Can you be a really good truck driver and still be bad?

Did you read the question?

 

I started a whole thread a couple months ago when it really got warm out and you had chunks of blown tires laying in the roadway every 500 feet or so it seemed like. This one annoys the crap out of me and equipment operators shouldn't be allowed to cause this sort of public nuisance and roadway hazard because they are too cheap to put quality rubber on their equipment, so I feel bad for the guy but there will always be some stuff that happens out there and wasn't anything you could safely do about it. If that is the worst thing that every happens to him out there he's consider himself lucky.

 

Buy your own truck and find a non-forced dispatch gig to haul with it if you don't want to be questioned on when and where the truck goes somewhere. If you don't want the responsibility running your own equipment and just want to drive a company truck, there will be people telling you what to do and when to do it.

 

No criticism, just an observation: You are being NICE. Nice guys finish ________. You are doing something in hopes of a reward of sort, but this reward is being given by the office jocks to people who are unwilling to do what you do and it irks you.

Do your job to the best of your ability. This establishes a work ethic. However, don’t be nice. When it’s time to relax, go relax. If you’re nice, the jocks will make every excuse, “ Oh we are so busy, can’t let you off, got a load that only you can do, you are super duper important to me, always can depend on you yadda yadda yadda…”

Riiiiiight. If the whole organization is dependent on me, then it really doesn’t matter if I take the load or not, cuz we have to be shutting down next week.

Then the office jockey will feint anger and say hurtful things about drivers. “Drivers suck!!! I sit here every day coddling adults, hand holding, bunch of whiny arse yadda yadda yadda.”

(Remember the work ethic that you have established? Whatever the desk jockey is ranting about then, is not your fault and jock is just trying to guilt trip you. It’s not your fault, you don’t pay to fix it. )

“Fine. You’re really putting me in a bind…”

(Desk jock goes home at 5 every day. If he were in a bind, he wouldn’t be going home on time, would he? Stand your ground. When you don’t fold, the desk jockey will fold)

“When and where do you want off?”

(Don’t thank him. You earned this. He should be thanking you. No words, no arguments, no hurt feelings. Just the rock solid work ethic and zero emotion to the office jock mind games and manipulation. You will become a Machine.

 

You’ve already established your work ethic. Great! What the other drivers are doing is and how long they’ve been there is part of the manipulation. Ignore this info. If it really mattered, then they wouldn’t be rewarding lesser drivers with more, would they?

 

A lot of those drivers doing 20000 miles/ quarter most likely don't drive at night. Or in snow. Now that the winter months are coming you will see them doing 10000 per quarter!

Yet, if you or me or anyone confronts them about it they say '30 years'.

Guys like me and you that maintain 10 to 12000 a month year round are rare. By the way, care to share what you have earned year to date and total miles paid for (not hub miles)?