Comments By Mr. T

Just out of curiosity. What is a PBJ? besides the sandwich. Lol

I was wondering the same thing! Lol

I had been thinking about this thread also and was going to respond to it but you guys totally have it covered.

Deonte, it's great having you around here. You've had a great attitude and you've seemed eager to learn and work hard. I just wanted to say that as always I'm in total agreement with Old School. He nailed it by making a series of excellent points about your situation. It would have been nice if you could have stuck it out a little longer where you were at but hopefully they'll approve you for rehire should you choose to come back. I have a feeling after a week or two at this new job you're going to wish you were doing almost anything else. I've worked at a lot of restaurants and my family even owned a pizzeria for a short time a number of years ago. If you're going to be delivering to stores and restaurants you're in for a tough road as the others have mentioned. Those jobs are as tough as just about any trucking job you'll find anywhere.

I also worked the Dollar Tree account for US Xpress for a year unloading 90,000 pounds a week of freight and making multiple stops with each trailer. It's really brutal work and your job is going to be quite similar so I know what you're in for.

I would recommend asking the boss at Swift if they'll put you in the computer as approved for rehire. Even if you don't go back there your future employers very well may see that and it will help you land other jobs in the future.

Definitely let us know how things go at the new job. As you can see we all like ya and we're all pulling for ya but we're pretty concerned about the job you've taken. We'll be glad to help you out with any questions you may have or tough situations you may come across.

For everyone else - please come by here and talk to us about any big plans you may be making early in your career. I can't tell you how many times over the years people come here to tell us after the fact about a major career move they made. This industry is far more complex than almost anyone realizes. Get some advice before you go jumping from division to division or job to job to make sure there isn't something you're unaware of.

Yea definitely thanks a lot Brett. As others have stated I saw nothing wrong with the way he quit but when Old School pointed out a few things I'm like WOW that makes sense. So it's good to know that we all can come ask questions & get good sounding advice before we make a major change in our career.

Oh snap!! Not bad for your first week! Only gets better! Pretty soon I can start asking to borrow a few Benjamin's!

Been following your travels since the beginning there Mr. T.

Looks like you're doing just fine.

Be safe at home this weekend, it's a little nuts down there. Despite what you may be feeling, stay out of the mix - it has a good chance of getting ugly real quick. Have an exit strategy and be prepared to bug out if necessary and get back on the road - so you don't get stuck in some "state of emergency" situation.

Prayers for you and yours down there, in this time of struggle and tribulation.

Rick

Thanks a lot Rick! Definitely appreciate it. I don't plan on putting myself in any situation with all these crazy things going on down here. I'm for the movement & all but people down here don't listen nor are they organized. It's just like a bunch of people just flooding the streets with signs & drinking & smoking & shutting down roads it's Choas. I'm not going to go out there I'll just show my support with prayer.

Mr T says:

Thanks a lot Errol! Yes this is the only problem I'm having so other than that things are going great for me!

That sounds like one of the closing lines of The Most Interesting Man In The World (Dos Equis beer):

The only regret I have is that I have nothing to regret.

Thanks a lot Errol! Yes this is the only problem I'm having so other than that things are going great for me!

As time goes on things will become less stressful. In the beginning you're facing a lot of new situations and you're having to think about every little detail of everything you're doing. Soon enough a lot of these situations will be commonplace and a lot of the details will become second nature. It will reduce the stress level significantly.

When you're driving, try to think about conserving your mental energy. For instance, if you have three hours to get somewhere but the load was already late, don't waste your energy worrying about what will happen when you get there. Relax, clear your mind, and enjoy your driving time as often as possible. And when you get time away from the truck or you're off duty, try to take your mind completely off trucking. Read a good book, watch a good movie, go do some jogging and enjoy the scenery - think about anything except trucking, even if it's only for 20 - 30 minutes. It helps.

Finally, when you're going down the road try to limit the amount of time you spend cranking the tunes. Many experienced drivers just keep the CB on low and keep their radio off much of the time. They just try to relax and enjoy the scenery. Turn on the tunes or a talk show sometimes to liven things up a bit but overall try to keep your mind clear and relaxed.

Thanks a lot! Some real good tips here especially the one about if the load is already late just drive & not to worry about it. That was my biggest stress was wondering what will happen once I get there or if this will fall on me some kind of way. I'll just let things go & take my mind off of it from now on. Once I let dispatch know it's already late or I won't be able to make the time slot I'll leave my worries at that.

Man with all those challenges on the road it feels great to be home for a few days. This job takes a toll on me mentally. Some days I'm about to lose my S***! The some days I'm loving it. Man one thing I absolutely hate is getting a load that is already late & having to deliver it. Or getting a load that has to go 8 hours away but have an appt time 3 hours later...like HOW am I supposed to do that? (Takes deep breath). Ok I'm good now. But anyways glad I can get away from it for a few days & gather my nerves together. As some of you know I'm from & live in Baton Rouge & man must I say it is CRAZY down here. So much going on right now, but I won't go into details with that since it's not trucking related. But other than that I've been great! Also one thing I have noticed as well when the miles are good I need to save my $$ for those weeks where the miles or not so good or even worse a breakdown!(which I've had). I had an $1100 gross week last week but this week looks like I'll only gross about $400. I know I know it's trucking. I just have to learn to manage my money better. Thanks for listening guys!

Don't rush yourself, even if the load is going to be late. I didn't understand this until AFTER I had an accident. Swift is really good about helping you cover your butt if you aren't late through any fault of your own. The Mac 22 is your friend. Send it even if the load is already late and put a reasonable ETA; then document everything on the Qualcomm through freeforms. Ask your DM how he/she prefers you deal with it. Either way, if in doubt send a message--"stopping to sweep out trailer," "load not ready yet," "scale doesn't work here, going somewhere else," "too tired to drive, taking a nap."

I hear ya on the varying paychecks. It sucks.

Oddly enough, out of the hundreds of things I could complain about, you know what I hate the most? ...Dog-tracking trailers. I'm weird.

Lol oh wow dog tracking trailers. But yea I notice the sooner I know i will be late the better is is to let them know something.

YES IT IS GOOD TO GET HOME! Between Orientation, waiting for a Mentor, and waiting 4 days for my Tractor assignment, I was away from home for almost 7 weeks. Was home for 4 days getting my new"House" outfitted. Didn't have much time for anything else. I plan on running 3-4 weeks and home for 3-4 days. At this point in my "rookie season", I don't want to push myself any harder than that. Glad you made it home safely T. Enjoy the time with family and friends!

John the Tractor Man

Thanks a lot man! I will definitely use this time to relax & get my head back in the game. I can't wait to read some of your stories once you get out there!

Once you message dispatch with a "you realize I'm 8 hours away and the Appt is in 3 hours?" It is their problem. Get it there... but they can change the Appt time

I'm starting to learn this now. Was stressing me out