Are you an operator or just a driver

I don't think much has changed, in the way of old and new drivers,,,except the equipment that we drive, and of course,,we are in the "Information Age" vs. the "Industrial Age". Other than that, we have always had newbie's and old-hats since the invention of trucks. There were whiners back than as well as today. Some people just don't take their job seriously and some take it too serious. I love what I do and that means I do everything I can to do it safely and I love learning anything about the life style, and all that is involved in trucking. Not everyone feels the same way I do,,,old or new. I see some old-hats that say they have been driving for a long time but, in my opinion, they shouldn't be on the road. Same with new drivers. Now since 2008, or there abouts', things have gotten worse, as far as newbie's just getting their CDL because they feel there is nothing else out there or they lost there job in the construction field. I am sure this has happened since the beginning as well but, it has gotten worse since 2008. A lot of new drivers don't even want to drive trucks, they want to do what they were doing and this is only something they plan on doing till the industry they were in picks up,,,why learn anything you don't want to!? Not to mention the FMCSA and all their new regs since 2004. A lot of old-hats are getting out and I cant say I blame them. I wouldn't want anyone working on my brand new 2013 truck, that wasn't a certified mechanic, that's for sure. Now, that being said,,,anyone is capable of changing a mud-flap, light bulb, broken or missing bolt and adding lubricants. Some won't even do those simple tasks. I don't know about you, but I would rather change out a mud-flap on my own than taking the time to wait for someone else to do. I get paid for moving down the road, the longer I sit, the less I move. I carry all the basic tools, not my truck so I won't do too much but, if I can fix it and get moving, I will. Just my .02

 

Had a driver ask me about oversized. He mentioned that he wanted to buy his own truck. He drove for Roehl. I asked him about his truck, "What motor do you have in your truck?" He couldn't tell me. How do you do a Pre trip without opening the hood? How can anyone ever expect to be a successful owner OP if he doesn't know anything about his truck? Okay, I am not talking about major engine repair....I'm talking about the minor things. If you go to the shop time a light is out, you're going to hand out a bunch of blank cheques to a bunch of people that you don't know. That's financial suicide.

I was walking out of that TA in Baltimore. Saw a hand looking puzzled. He had a cat scale ticket in his hand. "What's wrong, hand? You look puzzled."

The driver looked really sad and showed me the scale ticket...11600 on the steers, 31000 on the drives, and 33800 on the trailer. I said, "Youre good, hand. What's the problem?" He said, "I need to put some fuel on."

I said, "Youre good, friend. Putting fuel on isn't going to put you over on your trailer." He looked amazed, "Really?!?!"

 

What kind of power in your truck? It's got a Red motor, I think. I hear the Yellow ones are the best.

 

What? there is something under that curved thing in the front?

 

The ones that really confuse me are guys that have to be trained everyday. What you forgot your duties overnight?

 

At my first job they would pay you if you fixed something yourself. It wasn't company policy or anything, but I learned that quickly when I called to tell dispatch I'd lose half an hour to replace the pigtail due to driving out of route to pick it up and they paid me $50!. I couldn't believe it for a something as easy as a pigtail but they said they'd rather pay me than road service or a shop. I wasn't even looking to get paid, just wanted to let them know it'd make my appointment time close. I started raking in some decent cash for fixing some amazingly easy crap after that. Empty dropped reefers were my favorite. $75 a pop for 10-15 minutes of work. Most guys wanted to call road service for that even.

There are things I don't know how to fix and things I wouldn't fix even though I know how. If you're talking about a job that's going to take hours I'll probably pull the I'm not a mechanic line at that point. I have no problem doing easy things that keep me moving though.

 

OK kids--truth be told--really aint as much changed as everyone wants to believe--yeah it was real helpful to have a little more mechanical skill back in the day--BUT--don't think for a second there weren't plent of guys who said--(EVEN back then)--I get paid to driver the #### thing not fix it--along with plenty that NEVER bothered to raise a hood--let alone kick a tire--lessen they were coolin it--and as I have posted MANY times before--Im still bettin the percentages are about the same today--the numbers are just higher....
Just my $.02
OH yeah and for the person that said "Im a dummy for lockin my keys in the truck" No you aint--bet #### near all of us have done it at one time or another--now having said that--ifn you do iy AGAIN--and haven't yet--hid a couple of door keys somewhere--besides a spare in ur billfold or wherever---THEN YES YOU WILL BE A DUMMY!-LMAO