Profile For Old School

the optics would be horrendous if they said they would stop testing for Cannabis. It would be a media circus.

I have to agree with Brett here. While many people want legalized Marijuana, very few want people driving 18 wheelers while high. He mentioned "legislation," but it was in a general sense. I'm certain he means the whole rule making process.

PJ brings up something that should be on everyone's radar. Committees in D.C. can and do accomplish what they want without the need for "legislation." All they have to do is get something entered in the "Federal Register" and it then becomes a rule we must all abide by.

There is a process they have to conform to, and it takes some time. One good step in that process is the public comment period. Many of their "bad ideas" have been shot down during that required step in the process. The problem is that most of us are busy and never even think about what is happening with the Federal Register, but it's worth paying attention to.

We've actually had some good things put in place there that have benefited the industry. I would still not be able to drive OTR in a class 8 vehicle were it not for the "Alternative Vision Standard" set in place through this very process.

Michael, I feel the necessity to respond. I had a really hard time getting hired into this industry, and it was during a time when they would take just about anybody with a pulse.

I want to give you two things I learned from my experience.

First... I wouldn't waste the money and time to have your records expunged. Because I got sent home from several company orientations, I learned the trucking companies pay for extensive background checks. I personally witnessed people being sent home because they didn't report their expunged records. The transportation industry is dead serious about this. You will waste your money getting that stuff expunged. It can still be uncovered. They will find it. You are doing yourself a favor by sticking with your current approach.

Second... the time we are in is causing your struggle to be greater. If you can possibly get on with someone, then stay put. Establish yourself as productive, dependable, safe, and easy to work with. Those characteristics are critically important in this business. Today I can work anywhere I choose, and that's just what I'm doing. When I started, you simply wouldn't believe how much rejection I encountered.

I know this probably is discouraging, but it's straight talk from someone who has been there. You're going to have a really difficult time getting hired. There's just no getting around that. Expunged records is not a course of action that I see as helpful. Resilience and persistence are what kept me on course until I landed in pay-dirt.

Congratulations girl!

You are an awesome inspiration in these times. I have never bothered with being a trainer. It just seems like a task I don't want to have piled on with all my other responsibilities. You seem to do it with effortless grace, and I salute you for what you've accomplished.

Hey Cincy, I've got an answer for you, but I want to hear your answer to this question first. Does this doctor you go to have you drop your pants and check you for a hernia?

Your employer is free to require more than your state. I've always had to go to the doctor my company suggests. I'm so old that the company wants me to go through a bunch of physical agility tests. I'm a flatbedder and I've never had any issues with not passing these tests.

You can choose which molehills you want to make into mountains. This is not one I'd choose to die on. An added benefit is when I go to my company chosen physician, the company foots the bill. They've done that for ten years now, saving me hundreds of dollars and unnecessary trips home to my state.

Hello Chris!

Welcome to trucking, and to our forum. Don't sweat this small detail. Hundreds of thousands of truckers are on blood pressure meds. The industry runs on them.

Just get your doctor to help you get it regulated to an acceptable level and you'll be good to go.

You may find the following information to be helpful.

Blood pressure and the D.O.T.

Hey Sharon, we are all glad your husband isn't hurt. We understand your financial concerns and how strongly you feel the need to defend yourselves in this situation.

Please realize each of us have been struck with terror at some point while driving a big rig. It comes with the territory. So much of the information you want to use in your defense is information that shows how liable you are. I would take all the advice here and ditch your plans of showing all this information during a review.

It is very obvious you both knew how potentially dangerous it was to move from Lincoln to York just because he wanted a "hot meal." Why else would you both be so obsessed with checking and double checking the weather? I honestly don't get the decision making process you guys went through. I've had "hot meals" in Lincoln before. I didn't need to drive another fifty plus miles.

I've yet to hear of a rollover that wasn't considered a preventable accident. This was completely preventable. Just stay where you are. Settle for a Subway sandwich if you have to. That's far better than losing your house, and facing the anxiety you are now.

Both of you have to realize you made a mistake. Own it. Embrace it. That's the only way you'll salvage this job. Don't bring up a shred of the evidence you're building for your case. It all points to the fact you knew how treacherous this section of roadway is. That stretch of I-80 is notorious for unpredictable and crazy weather events. Every experienced trucker and every safety manager knows that well.

I wish you guys the best. I honestly want to see you salvage this situation. I just don't see it happening with your current approach. The best thing to do is tell them you realize you made a poor choice when you decided to move further that day. Then assure them you've learned your lesson, and explain to them what you'll do to keep it from happening again.

