Location:
Nacogdoches, TX
Driving Status:
Experienced Driver
Social Link:
Old School On The Web
No Bio Information Was Filled Out. Must be a secret.
Posted: 1 day ago
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Owner OPs leaving their truck running all night?
The insult wasn't necessary.
I didn't realize I had insulted you. The response you gave did nothing toward answering Brett's question. That is all I was saying.
I am apolitical. I stay away from politics
Oh please!
Ryan, you have been extremely political in your past conversations. Now you are wanting to declare you aren't "woke" and then push your liberal ideas on us while declaring you're "apolitical."
C'mon man! We aren't stupid. You've even made up stories in the past just to push your political convictions on us. If you want to be what you are that's fine with us. Just be able to defend yourself with a civil conversation that's based on facts and reality. Don't dance around the edge with us and then try to run for cover.
Maybe you're better off just sticking with discussing trucking. Most apolitical types would prefer that; and we can respect you for your accomplishments there.
Posted: 2 days, 14 hours ago
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Haha! Yeah, they are true Southerners.
Posted: 2 days, 22 hours ago
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Massive Layoffs At UPS A Big Win For The Union!
Somewhere near the end of February, Dave Jackson resigned as CEO of Knight/Swift. He is a long time employee of the company, but served as CEO over approximately the last decade. He was instrumental in the greatest growth period of the company. A period which included such acquisitions as Swift, AAA Cooper, U.S. Express, and a considerable number of other trucking companies.
None of us low level folks have any inside information, but I'm confident the board of directors was not happy with some very flat fundamentals that should be increasing when a company grows like this one has. I'm quite sure it was requested of him to make the choice he did. That's how the corporate good old boys keep from embarrassing each other publicly, and how they can give each other huge bonuses while not really performing all that well.
I've never met Mr. Jackson. He seemed a very likeable and friendly sort of man who was often heard praising their drivers. I have no axe to grind with him.
He was awarded a 5.5 million dollar settlement package after his resignation! Okay... think about it. The board and the stockholders aren't happy with some of your results. Not happy enough to the degree they want you out. Yet they are willing to pay you rather well to leave!
I was reluctant to even post anything about this, but it's just been bothering me. Do you know what would happen if you or I decided to resign? The door would hit us in the backside before anyone even thought to thank us, and they would have our truck reassigned to a new driver before we had it cleaned out.
I'm not even really complaining or griping. I'm just pointing out some of the inequities the working class face in our current workforce environment. It can't be changed by an individual. It takes representation by a collective multitude.
I will keep doing my job as effectively and professionally as I've always done. I will do my part as a part of a greater team. I do not ever expect to reap the kind of financial rewards the men and women at the top are receiving while stepping all over each other to get the next promotion.
When I resign, I'll accept my T-shirts and ball-caps with a reluctant appreciation. I did my job for the pay I agreed to. The problem is that I agreed to too little. You can't make a better agreement without having some force that threatens the status quo.
Posted: 2 days, 22 hours ago
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Very interesting observation Brett. Thanks for pointing all that out. I just briefly watched the video and hadn't even noticed those things.
Posted: 2 days, 23 hours ago
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That's cool PJ!
Were you required to have an escort vehicle? Were you crossing any state lines?
When I was running regular flatbed loads, I always enjoyed oversized loads. I don't ever see them anymore on this dedicated account.
Posted: 2 days, 23 hours ago
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Parrots are wild and abundant in South America. They are actually quite pesky to the farmers. They are capable of destroying several types of crops as they are getting ready to be harvested.
They have been finding their way into the southern parts of the United States for a while now. They are pretty much confined to the warmer climate of the south. They don't seem tolerant of cold weather.
Posted: 2 days, 23 hours ago
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That's incredible! It's surreal.
Oh man, I was over there two weeks ago picking up metal at the port. I can't even imagine what this will do to the traffic in that area. It was already unbearable at times.
Some shipping company is about to be bankrupt. How many things do you have to ignore to make such a disastrous mistake? It's jut hard to conceive.
Posted: 2 days, 23 hours ago
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Owner OPs leaving their truck running all night?
So, how does that disagree with anything? Your answer was vapid and devoid of any sort of critical thinking.
Davy works hard to support his family.
Posted: 23 hours, 2 minutes ago
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I single-handedly ruined my life trying to transition into trucking
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?
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...
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.