Comments By Brett Aquila

Isabell, you sound like the sweetest, most well-intentioned person imaginable. In fact, it sounds like your parents raised you in Disneyland. Everything you said sounds like a nice theory until you come across someone who has the opposite values and isn't interested in playing by your rules. Jay's trainer was one of them. He didn't care about Jay's sensitive feelings.

You think "feelings are truth". Let me tell you what truth is. The truth is Jay wants a career in trucking but his trainer kicked him out of the truck and Jay doesn't know why. Now he isn't returning here for advice, probably because someone said something he didn't like. If Jay can't figure out how to learn from his experiences instead of placing blame on others or running away, he'll never succeed in trucking or at anything else. Everyone must learn to set their feelings aside sometimes and push through the challenges. That doesn't mean changing your values. It means surviving and thriving in a world that doesn't always share your values.

You can not control the people around you. You can only control yourself. Standing on a soapbox preaching about how people should be won't change most people. The truth is you must work with people who don't share your values but may control your fate. Will you be able to push through the challenges and achieve your goals when playing by someone else's rules?

See, that's the hardest part about being young. You have very idealistic values but almost no real-world experience so you don't realize that most people don't live by your values. The world doesn't work the way it should or there wouldn't be wars or poverty. We wouldn't need police officers or soldiers, courtrooms or battlefields or charity organizations.

We call ourselves Trucking Truth because we will give you the straight facts about what it takes to succeed in trucking. The truth is I love your values but most people in this industry will not share them, at least not at the level you would like. They will not be as sensitive or as accommodating to your feelings as you would like. That's the truth. The question is will you be able to deal with it or not? Your decisions and your resilience will determine your fate. I can promise you that trucking will be one of the most challenging endeavors of your life. You can quote me on that. I'm not wrong.

Keep something in mind, as well..........failing for any reason is still failing. A moral victory doesn't pay the mortgage. If you cannot make this career happen you can blame, complain, and criticize all you like but in the end, it's still a failure that you must deal with. This career will go on with or without you. The world will move forward even when your life is going backward. That's also a truth.

I very much hope you and Jay succeed, but to do so you'll have to dig deep and find an inner strength you probably don't believe you should need. You have that strength in you. The question is can you bring it out of you and use it to achieve your goals in a world that won't always play by your rules? I hope you can.

Brett I just posted a video comparing the actual lease settlement with company pay...Errol thoight it was fantastic... so maybe u might enjoy it and post it somwhere, please?

Yes, I certainly will. I'll look around for the best place to put it and I'll let you know when it's up.

Jay and Isabell,

I'm sensing you two are rather young? Maybe in your 20s?

Whether or not that's true, let me say this. The average age in trucking is about 50. Most people in trucking, myself included (I'm 48), value toughness above almost everything. With toughness and resiliency, you can overcome anything. Older generations required it. Times were tougher, especially in the first half of the 20th century.

Over the years our society has become far more stable, and life is much easier now than ever before. Most of the difficulties life used to present have now been eliminated by technology, economic prosperity, or specialized workers who can handle it.

When I was in elementary school we used to do drills in school once a week that taught us what to do if the Russians launched a nuclear attack. Nowadays, bullying and name-calling are considered to be devastating.

My generation was taught to be tough with statements like, "take it like a man" and "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." Being a complainer was about the lowest level you could stoop to.

Nowadays people are taught that it's a crime (sometimes literally) if someone says something that might hurt your feelings. They're taught that their feelings are the most important thing in the world and you should share them constantly with everyone, especially if you disapprove of what they're saying to you.

Back in the day, you would be laughed at. No one would respect you. I'm certain my 74-year-old mom is tougher and more resilient than most people under the age of 30 nowadays. She can't stand people who are soft. I still value toughness and resiliency above all else. I always will. Though I'm learning to interact with people the way it's done today, which is a huge change for me.

Jay, you said:

My exact words to him were. I don’t understand how you’re trying to explain it, and I feel like you are being condescending towards me because I’m not getting it.....I don't think he liked me.

I'm almost certain you're right. He didn't respect you and he didn't want to deal with you because he has a completely different set of beliefs and values. You don't think someone should be so mean that they talk to you in a way that hurts your feelings. He doesn't think a person should be so soft that their feelings get hurt in the first place. It's a stark difference in values.

