these days. Good luck

 

I'm female, blonde, and older. I laugh when they tell me what dock to hot, and tell them "I got 20 pullups in the betting pool on this one" that way they dont expect me to get it right the first time. Sure, I'd love to hit it perfect every time. But sit in a truck stop and watch the others back in... very very few hit the spot in one go.
It does get easier as you get experience. Not a #### one of us was born knowing how to back. Dont let anyone's opinion of you change how you do it... slow, careful, get out and look. A guy I know had been driving 20 years. Some guy made fun of him for getting out to look, and taking 3 pull ups. He just stared at him and said, 20 years, I ain't hit nothing... how about you? It might help to get a little toy truck and practice so you get the visual in your head.
You'll get it, just give yourself time.

 

When my wife severed her pinky on the grinder, she didn't know it until I told her.. then she passed out, and our son and I caught her before concrete contact. She didn't feel a thing, for the nerve damage. That pinky still turns wokey jaw but... she never knew.. they fixed it, but for the nerves. If she taps it ther on accident, its like electric (she says....)


GAWD I'm wishing you the best, @88 Alpha ... missed a couple days straight up on the 14'ers. TYSM for the updates; again; sorry to front you out.

 

YEP ^^^ TRUE. When I'm done, I'm done. My ship, I'm the captain. (sorry we got sidetracked...)

 

Sorry, hear your story mentors are bad if they decide cut you down on backs I had one like that when I went to stevens transport he never let me back would yell for grinding gears but when he did it, it was okay so for some reason. its a disservice to you and your fellow truck drivers and general public how I see it to deny a fresh driver I had a refresher at Swift being out the game for years driving, The trainer I had at swift was a minister he told me I will be doing all the backs, and driving there was only one time he drove because of the deadline too close.

Just because you have a CDL doesn't mean you should become a teacher or any kind even of drivers that's almost impossible not find a story like that in any big company. I would wish you any other driver report them management sometime they will lower the flow of traffic to the drivers or stop them from being a trainer. O/O is good to learn from if you know basics already but not from someone knows nothing yet could be too much to take in.

 

Not sure where to post this, @Bud A. ... but how's the WM/DC going? NASCAR is hiring, if you wanna team, LoL......

NASCAR hauler crashes down embankment en route to Kansas Speedway

and ANOTHER caught on fire..... sheesh.

Hope @88 Alpha you are 'back to good' man. Thanks for the 'non' pics.

Wonder what happened to the O/P?!?!?