Advice about Trucking without the Sugar Coating

First and Foremost this is My Suggestions and is not the opinion of this Forum, the members, or any Company. I am not a recruiter nor am I about to Sugar Coat anything, As you all know not any two truckers will agree(otherwise we would be making a lot more money than we do now) This is simply what I would tell any of you who are interested in Driving, or are in the process of finding a JOB in the Industry.

On this and all Forums regarding the Industry you will find threads about the Good, the Bad and the UGLY about companies. If you completely understand that Every driver is Unique and so are the companies, you will be able to form an more informed decision.
Example Drivers A&B work at same company (driver A works hard) (driver B works Smart) they have the same fleet manager, one makes good money the other is starving, later on I am going to discuss the Variables that control this fact, I am also going to reveal some of the things you will be told by companies, and lease companies along with those things you will not be told that you need to know. I refer to this as being able to cover your behind with both hands, CYAWBH.

When considering becoming a Driver, you will see ads that say our "TOP Drivers Made" or Our Drivers average( Key WORD Average). These numbers are attainable with no doubt,but they require you work SMARTER Not Harder. You will have to be willing to stay out for 21 days or longer, home time is something you have to adjust to. If you desire to be home every weekend you might want to explore Regional/local work.
I have as well as many other Drivers made more than 50k in a year, worked a lot, and made the most of my Home time.
Like all of you out there I did not start off making "killer" money, but as I learned from "older" drivers how to be smarter about handling my Business ( that is what you are really doing even if you are a company driver it is a business) I made more and more money. Last year I made over 65k while driving a truck in a "depressed" economy and I ran LEGAL. I will tell you what I think made me successful.

When you select a company, Ask Questions lots of them too, write them down before you call, write down their answers, talk to more than one company, compare your notes, Pros and Cons. Then make a Informed decision.
Things to ask,
1 Additional Pay ie Layover, Detention Pay, Extra Stop pay, and unload pay ( I personally will not fingerprint freight they will pay for it)
2 Ask about deductions there are companies who charge for things like, out of route miles, if you damage the truck or trailer, some fine you for not making check calls on time ( this is part of running your business)
3 Ask about Benefits, 401k, Health Insurance, Idle bonus, Fuel Bonus, Safety Bonus, Longevity Bonus, Mileage bonus, or anything else they Bonus on.
4 Ask about Their Equipment, Type of engine, type of transmission, repair policy, on the road repair policy, ask about On the road tire repairs, if you are going to haul a reefer or specialized trailer ask them if they pay for Load Locks, Straps, Tarps, Binders, Door Locks, Meat Locks.
5 Ask if they have policy that requires you to secure the truck with something other than DOOR locks on cab.
6 Ask about their OS&D policy to make sure you do not get charged with Damages you did not cause etc.
7 Ask about the Home time Policy, and remember this Loads to not just magically appear the day you need to get home, you will need to provide your Dispatcher with Ample time to get home. If you have a TRUE Emergency arise Something you need to ask about the company policy on that.

Now I will Give some Straight Forward answers to a lot of the questions you should ask and some explanations that are merely my opinion.

Question 1 about PAY.
Some companies now pay Per Diem, which is included in the CPM pay. Per Diem is not a bad thing if you understand it, according to the IRS you as a Company Driver are entitled to 52.50 a day for everyday you are in the truck driving, however if the company pays you up front for the per diem you will not be able to take this deduction on your Taxes, as you have already received it. Something I would tell you to do talk to your Tax Consultant about it, as each one of us have different TAX situations no one answer will be the same.

Also when you ask about layover pay ask at what point does it Start Some if not most companies require 24 hours.
Detention Pay When does it start and HOW MUCH is very important, Most companies will tell you that this is in their contract with the Shipper, BUT in this Economy they will give more leeway as not to lose the customer. But Trust me Paying you 12-15 bucks and hour for the hours you sit on that dock waiting to be loaded will not break the company.