Regardless of which values a person has, it's important that we're all aware of these differences. It's also important to note that a person can be tough and also be sensitive to the feelings of others.

The author of that article reached out to me and said he'd like to feature us on Trucker.com from time to time because we have so many great conversations and articles. I told him that would be great. I believe this is one of the first features he's done with our website.

Sure, I'll give you some constructive feedback. How about a little humility and appreciation for people who are willing to take their time to help out? You show up out of the blue and introduce yourself by saying, "I'm a criminal, here's what I'll accept from you, otherwise shut up."

Not really an enticing prospect.

Instead of acting like our boss and approaching us like we owe you something, maybe you could take a better approach. Also, a sex offender who describes themselves as having a, "boyish charm, nice smile, and good attitude" sounds like a creepy predator.

Was that introduction part of your charming good attitude?

I know you're being lauded for your "commitment" here, but I'm not seeing it. You give up way too easy over the exact things thousands of us have gone through. Are you committed? The only way I'd have gotten off my trainers truck was if he was sexually abusing me. Since he wasn't, I fought tooth and nail to make it work even when he was throwing my bag off the truck.

andhe78, I agree with your sentiment. I don't believe you would win any awards for sensitivity and tact, but if such awards existed I would be the last person they would allow to be the judge anyhow. I've been guilty of being insensitive far too many times in the past and it's something I've worked on in a big way.

That being said, I do agree with your advice and I think it's something Jay can benefit from.

Jay, you said:

He proceeds to chew me out again saying he didn’t understand why I couldn’t listen to simple instructions.he was Just real condescending and talking down to me. I just took it like I did the day before. I was so shook up I didn’t eat that day.

I think in this case, Jay, you're being overly sensitive. It is not normal or healthy to get so shaken up that you don't eat for an entire day. I've had family members pass away but I was able to eat after the funeral. Full disclosure, I'm Italian, and we're famous eaters. But still, you get my drift.

It's fantastic that you care so much about your performance, but in this industry, you will also need a thick skin at times. People are not patient with truck drivers, nor are they always nice. If you can shake that stuff off you'll keep your sanity, at least a little longer.

It can also be a safety issue. For instance, you're trying to get backed in off the street and cars are blowing their horn at you because they're impatient. If you're overly concerned with upsetting them you'll rush things, and may back into something. This is more common than you might expect. We don't like holding people up, but sometimes it's necessary. You're upsetting people, but there's nothing you can do but ignore them and get the job done safely.

So don't let yourself get bent out of shape. Staying cool under pressure is a huge part of this job. Start practicing it right away. It's actually a skill you can develop.

Go get em!

I actually have several ready to go from Rainy that I haven't released yet. We'll be putting them out more consistently very soon.

Companies almost always require a physical after you begin working there. They have no idea who the doctor was that gave the previous physical, nor have they given a recent drug test which is required by law. So to be safe they make everyone get a new physical by a doctor they know, often one that works in-house for a major carrier.

Listen, don't sweat this kind of stuff. You'll give yourself an anxiety attack over nothing. These are normal procedures in this industry. Before you know it you'll have conspiracy theories floating around in your head, you'll start getting feedback on them from the wrong people, the anxiety and mistrust will build, and it will begin affecting your performance and relationships. Things will only continue to spiral downward.

Keep your focus on what you must do to become the best driver possible. Develop strong relationships within your company. Prove to them you're as good as anyone out there. Keep a positive attitude. Enjoy yourself out there. If you'll do those things you'll be making top pay with a great company that treats you like gold. Don't harbor any thoughts that won't help you in that mission. Be vigilant about the thoughts you keep. Our lives are a manifestation of our thoughts. If you allow your thoughts to spiral downward, your life will soon follow.

He got into a huff, then drove home to DE from Cali, supposedly

I'm pretty sure from reading his background that once he got on the road they did a thorough check, found the criminal charges he left out, and they kicked him off the truck. No one voluntarily gets off the truck 2,500 miles from home, drives home in a rental car, then decides to keep their job and stay with the company. That's absurd.

But I'm sure we'll be getting that selfie of him on the road in front of his truck anytime now.

