the attitude of the "new breed of driver"

Hey there Richerdman,

With some 20 years of driving truck, a friend of mine talked me into driving tour bus and after a couple of years of that I had enough. So went back to trucking. The first place I applied told me they couldn't hire me because I hadn't been it a truck in the past 18 months. After hearing this I asked, "but you'll hire someone green as grass out of school..?" The recruiter said, "that's our policy." With which I told him he was correct, I could not work for a company with idiots in charge. So it happens.. But you are right, Truck Driver use to be a sought profession and I too carry on the family tradition. Unfortunately the government is sending people to Driving Schools to get them off unemployment. Most of these people have no idea what it takes or desire to be a trucker. This is not true for all, and I have met some who dreamed of hitting the highway but didn't have the money or means to start a new career. But Truck Driving is NOT for everyone and we have seen far too many people in this industry who don't do well unless they are closely supervised.

 

I got tired of working for the bigger companys and took a job from a local owner. He only had two trucks.

One a 359 Classic Pete Serial No.20 The other a big Hood International.

The International Had just had a out of frame overhaul but was in poor mechanical condition in every other area.

Every weekend I would come in and wash the truck and fix something. It took me a couple of months to get the truck in good mechanical condition.

I bought a buffer and really had the truck looking good.

It had a big dent in one fuel tank and one day I was polishing that tank and Number one driver for my boss's Son told my boss he ought to get me a better truck. (he was partial to Petes.


No one told me, but my boss bought a 379 flat top Pete and had it streached to 285 inch wheel base. He had it fixed up just right!

As the saying goes, "I might be cheap but I ain't free". I don't work for nothing, but I would rather work for the guy that treats you right than work for someone that doesn't even know you.

Some people drive for a living. Some people live to drive. I'm some where in between.

 

A few seem to have taken some of the postings personally. There are lots of older trucks that are well cared for and the owners treat the drivers pretty darn good.

Not the CASE with some , WE have all seen the type I posted about , RAGGED old EX O/O largecar , looking pretty sad , driver talking up a storm on HOW they are going to REDO it , into a SHOWSTOPPER . Then adds no $ for last few weeks , nothing but low $ loads and hopefully the FUEL card works in the morning. Yet they would jum,p right into the EXACT situation for someone else with a similar truck.

 

Makes no difference the truck, as long as it's safe and runs well. I've had a number of different trucks, from a new T6 decked out, to a real rat of a Century, a couple 379's, Volvo 780. It's not below me to clean it up, and maybe add a few trinkets, but big noses and chrome, while nice, don't pay the bills.
Just give me a truck, I'll drive what ya got, and go from there. Oh, my favourite, a toss up between a 9400 and a Century, both with well over 600k showing.

 

I'll say this, It seems like the new breed of drivers doesnt belive in dimming their headlights on Interstates...

 

Every time I hear this "new breed" crap, it turns my stomach a bit. I was really excited when I turned 23. I was all charged up that I was finally old enough to go drive big trucks. I had been driving 6 wheelers bulling 30 foot pintle hitch trailers for 3 years, so moving up to a tractor trailer wasn't that big a jump. The CDL law had JUST been passed, so I needed a school to help me upgrade my license.
Well, schools were expensive, but this company called JB Hunt offered to pay for my school if I'd work for them for a year. (Believe it or not, back then J.B. was running the company and it was a pretty good place to work, aside from slip seating.) It was a way for my younger, broker self to get into the career I wanted.
I got out of school, and hit a solid wall of "new breed" and "90 day wonder" and other crap that doesn't bear repeating. The result was simple. I turned the radio off, stayed as isolated as I could, and I got on with business. 18 years later, I'm still trucking. I still RARELY ever have the radio on. I don't hang out in truck stops. I stay in my truck and read mostly. I mind my own business. Only in the past few years have I started turning the radio on from time to time, and going to forums like this.
I hear all the talk about how the "new breed" wont help each other out. I wonder how much of that is a result of the isolation created by all the "new breed" talk.
If you want people to behave as members of a community, you have to TREAT them like members of a community. If you treat people like outcasts, they will return the same behavior to you.

 

Flatbed..I hear you and understand your point...but...when you try to engage these new guys and help them out,the attitude that you get is "hey,mind yer own business.I went to school and I know everything"
I have watched new drivers load a 43000 lb coil and use 4 chains on it. When I walked over to mention that...I was told to shut up,mind my own business,they new what they were doing. That driver did not get out of the plant before the coil shifted. He did not even stop to resecure it. His buddy who saw what happened asked for my help and we secured his load right. The company they pull for sent them out with a trainer that had told them thats all they needed on a coil that size. Each one of these guys were less than 6 months on the job. The "trainer" only had 9 months.

 

I have a different take on this...

When I came in (1973), The old timers razzed me about being a knownothing newbreed driver with my long hair tied back in a pony tail and my Levi's Big Bells and engineer boots when they were all wearing Justin boots and greasy 50's haircuts...But they still helped me out whenever I needed help and they dogged me constantly while they did.

I didn't cower or go hide in my truck...I stood my ground and was able to sort through all of the "ball busting" and get the information that I needed to get to where I wanted to be.

The old guys that I learned from called me a rookie for years even when I was buying my third or fourth truck and was well established in the business...That's just the way it goes.
Most of them are dead now...But my love and repect for them and the lessons they taught me will live on until I am gone.

I am now an "old timer" I suppose and I will "bust your balls" and tease you about being a "Knownothing Newbreeder" just like it was done to me...But I will always help you out if you ask for some help (and sometimes even if you don't ask) but I will turn my back and walk away without a word if I start getting a bunch of lip and attitude from you.

Truckin' aint for sissies!

 

No doubt about that. I've seen that too. I try my best to help people out when I can, but some remind me of the old saying..."Experience is a wonderful teacher, and fools learn from no other."
Whenever I try to help a new guy out, I try to approach it the way I always wished the experienced guys would have dealt with me. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. In the flatbed business the ones I feel sorry for are the ones who seem to have been given just enough training to pass the CDL test, then given a truck and told "Good luck. Hope you don't die."

 

Oh, I've had my share of ball busting, and when it's good natured I don't mind it. For example, I had a fair bit of experience pulling 30 foot trailers before I got in a big truck, so the transition was pretty easy for me. As a result I had a bit of a big head about how well I handled a truck.
The guy that was assigned to me as a trainer was 70 years old and had been trucking all his life. We went to the Budweiser plant in Cartersville GA for a load. I zipped the truck right in there and hit the door nice and square on the first try. My trainer never said a word. The problem was the 6 wheeler I was used to backing into docks had a roll up door. Just as we walked onto the dock my trainer said, "Here, you're going to need this." and handed me something. I found myself looking at my closed doors, backed into a dock, and holding a can opener. There were half a dozen drivers there falling over laughing at me. After that, I made it a habit to ask my trainer, "Ok, am I forgetting anything?"
Now days, I'm the old timer, but I never lose track of how it felt to be the new guy. I always do my best to treat the confused new guys with the kind of good natured attitude That the best of the ones who taught me showed.