What do experienced drivers expect from their bosses?

Honesty, for one thing. Whatever you agree to pay, however you agree to pay it...keep your word.

Remember, good drivers don't cost you any money, they make money for you. Treat the driver accordingly.

Respect your drivers. Listen to them. Treat them the way you'd want to be treated. If a driver has been with you, doing a good job and being productive, let him know you appreciate it and put a little extra in his paycheck.

Your senior drivers, those who have been with you the longest. should get the better equipment and routes.

Recognize that accidents happen. A minor scrape or scuff on a truck or trailer isn't the end of the world. If the driver 'fesses up to what he's done and accepts responsibility for his mistake he'll probably be a better driver.
By the same token, if a driver lies to you or steals from you, fire him right on the spot.

Most of how to treat drivers is just common sense, compassion...and sometimes a sense of humor.

 

As an O/O or company driver?

In a manner of speaking, the O/O is the only boss. The rest is an agreement with a truck firm.

A company driver with experience prays every morning they’ll just leave him alone. Let the Qualcomm do the talking.

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I don't look at the pay and benefits too much anymore. Yes, it's very important, I don't deny that. As long as I can cover my expenses, and sock some money away in retirement, I'm happy with that .

What I really look for is an honest employer. One that the owner is very involved in. One that the owner will, when needed, jump in a truck and help out. One that didn't forget how they got where they are. And one who keeps promises and pays as agreed.

Do I leave money on the table? Certainly. I could go anywhere I want at this point, and probably do better financially. But, at what cost?

I'll never be found in a truck with a camera, with a company that micro manages me to death, or has so many drivers that I become a number. I've been there, and while those places have their benefits (at those places, you can be a total screw up and nobody seems to care!), But it's not for me.

Good, reliable equipment is another big thing.

I like to have a life away from work. And I love working for a company that encourages and respects that.

 

The whole "if you're not doing anything wrong why do you care" is just stupid. If I'm not doing anything wrong why do you need a camera looking at me? To me driver facing cameras is like self incrimination for trucking companies, if something were to happen, the opposing lawyer will get a hold of that video and will find something you did "wrong."

 

It's not even that, if they have video of the driver sneezing right before hitting a patch of black ice and then the driver slide into somebody, they'll claim the driver is at fault. Rule number one is do not voluntarily collect evidence that can be used against you, no that's number 2, number 1 is always assume everybody on the road is about to do the dumbest #### you've ever seen and the guy behind him is going to try one upping him.

 

I had a excellent bossman several times in my life. One in particular I called him Daddy in the tradition of being very young in age and really raw and new to trucking. He had I say 50+ years before his eyes got too bad for driving. But not so bad he cannot use the phone and arrange loads to make money each week for a living. I did not stay with him very long but this one would have me in his shop bay with a pile of tools and parts to get that old truck in order for the run to Hunts Point by 2 am monday. I was not a mechanic or nothing, but on sundays I was. Under that thing making the stuff I broke last week fixed and working. (And I wont break it again..) If I did not do it right and DOT inspection caught it well guess what, it's out of my pay. So it's going to go on the truck right. A box of tools, some grease, loktite and a few parts and so on was all that's needed along with a bit of bad words and blood.

Some of the things I learned doing that before actually getting out the log book to drive to Baltimore and load Butter (Country Crock) for NYC that night stayed with me all my life to where from time to time when a big rig went down, I'll fix it with some parts and a few tools out of my own money, you know nothing about it until your big shop looks at it and says, what is this? What do you mean what's that. It's Busted now it's fixed right? Yes, but we didnt fix it. So? Its fixed. Takes too #### long against a late load being later to go through the company circus approving a shop work.

That lasted until they put computers in there big enough so when you did break something you need a shop with a bigger computer to understand whats the matta before knowing how much and what to get to fix. That was the day I put my tool box away at home. When the fancy computer truck quit, I get on phone to shop then to dispatcher and so on. Eventually in a day, three days or week she's fixed. But it's not going to be me that broke that truck. But someone is going to fix it. I tell the shop this is the code it's throwing call me when you have it fixed.

Shops do NOT like being told fix this or fix that directly without having the freedom to run up bigger bills trying to see what is broken at all. Then the dispatcher will get on my case and make a mountain of a mess trying to chew me out for trying to get the truck fixed. (There is the right way, the wrong way and the company way...)

In the meantime that load is later. You have 50 drivers in the drivers room with a remuda of tractors sitting outside. And with luck you have a married team pacing back and forth in front of your counter wanting a load.

HEre is the trailer, papers and so on. Transfer it to them and get it down the road. Find me another when the truck is fixed.

Drivers are disposible. Anything happens to the truck? The first big question out of anyone in the company, what didja do to my truck. Oh never mind that the driver is lost a limb and brain injury and so on. don't worry about him or her. Worry about that truck. They can save it. Espeically with 50 in the remuda ready to roll if you can be bothered to spend a dollar to put tags and permits on them.

In all companies you have a handful of drivers you consider the best. The kind you keep on your wall box with a note on it saying "Break when fire" and call these when there is a big problem with a load that has to be there no matter what like yesterday. Where I was at 21 calling boss man daddy unable to do much other than a little 200 mile run and where I am now you would be seeing if you can get me on that load yesterday in hell and high water.

Most of your drivers are ok. Just don't expect too much from them. Let em run.

Out of that fleet should be a small percentage that are Short Bus special. (Im deaf and have ridden these things most of my schooling and understand there is a potential to offend some with that term. But it's not intent) These drivers who hold your hand with a needy clingy questions cannot think for themselves. You spend all day wondering if any of these 10 or so should stay employed at your company.

Eventually the moment they are gone in a variety of ways, you lean back in the chair happy that all of your drivers are getting pretty good. Until the next batch arrive from orientation asking you for large cars, chrome, condo sleeper, no governor, no camera and this that and everything else. Then show needy clingy behavior unable to do anything with simple directions for everything.

I have learned to eliminate from my life in trucking freight that is a parasite to my ability to make money each week. Hand me a load from say Americold to Denver and tell me it's 3 days to wait to load? I say hell no. Im not investing a week of my life into your outfit if all that's coming out is 300 dollars gross for that week.

Ergo run medicine. No more Americold BS. Make them high dollar loads going into Detriot of all places. The money will take care of itself. Might be a month before I see you again mr dispatcher. Just need a good old truck that will run without that emissions crap and the computer BS. And that Qualcomm? Leave it be. The first make work safety rah rah company message about making fuel mileage better is going to get a pair of wire cutters to SNIP on that keyboard system. No more satellite. If you are going to communicate do it with something actionable. Not crappy rah rah go driver go messages. Don't have time for that.

Good luck.

 

If I wanted to be recorded all day long, I'd have gone to Hollywood and gotten paid for it.

Seriously though, let's just say you own a truck. You hire me as a driver, a driver with 19 years experience, and nearly 2 million safe miles, and a spotless record. What exactly is your rationale for having a camera shoved in my face all day? I've obviously demonstrated I'm capable of handling your truck, as evidenced by you hiring me, and my record. But now you don't trust me, so you wanna throw a camera to monitor me?

At that point, we're done talking. It illustrates to me that if something goes wrong, you're willing to use that camera against me, and not to help me. No thanks. There's no trust.

Furthermore, I have an issue concerning the privacy of it all. Yeah, it's your truck. But if I'm driving it, sleeping in it, and spending all my time in it you might as well call it my home. Would you want a camera in your home that I could watch?

Now, you want to put a camera facing outward? That's fine. I could live with that.