Me And My Big Mouth! (How To Start A Fight At A Terminal)

They said only the "favorites" get loads

They are correct!

Guess I'm a favorite....

You are correct!

It really is that simple more often than most people would expect. It's performance-based. When you perform the company takes better care of you. The gripers that complain they're not getting the miles or getting home on time are right - they're not. And if it's a long term problem it's pretty much always the driver's fault. If you were really good they'd rely on you to do the bulk of the work and take great care of their best customers. If you're a second rate driver you're going to get the leftovers and less time-sensitive loads, if there are any after the better drivers get dispatched.

Have a great attitude and hustle to get things done quickly. That's an important part of what it takes to earn the better miles and longer runs.

By the way, I love it when drivers come back here to help people understand how things really work for them on the road. It's one thing for us to give advice, it's quite another for drivers to come back here and share your experiences to let people know how it really works out there and what it takes to be successful.

There's so much negativity on the Web about trucking and it scares the pants off of people who are considering a career. When drivers can come back here to share their successes it lets others know that it is indeed possible to control your fate out there and some strategies to make it happen.

OS as many others have said please do not let that deter you from giving advice to help others some of us actually consider it to be very helpful,and are very thankful for it.

I have seen exactly that same type of individuals, we hadn't even finished school yet and there were some talking about how they weren't going to do this or that, and how they wouldn't take loads if it was less than X amount of miles. All I said was "well when you turn down the load just tell your DM to give it to my DM for me if I'm free I'll take it." He got mad at me.

If he thought he couldn't do 1600 miles in 4 days, he must be like me in the truck simulator; very slow, hated by 4 wheelers, forever getting passed and passed and passed, pulling over every 5 minutes for some random reason...

I have a saying that I have used for many years now, "90% of anything you do in life is ATTITUDE".

It doesn't matter what you do for a job, it applies. It is especially true here in trucking.

I remember one time I was just checking in at a shippers location and the guy ahead of me was making a big scene about something and the person they were talking with at the desk was getting pretty upset with them. When it was my turn, I was the polar opposite the the jerk they were just helping. I didn't get upset, talk down to them, etc. I could see the attitude of the person at the desk changed before my eyes, and they in turn was the polar opposite of how they treated him. Not only did I get a dock assignment right away, but they expedited getting me taken care of. What was usually a 2 plus hour wait to get unloaded turned into about 45 minutes.

When I was done talking to the desk clerk, the ******* guy just glared at me and asked how come I got in right away and he had to wait? I answered, if you have to ask that question, then you have no clue as to what just happened and I walked away.

Karma is a real B**** sometimes.

Ernie

By the way, I love it when drivers come back here to help people understand how things really work for them on the road. It's one thing for us to give advice, it's quite another for drivers to come back here and share your experiences to let people know how it really works out there and what it takes to be successful.

There's so much negativity on the Web about trucking and it scares the pants off of people who are considering a career. When drivers can come back here to share their successes it lets others know that it is indeed possible to control your fate out there and some strategies to make it happen.

This is why this site is the Trucking Truth! This site has made me want to get back into this so much now, that its all I think about. I sure miss trucking.

Great topic Old School. Bump up.

Yeah, this one really is a classic. It's true that there is no shortage of drivers who have been in the industry for years that never do figure out how to get top miles. They don't understand how to be part of a team or work well with other people. They don't make sacrifices, they don't compromise, and ultimately they don't get the big miles and special favors that the Top Tier Drivers get.

Old School has said many times that this is one of the most misunderstood industries you'll find anywhere. Man, is that the truth.

Last week we returned to the CRST riverside terminal. I was sitting on the lobby reading an article about this dry cleaners in Mogadishu (I am news junkie , I have the BBC app installed). As I am sitting there one of the terminal managers walks by and goes look "the quiet one" has returned thank God for small miracles. I went pardon me?? He explained that I hardly speak to people when I do I am polite and straight to the point unless I am actually having a conversation. He told me beyond that I am usually sitting somewhere being quite. He said he wish more driver's were like me. He said dealing with alot of drivers at the terminal was like dealing with unruly juveniles. They were loud, messy, rude and complain non stop.

OS- Please don't stop giving the advice that you do. Everywhere you go now these days you run into people that do not have a clue on what it takes to do this job. Granted when I drove before I drove locally. But the same courtesy still applied to all customers I dealt with. Why start a fight over the miles if you are not doing your job in the first place. 1600 miles on a Friday morning until Tuesday to deliver? Does he only drive 100 miles a day? I drove about average 375-425 a day doing local fuel tanker runs. So I must be missing something about not being able to do it.

I always got compliments from the station people that I was one of the best that come in there to deliver, even on an emergency fill for them. Anyway I don't want to get this about me.

All the people who have chimed in here are correct. Old School please don't stop giving advice! Thanks for all the advice I have gotten from the experts here since I'm trying to get back to this after my 8 year Hiatus.