Profile For Davy A.

It may come across as hostile, but we're really not. We focus on telling the truth and sometimes, well actually, a lot of times, that truth can be painful. Most of us want to set you and anyone else who comes here down the right path for the right reasons.

Good luck.

I have to say after joining a company with inward facing camera's 10 month's ago it's a good thing. When I was with Schneider I would grab my phone if I got lost and check email, texts.

For someone with a hair trigger temper and bad habits I need that watching to keep me in check. I went away to help out for a week at another location and the last 2 days I had rental tractors with no camera's and grabbed my phone to call the lead about location while driving.

I was doing good improving until I came back from a week vacation. My drive smart score was 413 in a 11 day span. lol.

My manager said you need to get this in check now and get that score down before it's automatically flagged for review by safety.

I'm sure a lot would say I should not be a trucker. I'm just giving you an extreme case on how it can be helpful.

I'm not meaning to single you out by any means, and kudos to you for being honest.

This is a prime example though of why driver facing cameras do more harm than good. Their use allows carriers to use drivers that otherwise don't have the skills and qualities required to be a professional driver. The carriers do this because over time, a less skilled labor pool will ultimately cost less and reduce labor costs across the entire range of drivers.

We often carry the narrative that the insurance companies mandate their use, but its another statement that is true and not true. If enough drivers refuse to stay with companies that use the cams, eventually the insurance companies will loose to their competitors that don't force it.

I work for a 300 plus truck company that has no cameras of any sort and allows us to completely shut off any of the nanny state equipment or run it at its least invasive level. Somehow they are very profitable despite paying their drivers at the higher end of the scale and maintain a very good safety snapshot, as well as obviously are able to go without an insurance company mandate on cameras.

"We hire only experienced professional drivers and expect them to make appropriate choices" is what it was told when I was hired. Its very true. All my equipment is strictly hands free and voice activated. I generally do not even accept calls except for during favorable conditions on open roads. It just not comfortable to me. And as most gen x, I hate texting anyway.

Teaching and training aids are great for beginning drivers, but they hinder us as we progress. Like most items, they become weaponized against the driver in the never-ending quest to lower labor costs by mega corporations.

Yeah its been said but you assuming the instructor doesn't know what he is doing is more than ironic, its retarded. You have no basis for knowing what he is or isn't doing yet.

In general, you need to take accountability for your actions and decisions. As others have said, you can't possibly fathom the level of distractions we encounter in the real world. Its expected for us to be impervious to them and perform our job no matter what.

We don't get the opportunity to have oops moments, it can kill you or others by the time you realize your mistake.

There's no pretty-pass in trucking. We're all judged the same, on our performance. Eat some humble pie, change your attitude to that of I might not make it through this, so I'll use everything I can to perform as best as I can. And learn everything you can from every one.

And again...safety technologies equals nanny state, reducing skills in the trades so that the labor group can be paid less, and is a generally immoral practice.

That about sums it up.

You also might want to explore our CDL diaries. Many of us put down our motivations for starting there.

I made the switch after a lifetime in the trades. I had always loved trucks, and had driven a lot of equipment. I also raced motorcycles in many forms including road racing for years as well as cars.

I was burnt out on dealing with people and builders and wanted freedom that I wasn't getting out of running my own business yet I wanted something that closely resembled the autonomy of being a business owner. I also wanted something that performance dictates the pay as I most of my life, that's how I've worked. I inherently understand piecework pay and thrive in it.

The first sunrise in the dessert that first time I drove a semi in school keeps me going.

I'm curious to see how it goes, I've been contemplating buying property for a drop lot in Amarillo. I live off 287 in north Texas.

Seeing if I can put your story into simpler terms:

You worked at Prime for a year. You then downgraded to driving class B trucks. This usually happens by force, not voluntarily.

You then hit a vehicle with your truck. You recieved a ticket on your CDL for it, and chose to let someone else defend or not your CDL.

You live in one of the most difficult states to get work in, yet you didn't bother to defend your CDL.

Your chances are not good. If you have a company offering to hire you if you take a refresher course, I'd grab it. Honestly, it sounds like you could use a refresher course. Your CDL should be your most prized possession, it should be at the top of your list for protecting.

Zen was spot on about taking responsibility for your actions, taking accountability and learning from your mistakes.

Do like every other bum at the truck stop, hang out by the fuel desk and see of anyone can give you a shower credit. We can't really give a credit unless we're physically at the same location. The app works by location and many of us have are funding sources tied to it to purchase fuel using our phone, at least if we're smart. I haven't had to pay at the pump in a couple years.

But I have a lot of questions. At 41, you decided to abandon normal life and subject your wife and kids to living in a motor home on an raw land? With no viable income?

If you had any experience developing land, why didn't you get a loan for building? While its not uncommon to use an rv while you build a custom home, we always got the permits for water, sewer and temp power and had those ran with temp services. At least a faucet and a port o let.

Or are you doing some off grid, non permitted, non conforming building? If so, those are a nightmare and usually end catastrophic.

Just saying, you might have ran some decisions better and you wouldn't be in the shower pickle.

I'm not sure, but im wondering if its a non domicile cdl, and if given the nature of hazmat that you would need to be a naturalized citizen. I'm pretty sure that fmcsa requires a minimum of permanent resident status among other things.

Given the problems that are occurring due to non domiciled cdl holders and the fraud that occurred the last several years, its likely that the federal agencies are going to tighten their requirements and enforcement.

Hope it treats you well. I was in the trades most of my. Went the opposite direction, truck driving is my final career.

I don't know about electricians union, but I was union framing when the shop i worked for went union. It definitely did not meet my needs, but individual results vary.

Good luck.