Get over the "im not a number" rant

That scratches where I'm itching. Thanks!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1FRvwJP1pk

 

If you dont want to be a "number" then break away from the herd mentality and stand out. Can you imagine having to deal with 40-80 truck drivers 5-6 days a week for 9-11 hours a day? I couldnt do it. I have no patience with blatant laziness and stupidly. Also, these talk to A LOT of different people a day. They have to solve any problem they have over the phone as quickly as they can so they can move on to the next call. Unless you talk to your DM every day, you're going to blend in with all the other call He/she gets.

Treat your dispatcher with respect and act like a proper Adult and you'll be surprised at how well some things can change. Not always though! There are people that dislike truck drivers and nothing will change their mind. Just be polite and move on.
I 've always been welcome in any office or terminal where I was know, because of my attitude and manner. People remember kindness as much as they do someone with a stinky butt because they dont shower.

 

give me the money if you want a friend join big brothers or something like that.

 

What do you guys think it's like outside the truck in other industries..? They might use your name, but it's not really any different. Your boss will smile at you in the morning, but he'll still be on you like white on rice the second you don't make him happy, or he can rollover something onto you instead of himself.

It's not a problem in the trucking industry, it's just how the world is now.

 

Well some of these companies have 16,000 trucks running at any given time. Hard to be personal with thousands of employees.

 

At TMC i drove for them for 1.5 years. I wasnt a number. I was called 3 times after i left to become an owner op. They asked me if everything was working out and they wanted me back. If you dont want to be a number, work as hard as you can and stand out from all the numbers.

 

At the small company that I used to work for (6 trucks), I was invisible. See, I never call in sick, always get the work done, diagnose the problems with my truck and fix them if possible, never get tickets, and never have accidents. Plus, I didn't complain constantly. So, even though I was the senior driver, I basically didn't exist. It wasn't like that when I started there, and the owner actually took an interest in his employees. However, after getting ripped off (inside job), and getting fined from an audit, it all became the drivers fault. So, he then treated us terribly, with no respect.

Now I work for the largest private fleet out there. There are close to 175 drivers in my DC alone. The GTM will come out all the time, address you by name, ask about your wife and children (by name), and ask how things are going. He will remind you that if you have any issues or questions, to never hesitate to ask or tell him about it. Anything is fair game, and problems WILL be corrected. He will then tell you that he really appreciates the job you are doing for them. Everyone treats you with respect. While I am still an employee number, from the coordinators (who will find ways to pay you when you didn't even think about it) to the mechanics, they all address you by name. Almost everyone is friendly and happy (except those few whiny senior drivers who forgot where they came from).

So basically, it all depends on the company. Small or large, some are great, and some are not. An employee number is just for accounting purposes. If you drive for a crappy company, change it.