Old School

You wouldn't happen to be sitting at a Loves off I-29 in Sioux city, Ia would you? There is a Western Express skateboard here.

OS is truck #1336

Wish I would have seen this 10 minutes ago I just saw that truck pull out. I could have gotten a peak and see if it was him.

Wish I would have seen this 10 minutes ago I just saw that truck pull out. I could have gotten a peak and see if it was him.

A few days ago he said he was going into CA so I highly doubt it was him.

Nope, that wasn't me, I've been in Mexifornia the past few days fighting their traffic, breathing their smog, trying to stay within their speed limits and turning the dial like crazy trying to find a radio station that was in my native language. Daniel, I did have to go up in the L.A. area (Compton) but I didn't come across any of your Russian goons out to get me, guess I'll have to get a little closer to your neighborhood before I get myself into some real trouble.

OS do you like western express? I have read terrible things about that company.

OS do you like western express? I have read terrible things about that company.

Okay, time for a teaching moment.

Mr. W, a warm welcome to you sir, we are glad to have you here in this forum!

First let me say that I love working at Western Express, but more importantly the answer is that I just love being an over the road truck driver. The independence and the ability to make my own way through the obstacles that we encounter everyday as professional truck drivers are the things that I love about this job. As a truck driver you will live and die in this career by your ability to accept and overcome the daily challenges you face - that is true no matter which company you work for. Most people don't think of it this way, but truck driving is a very competitive career. You not only compete against the elements of weather, crazy drivers, tight schedules, government regulations, and unrealistic expectations by management, but you are also competing within your company for freight and gravy runs being doled out by the planners and dispatchers at your chosen employer. It is literally a competition at all levels.

Now the current, very skewed, trend of thinking (thanks to sites like The Truckers Report) is that there are good companies and bad companies out there to work for and as long as you make a good choice in who you are going to work for then you will get lots of miles, easily obtainable bonuses, and be living on easy street cashing fat paychecks and smoking big fancy cigars while you are cruising down the road in a brand new Peterbilt with leather seats and all the amenities.

The truth about this career is that the cream rises to the top. What I'm saying is that the best performing drivers are the ones that make the good money, get the great miles, and enjoy the satisfaction of overcoming the odds that are stacked against them everyday. It's not easy street; every day brings new challenges and new resourceful solutions to the challenges at hand. Every driver succeeds or falls by his own standard of measurement - you set the bar yourself - and if you are the type that likes to compete and excel at the things you are doing you will be very successful at this career.

The choice of company you work for should be one of the lowest things on your radar as a beginner, yet it remains the highest concern for most new drivers. I'm convinced this is why these web sites that seem to be devoted to bashing trucking companies have such a large following. So many people are set up to have false expectations when they enter this field that they are continuously disappointed by the companies they work for. They feel like they are being mistreated and abused by a cruel taskmaster that only wants to pay them beans while they are making millions. That's why we see people using terms like "indentured servitude", or even "slave labor" when referring to their truck driving jobs.

I had a tough start when I first entered this arena and got rejected by three different orientations that I went to with what I thought were really good companies to work for. Well, I had a pre-hire letter from Western Express, but they were low on my radar because of just exactly what you said. I never have seen one good thing posted anywhere about this company. In fact, one could assume the devil himself was running the operation from all the reports you could find on them. If you want to know what things are really like here at Western Express I want you to read a little journal I did about a brief time period I spent on the road with my daughter riding along with me. I think you will agree that life is good over here at Western Express.

Forgive me if this is going on like a dissertation, but I think it is an important point for anyone just entering this field to understand. You will determine your success or failure in this career. It has nothing to do with your choice of company. Use some critical thinking skills and consider this: there is not a single thing that these various freight companies can do to distinguish themselves from each other. They're all trying to accomplish the same goals with virtually the same equipment, using the same roads, burning the same fuels, encumbered by the same regulations. They are stifled when it comes to standing out in the crowd. The only part of their operation that isn't stifled is the individual driver. He can prove himself to be better than his peers, and the ones that do this are successful no matter where it is that they are employed.

Now the current, very skewed, trend of thinking (thanks to sites like The Truckers Report) is that there are good companies and bad companies out there to work for and as long as you make a good choice in who you are going to work for then you will get lots of miles, easily obtainable bonuses, and be living on easy street cashing fat paychecks and smoking big fancy cigars while you are cruising down the road in a brand new Peterbilt with leather seats and all the amenities.

That's awesome!!

And here I was thinking I spotted the man, the myth , the legend.

And here I was thinking I spotted the man, the myth , the legend.

He's definitely good at avoiding us. Missed him by 60 miles today. Ergh!