A Thank You, And A Promise To Our Community

I have devoted every day of my life over the past 13 years to helping people get their trucking career off to a great start. My favorite part of this journey is the community of incredible people we've assembled right here in our forum.  The people in our community enjoy sharing their journey with others who have chosen the same path. Those of us who have been down that path love to help others navigate the challenges and find their own success. 

We've helped many thousands of people get their trucking career off to a great start and we've all made a lot of friends along the way. I'm so proud of what we've accomplished that it's hard to put into words. This mission is something I've always been passionate about. It remains as inspiring as ever to this day, and it will continue to inspire me for many years to come. That's why I'm always looking for ways we can get better.

The other day, I spoke with one of our moderators, Kearsey (formerly known as Rainy), who is as good as they come. She's an amazing driver and an amazing person who is just as passionate about helping others as I am. We had a fantastic conversation because she helped me see how we could get better.

Kearsey made me realize that we've become too harsh with folks. We're too focused on the negatives. It's good that we want to prepare people for the tough challenges they'll face in trucking, but we've gotten away from the most important thing we can do for people who come to us for help:

empathize, encourage, and inspire. 

I've always prided myself on being tough, and I am very tough. Growing up, the saying I heard more than any other was, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." I'm so thankful that my parents taught me how important it was to be tenacious, relentless, and unshakable. 

But they also inspired me at every turn. They didn't just criticize me for falling off the horse. They empathized with me because they've fallen off many times themselves. They encouraged me to brush myself off and get back on again because they knew that's what it takes to become successful and live an amazing life. They inspired me when they helped me understand that I could be anything I wanted to be in life if I would just keep pursuing my dreams, especially when they seemed out of reach. 

Kearsey helped me see that though our intentions are good, our methods must improve. We need to be more friendly, more helpful, and more inspiring. Yes, we should still point out the difficulties people will face and let them know if they're taking the wrong approach. But we should always make sure we empathize, encourage, and inspire. 

I can't thank Kearsey enough for pointing this out to me. I asked for her advice and she really let me have it, the way only a Jersey girl can. Bless her heart for that. I needed it. That's what a true friend and caring person will do for you. They'll tell you what you need to know about yourself so you can get better.  

My new goal is to make sure I always empathize, encourage, and inspire. I will be better at doing those things, starting today, and that will help make this a better community where people aren't afraid to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. 

Another new goal I have is to make sure I give people the answers they need and to help them find new goals to shoot for instead of just shooting down their misconceptions or pointing out their mistakes. It's far more important to point someone in the right direction and encourage them to keep pursuing their goal than it is to criticize them for getting off-track and telling them why they're failing. In both cases, you want to see the person succeed, but if they're afraid to come to you for fear of criticism and condemnation, they won't give you the opportunity to help, which is an opportunity we'd all love to have. It's why we're all here.

As a constant reminder to myself and to our community that our goal must be to empathize, encourage, and inspire, I have put those words at the top of our forum. We must follow our good intentions with the right actions if we hope to help people the way we'd like to and reach our goal of being the friendliest and most helpful community in the trucking industry. If you know me, you know I never settle for being second best at anything. I know the people in this community, and I know you feel the same. 

Thank you, Kearsey, for telling me what I needed to know about myself so I can get better, and thanks to all of you who have given so much of your time and yourselves to make this community a truly special one. 

Our mission is inspiring and noble, and we must be equally so. I will embrace that challenge.  

Sure, you can be a little rough sometimes. For the most part you and many of the contributors (moderator or not) give solid information.

The issue is that people are defensive and sensitive. If somebody comes on here and says "I failed a drug test, help!" There isn't anything you can do about that. You say "you messed up. Go work a warehouse for a couple of years and try again". The typical response is "I thought you people help. That's not helping, forget it I'm leaving".

A lot of the times you start out empathic, but when someone criticizes your advice it goes out the window and rightfully so.

You and I have had a couple of back and forths (not as bad as others) and I learned that you're right. I'm making excuses and I have to do what I have to do. I also learned not to believe everything I hear it read.

The approach that you and G-Town took when addressing my questions helped me realize that I'm in control of my future. I can't do anything about yesterday, but I can change tomorrow.

