Comments By Davy A.

This is the wussification of America. The more accepting and tolerant we are of behavior modification by the corporate and beruocatic complex, the more we become like China with a social credit score based on all your actions being monitored.

The basic issue is that we have a surplus of individuals driving vehicles that simply shouldn't be. The physical motor skills to drive while enjoying a smoke, vaping, and doing a million other things that you probably shouldn't be doing are either there or not there.

I'm talking about Bud Elkins slam shifting a 1969 firebird while smoking a cigar and winning track records. Hell, guys used to bang three gear shifts while driving with scalding hot coffee in a paper cup between their legs while smoking nonfiltered smokes. They were either successful at it or they suffered the consequences of not being. I've operated a lot of various equipment and drove a lot of old trucks that were widow makers. It's just the way it was. You either learned how to do it, or got out of the way.

Some people are just naturally gifted at operating equipment and vehicles. It's a small percentage of the population. We have the eye hand coordination, the physical motor skill aptitude, and spatial reasoning to do it with or without distractions around. In a natural world, those people are drivers. They naturally gravitate to it. Those who don't do it well, fail and are out of the industry. Natural selection, not everyone makes the team, not everyone gets a trophy.

I can honestly say, going from a massive corporation that engages in transportation to a trucking company that is still a trucking company, free from encumbrances of cameras and nanny state equipment, I can't bring myself to go back to that environment. My performance metric is based on performance, not adherence to policy.

The world is becoming a softer place, too soft. To willingly accept behavior modification by corporate overlords and unelected beruocrats is to tolerate mediocrity and the ongoing devaluation of skilled labor. This has been going on since the 70s. Our labor and skills have lost their value across almost all industries.

At my present company, keep doing things exactly as they are, it's darn near perfect. Maybe change it to 6 days out 2 in on a rotating basis if the drivers are putting down the miles. Possibly see if there's a profitable way to run loaded backhauls as opposed to deadheads.

This thread makes me really grateful for the company I'm at. They still belive in the ability of the driver to operate their truck in a professional manner without the need to install nanny state equipment. We have no cameras of any sorts. I have my own outward facing installed. The companies philosophy is that they trust us to drive professionally thus why they are selective in who they hire.

The freedom to drive down the road in peace and quiet, and do my job is a priority for me at this point in my career and life. I'd have a hard time going back to work for a carrier that was implementing such constrictive policies and equipment. I'm grateful I had them as training tools when I began, but it would be intolerable to me now.

Also, there's a ton of folks who read the forms yet don't post. They're able to learn from your mistakes.

I rarely say this, but perhaps trucking isn't the best career path for you. Not saying to be harsh. It's just that falling asleep at the wheel is inexcusable. Lying about it is absurd. It's a high probability that if you were to continue on in the trucking industry, you would do both again.

Unfortunately, your experience is going to harm you so that others may benefit.

There are a multitude of great tools available today. It's almost a must to have a dedicated truck GPS. Rand Mcnally or Garmin. Sure they cost more, but far less than your career. Both must be used as a research tool.

Truckerpath now actually shows the bridge heights now, it's well worth the money to pay for the subscription. Again, it's a tool to use, not there to drive the truck for you.

Trip planning is done BEFORE you start driving. The sequence is important.

1. You recieve your assignment.

2. You check your weight, weather, route and clocks.

3. Recon entrance and exit to shipper, then reciever using satellite, street view, GPS and atlas, includes final miles.

4. Set your break times and locations, your end of shift time and locations as well as 2 to 3 back up spots, recon with sat photos as needed.

5. Monitor and revise weather, route and clocks as needed.

If you follow a program like that, you'll never whack a low bridges, never have to shut down on a ramp, never have to worry about getting fired for hitting a bridge, etc.

Hmmmm. Broken is an unusual name, I know a Brogan in Denver. I started with Knight out of Denver, they'll check off all the things you're asking about. No apu, but they have inverters, smart idle, etc. A lot of us live in the trucks full time. That will be the least of your worries.

I don't know if Knight is hiring grads or not currently, they may be. I enjoyed a lot of success there. But as was said, your success in trucking depends on your decisions and actions.

Interesting, there are some very big parallels, no pun intended, in regards to modifying your movement patterns in skiing via ai sensors as well as trucking.

Background, I was a PSIA certified ski instructor for over a decade. There is no substitute for movement analysis by a qualified instructor. The human element can not be removed.

Alpine skiing, while having certain movement patterns that are present from the beginning to advanced levels, which we call skills, can be summed into 4 distinct areas: Stance and Balance, rotary movements, edging and pressure movements. The blending of these movements are what differentiates "good" skiing, meaning efficient skiing from "bad" skiing.

So why then aren't the sensors good? Because it's a dynamic changing environment, the tactics and strategies that you use eventually must match the terrain, snow conditions, water content, temperature and the biggest of all, your instincts.

The skill bend for skiing eastern hard pack man made snow ( forward weight bias, almost no rotary movement and gentle pressure with progressive edge angle) is vastly different than the skill blend for skiing Pacific NW fresh snow, cascade concrete (rear weight bias, strong rotary movements and very little angles).

To add into the complex equation is the equipment peice, given side cut (the hourglass shap of the ski that allows it to cut into the snow), side cut radius. Flex patterns, binding system, boot rigid index, etc. These all effect drastically how you will ski, how your biomechanics will change.

Ultimately our job as an instructor is teach the students to be their own sensors, to interpret what they are feeling and adjust accordingly. Always though, a qualified instructor that can recognize all those factors above and has a talent for identifying how you need to move is required periodically.

