Hey...pssst... That one guy is here!

I was in 73-81 ... We had NEC codes then. The codes designated sub specialties and A, C School. Based on schools you could carry multiple NEC.

I was an ET an carried one code for radar, one for satcom, one for air traffic control and one for crypto.

The codes never really come up except when you're up for reassignment, then codes are used to direct you to where you are needed most or if you're reenlisting you can leverage your code for a preferred duty assignment.

 

A lot of it can be based in an inferiority complex. It can lead to overcompensation,real or imaginary. It can also lead to asocial behavior which is a voluntary form of isolation. Truck driving is a perfect storm for these types of people. It is a lot easier to learn to drive a truck than it is to join the military,became a pilot, astronaut,CEO,etc. The truck can become the catalyst it's self. They are drawn to it because of its size and power. It towers over everyone else. Have you ever heard a truck driver go on and on and on and on about driving a truck to a four wheeler? He talks about the size,the weight,the power. He talks about how it takes a special person to control something like that. That person is him. Sometimes they'll even wear narcissistic t-shirts explaining it or have memes on their Facebook. They are looking for attention.

The asocial part is being alone driving a truck. They don't like being with "normal" people because they feel inferior. When you get a group together,like at a lunch counter,it suddenly becomes a contest because they start to feel inferior. That is why someone can't just say something and the others let it go. They have to "one up" each other," oh yeah,this one time going down Donner, I......"
This is why some drivers avoid the launch counter and others gravitate to it. I noticed this when I first started working in state hospitals. You can have 1,000 patience with 50 disorders. By the end of the day they have all gravitated to each other into 50 different groups.

 

Yeah that all has the ring of truth. Lord knows I told my share of cringy lies back when I was younger (and a loser... I hadn't figured out how to adult yet and it showed). Honestly I react to it as strongly as I do now in the same way a former smoker can't stand the smell of tobacco. It makes me deeply uncomfortable because it reminds me what I may have seemed like back then. Most likely my neurotic brain is overstating how bad it was at the time, because I was still some version of my current self back then, but I'm sure it should have been humiliating.

 

Back in my cop days I arrested a guy for stealing a bike. When it came time for court, he thought he would gain favor in the court’s eyes by wearing an Army uniform to trial. Little did he know that the county prosecutor was a JAG officer. The larceny charge was the least of his problems after that.

 

There are different types and reasons for being alone. Today the internet glorifies the "introverts". These are healthy people that simply prefer to be alone at times. They have some asocial traits. You have a lot in trucking. This is what enables some drivers to stay out for long periods. You also have drivers that aren't tied down to anything. These are considered normal personality traits.

People with an inferiority complex. Are alone not by healthy choice. They have an underlying fare of not being excepted because they are inadequate.This is what causes them to be asocial.

Asociality - Wikipedia

 

A Steven Segal reference, I love it lol

 

Wow. Never knew that people who drove trucks were introverts. I figured them more extroverts. Because they're out a lot lol.

I'm more of an introvert, myself. Guess I'm perfect for the trucking industry XD

 

I'm not saying that all truck drivers are introverts. I'm just saying that the ones that are can adjust to the isolation of the job. Introverts aren't true asocial just like asocials aren't antisocial. You also have an antisocial demographic that would be attracted to truck driving. This group would become smaller and smaller as even more rules and regulations are added along with the electronic monitoring. These people would have been in it for the "freedom of the road." Sadly,this freedom is quickly disappearing.

 

Good thread. I cant stand people who attempt to smear my family's heritage (Dad, Granddad, his brothers all Navy, my grandpa was Army). *Below is just a representation of someone I heard about

But 1 person that has stuck out to me was my dad's *friend*. While my dad was a gun enthusiast, an ffl dealer, and competition shooter, his *friend* was so so much more. That guy who could shoot the hair off a flys back @ 1100yrs. Build the gun to do it, then just smirk like it was no big deal. Crazy hand to hand combat training skills, not an ounce of fat anywhere on this guy. Then the day came he walked down to the pond @ a farm where I was shooting turtles with my .22 pistol and says "hey come here".

So I follow him upto his car...*note*this part of the story is imbelished and it didnt happen*

He sticks a nondescript, can buy in any hardware store, piece on the end of the barrel does, the most professional tape job Ive ever seen, and goes "we're tired of here *pop* pop* pop*pop*pop*. My mind had just been blown.

This guy claimed to just be an MP. Nothing ever felt right about that