It isn't a bad thing to be harsh sometimes. Some people need that. You have a large range of personalities here and they all contribute different things. Old School teaches you how to be efficient and top tier. Rainy (I'm sticking with it) tells you what's what and that's what it is. G-Town gives solid advice on skills and how to avoid preventables. Packrat has shown that your adversity is your creation and Rick knows so much about the legality of this industry that he should be charging fees. I learned that I can start out local (not recommended) because Rob did it and Turtle just landed a job he's wanted for years because he is a top tier driver.

This site isn't here to hold hands or direct people. It's more of a guide to your goal. Any path you want to take in trucking is laid out in a blueprint on this site. We don't insult anyone, but feelings get hurt because bad information will get called out and so will excuses. A forum can't make you fill out an app and show up for orientation, but it can tell you what to expect and how to overcome some obstacles. You can't help people that can't see past their feelings.

I can't agree more, Brett. Nearly every post here by "the usual gang" is written with tough love, meant to be the real truth, where we calls 'em as we sees 'em. Personally, I've always tried to at least close out a post with a bit of "pat on the back".

One issue I'm conscious of is the difference between written words like we have here and a face to face conversation. If we were in a Drivers Anonymous meeting, with chairs in a circle talking about the issues we bring up, our voices, facial expressions and bodies would carry more information than the letters on a screen do.

Imagine saying "I don't think so" out loud. Angrily. Now laughingly. Then with love and concern. Those four words carry a different meaning each time. This is a trip-up that I've seen most of us hit every once in a while.

I've read things on other less tightly moderated trucking forums and feel the talk is too loose, that posters gang up, the information people put into a topic is often slanted. The great thing about Trucking Truth forums is that it's hard to get in bad information. And the good, deeper back-up documentation is kept here, just clicks away.

And I'm going to second your praise for Kearsey. She signed on to TT "escaping" a stifling Post Office career, and was able to open up her talents (and a dungeon, too, I understand) to our benefit. Check out her YouTube channel, Truckin Along With Kearsey

And thank you, Mr. Brett Aquila, for providing other similarly motivated truckers a place to continue helping others find their way into a really exciting career.

Thanks for noticing this.

I've heard from a few people (some older members) that the tone here has recently gotten a little harsh at times.

Fact of the matter is: some people just CANNOT COMPREHEND or just DON'T WANT TO HEAR/BELIEVE what we are attempting to enlighten them with. And it gets understandably frustrating. But if a person is resistant to suggestion, bashing them isn't going to get the point across either.

But lately - it has sometimes devolved a conversation into personal attacks (on both sides of the convo) - and we end up looking like "the other trucking boards" out there - which is something NONE OF US WANT.

The best thing to do, when faced with obstinacy or negativity - is just MOVE ON. There are a lot of discussions I just DON'T JUMP ON - because they are so awash in negativity, frustration and personalization - that anything POSITIVE that I could contribute, would just be lost in the "noise". So I just click "return to general category" and move along.

The contributors/mods/etc. here - are all VOLUNTEERS - no one is compensated. WE give THE MOST VALUABLE THING WE HAVE - OUR TIME. And for our folks OTR - it is ALL THAT MUCH MORE VALUABLE, because they have so little of it to spare.

But it's a WASTE OF TIME to personalize, or be mean spirited about it (whether the object of our frustration is deserving or not). It's akin to INTERNET ROAD RAGE - and WE'RE BIGGER PEOPLE THAN THAT.

I get this on FB alot - where my comments (however backed by FACT they are) are an invitation for pile-ons (arguably, for people here who see me on social media, they are political in nature - something I keep off this board). In which case - I DELETE the comment thread (including my own). As tempting as it is to want to WIN AN INTERNET ARGUMENT.

So thanks for noticing this Brett - and thanks for being a big enough man to bring this to everyone's attention in such a public manner. One or two members had asked if I would speak to you on the topic (because they know we communicate off-board occasionally), but I didn't think it was my place. And thanks to Kearsey, for stepping up.

Let's get back to being informative, helpful, INSPIRING and FACTUAL. Bringing the TRUCKING TRUTH can be RAW TRUTH, without being RAW IN DELIVERY.

Regards to all...

Rick

Thanks for noticing this.

I've heard from a few people (some older members) that the tone here has recently gotten a little harsh at times.

Fact of the matter is: some people just CANNOT COMPREHEND or just DON'T WANT TO HEAR/BELIEVE what we are attempting to enlighten them with. And it gets understandably frustrating. But if a person is resistant to suggestion, bashing them isn't going to get the point across either.