Now for the Subject that is touchy to many people,
Deductions Some companies will make you pay for your Mistakes, Well This is a NO Brainer You Break it you Pay for it, and Do not blame it on anyone But yourself. YOU are responsible for your TRUCK, TRAILER, and Freight. As a Driver you should Pre trip, Post Trip, ( and I am not talking about roll out the bunk, stand between the tandems take a piss, walk around the trailer looking at the lights, the hop in release the brakes and take off) take a good look. When you load if it is a live load, ask NICELY to watch the freight go in your trailer or on it, if they tell you NO DRIVERS in the loading area then say nothing do not argue, wait till you get your BOL and Write on it Driver did not verify product loaded was not damaged per shipper. Do not make a stink about it, do not act like a fool be respectful. MOST not all, will let you inspect the product before it is loaded and will let you watch them load it, this is covering your own butt. NOW for those of you who are saying that will eat up my Log time then you are working harder not smarter and I can not fix Stupid.

The Benefits and Bonuses are self explanatory if you do not get that part, think about another career.

If you have not seen their Equipment before you get to their YARD I suggest you find out more from Drivers who work for them, half will be bull crap and half of it will be true.
Ask about APU's as many states have some very fracked up laws about idling that can cost you Some BIG money.
Some companies have AIR brake Locks, Some Steering Wheel Locks, Some have other means to ensure someone does not steal the trucks. The best way to ensure your truck is not Stolen and you do not lose your JOB is to follow company Policy.

THE OS&D thing to me is SIMPLE Watchem load it, Secure your Trailer, Be aware of your surroundings when you park, I try to always back up to another Trailer, I get out several times until I am real #### close without hitting the other trailer.

Now I am going to strike a Nerve with Many Drivers as Home time is something We all seem to disagree on, yet we agree on.
Home time with any company can be challenging to get, the closer you live to the company terminals, or main routes you will most likely get home more. But you need to keep in mind when you are at home you make no money, also Trucking companies (mostly Dispatchers discussed later on) look at it as if the truck is not moving they are losing money, they are not looking at the fact you have been out for 21 days, your kids are getting bigger, little Tommy has a ball game, Susy has a gymnastics meet, they go home every night and CHOOSE not to drive a truck. When thinking about Driving and Home time you need to think long and Hard.
If you are younger, recently Married, have young Children here are some HARD FACTS you need to think about.
NEWLY weds, if you are not teaming together, and you are not SECURE in your relationship and you want to keep it going then TRUCKING might not be for you. Specially if you are used to getting some EVERY night. Fact is as a driver on the ROAD away from your Spouse (if you are faithful) you will have to take things into your own hands, this applies to both men and women( sit there and go no way it is your story tell it how you want).
Those of You with VERY young Children I can tell you this if they are not talking yet chances you will hear their first words not good, chances of seeing their First Steps not good. These are things you need to consider, this is not working at the local grocery store and home at 5:00pm if you have a better half and they are at home, you will have to learn to listen to them and they will end up handling 99% of your "Home life" it takes a strong relationship to survive being with a trucker ask the Spouse's on here they will tell you it has its perks and downside's.


One of the Biggest things I see on here when people complain about companies in my opinion could have been resolved with better communication.

Let me explain the Mentality of the different people you will encounter in the trucking Industry.

The first person That #### recruiter (aka Certified LIAR, empty Promise maker, and flat out SOB) Ok not all of them are bad people but like us they have a job to do, they do one thing get butts in the seats, they tell you only what you ASK , some have driven some have not, but for the most they are just like Military Recruiters.

The Next group of people you have to deal with, SAFETY/LOGS these people eat, sleep and crap a PERFECT world that does not exist, they are constantly getting crapped on from further up the chain, about getting the Safestat numbers down, they have to deal with alot of BS from Drivers, and they give an ample amount of it to, but if you have your poop in a group, logs legal, no accidents, no out of service's you should not have to much trouble with them.

Which Leads me to the Driver Managers/Fleet Managers/Dispatchers/Travel agents
This group of people are sometimes former drivers, sometimes they are driver who could not hack it on the road and now make good drivers miserable, Here are a few key things to think about. They just like you want to be treated with respect, but they most likely have several other drivers to deal with, and chances are some other driver done pissed in his/her wheaties by the time you call in or send a message. keep in mind You win more with sugar than you do with Vinegar. Sometimes showing these folks a little more leniency gets you the extra mile.
I am not saying kiss butt, but being nice to the people who control your pay check makes a difference. Besides there are many people who would love to have your job recruiting has someone else in Orientation waiting for your TRUCK.
The Trucking companies do not need you, you need them this is their outlook on it, they have the TRUCK, The Freight, The Insurance etc etc.
Now the Owners of these companies,
Some of em are Drivers, some still drive today (not that often but they do) Some care about the drivers ( they will all tell you that they do) but in reality they see so many New Drivers all the time they do not have time to get to know them all. And Running a company with more than 60 trucks takes a lot of work, so they say while sitting in the Cayman island smoking a Cuban cigar, drinking a Margarita.
So if in passing the owners they do not seem friendly that is trucking.

