Company sent me on a bad route

The "office guys" couldn't care less....As long as they get their performance bonus at YOUR expense.

How dare you speak the truth?

That's exactly what they're doing....But they don't care! After all you're "just a driver!".

Typical "office guy" He has no clue what he's doing....But he thinks he's saving the company money with his "dumb ideas".

 

What was the other bridge on the side road? It was probably the same, just not marked because it was off the main drag. But yeah, you had an alternative. Many times you don't. Someone ain't backing up 5 miles on a curvy hilly road in the mountains.

9 ton is a little extreme. I believe I would be stopping too.

 

The problem with most of these "office guys" is that they have no experience driving or even riding in a truck.
They have zero understanding of anything but their own ideas about how to do something that they have no practical experience with.

I can watch a plane crash on the news and say...."I wonder what went wrong?" But I'm not delusional enough to think that I could do it any better or that I could somehow tell the pilot how to do it any better because, I have never flown a plane and I don't have the first clue how to fly one!

That brings us to the "office guys"!

Remember them?

They're the ones that don't have the first clue how to drive a truck or pick up and deliver a load but are perfectly comfortable telling drivers how they think it ought to be done!

They're the ones that want to "route you" because they know the best way to get from point a to point b in a truck based on their own vast lack of knowledge and experience!

 

Every fuel manager I had was a learning experience for them when they hired in. Then when they finally figure out about a year later, they are doing pretty much what the driver was doing all along. Except for the toll road thing.

For the most part, all that stuff isn't worth it to a small company or OO. You have 400 trucks and they find a way to save $10 per truck, they are going to do it. When you have that many drivers, fuel managers really don't care if it effects driver retention, increased mpg's or maintenance on the trucks. Their dept looks better.

If I ever get back on the road, I'm definately not working for a toll dodger ever again. There are too many companies willing to pay toll roads and that do trust the drivers enough to take the best route.

They can control the rookies. Trying to control an experienced driver is an insult.

 

Another thing is fueling. They'll want you to buy 50 gallons here to get over where it's cheaper and fill up. That's all fine and dandy looking at a single trip and you like fueling twice a day.

But the problem with it is the program only looks between point A and point B. They saved money getting to B, but now you are empty in another high priced fuel area.

Where as an experienced driver knows to fuel where he can get in and out of the high priced area's and still buy at the cheaper places.

That's what the whole kit and kaboodle is about everything including the regulations. Build an industry around inexperience and ignorance.

I could out perform any fuel manager out there.

Time for a blood pressure pill!

 

All I can say Is i have been doing before these Office guys got here and I will be doing this long after they are have moved on !

I have done it so long by making a profit.

I have made a profit when fuel was 98 cents a gallon and I have made it when fuel was at 4.50 a gallon .
I have not needed a office guy to tell me how to do it and I have never needed a GPS to tell me how to do it !!

I have been here a long time and I will be here a long time after 99% of these 3 week wonders have all went back to asking if I would like fries with that !!!

I have no problem with the new breed and their need for gadgets. I just have a problem with them thinking I will not and cannot survive in MY profession without their telling how I have been doing it ALL wrong for longer than they have been alive !!!

Its like the old joke..... there were 2 bulls standing on a hill and the young bull looks at the old bull and says why don't we run down there and breed one of them cows ? They old bull looks at him and says why don't we walk down there and breed them all ???

 

not to mention the wasted hours fueling 50gal at a time




American Trucker

 

Not a problem for an office worker.

 

I love these discussions. These things dont need to be "office guys" vs. "just a trucker". In a company of lets say 500 trucks there are going to be like 100 of them that don't have a clue what is in route or out of route. So with 20% of the company underachieving it's easier to to manage everyone. As I was stating before if you company discards your opinion they kind of suck. If you truly are a professional they should be respecting your opinion and considering your routing (or just letting you run your own).

But let's face it, most companies don't care about you or your feelings. It truly is about the numbers. If your fuel manager can show that he's "saving" money he can justify his income. Just like your safety director gets bonuses when "he" improves your CSA scores. He's not doing anything to improve the score, he's just helping to establish a culture. It needs to be a team effort.

So that being said, several factors need to be considered when choosing routing. My company just runs it through the computer and that's it. It's actually embarrassing. I'd rather have a person doing it, a former driver would probably be best but I'd also like them to use a computer to assist them. Should that dude double check the routes and tweak the system. Umm yup, that would be best. Once the system is up and running like it should it usually will suggest the actual more efficient route. Typically this is the route that saves the company the most money. If you company doesn't suck they'll reinvest that money in the drivers in some way shape or form. If they do suck you'll see the more BMW's in the parking lot.

 

Whose fault is it that 20% of your steering wheel holders "don't have a clue"? Try having a better recruiting and training program.