But lately - it has sometimes devolved a conversation into personal attacks (on both sides of the convo) - and we end up looking like "the other trucking boards" out there - which is something NONE OF US WANT.

The best thing to do, when faced with obstinacy or negativity - is just MOVE ON. There are a lot of discussions I just DON'T JUMP ON - because they are so awash in negativity, frustration and personalization - that anything POSITIVE that I could contribute, would just be lost in the "noise". So I just click "return to general category" and move along.

The contributors/mods/etc. here - are all VOLUNTEERS - no one is compensated. WE give THE MOST VALUABLE THING WE HAVE - OUR TIME. And for our folks OTR - it is ALL THAT MUCH MORE VALUABLE, because they have so little of it to spare.

But it's a WASTE OF TIME to personalize, or be mean spirited about it (whether the object of our frustration is deserving or not). It's akin to INTERNET ROAD RAGE - and WE'RE BIGGER PEOPLE THAN THAT.

I get this on FB alot - where my comments (however backed by FACT they are) are an invitation for pile-ons (arguably, for people here who see me on social media, they are political in nature - something I keep off this board). In which case - I DELETE the comment thread (including my own). As tempting as it is to want to WIN AN INTERNET ARGUMENT.

So thanks for noticing this Brett - and thanks for being a big enough man to bring this to everyone's attention in such a public manner. One or two members had asked if I would speak to you on the topic (because they know we communicate off-board occasionally), but I didn't think it was my place. And thanks to Kearsey, for stepping up.

Let's get back to being informative, helpful, INSPIRING and FACTUAL. Bringing the TRUCKING TRUTH can be RAW TRUTH, without being RAW IN DELIVERY.

Regards to all...

Rick

I have devoted every day of my life over the past 13 years to helping people get their trucking career off to a great start. My favorite part of this journey is the community of incredible people we've assembled right here in our forum.  The people in our community enjoy sharing their journey with others who have chosen the same path. Those of us who have been down that path love to help others navigate the challenges and find their own success. 

We've helped many thousands of people get their trucking career off to a great start and we've all made a lot of friends along the way. I'm so proud of what we've accomplished that it's hard to put into words. This mission is something I've always been passionate about. It remains as inspiring as ever to this day, and it will continue to inspire me for many years to come. That's why I'm always looking for ways we can get better.

The other day, I spoke with one of our moderators, Kearsey (formerly known as Rainy), who is as good as they come. She's an amazing driver and an amazing person who is just as passionate about helping others as I am. We had a fantastic conversation because she helped me see how we could get better.

Kearsey made me realize that we've become too harsh with folks. We're too focused on the negatives. It's good that we want to prepare people for the tough challenges they'll face in trucking, but we've gotten away from the most important thing we can do for people who come to us for help:

empathize, encourage, and inspire. 

I've always prided myself on being tough, and I am very tough. Growing up, the saying I heard more than any other was, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." I'm so thankful that my parents taught me how important it was to be tenacious, relentless, and unshakable. 

But they also inspired me at every turn. They didn't just criticize me for falling off the horse. They empathized with me because they've fallen off many times themselves. They encouraged me to brush myself off and get back on again because they knew that's what it takes to become successful and live an amazing life. They inspired me when they helped me understand that I could be anything I wanted to be in life if I would just keep pursuing my dreams, especially when they seemed out of reach. 

Kearsey helped me see that though our intentions are good, our methods must improve. We need to be more friendly, more helpful, and more inspiring. Yes, we should still point out the difficulties people will face and let them know if they're taking the wrong approach. But we should always make sure we empathize, encourage, and inspire. 

I can't thank Kearsey enough for pointing this out to me. I asked for her advice and she really let me have it, the way only a Jersey girl can. Bless her heart for that. I needed it. That's what a true friend and caring person will do for you. They'll tell you what you need to know about yourself so you can get better.  

My new goal is to make sure I always empathize, encourage, and inspire. I will be better at doing those things, starting today, and that will help make this a better community where people aren't afraid to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. 

Another new goal I have is to make sure I give people the answers they need and to help them find new goals to shoot for instead of just shooting down their misconceptions or pointing out their mistakes. It's far more important to point someone in the right direction and encourage them to keep pursuing their goal than it is to criticize them for getting off-track and telling them why they're failing. In both cases, you want to see the person succeed, but if they're afraid to come to you for fear of criticism and condemnation, they won't give you the opportunity to help, which is an opportunity we'd all love to have. It's why we're all here.