NOW for the subject that will provoke some real messed up discussions in this thread.

Being a Driver Company or an Owner Operator, Being successful is a matter of treating it as a Business.

Seriously if you treat it as a business you will make more money, Don't rag out your truck all of us out here have seen that driver who made us go WTF?
You know the one with all the trash on the dash, wearing the sweat pants, that ain't been washed in 3 months, with the wife beater on that does not cover his 200lb gut, smelling like a refuse truck, walks in to the consignor smelling like pure hell, bills all crumpled up, with an attitude.
The same guy who whines to dispatch about any run he gets, never cleans out his truck and who knows what the sheets look like in the bunk if you can even see the bunk.


Keep your Truck clean you are a direct reflection of the company, you are the one who is there NOW.

Keep yourself clean no one wants to smell your funky odor. Plan your trip so you can look presentable, there is no EXCUSE for being a nasty,stinking obnoxious mess.


If all Drivers, Dispatchers thought of this as their own Business it would a much better industry.
Dispatchers literally control our income, they control our Little Business.
We as drivers represent all Truck Drivers, here is an example, 30 trucks at a Wal-Mart DC the first driver goes in pisses of the receiver the next 29 who walk in are screwed. don't think so just observe the next time you are waiting to check in, if the person in front of you is an jerk you will get an unpleasant receiver. Who most likely does not make that much money, and hates their job, did not get laid the night before, or is in a miserable relationship and they know they might not see you again but YOU will catch the brunt of their anger.


I know many of you will read this and form your own opinions, Many Recruiters will read this and either be angry or happy someone is willing to cut through the BS.


I do not think it can ever be stated well enough, Driving a truck is a Lifestyle that is not for the weak minded, the whiny, and it sure aint for sissies.
Trucking has many success stories, and even more failures, it is up to you to make it what you want. If you are willing to WORK Smart and pay your dues you will make it. But if you think you are going to come out here and have a silver spoon shoved in your MOUTH let me help you out, not going to happen. This work requires a lot of COMMON SENSE, it requires attention to detail, one mistake can cost you your life or someone else theirs.
You have to know your limits, you have to know when to say I just can not do it.
There is no shame in admitting a weakness, there is shame in pushing to hard and messing up big time.
There are no Stupid questions, except the one you do not ask. There is a lot to learn, and they day you stop learning you need to park it, put your butt in a rocking chair, sip moonshine and talk about the days gone by.
If you are willing to make sacrifice's you will make money, I am not saying compromise your integrity, or your morals.
The Sacrifice I refer to is the time away from home.
You will see things, experience things that most people with "normal" jobs will not ever see.
You will see things that make you scratch your head and go wow, you will see things that make tears come to your eyes, you will see sunrises and sunsets that will take you in awe.
The greatest thing about it YOU get paid to do it, it is only what you make of it.

 

NYRoadie, you and many others made a point That I think maybe an Admin who might have a better place for this thread to be better seen maybe will move it?

Okieron,
I have considered it, but what scares me is someone in a company might want to use it lol, Which might be a good thing and would make history lol, "Trucking company listens to Driver"

Chompi,
I am fixing to continue and I am going to gives some hints and tips on dealing with Travel Agents.

Cr Robinson,
Before you print them out Let me finish lol, and also My Proofreader is going over my post making them "correct" she says I have a lot of errors and trucker speak , I am trying to explain to her if they don't get it then they never will.

GuysLady,
I agree the way you act in the office can either help or hurt you depending on attitude.
and Just for the Record "simply being a Truckers is wife" is something that should not be discounted, It takes a Special kind of Woman, to be a "truckers Wife" I will touch on that in some of my continuations I am going to do one about "Relationships and such" as I feel I am an "expert" as I have had 4 ex's and 2 of them were drivers. (not bragging at all, just want to show people how to Avoid the Big "D")

And to the Rest of you who will continue to read this Thread as it Stretches out, I encourage you to Copy, and paste it and print it, pass it around. Recruiters You are more than welcome to use it, Dispatchers, Safety, Logs all of you are more than welcome to Use it, if we can help just One Person Be Successful then we as a collective have put a Positive Impact into Society.

