Truckers are thier own worst enemy

Right on.....

 

The government planned all this out when they killed Hoffa. Let the companies hire anyone. We'll kick the extremely bad ones out.
With all the dumb ones in there they'll never be able to unionize and control their own destiny.

We'll save billions!!!

 

you are totally right on, most of the in between drivers(drivers who aren't old enough to remember regulated trucking, but came in when things were still better than they are now) are total #########. They refuse to admit that trucking was better when it was a teamsters industry, but they sure will ##### about how it isn't as good as it was when they came in. they are in denial about the correlation, and its pretty irritating. I have been lucky enough to catch up with some drivers who started when trucking was still regulated, and mostly union, and they are among the smartest, most professional drivers I have known.

 

Not sure it was better, with Sat TV, internet, sat radio, dvd's and cell phones its easier in some aspects, worse in others. All in All the good ole days weren't that good..we just didn't know any other way and dealt the best we could.

 

if truckers would strike and every one would do it at the same time it would probally do some good. but when i was out there you could'nt get to drivers to stick together on any thing. the only way to make a change is to do something don't just talk about it. you don't have to strike to made a difference when you get up from your sleep you could start your day off with a prayer thanking the good Lord then as you drive thru out the day be courteous to one another be the professional driver that you are.everyone doing this people will get a different prospective on truck drivers

 

Saw something last week that made me shake my head...since there are so many things wrong with the situation. I pulled into the Pilot in Gaffney, SC for fuel. Was behind a KLLM truck, and when looking at the 10 or so fuel lanes, the first 8 were full..and a couple (the first and second lane) had a truck fueling and one waiting. KLLM driver pulled in behind the 2 trucks in the FIRST lane. I pulled out to the last lane, stopped, and started fueling.

My suspicions as to why anyone would intentionally wait like that were confirmed when I saw the guy. I had already fueled, pulled forward, did my log, got my ticket, went to Wendy's, waited in line, and was walking back out to the truck when I saw this 400 lb white guy, belly hanging out from under his shirt, a week's worth of stubble, stains on his clothes... waddling around. I realized that he'd rather kill 15-20 minutes by waiting so he didn't have to walk the extra 100 feet that I did when I pulled into the last lane.

He's probably the same kind of guy who buys FOUR of those 1/4 lb Pilot hotdogs at the same time. Sad to say, dude will be dead by 45 or 50, and has a horrible life right now - easy enough to change the course, but he won't. Sad.

 

Most of the kindest people I've known were HUGE!!!! Most of the rudest and judgmental were not.

Let me tell you a story. I was driving a delivery route for RPS. It's a company like UPS, but that's besides the point. Anyway, a bicyclist had been hit by a milk tanker (ironic, eh?) and was laid out dead under a sheet on the road. Didn't really affect me until I saw the cop lift up the sheet and look at the body.

Thanks, officer.

Nothing to see but a dead body, but I became very emotional. I saw a man in PEAK physical condition, wearing all the proper safety equipment, and DEAD. D-E-A-D. Did not eating those 4 1/4 lb hot dogs save him? No. Dieting? No. Exercise? No.

All I thought to myself after I calmed down is that if he would've been in a car driving through the fast food island, he'd still be alive.

Anyway, back to my point. That "fat man eating 4 1/4 lb hot dogs and sitting waiting for the first lane" could be the happiest person you know. Sure, maybe he has back pain. Maybe he doesn't. I see people jogging, and DANG they look good. But does that make THEM happy? And what if he planned on buying a lot of groceries inside and didn't want to walk 17 trips the entire length of the fuel island?

Tell you what, I'd rather sit in front of my TV during my time off and veg out than worry about what someone else thinks of me. I've been known to climb on the back of flatbed trailers and sunbathe in a two piece, and I AINT no model.

Live and let live. If X wants to eat more and enjoy themselves while they live until they die from either a car wreck, old age, or disease, then I say "SHOW THEM THE BUFFET!!!!" If Z wants to exercise and be super fit til they die from the same, then I say "SHOW THEM THE EXERCISE ROOM!"

Enjoy YOUR life. Don't begrudge someone else for how they live theirs.

"But...but...but.... they'll pass out behind the wheel and kill someone!!!"

What are you, a psychic? Worry about the stuff that you can change about yourself. The things that are likely to kill you are things that you can't possibly imagine, like being crushed by a collapsing overpass.

Worrying about things that haven't happened is like chewing bubblegum to solve an algebraic equation.

Stop complaining about others. You'll save yourself stress and maybe YOU'LL live longer.

(Steps off her pedestal and rejoins the forum)

 

Yes, please, off the pedestal. I was in great shape while in the military, and gained a bunch of weight after getting out, mostly during the time my son was in cancer treatment and I got little exercise and a lot of junkfood.

I think you over-reacted quite a bit - nowhere in my post did I think or say that the guy was a worthless human being, a bad person or anything of the sort. I said he probably has poor quality of life. He could change that by not being lazy.

It also goes to the perception of the general public that ALL truckers are overweight, non-showering slobs with addictions to porn and hookers.

I was seriously concerned for the guy, having had weight on and working hard to lose a lot of it. This thread's subject is how we are are own worst enemies - my post was right along those lines.

