Prime Maybe? Mind If I Pick Your Brain?

"Before I say anything further I'd like you to clarify something for me. Was "easy" really the word you wanted to use to describe this job, or maybe would something like "enjoyable" or "adventurous" or "exciting" be a better fit?"

As someone who spent 5 years in the Marines, 1 in Iraq and the rest of my adult life (since 15) doing various jobs consisting of heavy manual labor, this is the easiest job I've ever had. I don't find it difficult to take care of a little paperwork, effectively plan a trip, drive throughout the country in a safe manner and arrive at shippers/receivers on time. There are certainly some situations that are tricky from time to time and require an extra cautious approach but overall, I do not find this to be a hard job. Easiest (overall) was the word I meant.

Thanks Miss Myoshi, you get it.

Miyoshi, sorry.

Ok. I see what you guys are saying about this being "easy" most of the time. I just find it interesting that all of the worst things I have ever seen happen out there all happened on beautiful, sunny, warm, clear days with light traffic, far away from the cities when things were definitely "easy". They were ideal, pristine conditions. In fact, it could not have been any easier. And then suddenly......

I guess I don't consider something easy if I know I can die at any moment. I've watched a whole lot of people get killed over the years, people who were almost certainly enjoying their easy, relaxing, sunny drive on a beautiful summer morning. One moment of inattention and literally three seconds later........

See, that's what makes this job so dangerous. It lulls you into thinking it's easy and that you have it all under control. All you have to do is kick back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

It should also seem odd that someone who did this job safely for 15 years is saying it's super dangerous, and the statistics show it's consistently one of the most deadly jobs in America, and yet after barely a year it's "the easiest job you guys ever had".

Well I'm glad to hear that and I hope many years from now you can still say the same thing.

Easiest is a relative term. Had I came from a life of baking cupcakes or flipping burgers, perhaps this would be the hardest job I'd ever had. Personally, I find driving in Iraq to be much more dangerous as there are practically no traffic laws (followed at least) and you are dodging hidden bombs as people are literally trying to blow you up every day. When was the last time you were nervous about that tire along the side of road, not because it may get caught up under your truck but because it may actually blow up, blowing you and your comrades to pieces? It's certainly easier to walk into a shipper to take care of paperwork than kicking in a door without knowing whether you will ever walk out. I would rather get out of a truck a couple times while backing to be sure I'm clear from hitting anything than carry bags of shingles up a ladder all day. Stop and go traffic for an hour of city traffic is more welcome than 10 hrs in the -30ºF cold of rebuilding a rack storage system of an ice cream company. Compared to what I come from, this is the easier job. I am not saying you don't have to pay attention or be alert at all times, some may find doing so to be difficult, I don't.

I just thought of something even funnier. There was only one time ever that I was involved in a 'wreck' and it was at 3:00 a.m. in a truck stop in Florida when I was parked and sleeping. A guy parked his truck and walked inside but forgot to set his brakes. His truck rolled backward down a slight pitch in the parking lot and smashed into my cab when I was asleep.

So yeah, just when you think it's easy or you have it all under control, that's when it's most dangerous. People let their guard down and it bites em. I've seen it countless times.

Think of the way a cat sneaks up on its prey. Some unsuspecting, adorable little squirrel just out and about on a nice summer morning looking for snacks. The breeze blowing through the trees, the birds chirping, the sun shining......things couldn't be easier for that squirrel and he lets his guard down for just a moment........and that's all the cat needs.

That's how I see trucking. It's easy 90% of the time. But it's also during that 90% of the time that sudden, random things happen. Things no one saw coming. Things you have absolutely no control over, and there's no warning whatsoever.

I've also said numerous times in the past that it's drivers from 3 - 12 months that are the most dangerous, not the ones in their first 3 months. In the first three months you tend to be super cautious and you get in little 'dingers'. You bump into a pole in a parking lot or you back into a mirror at a truck stop.

It's when you've been out there a short time and you haven't seen too many crazy things happen yet that some people get overconfident and start thinking "Hey, I've got this. No sweat." You start thinking the backing and shifting in the beginning was the hard part, but now it's mostly just chillin out and enjoying the ride. No big deal. That's when some people become dangerous. They let their guard down for a moment. They follow a little too close one time or look away from the road for just a few moments too long at the worst possible time.

Because make no mistake about it, your driving skills in an emergency situation are going to be tested sooner or later. Enjoy the relaxing drive, but be ready and know you're going to wind up in some really extreme moments, and probably when you'd least expect it.

So yeah, I get what you're saying about it being easy, and I always loved the adventure of it myself. That's why I did it. It just scares me to hear newer drivers say this job is easy after the things I've seen happen out there over the years and all of the near misses I was involved in. I would've been dead 10 times if I hadn't done the right things at the right time. Situations that weren't my fault and no one saw coming. That's where I'm comin from on all this.

BQ, you guys were always on high alert, well trained, and always prepared at every moment for something to happen. Now you're sharing the roads with millions of four wheelers who are virtually untrained amateurs and don't pay any attention most of the time to what they're doing. They're not trying to blow you up, but they'll still manage it accidentally, and without any warning whatsoever!

So yeah, I totally get what you're saying of course. I'm just saying that what you're doing now is every bit as deadly as what you were doing over there. It's just that the conditions here are way, way nicer and most people aren't purposely trying to hurt you over here. But at any moment it can all be over, just like it was over there.

So I guess we could say this job is easy, except for the handful of times you'll almost get killed doing it.

>

I guess trucking is a bit like an airline pilot told me flying was once-- 90% utter boredom punctuated intermittently by 10% utter terror. I knew trucking was dangerous but had no idea it ranked in the top 10 most dangerous professions. I would be curious to know if they are counting injuries in that and also non-driving deaths and injuries such as falling of your flat bed trailer or the steps to the truck.

There is a husband and wife team that has a YouTube channel and I love watching them because not only are they funny but they are obviously in love and are a perfect match for one another. He has been in trucking 20+ years and she's been in for going on two. I won't say the name of the company they drive for, as I don't want to get them in more trouble than they already are, as they received a cease and diciest order from the company to stop using the name of said company because the channel contains adult humor. I don't blame the company one bit because of image and all, but by far the good press versus bad press generated for the company by those two was lopsided to good. Anyway, in every video he opens by screaming at her when she doesn't expect it. She jumps and there is always a good laugh. At first this wasn't a problem for me because he was always driving. In time though he started doing this while she was driving. That ain't cool in my book. I have befriended them on Facebook and brought this up with him privately through chat. The answer I got was she's experienced now and can deal with it. I dropped it, but some day she is going to swerve and hit someone as she is truly startled. They have a plan to leave trucking soon and for both their safety I hope it is sooner rather than later.