My impressions of drivers from being on this board 2 months

Endzone, I'm no longer a driver, nor am I a newbie....my husband is the driver, and I'm lucky enough to be at a stage in life that I have the freedom to ride along with him.

While much of what you stated is true, there are always the "grey areas" when you generalize a whole group of folks.

You don't have to be a "nut job", to be a trucker. However, you DO have to have the sense that this is a LIFESTYLE, instead of a job.

As far as being "attacked", for stating your opinion, I don't find that here, as long as I state my opinion in a respectful manner. Which you have done quite well in this post.

Judi Kay

 

I resemble those remarks....proudly.

I think most drivers are more comfortable with this job, because of their attitude. that's why we drive. Better to be alone, than in a prison system for ripping off heads of puppies.

Who really wants to spend their entire life, taking #### off of everyone who disagrees with them?

That might be how 90% of the "real" world operates. But it ain't for me.

 

trucking is just like most walks of life....people are generally idiots. ignore them and do your own thing you'll be fine

 

I don't think I recall a single time you have said anything negative to anyone on this board.

One of our better attitudes...I guess

 

I'm on a few other boards (non-trucking) and they are all the same.

 

Yes. There are a lot of dicks and idiots on the road. And if you're referring to things I have said to people on here, I am not a dick or an idiot. I just do not put up with being treated like dirt.

I love it when people defend companies who wont let them have more than 10% idle...lol...thats an hour a day..

I just kind of keep to myself out here and i do just fine. I have cussed many "drivers" out on the CB radio, and a couple face to face.

I don't think you should worry about fitting in. It can be a very fun job, you can meet very interesting people on the road. You will find that the world is actually very small. I've encountered a few people on the road that i just couldnt imagine encountering.

I was at the TA in Gary, IN once, when i encountered my original trainer from CRST from years ago. I was eating breakfast in a booth and i saw him sit down at the counter and keep to himself. I walked up to him and said Heeeeey! and sat down and talked for a bit. Funny thing, i recognized him by his belly. LOL. He lives in florida. What are the chances of that?

I was at a Kohl's DC in Ohio bobtailign around the empty lot, turning around to park to send some messages to dispatch....i passed a USA truck, and a guy yelled at me as i passed him "HEEEEEEEEEEEY!!!!!!!" ...I slammed my brakes and backed up, and darn! It's that guy i went to truck drviing school with. What're the chances of that?

Oh, heres one. I bobtailed from Gary, IN to Jefferson City, MO to pickup an empty trailer and come back to gary the other day. My trainer and dispatch told me to call a certain driver and ask him how to get there, and dispatch gave me the number. I didn't because my GPS showed me a good route that was almost a straight line there, so i figured i'd take it (bobtailing a 12'6 truck, and it looked good on the map..what could go wrong?). I got there and on the way back stopped at a truckstop for fuel, but my card wasnt turned on yet and i was hungry..was told itd take 5 minutes to turn the card on, so i parked and went in and got a meal...a guy asks, hey, what terminal are you at? I answered, "707!", and it turns out it was the guy i was supposed to call...and he agreed that the route i took was the way to go. Ahahaha....

Ever watch "The Hangover"? One time i was staying at the Day's Inn in Las Cruces, NM with my trainer at werner...truck had broke down for several days. My trainer was in the bar at the hotel and met Alan from "The Hangover". He and a bunch of other hollywood folks were eating and drinking beer before filming a movie. They had been staying there for about a month. The best part is when we checked in, one of these guys was drunk and arguing with the front desk guy over $40...LOL. Gawd, how can you be an actor and complain about $40? I have no idea who he was, it was nobody I recognized...but he was in the movie.

I wouldn't have totally believed my trainer except for the fact that when we left, there was a minivan with the tailgate open and a bunch of movie cameras sticking out the back, on the highway with a police escort. It had to have been true.

One time i was laid over at the Fifth Wheel in Cornwall, Ontario for several days and i was sitting in the drivers lounge when Hugh Rowland from ice road truckers walked in. What're the chances of that?

Most truckers are misfits, oddballs, and outcasts. There's a little bit of everything in these trucks. You have great guys, knights of the roads, ########, jerks, dickheads, morons, and nutjobs behind the wheels of these trucks. If you dont like someone dont talk to them.

 

I say what I say and I'm pretty much the same in person. Like me or don't like me I could really care less. I have said some unpopular things on this board and have gotten into some heated discussions. I have also gotten into online conversations with some of the folks here and peed myself from laughing so hard.

What I see here are people who are themselves, take them or leave them. They don't candy-coat their personalities and some are even unapologetically salty. I rather like them (especially the salty ones) because they are more real than people on those other forum boards where everyone is trying to impress everyone else, be nice and go along to get along. Disagreement is not insulting. Heated disagreement is also not insulting. It's a challenge.

However: when saying something like "Let's see if there are any intelligent.....(whatever)..." indicates the author does not believe that group to have any intelligence at all. How would it have sounded if (just an example) you had said, "Let's see if there is any such thing as an intelligent Minority..." because that's how it sounded. You would have been skewered.

I also see a group who, while we may disagree amongst ourselves, when an "outsider" steps in and attacks or insults one of us, we all turn around and respond together. (Don't say it, Mods...I'm not indicating the OP attacked anyone, it's just an example.) Like it or not, you are an outsider, at least for now. You can't bull your way into this group any more than you would bull your way into a Hell's Angel's clubhouse. There are accepted members here who do not now, nor ever have driven a truck with no intention of ever entering this industry and they do not always agree with everyone. I'd say stick around a while and get to know us a little better. Otherwise, if you can't stand the heat...don't let the door hit you.

 

I have more respect for someone who speaks his/her mind, than someone who goes along to get along. We may never be friends, or agree on ####, that's okay.

I don't have to agree with anyone about anything on this board....thankfully.

But, speaking ones mind does not make one an ###hole. It just means they are set in their ways and opinions. Right or wrong.

I may sway some, with a bit of enlightenment. But I seriously doubt my opinions will have any effect on anyone. Besides the debates are enjoyable.

So kudos for your statement.

 

I think from my experiences, if we had cannons on the front of our trucks to take out four wheelers we'd all be a little more sane.