the attitude of the "new breed of driver"

I agree about the criticism of unintentional spelling errors. However, written communication is handicapped enough by its limited ability to convey the accurate intent of an author without puposefully sabotaging the effort. Let me be clear, I don't care if someone wants to be purposefully obtuse or to appear minimally literate. I was simply pointing out that for posters like the OP, I have better things to do than struggle through their failed or sloppy prose.

 

I had stated that I 'got' the gist of his post. As to punctuation, there is a pronounced difference between slip-ups in punctuation and entirely leaving it out of a post. Feel free to follow my posts around and pounce, if you have nothing better to do.

 

I was not trying to put that guy down as much as calling him out with his mouth and attitude. I have and will all ways try to help a younger driver out as long as he does not have a bad attitude, i will not waste my time with those people, no need to. If you could see all my posts on this forum you will see just how much that i have helped with younger drivers with questions they had.

 

This is less of an age problem and more of an attitude problem. I'm 34 years old and started trucking in 2004. I am a self taught truck driver. I started logging out of high school and then went to work one winter at a small wood mill. In one winter I went from grunt to millwright because an older millwright took me under his wing and was willing to teach me as much as I wanted to learn. It's all in a persons attitude. I was still making grunt wages and other guys my age would say "I'm not doing that, they don't pay me to do that". I did it, and when they needed someone to haul a couple loads of wood a week with an old cab over, they asked if I wanted to get my CDL. I went and got the book and took the permit test the next morning. Wasn't bad being raised around trucks. I needed some gravel for my driveway so my dad rode shotgun and let me drive his truck and bellydump and we went for a 30 mile drive, that was my driving practice. Went in and passed the CDL test and I was back to turning wrenches and trucking 40 miles a week. Few months later got in a pissing match with the bosses and quit. Went to work for my dad hauling some scrap metal. I remember asking Dad how to split gears with the 13 spd and he just told me I don't need to be splitting gears with the light loads I was hauling. I taught myself. First time rolling off a big hill heavy, first time in the snow, first everything I taught myself. Went to bellydumping full time with Dads truck the next spring. Had several oldtimers take me under their wings again and helped me anytime I needed it. Mostly I just asked them to speak up if they seen me doing something stupid, and they did.

When my wife was pregnant in 09 I had to get something steady so I went OTR. I somehow bullshitted my way into a job with a decent flatbed company. No OTR eperiance and had never even been south of Redding, CA. Half of a day orientation and I was given an '05 KW and loading particle board to Sacramento. Took all afternoon to load then had to teach myself how to tarp. Headed south out of Medford that night and went over the Siskiyou pass for the first time, stopped down by RedBluff exausted and tried to sleep in a truck for the first time. By noon I managed to run out of hours and spent the next few hours online learning how to do the logbook. Within a few months the boss was dispatching me himself and we were running hard week in and week out. I figured it out and was having a blast.

I left them in Dec 09 and went to work for my current company Jan 10. I run hard to be home as much as possible. The boss lets me run how I want and it works good. We haul hay mostly and then lumber backhauls.

I see things I don't agree with from drivers of all ages, not just those my age. As an absolute newb to OTR life in 09 I can say that there were very few helpful older drivers that I ran across. Now I find myself helping a couple new drivers in our company and I am trying to make things easier for them. I think some of the more experianced drivers are a little to quick to judge a book by it's cover.

Two weeks ago I went to LA to bring a shipping container back up here. It was a constuction companies and was setup as a shop building with shelves full of parts and bolt bins on the walls. Nothing was secure in it. I spent a couple hours inside it putting heavy items on the floor and using anything I had to tie the bins against the walls. Got filthy. When I was done I got cleaned up and changed cloths into some shorts, t shirt, and some sandles I keep in the truck. After getting that done it was about 8 pm so I headed up to Fraiser Park to spend the night.

I'll bet someone like BlackW900 wouldn't have given me the time of day if I asked, what with my shorts, sandles, and driving a plastic truck. I'm not saying nothing bad about him, he is the same type that has helped me through the years. He is also someone who I look up to on this board, I hope to one day be a succesfull O/O. Just saying we judge drivers by the name on their trucks and we judge drivers by how they dress. We also judge them by their age. As I get more confident in my own abilities I am trying to be more helpful to those just starting out.

 

You may disagree, however, as another had said, it can be both.

If you hate driving a truck, then I agree. It's nothing more than a job, and a way to make cash.

If you love driving a truck, and everything that comes with it(good and bad), from driving, to loading, to doing your resets, then it becomes more than just a job. It also becomes a lifestyle.

 

It Ain't just in trucking brother.......

snipped from this thread......_http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/experienced-truckers-advice/139430-which-are-you-3.html

 

This topic is often debated here. The debating and the subsequent bickering that follows has never solved any of these problems in real life. Where are the "solutions" to the problems that the OP and many other frustrated veteran drivers have highlighted? This topic can be repeatedly beat to death, but by the end of the day what has been solved? What will everyone take with them when they log off besides a headache? So here's a small list questions for anyone to answer:

What steps will you, the "professional truck driver" take to encourage drivers to have a good attitude at all times, no matter how crummy things can get?

What have you done, or will you do to encourage respect within the trucking community among drivers?

What will you do, or what have you done to encourage and teach common courtesy among other drivers?

Has anyone ever stop to question a driver about their reasons for their rude actions, or their attitudes instead of complaining and talking behind their backs about their issues?

Has anyone ever questioned a driver in person about their "entitled" attitude that they display every now and then?

Bickering over the CB about other people doesn't solve problems.
Bickering on the internet about other people doesn't solve problems.

At least daily will a person hear about many problems that are prevalent within this industry among it's drivers, but why aren't there any solutions or ideas? Where are the problem solvers? Where are the people with ideas that are capable of solving problems and offering solutions, no matter how bizarre, or unhelpful they may sound?

Anyone? Anyone?

When was the last time that you led by example? Are you that respectful driver that has been on the road for many years that many newcomers to the industry, and veteran drivers alike look up to?

What solution will I offer to other drivers? Frickin' talking to them in person about their behaviors, attitudes, and their actions when they screw up, DUH!

 

JimDriv3r, what you say is true, however, I drive truck because I don't care for social interaction. So, can I just pass notes to the offender, and hope he reads them? Just curious.

 

Whatever works and is most effective for reinforcing a "professional" trucking atmosphere and image.

It's true that not everyone should drive, so we (the trucking community) should intervene as small groups when someone gets out of hand. No one else will do it, or care.