At what point does a truck driver start to earn respect as a safe driver?

Mileage is poor choice to determine if a driver is safe.. their are guys with a million miles who I wouldn’t hire to drive a wheelbarrow because of bad habits( tailgating excessive speeding lane control etc etc) A reward or plaque means nothing to me I know if I’m driving safely or not I prefer not to rely on luck..

 

While there is some truth to that opinion. It is also a bit cynical though. I know way too many fleet owners and managers that tell me a much different story. You must get out of that mega mindset to see this. Yes, with the mega carriers a driver is a number and a commodity to exploit. This just is not the case across all of the trucking world. This is also why it is so hard (not impossible) for a newbie to get hired into these situations. A mega might have a core of maybe 10% of their drivers that have 2 or more years of service with them. The rest don't make it that long. The turnover rates are horrid. In those respects, it does come down to what did you do for me today! You take a small fleet owner and a driver that has been with them for 10 to 20 years, that driver is almost part of a close-knit family. I see this a lot, but to see it you MUST get away from the megas.

 

Wisdom!

 

Your performance speaks for itself. Don’t listen to the BS in the cafe. Those drivers will always be the best, king of the road, most experienced, make the most money, etc whether they actually are or not.

Always chose to do a great job, chose professional conduct, chose safety. Your management is taking notes. They’re always dealing with drivers that don’t make good choices.

 

Just do what you need to do, don't run into things, don't get caught doing dumb things, and keep it to yourself.. no one really cares anyway. When they will keep and even seek out the absolute worst individuals to fill the seats... it's meaningless.

 

Never.
You can gave several million miles and one incident, your fault or not, unless you have proof(video evidence) your company, and you could be sued, and insurance companies, who rule the world, will tell the company they think you’re a risk and either to let you go, or find a new insurance company.

 

I've been doing this over 16 years. No tickets, no accidents, no fender benders, nothing.

I give myself moment-by-moment respect. If I do something dumb, I didn't earn my respect. If the night went smoothly, I give myself a nod and get home to the wife and dogs.

As far as safety awards...I have 16 years worth of those on my desk in my office. They let me know I've put together a pretty good stretch of safe days, but I'm only as good as my last day of driving.

 

Never. Drivers don't get respect anymore. Haven't you heard? Truck drivers are a dime a dozen.

 

A-pick up Load
B-Deliver load
C-Get paid
D-get home
Why all the drama??