The Manipulation Thread

Being worn out all the time makes me easier to manipulate. I have a rule that I don't answer certain phone numbers from Friday afternoon thru Sunday but last Friday I pulled over for a quick 15 minute power nap. When I finished I sat up and the phone rang from one of the numbers and like a brain dead zombie in a hypnotic state I reached over and answered it and ended up accepting a load to the Carolinas instead of Dallas.

I'm convinced my dispatchers look at the Qualcomm to see what I am doing before they call me to see if they can catch me when I'm most distracted. Then they expect me to make a split second decision while I am half awake, driving in heavy traffic or backing into a dock etc.

And the advent of these bluetooth headsets has only made the problem worse for those of us that live our lives upon the Horatian plan and like to spend a few minutes contemplating before we make a decision.

 

Communication is key means you better listen but if you have something to say that will be ignored. I worked at a small (26 trucks) family outfit on a dedicated run. Good pay excellent benefits but when I made arrangements with the manager at the receiver to change delivery time. Someone from operations (owners son in law) called and wanted to know why I was late with delivery after explaining why and giving him the name of the manager to call and ask to confirm he said well going forward you will adhere to the designation of the paperwork. I chewed on that for 5 minutes then called dispatch and told him I thought it was chicken manure that they would trust me in traffic with a smooth bore tank but don’t talk to the customer and make arrangements for change you shouldn’t do that. I chalked that up to a college educated person being proactive who went looking for a problem to solve even when no problem existed but because he didn’t really listen he found a problem anyway find another driver.

 

Could you repeat the question?

 

Then start with new answers, No means No way possible still, discussion over.
You’ll do it, or You’ll think about it and get back with them. They usually come up with, “If you don’t take it yada yada will.”

My response, “Let em have it, i really didn’t want it anyway, I was just being nice thinking about doing it as a favor.”

 

Had one guy that was one of The OM's favorites.

He'd start off any excuse with," I'm an idiot."

The OM was like," You may want to work on that."

But for some, especially women, this would could conjer up a degree of sympathy for him just not giving a f, or just being a general shady character.

He never ever thought of himself as an idiot, but rather the rest of us as idiots.

What The OM has noticed about folks that think they're smarter than everyone else, and try the Jordan Peterson master class on manipulation, tend to get it snapped off in their ###.

 

Is it really manipulation in trucking? When i think of the word "manipulation," I think of a carefully crafted plan, by a rather clever person. I think of one of those passive aggressive moves so many people don't see coming. Is it that people are being manipulated, or that people look at everything eyes wide shut? I tend to think newer and gullible drivers over-glorify the industry. I think drivers die on the wrong hill too much. I think drivers get too emotionally invested in trucking. Some get too complacent, others get too impatient. Some understand that they're just a cog on the wheel and others think they're God's gift to trucking. Anyway, it's not a secret how this industry is, so I'm not sure if it's fair to say there's manipulation. Drivers get a license, get a job, and the company utilizes the resources. Owners ops don't get manipulated. I'd say a lion share lack product knowledge and cash so if they do something that's not good for there business, what type of clever plan did the broker need to get an under-educated owner op to take whatever load? I think the thread title should be seduction in trucking lol

 

And how many don’t learn how to say it?

most!

 

"We don't need a union here. We're like family!"

People who live in the shed have families, too. Lol