I'm Lovin' It!

Hi all. I’ve been poking around this forum for about six months now, reading posts pretty much on a daily basis however, as you can see, I haven’t contributed very much up to this point. Perhaps that can change here in the near future but who knows. Anyway, just a brief bio: I went through Truck driver school at my local Community College this previous winter and obtained my CDL in early February and the class was fantastic. They taught all the right things (no matter how trivial it seemed) that helped me pass through my pre-trip, yard and driving test with flying colors. I knew before I even started school that I wanted to do flatbed. I was VERY close to taking an offer with TMC. The only thing that held me back was the fact that I have a family (wife, 13 & 12 year old kids) who are all very active in their sports. With that, I was searching for something more local and I happen to be in the right place at the right time and landed a local flatbed gig. The owner was willing to take a chance on me with no experience other than CDL school, and after 3 months now, I LOVE IT!!

For the past couple months, I’ve been running mainly cubes of brick and block to new construction sites (commercial and residential) throughout the greater Chicago area. I get about 300-400 miles a day and I’m home every night. The pay has been fantastic too. No complaints. It’s challanging some days because some of our runs go deep into downtown Chicago. In fact, last week I delivered some scaffolding to a job in the city about 2 blocks off Lake Michigan on the gold coast. You learn real quick how to maneuver a rig in the city or else you never get out.

But I digress, I can share more stories down the road here. What prompted me to post today was to point my finger and laugh a little at some of these dry van drivers I see. Specifically their wardrobe. At least 40%, maybe even 50% of these drivers I see jump out of the truck in their tank tops, short shorts, and flip flops. I can’t tell if they drive a rig or live on the beach. Granted, since I’m a flatbed guy, I’m wearing jeans, reflective shirts and boots so maybe this is not uncommon for the dry van guys but come on, flip flops? I would still think the company you are driving for wants to uphold some sort of professional image don’t they?

Am I the only one that finds this hilarious?

I wear flip flops to drive. But if I'm going to a shipper or reciever I do put on sneakers.

I also wear shorts (not short, knee length) and tank tops even at shippers. But they are nice looking (read: not torn up, covered in food or grungy) and pretty. But then again I'm a chick so I might be able to get away with more.

I don't have any decent clothes yet for hot weather, so I do the best I can with what I have. My aim in dressing is clean, covered and as professional as possible. I do love my 3/4 pants though. :-)

I agree with the covered part. When I say I wear tank tops, I mean they are modest. I'm not walking around flaunting what I've got or having anything hanging out! I'm not a teenager anymore...

And I love my 3/4 pants too! I have several pairs.

I didn't mean to imply you didn't cover yourself lol.

Haha I know! I was just putting that out there as it is a very good point.

Here's my opinion.

Men: if you are going to wear shorts, wear them properly!! Clean, appropriate cut, preferably denim or khaki materials WITH A BELT!! Please, for the love of everything good, no one wants to see your underwear!! And skip the sweatpant material shorts. Also, wear a clean shirt. It's ok for it to be a t-shirt but no offensive slogans or pictures. No food stains or cut off sleeves.

Women: no short shorts or belly shirts. Again, no one wants to see your underwear! Please keep all of your lady parts covered decently.

Here's a good rule of thumb: if you wouldn't wear it to a family reunion where your grandmother and young nieces/nephews/cousins/kids/whatever will be, it shouldn't be worn at a place of work aka shippers, recievers or terminals!!!

Seeing underwear would be an improvement. I've seen enough hairy butt cracks already this summer to last me a lifetime. One guy climbing into the passenger side of the truck parked next to me had his pants actually completely falling off, and sadly, left nothing to the imagination. My eyes are still burning.

Seeing underwear would be an improvement. I've seen enough hairy butt cracks already this summer to last me a lifetime. One guy climbing into the passenger side of the truck parked next to me had his pants actually completely falling off, and sadly, left nothing to the imagination. My eyes are still burning.

Im dying over here!!