 

First and Foremost this is My Suggestions and is not the opinion of this Forum, the members, or any Company. I am not a recruiter nor am I about to Sugar Coat anything, As you all know not any two truckers will agree(otherwise we would be making a lot more money than we do now) This is simply what I would tell any of you who are interested in Driving, or are in the process of finding a JOB in the Industry.

Dispatchers are a group of people that can either Make or Break your driving Career.
Some of the things that you need to understand about Dispatch that can Break you real quick,
1) Respect, (it does make the world go round) you get what you give, most dispatchers are working with multiple drivers, as long as You never forget you are not the Only Driver they have to deal with when you talk to them. Treat them with Respect No Matter what, they are often referred to as liar's. But what we tend to forget is that they have to deal with so many drivers,brokers, customers, not to mention the managers, and owners above them. They get what I consider sometimes a raw deal, even though I think most of them have good intentions, there are those select few that no Matter what you do or Say they will continue to be rude, and arrogant.
Just like drivers there are some who are cut out for this business and some who are not. As the days of old are gone, it seems more and more that the days of dispatchers who are not stressed out are also gone. If you think that dealing with 30 drivers with 30 different personalities is fun or easy, well you need medication to bring you back to reality.
One of the Biggest Myths in trucking "Blind" dispatch, or 1st in 1st out. This is the companies way of saying we do not discriminate against drivers who are a&*holes. (catch the key word there)
Just like we do not forget the Consignor who made us wait 4 hours to hit the dock, nor do dispatcher forget those drivers who WHINE, complain, or the ones who cuss them out. Do not believe it just look on this forum about all the people whining about MILES, if they told the truth about being a candy ### who refuses short loads, or how crappy they talked to Dispatch then we would get the whole story.
Believe me when I tell you this, there are 3 sides to every Story, your Story, Their Story, and the TRUTH.

Secrets to getting the miles you want.
When you are out for 21 days and know you are going home for 2-3 days, keep in mind You signed on with this company to Drive a truck and Haul Freight.
Examples to help you understand better.
ABC Paper Company has a 500 mile run, you get assigned to it. What you do not know is that they also had 3 1500 mile runs, 4 200 mile runs. And they are consistently giving your company freight and they pay upon delivery,
The 500 Mile run you got put you into an Area that got you better Freight, with better miles.
The Drivers who got the 1500 mile runs, ended up in an area where they had to take the short haul to get better freight.
You have to take the bad with the Good, if you take it with a smile, show up early, arrive early ( only when legal to do so) you show dispatch you are willing to do what IT takes As A Professional driver to get the JOB DONE.
If you Complain and Whine about it, ( I am going to use a .30cpm to show my point) you end up sitting and waiting an extra day without Layover Pay, you make no money, whereas had you just run the 500 mile run and made 150.00 which beats nothing at all. And not to mention your next load might not be any better. It takes time to figure out where your Company gets good freight and where they get none.
Some companies do great getting freight out of Florida, I have seen others Deadhead a driver to Georgia, same with the east Coast, and all over. IT truly depends on HOW your company has set up the program for themselves.

Also think about this, You are a company Driver in their truck, pulling their trailer, they pay the Insurance, maintenance, overhead of the office and all the employee's.
Now if you think it is cheap to run a truck ask an O/O it all adds up.
The people with these companies had to do something right to get where they are at. Might not be the way we think it should be run, or how we would run the company, BUT then again we are the DRIVERS and not the OWNER, if you desire to run your own company and are willing to take a huge risk of investing into this economy, and you have the contracts set up for the freight, I wish you the best of luck. If you are new to the Industry I would seriously suggest you spend the next five years as a company driver, learning how this industry works, then make that decision. ( I will later talk about leasing a truck in another Continuation)

I am going to share some of my personal Experiences with you, I am using the ACTUAL Names of the People, the companies, and I am aware many of them are reading this, as they nor do I have anything to hide from.


