My Take On Being A Newbie

Call me a super trucker or whatever else you want. This #### ain't hard. I get my dispatch, I arrive, I get loaded, I leave and then I get unloaded. If trucking is tough for the OP or anyone else maybe you're doing it wrong.

 

Yeah... I have had an interesting few weeks... I drive for a mega.. but it is working for me and I am happy... I hurt my shoulder and put on lignt duty.. so, they had me drive the shuttle van...

So, I have had the opportunity to meet and talk with many different drivers.. fresh from school to 34 years with the company.. I also drive the ones that get fired or that quit to the bus station.. what a perspective it offers...

I also, interact and work within the safety office and have gotten to see the otherside... you know often there is a we the truckers against them the office staff mentality. .. but, being in the office able to see and hear things and been a real eye opener... I have been a bystander or witness to a situation with a driver and safety office.. and there have been plenty of times where getting the whole picture I understand why safety did what they did with a driver..

A couple of interesting highlights from the shuttle... had a female driver fresh off her trainers truck... we talked about her training.. at first she had a few complaints but was pleased over all.. even said she thought her trainer to be above average.. as the days came and went wnile she processed and tested ojt and got assigned a brand new Freightliner Cascadia with only 986 miles on it.. I heard ber talk to other drivers.. and her story went from an above average trainer to a pretty low down scum of a trainer... it goes lime that all the time as all the newbies one up the other newbies trainer night mare... yet, on the score sheet they all graded their trai ers as average or above average..

This week, I picked up a guy at the terminal to take to the hotel.. 29 years with the company an O/O who wasnt maki g money anymore and going to be a company driver.. said it was just impossible to make money any more.. drop him at the hotel and go to Freightliner to pick up a driver.. another O/O.. been with company 24 years.. but, he was making good money.. he said there is plenty of money to be made if your willing to work and not be sthpid...

Those two guys were night and day from eachother in so many ways.

 

When the clutch is depressed it is being disengaged. When the clutch is up and your foot is off it is engaged.

 

Ya know.. if the OP posted that it was easy .. everyone would post that it hasnt been at it long enough to see or experience the tough side...

I had to re read the post to see what ruffled your alls feathers... because I dont see where they posted anything that hasnt been said or posted here before...

 

My issue is we live it everyday. We don't need it pointed out to us. Don't need the drama it causes, and if he is going to call others a crybaby I'm going to point out he sounds like one too because that makes him a hypocrite.

 

JimmyBTexas,

Are you retired from either the military, law enforcement, or corrections?

 

Mornin' Jimmy, because we understand your frustration. There isn't a driver here that hasn't addressed your concerns. Ultimately, you just give up, because it's not worth getting upset about.(if you are upset) I think it's cool you want to warn newbies of the pitfalls of trucking, but it falls on deaf ears, and the ones here that read your posts have all gone through this. Most newbies probably don't even know this site exists. To be honest, until this spring, I didn't know it existed. Newbies don't come into trucking thinking about the bad or challenges ahead, they are looking for a job. Period. It isn't until later, they find out, hey, this wasn't covered in school, and it's left out for a reason, these companies won't get anybody if they tell them the truth. So it's a numbers game, train 50 and maybe 5 will stay. The place to be would be camped out in front of these places, like the anti-abortionists at clinics, to tell them as they walk towards the door what they're up against. Again, we understand your frustration, but it's not worth it. Sorry.

 

One of the things I noticed driving the shuttle.. is that many newbies felt more comfortable talking to and asking questions to other newbies instead of more experienced drivers... one newbie had questions and I suggested he talk to and ask one of the experienced drivers at the terminal... his response was he didnt like talking to them cause they seemed stand offish to the new drivers, or would just rant about stuff and never answer questions. .

There are also those over confident fresh from CDL School with all the answers that would answer all questions and not always give the best answer.. but they were the first open their mouth and answer...

There too are a lot of potential drivers or new drivers who lurk arou d this sight.. so a thread like this.. directed at a newbie is seen by them even if they dont register or post a response..

So keep sharing your insights,...