Profile For John Seville

Got a mirror?

Yes, I have several. And?

Todd,

To answer a real substantive question you asked:

Do drivers still have to be people (soft skills) persons, at least sometimes, even though they are isolated from mainstream society much of the time?

Yes, you must have some people skills. At one shipper, my co-driver angered the forklift operator so much, that they would only load us if my co-driver stayed in the truck and only I interacted with the forklift operator.

Thank you, Andy. This pretty much answers all my concerns about people skills. I have an IQ of 117 in math skills if that helps also and Briggs-Myers testing has deemed me to have an analytical personality. I can't imagine that a driver needs a postal worker's memory. I, a nonviolent person, just don't want to run into any characters on the job who might be apt to "go postal" on me.

But may I please ask, "Who in Creation is this Todd character?"

Real quickie question. Does o-t-r driving have a requirement for a real keen memory? I had a temporary holiday season job as a USPS city letter carrier one year and I found out just how weak my memory really was. I was a newbie there with no union representation and they buffaloed me around. I was practically put on a new route everyday and had to learn the house number sequence of every new route.

They did not even issue me the proper postman's uniform, just a name badge and customers didn't like that. There was some jerk customer even who yelled at me for walking over his lawn. The senior postal carriers got the easy rural/semi-rural driving routes. Just sitting on their behinds in the delivery truck from mailbox to mailbox. I had to walk loop routes in residential subdivisions mostly for the short but super-busy holiday season seven weeks I was there.

That job certainly was not for me and the people there were just horrible too. They complained that I was working to slow. The trouble was I was an avid cigarette smoker then, having to stop every hour or half hour to light up for a cig break. You can't smoke while doing this job. Against postal regs and you'd have to be octopus to do that too as both your hands are constantly occupied with mail. I have long since given up that former cig habit of mine for good and gladly so.

To answer your question, yes your memory must be top notch. You will be required to look at the load assignment and memorize it as well as the directions to it within 3 minutes. Most companies will require you to start smoking again as it is good for the memory. You will be required to draw up a bill of lading for each load you carry upon request without having ever seen an original. You will be required to wear a name badge at all shippers and receivers, and they are not allowed to like it either and will be mean to you and not like you as per company regulations. Perhaps trucking is not the job for you?

I once tried to join the navy when I was younger. I was looking at various MOS titles/fields: machinist mate, yeoman, nuclear weapons, submarines and others. One listing (job description) said that the sailor had to have very good memory to work in this field. I can't even remember what that MOS was to prove the point. Suffice it to say, the navy did not take me in because some civilian shrink at the MEPS station rejected me. I was told by him that I had a "blunt personality"and that's no lie. Such "blunt" personality might be fit for drivers, however. Do drivers still have to be people (soft skills) persons, at least sometimes, even though they are isolated from mainstream society much of the time?

Real quickie question. Does o-t-r driving have a requirement for a real keen memory? I had a temporary holiday season job as a USPS city letter carrier one year and I found out just how weak my memory really was. I was a newbie there with no union representation and they buffaloed me around. I was practically put on a new route everyday and had to learn the house number sequence of every new route.

They did not even issue me the proper postman's uniform, just a name badge and customers didn't like that. There was some jerk customer even who yelled at me for walking over his lawn. The senior postal carriers got the easy rural/semi-rural driving routes. Just sitting on their behinds in the delivery truck from mailbox to mailbox. I had to walk loop routes in residential subdivisions mostly for the short but super-busy holiday season seven weeks I was there.

That job certainly was not for me and the people there were just horrible too. They complained that I was working to slow. The trouble was I was an avid cigarette smoker then, having to stop every hour or half hour to light up for a cig break. You can't smoke while doing this job. Against postal regs and you'd have to be octopus to do that too as both your hands are constantly occupied with mail. I have long since given up that former cig habit of mine for good and gladly so.