Authority Operators need to standup against this broker market and warehouse workers!!!

I would refuse to train anyone if they could not comprehend the English language. Nothing anyone can say would change my mind on this one. If he somehow got a CDL then he will kill someone in the future and it could be someones kids and I would fill responsible for it.

On a side note about this. I had paid my way into a CDL school and was in a class with a guy that was on his third try to get his CDL. He was very similar to the above guy. He could speak a little English but could not comprehend it at all. He kept on getting mad and telling the Owner he is just stealing his money. The owner had felt bad and told him after the first test he failed that he was probably not gonna get his CDL here. The guy insisted to take it and paid 3 times in all. He never got the CDL on my class either. Who knows what became of the guy. He could not do any of the basic testing even after going through the first two classes. I could not believe it when I got to the class after our first could times driving. He just SUCKED!

 

Let's just relax for a little bit.
Not - understanding English does not equate to unsafe driving and road hazard. Not knowing the rules and regulations of the traffic laws of a country you travel in, is hazardous. Let's be realistic. It would take an imbecile to the power of N not to grasp the meaning of the traffic signage in the USA and how the traffic goes. So there is that. It is a completely different story of how the lack of basic communication skills affects the necessary ability to communicate with law enforcement and at the warehouse sites. A dot officer must require a person to speak some English, thus English should be a prerequisite to obtaining CDL but when they say that people don't know what 55 mph or 'Weigh Station OPEN' means - because they don't know English - is a little overstretching.

I am saying this because I personally know people who spent most of their working years driving commercial trucks in the USA and never did any harm even though their English was ... well let's just say, you could not converse with them even about the weather being nice. They did understand word codes: such as log book, dock 10, BOL...etc.
I am not saying that this is right but I did not see them as a hazard but rather a nuisance at warehouse procedures and for law enforcement.

It used to be possible for foreigners to pass CDL tests with an interpreter. They had to study all the material in their native language. I am not too sure how they passed the part of the exam where you had to explain your Pre-trip in English - I guess they just memorized their sayings and somehow it was enough for the examiner. Of course, there were a lot of scandals. I think that the former IL governor Ryan got busted for CDL bribe scheme back in the 1990s and went to jail for it. It was a foreigner that killed people in a crash and he obtained his license with a bribe, not because he did not speak fluent English.
I personally agree that a CDL license should require basic communication as well as reading and writing skills but I am not going to demonize the lack of English as something costing lives of people on the road.

 

No popcorn, but I got pringles and crackerjacks, trade?

 

I get what you're saying, and to a point I agree, but lack of English comprehension does lead to unsafe/illegal operation.

Despite covering the topic 5 separate times, my guy almost blew past an open coop because he was empty and thought he only needed to pull in if he had more than 15 tons of cargo.

Or not being able to comprehend the electronic sign telling "i 465 east closed at i70, all trucks use i465 west".

 

Of course, he does not deserve to be on the road with a big rig.
But would it be not true to say that his problem had more to do with his lack of enough cognitive skills or even lack of inteligence?
Sometimes people get stupified when they drive a vehicle and the lack of language has nothing to do with that.
But absolutely not turning that guy loose was the only right thing to do.

 

I have worked with all sorts of people of different cultures in office, machining, building, and lots of other stuff. I have no problem working with them with broken English doing anything. They HAVE to understand and comprehend what is said and going on. I could maybe look the other way if it was an office job doing numbers or something to that nature as we had a lady that did that and could hardly understand anything in English. She and her husband was from Russia and took years to be able to talk English decent. Worked with us for 15 years at that company. Very good nice people and would help anyone out. But if I would have put them in a 80K truck starting out I would have thrown them out of the company in seconds. people get killed very easily when a 80K tractor and trailer hit them. No Excuses made!

 

I was born abroad and English is my second language. It is highly disrespectful not to learn your new country’s language and customs quickly. Also disrespectful to not sign up to go to war for them when they are at war. Stop the freeloading and show thankfulness to your new home. Don’t like it, I’ll help you pack.

 

It does not have to be about disrespect. Sometimes it takes a while, for grown-ups and older people it could be very difficult. Sometimes they are too busy working hard and their ability to learn comes slowly.
This is a free country and everybody can choose to speak any language they want. Especially, among themselves. I do not speak English at home or among non-English speaking friends. I will speak English whenever English is needed. I don't get upset hearing other nationalities speaking their language in different places.
Disrespectful is to come to another country and then try to live for free or tell others how they should live - especially the latter.

 

Very well said sir!

 

English skills aside.
The problem of warehouse workers is most common, at least from my experience, at those bigger unionized grocery warehouses with lumper services. There, they treat you like cattle, and frankly, there is little you can do about it and there is always that feeling that you might lose it and kick someone's arse.
Why that is, I don't know...but it does not have to be like this. For instance, Costco DC is a pleasure to go to. I am willing to take $200 off the rate knowing that I am going to Costco than to Sysco or Kroger across the street. The smaller the shipper/receiver the better.