Profile For G-Town

Some of these look like they where taken with the camra where the dude had to hold up the bulb and you had to stand still for 10 mins

Ouch. My pic was taken by a medium format Brownie my Dad had. They also had a Kodak Instamatic... Google that!

Marc Lee wrote:

Not sure what sort of consulting and IT PM work you did (i.e. "Big Six / Road Warrior" or other) but I was a bit surprised by both that experience and your comments.

Consulting for mid-tier distribution and manufacturing. Aggressive timelines and cost control. Primarily frontend process automation and efficiency solutions bi-directionally integrating with backend ERP systems. I had cross departmental reporting responsibility; IT, operations and accounting, plus to the management of the consulting company; mostly COO. Profit driven. Which can create conflict and at times unreasonable compromise. The adoption of Agile and off-shoring is what pushed me into trucking full time.

Don’t get me wrong here Marc, I loved technology and innovation; I just had enough of it and the politics. Once you’ve been out here for a while (like a year) you’ll begin to see it. It’s entirely different.

Thanks to everyone who read this. I appreciate all of the comments. Looking forward to reading others experiences along the way adjusting to their new freedom.

And no Bruce, I wasn’t a naturally born trucker. No one ever is. Too funny.

Let’s remember those who died in order for us to have this freedom.

Safe travels, peace.

Welcome to the forum Bullitt.

Best place to start your journey is right here by reading and studying the information contained in Trucking Truth’s starter kit. As follows:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Not a bad idea to also give this link a look as well:

Paid CDL Training ProgramsPaid CDL Training Programs

Yes, we are neighbors. Happy to grab a coffee with you to talk shop. Or if at some point you want a first hand look at this, I’d be happy to have you ride along for a day run. You let me know.

Good luck.

Congrats Rick. Glad you’re back.

G-Town circa 1964. Learning how to back the Tonka...

Bruce wrote:

Mark B: That is a great evaluation of this situation, and great insight into management mentality.

All of us inexperienced drivers need to make note of what Mark B. is telling us.

1) Companies know all newer drivers will and do make mistakes. 2) They want to help you correct your mistakes and keep you driving. 3) They will bend over backwards if you take ownership of your mistakes. 4) If you are called in because of any issue, have a vocabulary consisting of: "I'm sorry, I messed up and I want to learn how to avoid repeating this mistake." " I've thought about this and here's what I think I did wrong and what I can do to correct it." " I would welcome additional instruction."

Well done Bruce. I wouldn’t change any of what you wrote.

“Get Out And Look”... G.O.A.L.

Here is an article from the Trucking Truth Blog Library...

Learning to Back a Truck

Lots of good stuff in the Blog.

So I agree with Army, toy semi is a great way to “see” on a smaller scale how the trailer responds.

In the grand scheme of things, practice is the only thing that will improve your backing...and a bit of patience. Also watch others as they back, you’ll learn a lot by observing.

Keep your chin up. Good luck!

Michael wrote:

I went to Central Refrigeration for school, quite 2 days after I got my CDL, no one would touch me do to the less than 2 yrs experience, except seasonal work, which I did and took off from there, (some companies after the seasonal work end can hire you for full time , since you showed the insurance comp. Your driving habits). Here in Utah dirt companies will hire fresh drivers with no exp. Hell they will even train you . So it depends on your location and what's out there.

Not the recommended path we teach here.

We strongly suggest Paid CDL Training Programs and committing to at least 1-year working for the company that trained you. Especially if there is an employment agreement in place.

Wow...this is great news Steve. You’ve been on the forum longer than I have.

Good luck!

I am there couple to three times per month on average. Usually picks up over the summer barbecue season; paper plates and such.

Wait...like Kimberly clark in Chester?

That is 100% correct. I call it Scott paper because that is what it used to be called.

However I never made it there (happens) ...was down with a stomach virus.

When you strip away the “stories told” by our friend Christian; perhaps the best takeaway from this saga is the system worked. I believe Schneider terminated a potentially dangerous driver.

Unless our friend Christian makes a significant adjustment to his crappy attitude, his trucking career is likely finished.

Thank you Schneider.

How yah doin’ Doug?

Bump.

I agree with Old School Christian. Attitude can make all the difference in the world.

My guess?

Your previous truck likely did not record an event if you were following too close. Your new one does.

Your previous truck likely did not match the speed limit from the telemetrics feed and compared it to actual truck speed. Your new truck does.

Your previous truck likely wasn’t as sensitive to lane changes or lane control. Your new one is.

Part of our job as professionals is to adopt new equipment, different equipment and changing technology. The biggest part enabling that is effective and professional communication. And taking responsibility for mistakes or lack of understanding throughout any transition process. And doing so with a professional attitude.

After about 1 day of what was happening to you, I would have insisted the truck be evaluated and the problem addressed. Tools used to accomplish thus? Qualcom messaging followed up with phone calls. Using only the phone does not provide a record or audit trail of any communication.

Something is amiss with this continuing story...just not sure what exactly it is.

Good luck Christian. Try to recover from this by Applying For As Many Truck Driving Jobs as Possible

Marc there is a ton (pun intended) of information in the blog section on this subject. If you have the time go through the articles relevant to your concerns.

That said in the end it will come down to how much heart you have and your ability to quickly recover from mistakes without emotion. The learning never stops but is much more intense during the first several months.

I agree with Old School Christian. Attitude can make all the difference in the world.

My guess?

Your previous truck likely did not record an event if you were following too close. Your new one does.

Your previous truck likely did not match the speed limit from the telemetrics feed and compared it to actual truck speed. Your new truck does.

Your previous truck likely wasn’t as sensitive to lane changes or lane control. Your new one is.

Part of our job as professionals is to adopt new equipment, different equipment and changing technology. The biggest part enabling that is effective and professional communication. And taking responsibility for mistakes or lack of understanding throughout any transition process. And doing so with a professional attitude.

After about 1 day of what was happening to you, I would have insisted the truck be evaluated and the problem addressed. Tools used to accomplish thus? Qualcom messaging followed up with phone calls. Using only the phone does not provide a record or audit trail of any communication.

Something is amiss with this continuing story...just not sure what exactly it is.

Good luck Christian. Try to recover from this by Applying For As Many Truck Driving Jobs as Possible

Hi Raptor. I thought you were delivering to Merck tomorrow. I apologize, already committed to a southerly run through lower slower Delaware to Rehobeth then Berlin MD, back north backhaul from Scott Paper near Phila. Int. Airport.

Sorry...if you come through this way enough, eventually, we’ll meet.

Old School wrote this a while back...might help you answer the question Marc.

I am a trucker; what’s your Super Power?

I think I’m the one who is confused...just trying to make some sense out of this.