So what does that have to do with trucking? At early levels, I agree, an ai based training system is useful. But ultimately the driver needs to develop instincts and skills to match the ever changing dynamic environment were in. There is a human element, a hunch, a gut level institution that needs to be developed, and honed over time. That is what makes a high performing individual. No computer can replicate it.

Our crash mitigation systems are a glaring example of engineers attempting to duplicate human instincts. They hard brake at random items because, according to the development at bendix wingman, the best they could ascertain was that human intuition is closest to a random algorithm. Obviously it isn't.

I'd suggest I 80 in Wyoming for wind. It's one of the worst conditions we encounter.

US 50 and US 550 in Colorado for mountain driving. They are very formidable passes, both are over 11000 feet. Colorado mountain driving is definitely it's own element and you have magnificent scenery there. Really recommend you shooting up there. The Alaska thing is totally played out.

Desert driving is easy and we all have AC units. Although I 10 can get pretty windy and some sand storms out in Palm dessert. Also, I 15 through the Mojave can get ugly for wind. Usually the biggest issue with it is boredom though.

US 191 through Moab is stunning, same with 491 down through ship rock. Amazing at sunset. No cell coverage, or as I call it, peace and quiet.

The turnpike through PA is pretty sporting, has some great twisties in it. Fun empty, kind of a drag loaded. US highways back east are risky. Low bridges and tight turns in town.

Most of your fun filled turns and more difficult areas are on the US highways though. State highways are even more, but most carriers are going to route over interstates if the can.

Some other gold mines out west are Nevada state route 447. CA 128, and CA 89 through McCloud, 299 into Shasta.

SoCal has a lot of canyon roads but many are not truck routes. I have taken a few out of riverside and San Bernardino that got a few thumbs up from the local canyon carvers on bikes there. Of course there is the 18 and the 158, do get some really bad wind out of Boron.

Most of us are going to shut it down if the wind gets too bad, but it's relative. Your cameraman might be cleaning out his boxers riding with some of what we get used to.

To further expand, and hopefully still keep it as apolitical as possible, I theorize there will be two different outcomes. Well, actually three.

One is that nothing much happens either way. The standard of living is still high enough that although many grumble, they continue on in blissful ignorance and apathy.

The other scenarios are this. One, the right secures transfer of power. It's very unlikely based on the mechanics the left used to secure power in 20, but let's assume that somehow the red team overcomes the systemic manipulation taking place and wins.

We will likely see riot season get very severe, much more prominent than in 20. We will also see far less tolerance than in 20 from the general public. I think you'll see escalated levels of Rittenhouse events and anti rioting as well. All in all though, I don't think you're likely to have a widespread civil conflict that threatens the structure of the nation.

The other outcome I can see is that the left uses similar tools as 20 to secure power, this is very likely given the 50/50 close race narrative in play. This results in large numbers of very angry people that have been increasingly oppressed by a minority, which is unnatural. This has historically led to severe backlashes, IE the German National Socialist response to 20 years of the corrupt left wing Weimar republic, Spain going far right in 1938 in response to their leftist minority rule, Italy with the far right in response to the far left labor party. And most currently, Brittan currently experiencing the beginning of a civil war, the center right and right going further right as a result of the corrupt immigration flow and left wing rule following an election which is extremely suspect.

If the English citizens that are currently rioting were armed, we wouldn't be referring to the violence as rioting, we would be calling it a civil war. That brings us to us.

The likelihood of another very suspect election, coupled with a very bad economy, mixed with people loosing jobs to illegal immigrants could very well result in some real friction in areas adjacent to blue islands immediately post election. In short order, as in hours, you will have armed conflicts erupt. That in turn would likely not be contained but would spread as it would get publicized. As it spreads, you would end up with with polarized areas of more widespread armed conflicts. That would denigrate into ethnic and racial battles as well, battles for territory, resources and just general anarchy in areas as well.

Within days most urban areas would consume federal resources in keeping order, with inner city gangs warring with each other, looting, violence and retribution against percieved leftists radicals (purple haired sky-screamers), lack of enforcement leading to rape, murders, violence. Resources can't effectively get in, waste can't get out. The cities would turn into war zones, with many factions fighting for many reasons, rapid escalation, suburbs equally would become very fractured areas.

In order to bring about order, the governments, especially the fed will become increasingly more tyrannical and authoritarian, which in turn will increase rebellion and conflict.

This may all sound far fetched, but even a cursory glance at historical patterns points to this happening again and again, and we're right on time for it. The conditions are ripe for it. I'm not saying that we need to go to the bomb shelter and break out the tin foil hats, but I do plan on taking a few days off around the election, making sure I have adequate self defense measures, adequate food, water, medical and resources and a plan for travel and communication with family.

Hopefully this will not denigrate into a political issue.

There is a high likelihood of potential civil conflicts post elections according to many historical markers. To the point that vegas has very high odds on it, again, I'm not taking a stance on any side in it, just that there is a likelihood of violence, disruption of social services, transportation and infrastructure in a widespread area.

There are coalitions and groups that feel strongly that their opposition will not engage in the election process fairly, this polarized condition at a transfer of power point historically has been a major trigger for civil conflicts, in fact one of the primary reasons.

Given the conditions, I'm curious if anyone is making plans or at least doing a bit of preparation such as taking a few days off during the election and aftermath to wait and see what transpires, assuming there may be conflicts in Metropolitan centers. Or packing some extra water, food and provisions.

I'm also curious if companies are anticipating potential issues. It's certainly a vulnerable position to have assets in Metropolitan centers if widespread rioting, looting and conflicts, much less political violence erupts.