I say that last bit based on the idea that most guys are in denial and wonder why the heck they haven't seen their shoes for years (while they're wearing them) and why their ankles are 18" around and a purple/red color.

I lost a lot of good friends in the military who were in phenomonal shape. If someone who is overweight asks me about the frequently used bicycle on the catwalk of my truck, or my dumbbells and crunches exercise routine while I'm driving, or using a super single tire as an exercise bench... I'll be glad to talk to them and possibly motivate them.

How on Earth that all equates to me disliking chubby people or whatever..I can't figure out. Be safe and take care.

 

A) Just because he doesn't pull to the furthest lane to fuel or is overweight doesn't mean he has a poor quality of life. You may enjoy being fit, he may enjoy being fat. I like smoking, my gf hates it. One person's joy is another person's bane. You draw a lot of assumptions about how happy this person is because he's different than you.

B) A wise man once said that you can't make everyone happy all the time. You really think that if all truckers were as thin and fit as yourself, America would drop to it's knees and praise truckers as gods? You mentioned that "it goes to the public's perception that ALL truckers...." Well, if just ONE person is not fat, nonshowering, or porn addicted, then you can sleep easily tonight knowing that you have changed the public's perception by being that ONE that changes it from ALL to some. How do you stop them from thinking that truckers are any less addicted to porn than anyone else, though? And hookers? I've NEVER seen an episode of COPS where a trucker is busted for hookers.... I've seen bus drivers, four wheelers, and pedestrians, but never a trucker. I could've missed an episode though. Don't get me wrong... I don't pee in buckets, I bathe, and I wear clean clothes (though not enough clothes, some people may point out ((but once again, I don't care))). As I said, worrying about myself is the best I can do. I care about myself and MY image. I can't worry about the rest of the planet, I don't have enough time, energy, or willpower.

C)Worry more about the person in the mirror and less about others. If the man is concerned, he can reach out to others in need. You mentioned talking to people and motivating them to work out, and that's awesome. I don't think you accomplish that by pointing out to others in a forum how lazy "that guy" was. Like I said, you don't know the guy. Maybe he's on medication that makes him gain weight. Maybe he IS in the process of losing weight and wanted to be close to the door to bring in three trips worth of groceries. I've done it myself. Maybe he wanted to catch up on his logs. Maybe he was changing clothes. Why jump to "he's fat and lazy!!!"? That story would've been awesome if, somewhere in it, you'd approached the guy and offered to walk around the truckstop with him, buy him a salad, or given him a pamphlet on Easy Working Routines From Your Truck (or if shy, slipped it inbetween his door when he went inside). Heck, I'd buy a book on how to exercise from my truck without being harassed if one existed.

D)I never said you dislike chubby people. I can't STAND when people talk crap about others, especially when they can't defend themselves. I stop people around me from doing it when I'm there, and I stand up for them on here when I see it.

E)Well, you don't have to worry about them worrying about their ankles being 18" around and purple if they can't see their shoes, so that's one less thing for you to worry about. Honestly, do you really think that if their belly is in the way, they don't know they're fat? YOU may think someone is fat, but they probably either don't care, or more likely, only care when it's pointed out to them. The statement labelled "E" is either showing your extreme dislike of those "in denial", or just showing your intense dislike of anyone different from you.


That's why we have trucking regulations out the asp.
That's why smokers have ungodly taxes. (Smoking hurts others!)
That's why truckers can't idle. (Diesel fumes hurt others!)
That's why truckers have lower speed limits. (Trucks hurt others!)
That's why they are looking at BMI. (Fat people hurt themselves!)
That's why they are looking at banning salt in NYC.(Salt hurts others!)
That's why people fight about gay people. (It's against religion X!)
That's why people fight about religion. (Yours is different, it's wrong, and only religion X knows what's the thing!)

People talk about truckers in forums that they can't defend themselves in that have nothing to do with the internet (aka CONGRESS).

You are right. Truckers ARE their own worst enemies.... especially when they badmouth each other in a public forum that anyone else can see. Maybe some day, Congress will take your quote and point out that fuel islands should be set no closer than .5 miles from the point of sale. THAT will make those lazy truckers that want those four 1/4 lb hot dogs learn something!

Worry less about others, and fix what you can.

"But...but...but..... you say to worry less about others, but you're complaining about me!"

Yup, I'm addressing the issue to the person directly, not in a forum where they can't defend themselves.

And no, I don't hate you. You'll find that, wherever I find people talking about any type of discriminatory way (real or imagined), I'm there defending them. Makes me seem like I'm mean, but I'm not. I'm really a soft squishy type that cried at the end of LOST.

So if I misread your post, disregard. If I didn't, disregard the disregard.

And you have a wonderful day too=D See, folks? People CAN disagree agreeably in a debate.

I'm not going to respond to this particular debate anymore, I'll let you have the last word if you choose to give a rebuttal. Well, I might. I change my mind a lot=D As long as everyone remains civil in the debate, I'll retain my options to respond. How's that?

/end of rant

 

This thread is about how we are our own worst enemies...I was simply making a point that dealt with health and perceptions.