Thank You But No Thank You

Bruce wrote:

I know this message will not get past the moderators. But I’m not going to be an active member going forward. I’m tired of the constant bullying from g-town. He criticizes me at every opportunity. Then other members pile on. G-town talks about the trucking truth charter, but he is the antipathy of it. He likes to denigrate and ridicule. He is arrogant and condensing to those of us who are trying to learn but don’t fit in his wheel house. I know he is a very prominent moderator, but my opinion is that he abuses his power. I’m not the only one he turns off, and negatively interacts with.

If I intended to abuse whatever power you perceive I have; I would have banned you weeks ago. But I didn’t. The “eject” button is saved for a select few who only want to creat trouble.

I played it straight with you Bruce and tried not to allow my personal feelings for your behavior interfere with objectivity. Although I’ve been harsh with several other recent posters, I don’t believe that was the case with you. It’s a fine line we walk…not easy to be all things to all people.

It’s unfortunate you’ve chosen to leave, there really is no tangible reason for it. You attacked me personally Bruce, without having any idea of who I really am… my objective was never to influence your departure.

So here is a thought;

You unknowingly opened up a can of worms here… however it will very quickly be forgotten and we’ll all be better off. Happy to be the first member to welcome you back. You have my word on that.

Bruce,

Brett, as well as the moderators, give a lot of leeway to each person's self-expression on the forum. You have been regular contributor to this forum, so apparently you take advantage of the forum as a means of your own brand of self-expression. The fact that others may not like your brand of self-expression , as an exercise of their own self-expression, is just part of the dynamic.

Obviously, you can leave the forum forever, but if t you decide to continue to contribute, you're going to get some commentary when people don't like your particular brand of self-expression. You can't have it both ways.

However, if you choose to leave the forum forever, see the link below that is in your band of self-expression.

Motley Crue: Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)

For the benefit of anyone else reading. Something we may post on here and get some feedback from the mods that while unpleasant, is needed and helpful.

In one of posts both Gtown and Old School gave me a dose of trucking truth. I'm glad they did. It helped checked myself beforei continued down a harmful path. I value their opinions immensely.

The mods on this site have a proven track record of success in this industry where most people fail. Gaining information from them is priceless. I personally don't need them to deliver information to me in a soft warm fuzzy manner.

Idk, though it may be hard to hear sometimes, it's usually what we need to hear.

I believe it was Brett who years ago said "We don't always say things with perfect grace, but we say it with perfect intent."

Think about that for a second.

It's often hard enough to get a point across orally. It's even more difficult to make that point in written form, or to convey the context in which we're trying to make it. Speaking for myself, I often struggle to find the perfect way to say something so that it can be universally understood not just in the present, but also in the future.

Moderators and contributors alike will sometimes spend a great deal of time and effort putting thoughts and words together on a particular discussion or thread. To have that time, effort, and teaching opportunity derailed when someone jumps in with a quick attempt at a joke is sometimes frustrating. That frustration can carry over into additional comments. This is where the intent of the comment is pure, even if the delivery is a little rough.

No matter the situation, discussion, or confrontation, I have yet to see anyone hold a grudge here. We work things out as a group and move on. Though I may have beef with someone this week, I'll gladly help them next week, or accept help from them. There's never a need to keep things going, and never a need to jump ship. It's never really that bad, is it?

I gotta chime in just because I can’t really stand by while you openly attack G Town like that. He doesn’t have an unlimited supply of patience for BS and he’ll call people out for their BS on this forum whether they’re new or experienced. I don’t see anything wrong with it and I’d say it’s actually important because new drivers come in here all the time and need to know what’s good info and what’s not. Besides that, he’s taken several drivers under his “wing,” including me my first year in trucking. I was an impetuous know it all like most new drivers and he took the time to email me and talk on the phone tons of times answering any questions I had. He’s a super nice guy and always willing to help.

G town is a mod for a reason. He’s extremely knowledgeable and cares very strongly about helping fellow drivers even if it means having to be blunt sometimes.

I have read through this thread a few times digusting it. I wholeheartedly agree with OS.

Our mission here is first and foremost education for people that are interested in this industry, or new drivers. we are not a standard social media site. There are plenty of those available.

There is a place for eveything. Humor is a good thing in its proper context. I’m a big a smart a** as anyone, but in my experience as an instructor it has a limited space.

This industry is very complex and alot of folks without any knowledge of it do not realize that. It can be a very scary time for someone as they start gaining a little knowledge. I was around trucking for many years of my life, and it was still overwhemling when I first started.

Thanks to our gov’t regulations change frequently. We as proffessional drivers are required to stay on top of all of it, because we are being held accountable daily. I learn something everyday.

All of us that have been around for years and I’m talking 8 plus take this mission very serious because we want people to succeed. We see posts regulary of folks that tanked a career before it ever got off the ground. That is heart breaking.

Brett and I think most if not all of us do not have the time to waste. We are all busy proffessionals. We freely share our best opinions, but in the end it is up to the individual what they choose to do with that information.

Some have better ways of expressing themselves than others. That is just life. Personally I am terrible at trying to sugar coat things in writing or verbally for that matter. That doesn’t mean any of us are mean people, we just don’t sugar coat things. Attacking people’s personal character is never acceptable.

Happy to be the first member to welcome you back. You have my word on that.

George beat me to the punch…

Welcome back Bruce.

We butt heads on the barefoot express thing, but G-town reminds me of my old AAA wheel lift instructor. I spent 3 weeks wanting to kill myself (figure of speech) dealing constant barrages of correction and criticisms over what I thought at the time were trivial things. Turns out, the dude rammed 4 months worth of towing knowledge into my head in less than a month. Some of those skills like: situational awareness, backing, attention to small details, focus on safety, and getting out to check for obstacles carried over to this career. We even to this day remain pretty good friends years after the fact and I even called to thank him after I received my CDL as some of his training was directly responsible for my passing.

I guess the point I'm making is we live in such a carebear society these days. Everyone is worried about offending someone or how their verbiage is perceived. And such, that works in an office space setting. But when you are rolling the dice with your life and the lives of others (which may directly involve your freedom if you kill someone) I would want someone like G-Town breaking my balls over small details. It doesn't come from a place of malice. I would take it as it is. A dose of reality. Hell, I even started wearing shoes after that exchange of the minds.

But in all seriousness, people here care. Try to absorb the good that has come from this forum as opposed to the few quips that rubbed you the wrong way. The knowledge I have received here has far surpassed any minor bumps I may have hit. Even you yourself offered me good bits of feedback. That is what community is all about. And thank you for that, by the way.

Anyhow, take care of yourself brother!