Rainy Debunks Another Myth About Mega-Carriers In Her Latest Article

The text doesn’t retain the large blank space where a name should have gone. Should be Congrats I see ____________ is ready for upgrade.

My guess is that is an automated message that went out. therefore there was no person who sent it. we get them from time to time...remember to use your detention stamp...theres a non truck route in Baltimore you need to avoid and other such messages.

dont let that sway you from your goal and setting yourself uo for an awesome career. good luck

Not only was it an automated message, but you have to keep one very important thing in mind. People know Rainy because she has earned a fantastic reputation and has gone out of her way to build relationships with people within the company. You have yet to haul one single load as a solo driver and you don't even have your assigned dispatcher yet. Prove yourself to be a fantastic driver and build relationships with people and they'll know who you are.

Proving yourself in this industry is one thing a lot of people either don't understand they have to do or don't believe they should have to do. The other thing to realize is that the process of proving yourself never ends. No matter how long you've driven, no matter how great you've been, you have to keep performing at a high level consistently if you want great miles and great treatment.

This article Rainy wrote goes hand in hand with an article Old School wrote called What It Takes To Be A Top Tier Driver.

The other thing to realize is that the process of proving yourself never ends. No matter how long you've driven, no matter how great you've been, you have to keep performing at a high level consistently if you want great miles and great treatment.

This article Rainy wrote goes hand in hand with an article Old School wrote called What It Takes To Be A Top Tier Driver.

This is so true. I see a lot of new drivers do great for 6 mos to a year. Then they get the sense of entitlement... "I have my year in so i should get drop and hooks. I want 34s anytime, i don't care if i have 30 hours on my 70. I'm not driving into a city at night because of parking...im not driving into a city during the day because of traffic....i want every weekend off even though im OTR." if they stopped complaining they would probably get most of it anyway.

i have a friend who did great, getting 3000 miles a week for the first 5 or 6 months. Then she started complaining about everything. Not once did she go in and say hello to our FM , even when in the terminal for repairs. She didn't want short loads, and delayed leaving for long ones--meaning she put the on time delivery in jeopardy. For the past few.months she has gotten fewer and fewer miles, and just doesn't get it. Even when i try to explain it to her, she doesn't get it. She says she wants to run, but when given a load she does nothing but complain.

i complain and vent to my friends, not my FM. Things can be frustrating and stressful, but its called work. do your job lol When someone is just a text message, it is easy to reject requests. Confrontations are easier, which is why online immaturity and stupidity prevail. it is much easier to negotiate with someone you know. It is also.much easier to stubbornly reject the opinions of someone you dont.

You are only as good as your last load and can't rely on last year to get you through this one.

Not only was it an automated message, but you have to keep one very important thing in mind. People know Rainy because she has earned a fantastic reputation and has gone out of her way to build relationships with people within the company. You have yet to haul one single load as a solo driver and you don't even have your assigned dispatcher yet. Prove yourself to be a fantastic driver and build relationships with people and they'll know who you are.

Proving yourself in this industry is one thing a lot of people either don't understand they have to do or don't believe they should have to do. The other thing to realize is that the process of proving yourself never ends. No matter how long you've driven, no matter how great you've been, you have to keep performing at a high level consistently if you want great miles and great treatment.

This article Rainy wrote goes hand in hand with an article Old School wrote called What It Takes To Be A Top Tier Driver.

I don’t think Rainey’s message debunks the “myth” at all. What she shows is that for a select few it’s possible that the myth isn’t true. However for the non-select the myth can be quite true, if everyone attempted to be a standout that would raise the bar, but still only a few would be exceptionable. Therefore for many the myth is true, and it is not misinformation from their prospective.

In my case I realize I’m new, I’m just amazed at how lost in the weeds I appear to those above me. That message was followed up with a voice call where they had my name and phone #, but no idea that I was on a truck states away from where they thought I was.

Did you read the posts prior to your most recent one? Please read them again, slowly this time.

Dead Money stated:

If everyone attempted to stand out, it would raise the bar

EXACTLY!

Raise the bar and stand out. If a driver is happy with status quo and puts no effort for greatness, then he deserves to be just a number.

its YOUR choice

Raise the bar and stand out. If a driver is happy with status quo and puts no effort for greatness, then he deserves to be just a number.

That was fantastic. It's really hard to argue with that. People want to be treated as if they're special and valuable and yet how often are they willing to go above and beyond what the average person is willing to do? A person shouldn't expect treatment beyond the treatment they've earned.

Show em you're special and you'll be treated like your special. What more could you ask for?

The point of Rainy's article is that an exceptional driver will be treated like an exceptional driver even at a very large carrier. You won't just be lost in the shuffle.

No idea why you are debating this? Do you strive for mediocrity, believing it pointless to achieve excellence at the expense of falling beneath everyone else's achievements?

That's basically what you are saying.

Just a thought, does your trainer know where you are?

I'll take a SWAG and say "yes". At this moment that's where 100% of your focus should and needs to be; on training and your trainer. You are receiving one-on-one instruction...which implies you are anything but a number.

Dead Money, this is what stood out to me in your post...

I’m just amazed at how lost in the weeds I appear to those above me.

We talk a lot in here about false expectations killing people's trucking careers. I'm curious what you were expecting?

Look, I could show up at one of these Hollywood red carpet type gawk fests and nobody would even take my picture! In fact they'd probably shove me to the side and usher me out of sight. Why? Because there is nothing about me that stands out to those folks - I'm nobody to them. I have done nothing that makes me worth their attention.

Now, I can walk into my home terminal in Gulfport, Mississippi along with some new guy who just showed up for orientation, and they will immediately recognize me and jump right into conversation with me, while not even acknowledging the new guy. It has nothing to do with that new guy being "lost in the weeds." It has everything to do with the fact that I've proven myself to be valuable here in this arena.

One thing all newbies have got to come to terms with is that they are part of a long stream of folks attempting to make a go of this. Very few of them succeed. If we can define success as staying with your first trucking job for one year, then the rate of success is roughly about 5%! Think about that. At this point in your career, very few people expect you to rise above those statistics. I'm going to say that if you continue your way of thinking, you are almost guaranteeing your own demise.

The whole premise of Rainy's article is that you have got to prove yourself out here. We always are stressing how competitive this career is. We do our best to teach this important principle, but most people coming from career backgrounds that are devoid of this concept, cannot grasp it.

You are still in training. You are barely even taking baby steps yet. You will get your chance to stand out for yourself. The true test of how you do at this wiil be in the way you respond when they give you that chance. Rainy worked for the U.S. Postal service - talk about being lost in the weeds! It doesn't matter how exceptional you are in that job - nobody will notice anything you do, until you do something wrong like stay in the bathroom a few too many seconds.

Get over your desire for them to be fawning over you and give them something to think about. Right now you are a nobody - just one more newbie who probably won't make it. Establish yourself by efficiently managing your own truck and loads and you will rise up out of those weeds. That will be a challenge that few have risen to, but those who do are rewarded well.