What Does It Take To Be The Best?

This is FANTASTIC! Thanks for starting this up. I asked a question and everyone gets to be involved 😁 Great answers too!

One I've noticed a lot PREPAREDNESS

This applies to many facets.

Mental- let's do this thing!

Physical- Eat well, sleep well(when you can), park a bit further and get some exercise. They'll all help with the mental.

Tools- Appropriate attire, a broom or a blower, hammer, screwdriver, flashlight, vice grips so on.

The note on the tools is this, I speak to many drivers who think the company should supply it all. My tool collection is long, diverse and I've used every single one at one point or another. If I waited for road calls, or always had to hit a shop for the little crud, I'd never move. ( Even the brand new trucks have a few loose nuts )

These drivers who don't want to push a broom need to get a leaf blower for example.

Finally, accountability, each of us only controls ourselves. Mess ups happen, learn and move on. Rarely is there anyone to blame for our unhappiness out here except ourselves. Expecting anything but the unexpected is going to leave you disappointed and unsatisfactory out here.

Side note- I'm an introvert, so all the long haul time lets me build the energy to be pleasant when I have to deal with people. It's not that I don't like people, it's just exhausting 😉

I think this thread is highly relevant and important, at the essence of what we strive to do here.

The list will likely continue to grow and remain interesting for quite some time. As I read, reread current, active threads and past topics I see a recurring theme. One that may not be so obvious to the casual observer/member. We work in an industry that is top-heavy with initial schooling and training. It's highly selective and intense, overall does barely an adequate job of preparing new drivers. We all know it can always improve, the people/personality element being the greatest challenge to overcome. But it works to get us started.

The focus is and always has been on all of the schooling and initial training, 90-95% of training is over and done after 3-6 months. Unless you happen to be a high-risk driver, accidents HOS violations, most of us receive very little organized, purposeful training beyond year 1. Even the mission of Trucking Truth is not too far removed from that concept; get students and drivers through the very difficult and challenging first year. Then what? Do we know-it-all at that point? Something to think about as this list evolves into a model with much greater purpose.

In keeping with that theme I'd like to introduce the top performing driver trait of "Coachable" or "Coachability"...

Here is a great definition:

Coachability is the willingness to be corrected and to act on that correction accordingly. When we are Coachable, we are prepared to accept our mistakes and withstand a high degree of candor needed to correct them.

Kind of like accountable, but much more than "just that". Take that all in for a moment...

If you take a cursory look at all of the notable successful stories and top performing drivers on the forum, they all have this trait. I guarantee Old School (as a great example) will never be above learning something from others; be it instructors, more senior drivers, management or even a rookie on this forum for that matter. It's the willingness to never stop learning and the attitude that although, having reached the pinnacle of our profession; always exercising great humility when it comes to accepting input, learning from others and putting it into practice. None of us should ever be so high and "all knowing", that we place ourselves above this very basic ingredient of the initial wins and long-term success. Especially drivers eclipsing their first year, headed into the sophomore path of their career. There is so much more to be learned and experienced beyond year one, only the very tip of the iceberg.

I honestly think being "Coachable" separates the bad from the good and elevates the "good" to "great" and is the key component required for consistent and sustainable performance.

Begs the question many of us are likely asking right now... "Am I coachable?" Is it something you want to be, or think you need to be?

If you flat-out, honestly can say; "no", then I sincerely suggest focusing on "that" above everything else listed as traits of a top performing driver. As a student, absolutely critical to your success. Just take a look at the commonality of students who although get past the drug test, ultimately fall on their sword...their traits are many times hardheaded, rigid, ego-driven and emotional; thus un-coachable leading to imminent failure. As an experienced driver, not that much different, still vitally important, possibly lifesaving.

"Coachable" really should be on the list, perhaps at the very top. Looking forward to see where this goes...

I think this thread is highly relevant and important, at the essence of what we strive to do here.

The list will likely continue to grow and remain interesting for quite some time. As I read, reread current, active threads and past topics I see a recurring theme. One that may not be so obvious to the casual observer/member. We work in an industry that is top-heavy with initial schooling and training. It's highly selective and intense, overall does barely an adequate job of preparing new drivers. We all know it can always improve, the people/personality element being the greatest challenge to overcome. But it works to get us started.

The focus is and always has been on all of the schooling and initial training, 90-95% of training is over and done after 3-6 months. Unless you happen to be a high-risk driver, accidents HOS violations, most of us receive very little organized, purposeful training beyond year 1. Even the mission of Trucking Truth is not too far removed from that concept; get students and drivers through the very difficult and challenging first year. Then what? Do we know-it-all at that point? Something to think about as this list evolves into a model with much greater purpose.

In keeping with that theme I'd like to introduce the top performing driver trait of "Coachable" or "Coachability"...

Here is a great definition:

Coachability is the willingness to be corrected and to act on that correction accordingly. When we are Coachable, we are prepared to accept our mistakes and withstand a high degree of candor needed to correct them.

Kind of like accountable, but much more than "just that". Take that all in for a moment...

If you take a cursory look at all of the notable successful stories and top performing drivers on the forum, they all have this trait. I guarantee Old School (as a great example) will never be above learning something from others; be it instructors, more senior drivers, management or even a rookie on this forum for that matter. It's the willingness to never stop learning and the attitude that although, having reached the pinnacle of our profession; always exercising great humility when it comes to accepting input, learning from others and putting it into practice. None of us should ever be so high and "all knowing", that we place ourselves above this very basic ingredient of the initial wins and long-term success. Especially drivers eclipsing their first year, headed into the sophomore path of their career. There is so much more to be learned and experienced beyond year one, only the very tip of the iceberg.