I Worked for an O/O Named Tom Happell, Company Name Tommy Tread Trucking out of Colorado. Great Guy, great equipment, Tom was a very smart Owner, had several trucks and leased us on to different companies. At one time he put us on with Werner, we did not last long there as we had some conflicts with how we were being dispatched. So Tom seeing his Drivers were not making great money Quickly Moved us to another Carrier, sent us all to LandStar Ranger, Which proved to be very rewarding, he also became a LandStar Agent, we kept Rolling and making money( at this point in life I was single and did not go home).

I went to Work for R&R Transportation Inc out of Audubon, MN,
This is another Company that had their poop in a group, Good Equipment, great loads, and overall a great company to work for, they had some Dispatchers who were good. One of them Roger Knutsen (I probably misspelled his last name) used to be a driver, would go the extra mile to get a driver what he wanted, one of the nicest guys to deal with, but piss him off and you were going to get sent to the foulest place on the planet.
The Owner Roger Westlund, his Son Ryan, and many other members of his Family work there also, Some in Safety, the shop or in Dispatch. The Entire group either drove, or has been around trucking all their Lives.
Now they did have one Dispatcher who is not longer with them( thanks Roger) who was in the California terminal, no matter what I did this guy would not even think about being nice to me.

Oh Let me tell you about Starsky ( and YES that is his Name)
What a great guy, very well organized, on top of his game, you might come into the Audobon yard and they need a trailer shagged, not only would you get paid well to do it, when you got back He would shake your hand and tell you thank you, and then he would get you a load with plenty of miles, You helped him, he helped you.

The one thing I did not tell you is how I interacted with these people, I am not saying it was always easy for them to be nice to me. I was one of the biggest pain in the necks they have ever seen, I would go out west and want to take off for 2 days, then go out east 4 days later and take another 2 days off. I was not always pleasant to deal with, (sorry Ruthie) Safety was a group I avoided like the plague, (my fault not theirs) constantly having to be told LOG your FUEL in the right time, etc etc. Me being a Hard Headed Know it all Trucker with 8 years under my belt I was a ROYAL PITA.
For the record that was 8 years ago, THINGS have changed as far as ME and I had to change in order to make it.


Now on to that Subject of Relationships, ( note the pink color)

I would like to say I consider my self well versed in it, but I would first forewarn you that what works for me might not work for you, might and might not.

I have 3 ex wives, 1 son 2 step-daughters who are adults, with 4 grand children. ( all by marriage of course) and I am not 40 yet. My Current wife who I am blessed to have as a Spouse and Best Friend, is helping me with this Part as she has been the rock in our relationship.


I will first say to the MEN who are married and thinking about going out and being a truck Driver, You might be the "man" of the house right now, but when you leave you will have to relinquish that title and Let her BE the "woman who runs your house". For those of you who cannot grasp this let me help you save your relationship before you piss it away.
First off you will not be at home dealing with the KIDS she will be, it is hard to Be the Disciplinarian when you are 2500 miles from home, Kids are not ignorant, and you need to support her 110% on the decisions she makes, if you do not agree DO NOT attempt to argue about it on the phone. If you do when you get home you will spend your home time not relaxing, and frankly you won't get any nookie either. You have to learn to accept the fact that your choice of vocation, has put your better half in a position to "Run the roost" and it is much easier on the mind to avoid confrontation on the road. Stress will mess up your day,week and home time.
Communication is the key to making your relationship work, if you both agree that you will call everyday or night whichever MAKE the CALL, she is used to you being at home with her all the time, let her know how you are doing, let her know what to expect from your paycheck, as she is the one paying the bills at home. Women will say things, and it is all in code. They might tell you all is well, but really listen to her, do not call home and complain about everything that is wrong, you will make her worry about you, as you are the one she loves and spends her time with and has an emotional investment with.
Always, and I mean ALWAYS Tell her you LOVE HER, you will not understand how important that is to her until you have no one to say it to anymore.
We have a SIMPLE agreement we never go to bed mad at the other, we always end our conversations with "I love You" and to be honest we never argue, we might disagree but not once in 7 years have we ever argued, or screamed at one another. Life is too short to spend it angry, it is much better when you are both happy and in Love.