Yeah, like I said in that other thread we tend to get people who are in the most extreme of emotional states. They're either frustrated or scared or disappointed and they feel compelled to get help or to publicly blame someone for their circumstances.

Lol you must be a former or present CRST employee as well I still have a job there for your information, they screwed up and they admitted it

Oh yeah? Take a selfie of you in front of your truck. Let's see it. And by the way, your picture will have the metadata in it that will include the date and time. If it doesn't, it doesn't count.

I wish I were better at expressing these concepts. I work hard at it, but it often falls flat. I know it helps some people who come along later and encounter these conversations. I keep banging away.

You're amazing at expressing the key concepts for success. No one does it better. In fact, you have always been far more eloquent and sensitive than I have when teaching someone the things they need to know. I've put a tremendous amount of time and effort into improving my delivery, and that inspiration came from yourself, Kearsey, and so many of the Moderators and long-time contributors here.

The challenge we face is that so few people have been properly taught what it takes to be successful and feel fulfilled in their lives. They don't understand that 80% of it is psychological. Attitude really is everything. The discipline you have, your work ethic, the relationships you build, the humility it takes to be willing to listen, the fierce responsibility you must take for the outcome of your endeavors - all of that stuff is critical to success in any area of life, but it stems from your mindset and rarely is it taught properly. I know I never learned any of that in school. In fact, I learned most of the important lessons in my life from reading books, playing sports, and being in business.

The things we teach here at Trucking Truth are so completely foreign to people that they often become very angry or defensive. To them, we sound preposterous. How could we have the nerve to say that someone should earn their position in life or focus on making themselves better? Who are we to say that a person is responsible for their own success and can't blame the company if things don't go their way? How dare we say someone's time isn't valuable, but only their productivity is?

I'm fully confident that we have a quiet, invisible army of followers reading everything we say, taking it all in, and using it to build an awesome career and an awesome life for themselves. The people we hear from most often are those who are upset by the poor start they've had to their career or are shocked and baffled by what we teach. Only when they're truly upset do they feel compelled to come out of hiding and speak their minds.

Those very people are a blessing for us, though. They give us the opportunity to teach. They challenge us with their misperceptions. They force us to explain in great detail our philosophies and back them with real-life experiences.

I feel truly sad for people like Concept because he has maybe a 10% chance of being in this industry a year from now. He won't make it. He'll fall prey to the misperceptions he has and the terminal rats will only reinforce those misperceptions. Before long he'll decide trucking is the wrong career to be in even though he may have turned out to be an awesome driver who cherished his years on the road.

We'll help anyone who is open-minded and willing to listen, and I believe there are plenty of them reading this right now. If it wasn't for "Concept" and his misperceptions we wouldn't have had such a great opportunity to help those who are eager to improve themselves and get their career on solid ground.

OldGrizzlyBear, let me put this in a different perspective. If I said to you, "Give me $4,000 and tell me your preferences. I'll do the research for you. I'll let you know which company is the best to work for."

You would think that was insane, right? Like, who would give me $4,000 to do the research for them?

Well, that's how much money you're losing every month while you sit home thinking about who to work for, and that's a conservative estimate. You should easily make $50,000 your first year back out there because you already know how to do this job. You have experience. You should be able to jump behind the wheel and get back in the swing of things quickly.

Quit wasting your time and money. Pick a company and get to work.

Wow, man. You really do think you're going to dig up some golden nuggets by piling on the research and pondering decisions forever, don't ya?

After reopening my 3 ring binder full of research and going over what I was doing before, I elected to start over from scratch and take my time in finding out more for each company

Have fun with that. You're losing a fortune pondering these decisions when you could have been out there already making money, building relationships, and re-establishing your career.

I can't believe you were an OTR driver for a couple years back in the day and still you fall for the classic misnomers like the major carriers are just "starter companies" and they "herd cattle through CDL mills." I would expect a total newbie to maybe fall for that line of thinking, but not someone who has been out there on the road and should understand by now that you'll make top dollar at any major carrier as long as you perform at a high level.

I just hate to see people with good intentions wasting their time and energy with this misguided idea that they're digging up all of this valuable information that will have a profound impact on their career. In fact, all you're doing is wasting time and money and putting all sorts of false ideas in your head.

