What has happened?

I'd argue that it has a lot to do with population density. What works in small groups will not work in large and vice versa.

In a town of 1,000 stopping to say "hi and how is ______?" to everyone you meet doesn't take a large part of your day and has real meaning to both parties.

Now make it a town of 100,000. Even if all you did was wave hello at everybody you saw each day you'd end up needing Tommy John surgery by the time you're 25. As more and more interactions happen anonymously the importance of creating community wanes. Add in the ability to maintain links to your own "tribe" via cell phones and the internet and the need to reach out to new people vanishes.

Since 1990 the US population has grown by 30%. The number of lane miles traveled by CMVs has almost quadrupled. The rules have gotten tighter, there's less room/tolerance for mistakes. Is it any wonder that community and civility are falling to the wayside?


As an afterthought - another reason for the decline of community in trucking is the way we eat our own. New drivers are too often berated and belittled instead of helped. Before someone starts talking about "snowflakes " and "safe spaces" - there is a big difference between @TripleSix style of being brutally and bluntly honest but instructive and the crud that usually happens when a new driver does something dumb or asks for help.

 

#### I a O/O; pull my hopper the other day to Iowa, cement today. #### had my flips and shorts on. No spring chicken either, hell in 11 collect SS.

Still mam and sir for me, and hold the door.

Well I do change into work boots and jeans at certain places when needed.

Of course I will be the first to smoke Mary when they figure out to test like alcohol.

 

Not all is lost. I'm parked next to this guy. Early 20s clean cut respectful young man. I was feeling the same way earlier this week about the younger generation. Then poof!!!! There is SOME hope left.

 

@TripleSix is highly respected (probably the most out of all our members) for his truths, wisdom, and honesty, (even sometimes brutal.)

He's a man worth following and respecting, for sure.

Welcome to TTR, Grey Beard. I'm just a tanker dude, LoL. Old school, nonetheless. Great thread.

 

Listening to the radio the other day, an ad played, the first words in the ad give a nod to TRIPLESIX's post above, as well as confirmed my feelings about the demise of Men.

A woman was the voice for the ad; " the latest trend in men's fashion is mani's and pedi's, that's right, men are commonly having manicures and pedicures these days in keeping with the latest fashion. They are not just for women anymore."

Yes, they are just for women!

 

I was reading something similar in the CFI thread earlier today. Sheesh.

 

The measure of a man is determined by the size of his

fingernails.

 

Another thought I had today is the number of "retreads " coming into the industry.

Since you can't drive interstate until 21 (but can drive all day in Chicago or all over Texas at 18, go figure) guys coming out of highschool do something else. Doesn't matter if it's college, a trade, or some other line of work, they get it in and start following that career path.

Then 15-20 years down the like they need to make a career switch - downsized, outsourced, dead end, turnout, etc. Then they come to trucking. Even though they know NOTHING about driving a big rig, or the lifestyle that comes with the industry, they believe themselves to be a Grown ### Man. They dont like feeling ignorant, or useless, and they certainly dont like taking instruction from someone the age of their children. Thus they dont listen as attentively as they should and generally act like petulant teenagers. Thus the trainers focus on pile driving the necessities into the new drivers head and skip over the niceties and courtesy.

Add in the excessive turnover and the inability to tell a 30 year between from a 30 day wonder and it's hard to know who to trust.

 

I saw a white Volvo driver help a guy for 3 hours trying to get his truck started. Learned a few things from them as well. It's wrong to generalize them. You guys carry on as if they single handedly ruined trucking. I say hello to other than the Volvo drivers, and perhaps a third of them will respond. Most won't even look at you. A lot are so self absorbed it's crazy. It was a rude awakening for me. I really thought truckers were more congenial with each other and look out for each other. Instead, they are mostly the complete opposite. Bottom line though, I'm in trucking to make money. Friendships are a fringe benefit.