Some ass asked hubby that question today... one of the security guards at a distribution center that he pulls out of all the time.
It bothers me that truck drivers are looked at as doing nothing but "sitting on their asses all day."
I think the majority of the country takes for granted that product will always be there for them when they go shopping and never think about how it got there. But that's not all that's not taken into consideration... Do non-truckers ever consider that truck drivers have 14-hour work days? That there are countless things that they could be written up for and/or could lose their job? Keeping a the speed limit constantly so as not to get a ticket (so many tickets and you lose your job), making deliveries on time, keeping the truck between the lines, safely maneuvering an 80,000 lb. vehicle around thousands of ignorant four-wheelers every day (I really think there are too many drivers on the road that shouldn't have licenses and I think regular drivers should be required to take some kind of course on how to maneuver safely around 18-wheelers), backing the truck into tight spaces daily... all in all, basically having to be diligent in keeping the safety of him/herself and those around him. Sitting in one position for hours on end does take its toll physically. Being alert for such long periods takes its toll mentally. For over-the-road drivers, being away from family can add on to the stress. Josh (for example) gets 2-3 days off each month. I'd like to see some non-truckers try it and at the end, see if they consider the work "just sitting on their asses."
Trucking obviously isn't for everyone, and no complaints about trucking intended in what I said. I just wish people would have more consideration before they're so quick to look down on someone else.
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How hard could your job be?
Category: General
Posted on Mon, Apr 24 2006 @ 4:24 PM [CST]
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I'm 26 years old and wife of a new truck driver, who has been driving for six months but who has grown up on the road. I ride along with him on all trips. The truck (depending on the day) is either referred to as a mobile efficiency apartment or a padded cell. Just kidding...
From the first day on the truck, I realized the hostility between drivers and their views on companies. I had thought there would be a camaraderie between drivers, but generally, I haven't seen it.
I wish that people would take into consideration that they don't know the person driving - the company they drive for doesn't label them as a good or bad driver - their driving does that. And every person is different. And also, no one knows the circumstances of why that person is driving for a particular company.
For instance, my husband was referred to a company that put him through schooling at a school that they have a contract with. His recruiter for the company was dishonest with him from the start. The day after he obtained his CDL, he found out that the company did not give advances and he would not get his first paycheck for two weeks after getting on the trainer's truck. He'd just been through a month with no pay and we couldn't afford another two weeks. Literally, he wouldn't have been able to eat.
The company sent him home and witheld his certificate of completion. One company brought him to orientation, the recruiter assured him that his certificate was not required, and after three days of orientation he was sent back home for lack of the certificate. He called every carrier that hires students and found three that said they would bring him to orientation without the certificate. The first wouldn't allow him a rider for three months. The recruiter for the second company told him his time out with a trainer would be six weeks, but was told me another recruiter and verified on the website that it would be eight weeks. The third company accepted him and took the chance of hiring him without his certificate. Six weeks later, he came off the trainer's truck and became a solo driver.
The company he works for is constantly being picked at over the CB and the drivers are just assumed to be bad. Again, it all depends on the driver.
In the end, I supposed it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or says.
So, that's our situation, and how he came to drive for the company he's with.
From the first day on the truck, I realized the hostility between drivers and their views on companies. I had thought there would be a camaraderie between drivers, but generally, I haven't seen it.
I wish that people would take into consideration that they don't know the person driving - the company they drive for doesn't label them as a good or bad driver - their driving does that. And every person is different. And also, no one knows the circumstances of why that person is driving for a particular company.
For instance, my husband was referred to a company that put him through schooling at a school that they have a contract with. His recruiter for the company was dishonest with him from the start. The day after he obtained his CDL, he found out that the company did not give advances and he would not get his first paycheck for two weeks after getting on the trainer's truck. He'd just been through a month with no pay and we couldn't afford another two weeks. Literally, he wouldn't have been able to eat.
The company sent him home and witheld his certificate of completion. One company brought him to orientation, the recruiter assured him that his certificate was not required, and after three days of orientation he was sent back home for lack of the certificate. He called every carrier that hires students and found three that said they would bring him to orientation without the certificate. The first wouldn't allow him a rider for three months. The recruiter for the second company told him his time out with a trainer would be six weeks, but was told me another recruiter and verified on the website that it would be eight weeks. The third company accepted him and took the chance of hiring him without his certificate. Six weeks later, he came off the trainer's truck and became a solo driver.
The company he works for is constantly being picked at over the CB and the drivers are just assumed to be bad. Again, it all depends on the driver.
In the end, I supposed it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or says.
So, that's our situation, and how he came to drive for the company he's with.
Category: General
Posted on Fri, Apr 21 2006 @ 5:47 PM [CST]
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