Driver, when you go home on home time Treat your Lady as if it were your First Date, this is huge for women, as men have no emotions, and simply put this is an alien thing to us men. Just try it and see what the response is I guarantee you this much, you do this a couple of times, and see what the response is from Her, it will be one or two things.
First she is most likely to think "dang this is like when we first met, this is the man I fell in Love with" then she will probably give you some of the Best Loving you have had in 21 days. (and it beats the man and hand conversations with yourself if you piss her off)

The second and most unlikely thing to happen if you pull this off right, she might ask what you did wrong. Now I have the Appropriate Answer to that if she happens to go this way.
You will look her in the EYES ( very important) and you will in the nicest way, tell her " Absolutely nothing Honey, just seeing you look so beautiful (even if she is in Sweat pants and T Shirt just say it) reminds me of all the reasons I fell in love with you, (if you have kids throw this in to) and why I am so happy you are the Mother of My children and the Keeper of our Home, Then ask her if you could have the Honor Of her company at dinner. (make arrangements ahead of time without her knowing it, for a sitter if you have kids) take he somewhere nice, or somewhere sentimental. (for those of you who do not grasp this treat her like a Queen)
And when you go back on the Road, tell her how much you look forward to seeing her soon.
Also while you are at home, make sure to ask her if there is anything She needs you to do that will make her life easier while you are on the road. (it makes a huge difference for them to know you care when you are not there)

Now I am going to hit those drivers right between the eyes with this next subject, and I am as guilty of this as the next guy who denies it.

Many new drivers will be tempted by the many different people (women) we encounter in trucking. This is cause for my 1st and 2nd divorce's. Not just the Cat house's in Nevada, or the working girls in the trucks stops or massage parlors around the country. ( a side note should you choose to fornicate with a working girl, make sure you protect yourself as you are not the first person she has been with, and do not be a married person cheating on his wife, karma is a REAL MUTHATRUCKER)


Some of the Lady drivers that are out there are just down right tempting, some are well less than tempting, same with the men out here (just so you ladies know I am not being an arse about it) and I have found out that Truckers in general have the ability to talk more BS than a USED Car Salesman, some have a silver tongue. ( the reason for 1&2 being no more) if you are single you can meet some great people out here, and some might even peak more than your interest.


As for the Working Girls, aka Lizards, and Massage Parlors(illegal ##### houses) I strongly recommend that is YOU MUST do this, be very aware of the Dangers. Don't worry I am fixing to deal them to you real graphic.
You stick your pecker in it falls off, she goes oop's must be the VD, or one better she gives YOU HIV and you die a very long and painful death.
Outside of Disease, many of these women work for pimps, in 16 years the only problem I have ever had (violent confrontation) was with one of the low life scumbags. In Indianapolis there is a PILOT and behind it a dirt lot, one sat night late I had pulled in the lot. This young Lot Lizard comes to my window, ( I was coloring in the book) scare the ever living hell out of me, ask to you use my Radio, I said " to her nope" (I should have looked in my freaking mirror) about that time my drivers door gets ripped open, by her Pimp. Let me help you see this I am 5'6'' 165 Short lil redneck, with cowboy hat, and boots on, he is like 6'2' 290 and pissed.
He asked me why I would not let her use it, as I am parked in "His" Lot where his "Bs" work. Him not seeing what was hanging beside my seat, was to my advantage, ( Also several drivers are now talking on the radio about this going on, I have yet to get out of the truck) He (the pimp) Is going off cussing me, threatening me, he is standing on the ground at the corner of my door, ( was in a 379 pete) He finally steps on the first step, I put my boot right center of his face and kick him off the step and onto his butt, She takes off running like a rat after cheese. I should have taken her hint, this big ole pecker head pulls a dang little pistol on me, he is laying on his back in the dirt. What he did not know but soon found out was that I believe in the 2nd amendment ( I know there is a whole thread on carrying in your truck, I do and will not work for companies who have policy's against it) So old pecker head put 3 rounds into my sleeper, and two into my roof, His gun was now empty thank god as I have now pissed myself, I hear the radio going nuts, another driver lets me know he is on the way to help. I pulled my gun on the SOB and held him to the ground, some other driver comes over with some big wire ties, and helps me hold him. This is the dangers of Lizards had this turd known how to shoot I could be dead.
It is not over, The police show up ( my Concealed handgun Permit is accepted by Indiana) arrest the Pimp, talk to a bunch of drivers, and I still end up spending 6 hours in the Police Station filling out Paperwork, over the next 12 months I am in court 3 times, I got no charges as I did not shoot this idiot( I know I should have, but I was scared beyond scared) and he did end up with a 35 year sentence for attempted murder, not enough and a huge waste of tax paying money. IF you missed my Point about this could happen to you, then you need to reread it again.