If there were companies to look out for don't you think we would have warned you about them? If "CDL mills" and "starter companies" were legitimate concerns we would have been talking about it for years. In fact, what we warn people not to do is waste months of their lives pouring over research thinking they're going to dig up this mythical unicorn company. All of the major carriers are outstanding companies. I can't understand why people can't see that. It should be obvious. They're all elite carriers that have reached the highest level of success in this industry and maintained it for decades.

Here, listen to this:

Episode 9: Are Major Carriers Nothing More Than Starter Companies?

How can I possibly make “awesome money” with a pay of 29cpm?

This question really shows that people don't listen when they think they know it all and their mouths are always yappin. Old School had already answered his question:

I started at 27 CPM. I busted my tail at that rate for two reasons.

1) I was grateful to have the job.

2) I understood that I had no intrinsic value. I was determined to build my value.

Would fifty thousand dollars be an acceptable year's pay for you? That's what I earned that rookie year.

All you can do is give someone the answers. If they're not willing to listen it won't do them any good.

Well, this visitor's time with us was short but you guys gave our community a ton of fantastic information. Great job, as always. You guys are awesome. Not only will your information helps tons of people get their careers off to a great start but our friend "Concept" has demonstrated exactly why they say attitude is everything and why so many people fail in their attempt at this career.

On with our mission!

The farther away all the pivot points are to each other the harder it is to move the hole system.

Actually it's the opposite. The longer wheelbase would extend the length of the lever, thereby increasing the leverage the crosswind has to pivot the trailer. Not only that, but the longer the wheelbase the less weight there is on the trailer tandems making them even easier to break loose.

I have found on the ice it does not matter how light or heavy the tandems.

Really? So if the tandems weigh 1,000 pounds they'll have the same grip as 25,000 pounds?

When you hit the brakes on an empty trailer isn't it more likely to break loose on slick roads than if you have a heavy trailer? Of course. That's even in the CDL manual. So naturally the more weight you have the more grip you have, regardless of the surface. Even on ice.

I've lived the overwhelming majority of my life in Upstate New York and spent 15 years driving big rigs. Weight has a profound effect on grip.

Unfortunately, most of this thread is extremely confusing with a lot of misnomers. Plausible theories in some respects, but incorrect.

The correct answer is to keep the weight balanced between the tractor drive tires and the trailer tandems regardless of the wheelbase. That's the safest way to distribute the weight regardless of the road conditions. It gives you the best traction under acceleration, braking, and sideways forces.

I would leave the tandems set for now until you get to Oregon then, reassess how the truck is handling

I would ask this. Right now he's lighter on the tandems than on the drives. How might the truck handle that would make him want to take even more weight off the tandems?

I'm thinking more of wind for the tandems being to the rearward position.

Just like with braking, if you take more weight off the tandems they're more likely to break loose with a strong crosswind. Weight holds the tires to the road, not wheelbase.

Work hard on increasing your reliability, productivity, and establishing a great working relationship with your dispatcher. One full year of that and you'll realize how misguided your concerns about CPM rates are now.

I can't stress how critical it is to understand this. You want to make big money because you have big goals. That's awesome. That's how it should be. Now to achieve those goals, focus on what you must do to become the best truck driver possible.

Over time, your pay will be equal to your awesomeness. Becoming awesome takes time. It won't happen in your first year. You can become very good by the end of your first year. You can become excellent by the end of your second year. It will take 3 - 5 years before you gain the experience and knowledge it takes to consistently perform at an awesome level.

You'll get there if you keep your focus on becoming the best you can be. Don't lose sight of the fact that you must consistently reach the highest performance level in order to reach the highest pay level.

Normally for snow-covered roads, the further to the rear the tandems, the more weight on the drives, so more traction. It's also more stable when encountering higher winds.

Yeah, but you want weight on those trailer tandems so they don't lock up when you hit the brakes.

It's not the length of the wheelbase that matters nearly as much as the weight distribution. Ideally, you want as much weight as possible on the steer tires with the remaining weight distributed evenly between your tractor drive tires and your trailer tandems. That way you're getting forward traction on the drives when you're on the fuel and equally good traction from all tires when you're on the brakes.

Your weight looks pretty good where it's at. I hate to contradict PackRat, but I would not move any more weight off those trailer tandems. In fact, I wish you had a little more weight on them but it's fine like it is.