Comments on: New Truck Drivers: Beware of Rocking The Boat http://www.truckingtruth.com/trucking_blogs/admin/2009/10/new-truck-drivers-beware-of-rocking-the-boat Helping Those Who Are Considering A Career In The Truck Driving Industry Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:54:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Brett Aquila http://www.truckingtruth.com/trucking_blogs/admin/2009/10/new-truck-drivers-beware-of-rocking-the-boat/comment-page-1#comment-1585 Brett Aquila Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:16:32 +0000 http://www.truckingtruth.com/trucking_blogs/?p=1904#comment-1585 I drove for 15 years, starting in '93, and things have changed a lot since then. But they changed a whole lot more from the 70's to the 90's for sure! The early 90's seem like "cowboy days" compared with the way they are now, but even back then the old timers were screaming about how much the industry had changed. The enforcement and scrutiny has steadily increased over the years, but it really took off in recent years with GPS tracking and Electronic Logs. But the stories from back in the day about some drivers having a cooler of beer next to them while driving down the road, popping pills to run coast to coast in two days, and the truck stops being like old towns in the wild west with guns and hookers being common place are not exaggerated. But even when I got in back in '93 most of that had been cleaned up. Nowadays, truck stops are trying hard to attract local residents to their restaurants and RV travelers with their families - things are night and day from what they were back then. I drove for 15 years, starting in ‘93, and things have changed a lot since then. But they changed a whole lot more from the 70’s to the 90’s for sure!

The early 90’s seem like “cowboy days” compared with the way they are now, but even back then the old timers were screaming about how much the industry had changed. The enforcement and scrutiny has steadily increased over the years, but it really took off in recent years with GPS tracking and Electronic Logs.

But the stories from back in the day about some drivers having a cooler of beer next to them while driving down the road, popping pills to run coast to coast in two days, and the truck stops being like old towns in the wild west with guns and hookers being common place are not exaggerated. But even when I got in back in ‘93 most of that had been cleaned up. Nowadays, truck stops are trying hard to attract local residents to their restaurants and RV travelers with their families – things are night and day from what they were back then.

]]> By: Rick Huffman http://www.truckingtruth.com/trucking_blogs/admin/2009/10/new-truck-drivers-beware-of-rocking-the-boat/comment-page-1#comment-1578 Rick Huffman Fri, 26 Feb 2010 22:22:10 +0000 http://www.truckingtruth.com/trucking_blogs/?p=1904#comment-1578 I know of a driver who got a trainer who drank a case of beer every night, and summarily passed out. The trainee of whom I speak simply gathered his belongings and called his family to come and get him. He got a job with another trucking company and said nothing about his alcoholic trainer. If it had been me, I would have also quit... but not before I took digital photos of the passed out trainer with all the beer cans laying around him. It scares me that people like this are on the road. I know of a driver who got a trainer who drank a case of beer every night, and summarily passed out. The trainee of whom I speak simply gathered his belongings and called his family to come and get him. He got a job with another trucking company and said nothing about his alcoholic trainer. If it had been me, I would have also quit… but not before I took digital photos of the passed out trainer with all the beer cans laying around him. It scares me that people like this are on the road.

]]>