 

First and Foremost this is My Suggestions and is not the opinion of this Forum, the members, or any Company. I am not a recruiter nor am I about to Sugar Coat anything, As you all know not any two truckers will agree(otherwise we would be making a lot more money than we do now) This is simply what I would tell any of you who are interested in Driving, or are in the process of finding a JOB in the Industry.

Now this is for Both OLD and New drivers, if the shoe FITS Wear it.

Common Courtesy is gone, Being considerate of the other people who do the same job is something that most have the following attitude.

It ain't my problem, I am in a hurry you can wait.

Days of old long gone, But we can all WORK to make a difference.
Many times in this Forum we hear about guys who work for the same company who do not speak to one another, I wonder WTF, we see a truck on the side of the road hood up and 99 out of 100 trucks fly right by, hell some will not even move over anymore, much less stop to help. We as Drivers have to look out for one another, there was A time when there were many more independents on the road, and we all helped one another, We can bring this back the helping part anyway. It starts with you and me working to bring back the integrity in trucking.

The things I think have ruined why we don't help, and the things we can do to make it better.
With the technology we have available to us, many think he can shoot a message, make a phone call. Well what if his batteries are dead on the truck and he is in a DEAD zone for cell service?
Well he did not answer the CB, again refer to the above.
The Driver is out of the truck working on it, What if you have a wrench that could help him ?
I am running Late, What if you planned your trip better?
I did not see the Driver in the Truck, What if he is having a Medical Problem, you might just save his/her life.

With All the New Radios, XM, and all that crap many of you just turn off your CB's I imagine to avoid the trash talk. But how hard is it to turn it up for 30 seconds before you get to that broke down rig and start asking, and seriously 5 minutes to check on a driver ?

Oh that group of you who SAY " he/she does not work for my company" Well here is my answer to that one.

A Driver is a DRIVER no matter who he/she works for.
No Matter what kind of TRUCK, No Matter what color the truck is , no Matter what color his/her skin is. PUT aside your self indulgence and help em out, they might be the one who saves your butt one day.
It is much better to have many acquaintances than 100's of people who dislike you.
Those of you who say "he/she should have PTI their Rig, I agree but still fact of the matter is another Driver is Stuck in the middle of NO WHERE broke down, making no Money give em a HAND, could have been you.

Ok now Courtesy to Drivers off the ROAD, (Truck Stops, Shippers, Receivers, and terminals)
We are all in this Rat Race together, regardless of what company we work for or if we own our own, we all face the same challenges, some of us just go about it a different way. Some choose to do nothing and be a part of the Problem, some choose to make it a better industry as we have no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.
SO what are you going to do, sit there and be apart of the problem, or part of the solution?

When we are in the truck stop at the fuel line, and the hand in front of us is getting a Cash Advance, be patient you should have planned your trip better. This is going to happen a lot, if you see a driver struggling to get in a hole, offer to help do not sit there and wait for him/her to screw up, and risk losing their job they also have bills to pay just like you. Be better than the rest of them steering wheel holders make a difference.
This world is full of hate and discontent Make a difference.
When you get parked DO not throw your piss bottle on the ground, along with all your Trash get out throw it away, the exercise will not kill you. Do not piss in the parking lot, and leave the wonderful smell for all of us to enjoy. Think about the next person, I know that there is this HUGE group of Lazy drivers who refuse to use indoor plumbing, there will always be that groups of inconsiderate drivers who will do nothing to change, they have no idea of the negative impact they have on the industry. They are also the ones sending me PM's telling me I should spend more time Driving my truck worrying about what I am doing, and not telling them what to do, ( I refer them to my disclaimer at the top, and mention that if the point got to you maybe you should change your ways)

There is an elite Group of Drivers out here now with 25years or more on the ROAD ( I am not discounting those with 15 or more) that have seen so many changes in the industry that they could spend the rest of their lives writing about it and miss half of it.

When you see or hear another driver having a bad day offer a word of kindness try to brighten their day, You might just make their day. Hell it might make you feel good too, to be nice to someone you do not know.