In Cab Cameras On The Driver

What does "shank mare" means?

Since posting my topic on cameras in cab. I have talked to several company drivers here at the terminal. They do not have cameras in their trucks and the few that said their truck came with one said they told them they did not want them in their trucks and they were taken out right away. So it is not company policy and it is not about the company phasing them in. So let's be clear on those two issues. I stand up for myself and will follow the chain of command. I will not be treated differently than all other drivers.

RebelliousVamp and Blessed 58, I get what you're saying and I understand why you'd feel that way.

But some jobs require people to go above and beyond what most others would be willing to do. That's what makes those jobs special to the people who do them, and insane to the people who wouldn't. Trucking is one of the premier jobs on that list. You get to live an amazing lifestyle and drive some of the most amazing vehicles mankind has ever produced.

But in return for having the privilege and the responsibility of protecting the equipment and the lives of the people around you you're required to risk your life every single day in one of the most dangerous jobs out there statistically. You have to run all kinds of erratic hours, live in a walk-in-closet on wheels, be subjected to endless probing and monitoring of every aspect of your life, leave your home and family for weeks at a time, and a million other things that most people would think is borderline lunacy and would never consider doing.

Some of us can't wait to sign up! Some of us can't run away fast enough. You just have to look at the whole picture and ask yourself if it's worth it or not. It's simply a matter of personal preference.

Giving up your privacy is part of this job because a lot of lives and a lot of money is a stake. If you don't feel comfortable with that level of surveillance then you'll have to pick a job with fewer risks. But when the stakes are this high you can't expect everyone to just trust you by default because so far you haven't killed anyone. By the time you do something to alert people that you should be monitored, it's too late.

Truck drivers are the professionals on the highway so they don't get the benefit of the doubt when things go wrong. If there's doubt about what happened in an accident, all fingers point to the truck driver and the trucking company by default. So trucking companies have to protect themselves and their drivers any way they can.

Trucking companies for decades have been sued for many millions of dollars and many have even been run out of business because a driver looked down at his cell phone or fell asleep at the wheel and killed someone. What would you do about that if you owned a trucking company? I expect you would protect yourself anyway you could. Making sure the driver is doing their job properly is how you would do it.

If one of your drivers said to you, "Hey, I want my privacy!"

You would say, "Hey, I don't want to lose my company because your dumb *ss fell asleep at the wheel."

Well that's what trucking companies are saying to drivers nowadays: "Sure, you can come drive for us. But we're going to watch every move you make."

It's a take it or leave it kind of thing I'm afraid.

I stand up for myself and will follow the chain of command. I will not be treated differently than all other drivers.

You're gonna lose your job.

Blessed 58
Destin, FL
Rookie Solo Driver

Don't forget where you stand in this industry or the 'powers that be' will be happy to remind you. I'm hoping you won't have to learn this lesson the hard way but I'm starting to worry.

I ment whom ever started this post has not said anything

Rebelliousvamp want to learn American idioms:

What does "shank mare" means?

I provided a link to a definition when I used the term.

Shank's mare = walking

Shank = leg
Mare = a horse

Back in the day (yes, truly before my time) if you didn't have a horse, you walked. You rode shank's mare - your legs!

(BTW, "keep your nose clean" has nothing to do with drugs. You keep your stuff and your business so organized that you even keep your nose clear for breathing. You stay out of trouble!)

I will not be treated differently than all other drivers.

But you're a rookie so you are different than most other drivers. How about get a few years of safe driving under your belt and earn that level of trust and respect instead of demanding it from day one? I promise you that approach works much better in difficult and dangerous professions like trucking.

I will not be treated differently than all other drivers.

But you're a rookie so you are different than most other drivers. How about get a few years of safe driving under your belt and earn that level of trust and respect instead of demanding it from day one? I promise you that approach works much better in difficult and dangerous professions like trucking.

This is what I don't understand. I got my CDL 14 years ago. Drove for about 2 years total back then. Just started driving this past August. But I still consider myself a rookie. There have been so many changes not just in the equipment but the laws as well. And I expect to be treated like a rookie for a while. That's just the way it is. But it seems like so many new folks have this sense of entitlement coming into an industry when they have no real idea what is going on. Yet they want it their way. Sometimes you just gotta suck it up and drive on. Or buy your own truck and try to start your own business. Then see just how rough it really is.

I see dicsrimanation every day being left handed in a right handers world but I deal with it