I honestly think being "Coachable" separates the bad from the good and elevates the "good" to "great" and is the key component required for consistent and sustainable performance.

Begs the question many of us are likely asking right now... "Am I coachable?" Is it something you want to be, or think you need to be?

If you flat-out, honestly can say; "no", then I sincerely suggest focusing on "that" above everything else listed as traits of a top performing driver. As a student, absolutely critical to your success. Just take a look at the commonality of students who although get past the drug test, ultimately fall on their sword...their traits are many times hardheaded, rigid, ego-driven and emotional; thus un-coachable leading to imminent failure. As an experienced driver, not that much different, still vitally important, possibly lifesaving.

"Coachable" really should be on the list, perhaps at the very top. Looking forward to see where this goes...

Great word!! Exactly what I was looking for the other day when rambling on about teaming!

As I've said before on this site; "I'm definitely stealing that!".... it's a perfect summation of a highly important way of thinking when considering one's own thoughts and actions in response to any given situation. Especially when seeking/needing advice.

Brilliant G-town! 👍😀

Thanks Simon. Several recent threads and an email exchange with Brett, prompted/motivated my post. Certainly not a new concept, but typically we tend to focus on the one doing the "Coaching", as opposed to the one receiving it. A different, at times touchy dynamic.

Cannot have one without the other,...hand-in-glove. Coaching someone that is un-coachable is nothing more than preaching to an empty room.

T: Tenacity
O: Open Minded
P: Patient

T: Tactful
I: Independent
E: Extrovert
R: Respectful

D: Determined
R: Road worthy
I: Intelligent
V: Very Safe
E: Extremely Cautious
R: Repetition

I tried there to come up with words or groups of words that fit each letter in the phrase Top Tier Driver. I hope I did good here. If yall can think of somethin better than what I have please put it in here. 😁

That was fantastic!

Thanks Brett. That means a lot. 😁

Foresighted. When it comes to REALLY maxing out your miles, I've found that 70 to be one of your biggest enemies. A really good driver should always be planning as many days ahead as possible with regards to that clock. It can save you a lot in the long term if you can time your 34 resets with customer off-hours, shop-time, or other unavoidable delays.

Bumping this...

It was stated before, and alluded to in a couple other posts here such as the most recent by G-Town;

Honesty - You cannot begin to fix a problem and improve yourself until you own that problem "Yep, I screwed up"

We live in a world where we are taught by those that lead us "it is always okay to blame the other guy", it is often times very hard to accept responsibility for our own actions. Okay so you hit a concrete block because you pulled ahead too far to straighten up in order to back into that parking spot, dock, etc....Please stop blaming the contractor who put it there 3 months ago for placing it three one hundredths of an inch to far to the west, please stop blaming the truck parked beside you for being parked a little crooked and forcing you to make a difficult maneuver, please stop telling me how many other drivers have hit it and how many thousands of them came up to you after you hit the concrete block and told you it shouldn't have been there. Just be honest and say "I Screwed Up." It really is the start of making yourself a better person, even if it does dent the pride a bit for the moment.

Sorry I haven't been around much lately, will try to get back on track. Slowpoke

Is their a such thing as overly cautious because some people may have a different perspective like a sharp curve saying trucks 40 mph I usually take 30-35 max if it isn’t to sharp I see others take curves at or above the posted limits sometimes? Opinion?

T: Tenacity
O: Open Minded
P: Patient

T: Tactful
I: Independent
E: Extrovert
R: Respectful

D: Determined
R: Road worthy
I: Intelligent
V: Very Safe
E: Extremely Cautious
R: Repetition

I tried there to come up with words or groups of words that fit each letter in the phrase Top Tier Driver. I hope I did good here. If yall can think of somethin better than what I have please put it in here. 😁

Man life is a yo-yo! Haven't been here to see this in a few weeks. Flexibility and patience at play lately. There's changes a brewing! Forgiveness is another one we forget. Mistakes happen.

Last week I had a sweet deal coming back to Oregon from near Morris, Illinois. I made my delivery early, and arrived at the shipper 5 hours early. They were more than happy to load me that early, but I had hauled onions 2 loads ago and the could still smell them. I had spent a night with the doors open and spread coffee to kill it. I am unable to smell it when it is that faint because I'm hauling onions every time I go East. So, I just let them do their thing and when they said they smelled garlic, I knew it was there.

I went down and got a washout and returned, they had me sit about 4 feet off the dock with the reefer running and the doors open for 2 more hours. They tried, but the manager could still smell it so after a few calls and more sniffing they finally just rejected it. In total I was there for 8 hours. I.was.HOT!

My DM found another load for the next morning out of Indianapolis and gave me the choice to try again with the next shift at the place I was or take Indy, so I boogied on Indy. Turns out they rejected 6 more trailers. Everything worked out fine for me though.

Because of the whole debacle I got a phone call from someone and got to learn more about how our freight actually moves for our company, and a few more bits about what's going on behind the scenes. It was good for me to get that info. It helped me be able to forgive the situation and leave it behind, be fair in asking for detention, and get on with it. All in all, I ended up gaining an extra 100 miles, and had that bummer day to talk to a realtor and my loan officer. Looks like I'll be buying a house real soon 😬🏜