They all suck!

Were you around when there was a truck strike about 1973? It shut down most all the factories in one week. I was woking in a food plant and we lasted about 3 days and were laid-off due to that.

 

Agreed-especially the way some drivers look and dress today. Who wants to give respect to slobs?

 

There are truck drivers, and there are people who drive trucks. One works hard to garner respect, and one works hard to destroy it. Unfortunately, as time has gone by, there are more and more people who drive trucks.

How can we, as an industry, demand respect when there are piss bottles littering the sides of the roads everywhere?? When there are human feces in the parking lots of truck stops?? When lot lizards roam the truck stops (they wouldn't be there if there was no money)?? When you see someone stepping out of a truck looking like he hasn't bathed in weeks, in a dirty wife beater and flip flops?? When drivers are driving trucks that should not be on the road, running around scales?? When you are desperately trying to get away from that guy who is hugging the center line because he is falling asleep??

It goes on and on. If you are an experienced driver, do not accept what the starter, anyone who can suck air can work here companies will give and/or do to you. Find the companies who have higher hiring standards, and don't have permanent ads in all of the industry mags. Not all trucking companies suck, and some of them are even quite good. If you are a beginner, be a professional and put in your time to get some experience. Do not expect perfection because this is an entry level position. Be safe, and build up your miles. Then you can find one of those good companies with the higher hiring standards. Always remember, while it may suck at times, it is certainly better than "would you like fries with that." As with most jobs, it is what you make of it. If you spend all of your time complaining, I guarantee you will be miserable most of the time. I have certainly met plenty of drivers like that.

 

Gotta disagree with you sir.
Truth is, ALL mega companies treat their drivers so poorly ($600.00 a week to work 100 hours a week) that they are all experiencing a whopping 98 percent driver turnover rate. And I don't see how experience pays any better unless you are able to hook up with a smaller company or better yet, go union if you're willing to work hard to earn those good wages and benefits.
Expecting perfection isn't really the issue here; expecting a decent living wage with decent medical benefits, along with not having to live like a zoo animal is all most rational newbies or experienced really expect.
At least McDonalds employees get to go home after their shift. Driving a truck, you're gone for weeks/months at a time.
McDonalds pay $400.00 a week for a 40 week. That's 8 hours a day, kiddies.
Driving truck pay $600.00 a week (sometimes less, rarely more) to work 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. And you can never leave the truck, you must stay with at all time unless in a secure yard. That's your time off, sitting in the truck for hour after hour.
I think I'll just stick to flipping burgers.

 

I work for the largest private fleet in the US. They only hire the cream of the crop, and they pay very well, and treat their drivers great. It doesn't matter what DC you work out of. I work 5 days on and will always have my full 2 days off. Anything that needs fixing on a truck or trailer is fixed right now, with no questions asked. It is truly an honor to work for a company that treats everyone with respect.

Yes it is hard to get on with them, but that is because they have practically no turnover.................... except for people retiring.

So, please do not generalize, unless you have worked for all of the mega companies out there. It may not be easy to find a great truck driving job out there, but they are there. From reading on this site, I know my company is not the only great one out there. Read, and it will help you to find what you are looking for.

 

A large private fleet doesn't qualify as a mega. Mega is just a lighter term used to describe a bottom feeder.

 

I'm gonna guess Wal-Mart driver.....

 

Yep. You got me.

 

I will agree that us newbies have to put in our time before being able to move to better companies. It's sometimes painful to do that, though, and some become disenchanted along the way and don't last. Me, I think I have wanted to drive since I was a kid but life sort of got in the way until I was old enough to know better, but young enough to still do it anyway. It took me 3 tries to "get it right". I lucked out and fell into a smaller company that was willing to take a chance on me and am satisfied with my OTR situation. I get home more frequently (34 hour resets or by-the-house loads usually every 7 days) and I when I request home time, I get home on time, if not a night early. I make the miles I need to make and extra most weeks and am treated with respect by my FM. Will I leave my present company? Probably not for a while, although I would like to be local.....or work for that "oh so hard to get into company--WalMart" LOL really! ....but this works for me at this point.

 

You don't think it is hard to get into Walmart?? LOL really!!