Please keep us posted.

Pianoman, while I've definitely hauled product to and from Constellium, I don't recall ever visiting that particular location.

Aluminum. Lots of aluminum. I'm a dedicated driver to the Hydro aluminum extrusions plant in Delhi, LA. Almost all my loads are multi-stop. I'm all over the place, but mostly east of the Rockies. Today I have three stops in North Carolina and a final tomorrow in Virginia.

Hello Dre!

Man, this group is giving you awesome advice. I'm not even sure I should add anything, but I will try.

The trucking career is dominated by a bunch of really bad information and influences. One of the biggest falsehoods out here affecting new drivers is this idea that most trucking companies are intentionally trying to take advantage of drivers. Their whole business model is treat their drivers badly and cheat them out of their pay. That's how they make a profit.

Nothing could be further from the truth, yet nothing feels more like reality to a new driver. Did you catch this most important comment from Brett?

Don't let negative thoughts get the best of you.

That very thing destroys more newly started trucking careers than anything. Trucking is just hard at first. It's not that the job is all that difficult. It's the reality of how radically different this career is from anything else most of us have ever attempted. I loved this comment from NaeNae...

"Your first 6 months, you know just enough to get yourself up S*** Creek without a paddle. Your second 6 months, you will know enough to point your boat down river. At one year, you will spend the rest of your days saying 'huh, learned something new today."

That is priceless advice, and very true.

Here's what happens to new truck drivers, and it's already happening to you. The frustration they feel develops hard feelings toward their employer. Then they read similarly outrageous claims against that company in online reviews. They also hear their fellow company driver's never ending horror stories of their terrible experience working there. The next thing you know, you're feeling you've sold your soul to the devil and he's taken control of your life.

We've all been there, so we kind of know what you're feeling. I started at Western Express. Like you, I was having a terrible time getting hired, and they took a chance on me. I built a solid foundation for my career there, but nobody held my hand. That's how this works. I'm hoping you're getting the picture.

Here's how I made a great start to my career. First I made up my mind that something was wrong with the picture I was seeing. There was no way this company could stay in business if their purpose was to make my life miserable. They would end up with no drivers.

Everytime something frustrated me, I'd make up my mind to figure out how I could take steps to change it. Here's a couple examples...

As a newbie, I really knew nothing. Everytime I needed some guidance, (which was about four or five times a day) I'd call my dispatcher. Of course he never answered. I'd have to leave a message and wait hours for a response. That was miserable!

I had a revelation one day while I was at his desk in Nashville. I was trying to talk to him while he was on the phone with someone just as green as me. I noticed he was also responding to electronic messages on his computer screen. He was a multitasking ninja!

That's when I realized he had way more important things to do than take my silly questions over the phone. It was a "light bulb" moment for me. I saw that I needed to take charge myself with my own rational decision making and anything I needed from him should be done electronically. He was taking care of ten to twenty drivers needs electronically while he only got through one phone call in that same time span.

Communication is vital to success at this. But it needs to be done in a way that allows your dispatcher to handle it effectively and efficiently. This leads to a second example...

I was always having to wait for a load after getting unloaded. It seemed like the company was extremely inefficient. Guess what? I discovered how successful drivers get around that problem. They communicate ahead of time so their dispatcher isn't sitting around waiting to find out when they are ready for another load.

I made it my trademark to always send my dispatcher an ETA (estimated time of arrival) and a PTA (projected time of availability) macro before I even started rolling with my current load. Then I made sure I executed the load exactly like my electronic messages said I would. If there needed to be a change, I'd update the information as soon as I knew it. THAT IS IMPORTANT.

Doing what you say builds trust. Once you've established that trust, your dispatcher will keep you busy. It's in their best interest. The more productive you are, the more money you and your dispatcher earn.

This job is like no other. You are the key player that influences your success. They don't teach you any of this stuff when you're obtaining your CDL. We think once we've got that license we can start making all that money. Haha! We all go through the struggles of establishing ourselves in this career. Don't get sidetracked thinking you need a better company. What you need is a better understanding of how this works.

That's why everyone keeps telling you to hang in there at Western Express. They all know it takes a full year to develop yourself into a trustworthy driver who gets extra attention and knows success.

When I was at WE, I determined I was going to prove myself to be the best driver they had ever seen. I doubt I achieved that goal, but my efforts sure taught me how to succeed in trucking. That's what you have to do. Focus on what you can do to make the job work. You can't change the company. You can learn to succeed within it's parameters.