Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

Informal Thread Index


Gordon Dispatches, PeeWee Pay...............................Msgs 1-196
Intro, Orientation, First Load....................................Msgs 1-34
Background Prior to Gordon.....................................Msg 2
Gordon Recruiter....................................................Msgs 3,4,6, 130
Smoker's Paradise..................................................Msg 7
Trivial Test Drive....................................................Msg 8
Orientation, Day 1 (Monday)....................................Msg 7
Orientation, Day 2 (Tuesday-Fleet Manager)...............Msgs 10, 12-13
Orientation, Day 3 (Wednesday-DM on Fire)...............Msg 15-16
Pay Breakdown (1st 3 weeks)..................................Msg 17
$6.64 Per Hour......................................................Msg 19
Stinky 3579..........................................................Msg 26
Pontoon Beach (Former Buske Terminal)....................Msg 39
The Math Behind Orientation....................................Msg 42
Screw Up #1 (Pic)............................................ .....Msg 47
Purpose of Thread.................................................Msgs 50, 85
Screw Up #2 (Pic)........................................... ......Msgs 57-64
24-Hour Day with Trainer..................... ...................Msgs 65-74
How to Hunt for New Job.........................................Msg 90
Scooter's GTI Advice (Paragraphs Added, Msg 119).....Msg 112, 119
First CDL in California, 1970's...................................Msg 121
Is Gordon a Bad/Good Company?..............................Msg 128
3579 in Repose (Pic).............................................. .Msg 134
PeeWee Pay Summary after 30 Loads.........................Msg 139
Detour 8/2 Split, Haz Outfit, Gordon Issues.................Msgs 197-262
Gordon ####-chat and Miscellany.................................Msgs 261-271
Haz Outfit............................................ ...................Msgs 272-288
Air Brake Links, Breakdown (Pic)................................Msgs 289-303
Link to Trucker Health Morbidity PDF...........................Msg 304
####-chat.............................................. ..................Msgs 305-330
More on Brakes, More Chat........................................Msgs 331-336
How Gordon Treated Drivers Leaving, Chat..................Msgs 340-395
Nov 11, 2013 Gordon Acquisition...............................Msg 396
Heartland/Gordon Acquisition....................................Msg s 397-422
Gordon Exposed: Not a Long Haul Carrier....................Msg 423

 

The 10,000-Hour Rule

A while back Denali expressed some considerable angst about what we, as drivers, do not know that we should know. He seemed betwixt and between that the megas throw new drivers out of the nest, so to speak, to sink or swim without the necessary survival tools.

Is there a better way? Dunno. Probably, yes.

Also a while back, a 'friendly acquaintance'--a guy I know from town here (Spencer, Indiana), a really good hoops player at our local Y despite his 64-years and small stature (shorter than me!!), happened to mention that he had once wanted to play violin, had done some of that as a kid, and a few years back took it up again briefly.

Then he dropped it.

He cited the 10,000-Hour Rule as his reason. I'd never heard of it. He explained that it takes 10,000 hours to learn anything at a high level like violin. Makes a lot of sense and I recall that Ida Rolfe, who founded the Rolf Structural System (something like massage on steroids), commented that after training and after 5 year's experience, a Rolfer then became a 'guru' Rolfer.

Hey! The 10,000-Hour Rule--because a 'typical' work year is 2,000 hours. Well, not a truck driver work year unless you're paid hourly and probably LTL. Have a life and drive truck, too, what a concept! But I digress...

Anyway, my friend from the basketball court at the Y (I never venture to the hoops court myself, zero interest, too short), said that at his age, he could not justify the 10,000 hour investment it would take to become good and he questioned his aptitude as well.

So it occurred to me that truckers, unbeknown to them are on a trucking journey beyond their trips. A 10,000-hour journey. At least some are. Some of us are happy with a dedicated gig that goes from A to B, find a company that selected good trucks and maintains them, pays well, direct deposits your pay and leave it at that. Others, like Blu, Bright One, my buddy at Landstar and tsavory have knowingly or otherwise committed to that 10,000-hour journey...

Food for thought.

 

Oops!! Didn't Check Reefer...

Didn't fuel today, big saddle tanks on this 137,600-mile Pinnacle (sleeper cab) Bulldog, were just below 3/4 after the 435 miles I put on. Wayne always teases me about being a slowpoke, but had 3 hours and 5 minutes left to drive when I pulled into the driveway and crawled around the cab to find my wallet with my card fob to get in the gate. Didn't occur to me to check reefer fuel before or after I got in; should have despite that my load was dry. Wrote the trailer up for 90 pounds air in the RRO tandem. 10 low.

Now, that's 435 miles in just under 8 hours drive time today in a 62-mph truck, mind you... credit where credit's due--to the Bulldog.

I know that Wayne, Tim with Landstar and probably tsavory grew up in trucking and got their 10,000-hour spurs many, many moons ago. I'm on my 2nd, did my first in the '70s. Of course, what type of trucking you gain your 'spurs' in matters. In Southern Cal we were Teamster puppies, a wide range of equipment, mostly doing LTL and some truckload--a different world back then. Hand-stacked everything. Paid by the hour in traffic jams to look for skirts.

Will have more thoughts on this. Not the skirts, 10,000-Hour Rule.

Gorgeous day today. Got unloaded in 45 minutes. Receiver had just enough time for a little break after the green Volvo pulled out before I pulled in... very little break. Saw more of those smallish, dark birds but no big migration, just a number of smaller flocks, one tree covered.

A red-tailed hawk stood at the edge of the grass waiting for a bus. Means it has a mouse in its claws and wants it done wiggling before takes flight.