As a constant reminder to myself and to our community that our goal must be to empathize, encourage, and inspire, I have put those words at the top of our forum. We must follow our good intentions with the right actions if we hope to help people the way we'd like to and reach our goal of being the friendliest and most helpful community in the trucking industry. If you know me, you know I never settle for being second best at anything. I know the people in this community, and I know you feel the same. 

Thank you, Kearsey, for telling me what I needed to know about myself so I can get better, and thanks to all of you who have given so much of your time and yourselves to make this community a truly special one. 

Our mission is inspiring and noble, and we must be equally so. I will embrace that challenge.  

   

And THIS is what sets THE BEST apart from the rest.

Thanks Kearsey and Brett! And thank you Moderators! Five years ago tomorrow, I took, AND PASSED, my permit test using only the HRTP to prepare. It’s likely I could not have achieved what I have without this website and the Moderators here.

Thanks again! 👍

Wow, Brett! For a moment there I was afraid you were leaving!

Love this site and love helping those that need it. I really appreciate the support I received from earlier this year, too.

Everyone here has been nothin but super great to me here. Sometimes the tough love approach as Errol put it is what we need to hunker down and get things done. I have mentioned this in the past but will provide an example:

CRST Expedited Trucking School And Training Program Cedar Rapids, IA. A (re) Training Diary By Millionmiler24 Page 7

That link is to Page 7 of my diary. 6th reply down on that page, 3rd reply from G-Town on that page.

Those words lit a fire under my rear end to truly wake up as he said and get this done. As I have said before I honestly don’t think I would have made it through school if it hadn’t been for G-Town’s tough love and inspiration. A lot of people with thicker skin than me would have told him to go f himself for talkin to them like that and never would have come back on here, but I have about a thin to Medium skin, however I took his words to heart, rethought my approach, and got it done the next day. I am LIVING PROOF that if I can do this job, ANYONE can. Trucking has been the ONLY job I have ever been good at and I wake up every day and thank the good lord that this wonderful company CRST continues to let me train their drivers. I never would have thought any company would think I was good enough to train their drivers however I every single day am honored to do so.

Thank you Brett and ALL the Moderators on here for yalls help and motivation and inspiration over the years that have helped mold me into the successful driver I am today. Y’all laid out the guide and I got it done.

Also, I want to address another situation on here from a post not quite that long ago:

Who Should Go First

Bottom of that first page the reply from PackRat. I couldn’t copy and paste it here for some reason but I must say:

Telling me I was ignorant really hit home with me more however that comment was the reason that I haven’t been quite as active on here however the time off from the site really got me thinking about that and I realized PackRat you were 100% right to call me out on that.

Brett I took your advice and reread the post ya linked me there and I have decided as soon as it’s financially feasible I will be obtainin me a CB for my truck. This is another way this forum has been a LEGENDARY help to me and I truly am thankful and grateful to have y’all here to set us all straight. I am glad for the new change but depending on who a person is, the tough love approach works sometimes and also the empathy, encouragement and inspiration approach works when the tough love approach doesn’t. I am a hybrid person in that respect as I stated above. The tough love approach works part of the time and the empathy, encouragement and inspiration approach works the other part of the time. It just depends on who’s settin me straight. 😜

Anyway again Thanks Brett, OS, G-Town, PackRat and the countless others who have helped me over the years. I’m not goin anywhere and am glad to be back on here on a more regular basis. I sure have missed y’all and hope to meet y’all all someday. 😜

As I’ve said before I love y’all like family. CRST and TT are 2 families I’m proud to be a part of and have in my life. 😜

A thank you to everyone involved at this site. The study resources are second to none, and the advice given is also top notch. Sometimes it may have been a little harsh, but often times text seems harsh because you cant put a tone on text. I haven't posted much but I'm here nearly everyday checking the tracker and reading.

Thanks again everyone who participates in discussion here. Recently met a reader here who lurks, and had questions about Millis. Was at a fuel island and he came over for a chat. Talked so much in fact I left the nozzle in the right fuel tank, and started to pull away. Thank God my wife was on the truck and noticed or I would've really screwed up.