It's Not My Fault I Failed

Hmmmmm, interesting comments. Well let me say first off I did serve this great country. 8 1/2 years US Navy, BT1 (E-6) upon seperation. 1977-1985. I also am a LIFE member of the American Legion, and very proud to be. The trucking industry and military do have some things in common. CDL schools tell you things like where to be, when to be there, when to go to the bathroom, when too go to eat, and when your done for tbe day. Maybe military boot camp has changed a bit from 1977 but they also told me all those things. Mechanically they are far different in mission. As for driving out here on the road. I have a dispatcher who tells me what loads I am picking up, when and where that is too happen, and where it is going. Oh and when too be there as well. Customers vary on schedules, but those schedules are usually very tight and if your late you either are turned away or put to the end of the line. I’m told every day what to do to some extent. Routing is another issue that varies. Some companies are very strict, while others give drivers more discretion. Time management, well lets just say good ole uncle sam makes that a challenge with all the rules. Violate those and see what occurs next. Here is my point. Both business’s and yes the military is a business, require skill and disipline. Both are regemented in scheduling and regulations, both require honesty and intergrity too the highest degree, and both require periods of seperation from family. The last one being extremly hard for a vast amount of folks. Missions are very different of course, but the intrinsic qualities required are similiar. Just my cent and a half.

I disagree. Trucking is nothing like service.

I disagree. Trucking is nothing like service.

Sorry if i offended you but i was trying to use an analogy in military terms for Rob to get a basic understanding of the various phases because he is very interested and mentioned his service.

I did not mean they are literally the same. It is actually an analogy my ex used a lot after he retired 22 years of Army 11B having been in combat deployment for most of it, and then went through trucking school. The "boot camp" idea is you just get through it for a short period and get it over with. It is intense and unique from anything you have done before. The OCS is you think you are better than those after you but are learning a totally different set of skills but still dont know crap.

So i admit im not military but tried to relate something and failed. Sorry. I was back home crying and reading casualty lists when i didnt have contact. sending care packages and trying to talk my guy from suicide. i dealt with years of nightmares and doctors and was a support system. So I know enough that i have seen the aftermath. I didnt mean disrespect which is how you took it.

However, "Lick my sack" is really unprofessional and purposely disrespectful.

You people need to stop comparing trucking to combat.

Actually no, we don't.

Rainy, you should not apologize for donating your time and expertise to helping others understand the trucking industry. You've done a fantastic job of explaining things, as always, and so has G-Town and PJ. Your military analogy is perfectly fine. Perfectly fine.

If Hobo isn't mentally capable of understanding why we would make such a simple and harmless analogy then I feel for him. I'm sure that inability to use simple reasoning along with his utter lack of appreciation and professionalism has caused all kinds of problems in his life which clearly have him frustrated. But none of that is anything we should apologize for. All we've done is try to help.

I've made the analogy myself with trucking and the military, and it's a good one:

The Boot Camp Approach To Trucking

Hobo, even if you don't have any class or gratitude it would make your life easier if you'd at least imitate someone who does. I used to jokingly tell my niece and nephew when they were little kids, "We're going out in public. Now remember, don't be yourselves.......be someone better!"

I would offer the same advice to you if you want to continue participating here, otherwise just please watch silently from the sidelines and let those with a little more class participate. There are plenty of places on the Web for that kind of behavior and it should have been obvious to you by now that this is not one of them. But I'm starting to realize that some things may not be as obvious to you as they might be to others.

I disagree. Trucking is nothing like service.

Hobo as a vet of 18 years, and an experienced driver I must disagree with your disagreement. PJ was correct in his assessment. Those personality, personal values and skills that makes someone thrive in the military, allows someone to thrive in trucking.

As the saying goes: My chest is my resume. Mine is long and colorful, with lots of shiny stuff around it! I have “been there, done that!” I do have the t-shirt to prove it!

As the saying goes: My chest is my resume

I would LOVE to see your chest.

Did i say that????

Had to lighten the topic.

And thanks for cleaning up my anaolgy.

I was in the military so I can understand the comparison of the guy fresh out of basic thinking that he knows more than a guy who spent 2 years in a combat zone. Hobo, if you disagree with that then I question whether you were actually in the military. I also understand the comparison of the training being more stressful than the regular job. In basic training I listened to drill instructors explain to the recruits that your four years in the Marines is not going to be as stressful as basic. The stress in basic is intentional because they are preparing you for combat. So Hobo, they have made some valid points. I served in the peacetime military, but I agree that your worst day ever in trucking (absent dying in a fiery crash) is better than any firefight. Hobo, your responses show the point that I was trying to make: just because you haven't "been there" doesn't mean you can't understand. And if you still want to play the bad*** military role, post on here the next you are in St. Louis and I'll meet you with some friends of mine that meet whatever bad*** military criteria you will respect. You tell me what works for you: Green Beret, Army Ranger, Force Recon, Navy Seal. You tell me and I'll bring them. Because, I've never heard any of them tell someone to lick their sack because they tried to understand what it's like to be in the military.

The Jaws Perspective:

Given the discussion about the average age of folks on this forum, I expect that most people have seen Jaws, which I think might explain my point better. Maybe some of new folks see experienced drivers as Quint. "Tie me a sheepshank." And Hobo's response has the same Quint attitude.

But remember in the movie when they were showing their scars? Despite all of Quint's sailor bravado, he was reluctant to talk about the Indianapolis. The point being, as has been my experience with combat veterans, people don't brag about horribly traumatic life altering experiences. People brag about tough experiences that made them grow as a person. And most of these tough experiences that made them grow, they would probably do again if they had the chance. What I've seen so far, is that the lessons that the experienced drivers are trying to explain is that without the tough experiences they wouldn't have become a top tier driver. New drivers will need to have those same tough experiences, but if they listen to the experienced drivers, those experiences might not be as tough.

And as you'll remember from Jaws, Quint didn't survive. Hooper did. But it was Brody, the guy afraid of the water, who shot the tank that killed the shark.

Hobo makes me laugh.

Hobo makes me laugh.

Hmmmmm, Hobo sure sounds like a common Troll to me, just sayin'.