RunHard GetPaid...NOT ANYMORE!!!

Some of you (Brett especially haha) will be happy to know that Abe is no longer a truck driver...

Worth It!

Here is our original topic/video for those of you who may have missed it...

Told to drive when it's obvious you're too tired.

Here is another video explaining how he abandoned his truck for a local job, and ended up not getting the local job...

FINALLY, THE SECRET!

Well I watched a good bit of those two new videos and everything turned out exactly as I had expected from the beginning. I knew what Abe was all about 30 seconds into his first video and I figured out the truth about that whole situation at the same time. I've seen it a million times over the years.

It really goes to show how unbelievably careful you have to be when you take someone's word for something, and you have to make sure there isn't more to a story than what you've been told. Never believe one side of anything you hear.

It also goes to show how complex trucking can be....how many gray areas there are. This case seemed like an obvious open and shut case to the overwhelming majority of people who watched that first video...even a lot of experienced drivers (which really surprised and disappointed me). But truckers and office personnel alike who have been in this industry for a long time know how things work. They know how to manipulate people. They know how to make situations appear to be one way when they're actually quite the opposite. It takes a long time to learn the ropes in this industry and recognize that kind of stuff.

Abe doesn't have the work ethic for trucking. That's all there is to it. Maybe he's the nicest guy in the world. Maybe he'd be willing to die defending his family and his country. I really don't know anything else about him. But I do know what it takes to perform at a high level in trucking and Abe didn't have it in him. And like most people who fall short of the mark, Abe tried to make everyone else look bad and take the fall for his shortcomings. That is truly some remarkably sad behavior, but even more sad is how common it is.

Some people are highly motivated. They love to compete, they love to push themselves, they love a challenge and an adventure. Others would gladly sit on the couch eating potato chips and watching re-runs of Opera. I personally don't believe there's a right or wrong way to be, just the way that you feel is right for you. But more importantly than how you choose to live is the effect you have on the people around you. If you want to choke down potato chips until you're the size of a blimp and lay on the couch every day waiting to die then God Bless America because you have that right. But when you decide you're going to do whatever you feel like doing and force others to pick up the slack for you or pay the price you should be paying for your own decisions then you've crossed the line and you're stepping on the rights of those around you to make a great life for themselves. Shame on you for that.

I'm glad the truth came out in the end because it's such a great lesson for all of the newbies coming into this industry. It really shows you how complex trucking can be and it shows you how careful you have to be when choosing your sources of information.

I personally don't believe there's a right or wrong way to be, just the way that you feel is right for you.

Brett, I don't want to take this out of context, but you made a curious statement. Before I comment in detail on this, mind clarifying? Here's why I'm asking. I'm not saying this applies to you - because I don't know that yet - but I personally find it untenable to have convictions and yet lack the ability to hold another to the same standard. It's not even distasteful to me, it is simply nonsense. It has the putrid stench of relativism, and is a nihilistic paradox. And I'm not just talking about ethics. What I'm alluding to is not popular by our society's standards. One lacks a certain 'authority' when making definitive statements about how to live, and yet holds back from holding others to that standard. To say you believe in a certain thing, hold certain ideas or values to be better than others, i.e. making a moral or aesthetic judgment, but then stop short and say, "but that's OK for you, as long as you don't affect somebody else," simply doesn't hold water. It lacks authority. Even a utilitarian school of thought is not afraid to make judgments, and hold others to the same standard.

You are a man of conviction, I'm curious about the statement you made. I'm looking forward to a thoughtful discussion.

Just awesome. Could not have happened to a better person. One less slacker in the trucking industry.

Just awesome. Could not have happened to a better person. One less slacker in the trucking industry.

One less driver I have to repower a load from.

Love how the video telling how awesomely prepared he is and how we'll he is doing is shot from his Mom's basement. I have a sneAking suspicion that "moms basement" is a euphemism for "home."

Love how the video telling how awesomely prepared he is and how we'll he is doing is shot from his Mom's basement. I have a sneaking suspicion that "moms basement" is a euphemism for "home."

I thought the same thing immediately. I also love how in the one video he stresses, "I'm doing absolutely nothing" and he's clearly overjoyed about it.

The part that didn't make sense to me about the original video, where he talks about the ugly truth, is why he didn't just go take a nap. I understand that he was tired because of back to back 10 hour breaks and not getting any sleep yada yada. But why not take an hour nap instead of trying to get someone else to completely take over the load? Maybe it would have made him late, but at least he would have done what he was being paid to do which is deliver freight. All I know is that this guy didn't impress me much and seemed to me to be looking for a way out of doing what he told the company he'd do--deliver the load.

And abandoning the truck is a definite no-no in the trucking industry. Maybe you get a temporary sense of satisfaction from giving your employer your basic "eff you" when you abandon a truck, but the price you end up paying in the long run just isn't worth it.

I personally find it untenable to have convictions and yet lack the ability to hold another to the same standard

I see what you're saying. But I don't believe I have the right to expect people to live up to my standards unless I'm paying them or I'm allowing them to play an intricate role in the outcome of my life. I set my standards high for myself and I expect to live up to them. But just as I wouldn't want to be forced to live at a lower standard, I wouldn't try to force others to live to my standards.

I believe in and live by old school principles. Do unto others....give and ye shall receive...when the going gets tough, the tough get going....etc. I was raised in a small town, in a blue collar family, by parents that had a tremendous amount of pride and integrity. My dad was the steel worker who would famously expect the very best of me and say, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." My mom worked full time as a bookkeeper and would famously say, "A good man works hard and treats a woman like a princess." They were very intelligent and liked a simple, peaceful life of family and friends that they built through old fashioned hard work and dedication.

I would love to see people live to a much higher standard. I wish healthy eating and rigorous exercise was a part of everyone's daily lives, especially with kids as part of their schooling, starting in Kindergarten. I wish everyone had to play sports in school and spend two years in the military after high school. I wish everyone had to learn the intricacies of running a business or working as part of a team toward a challenging goal. I wish people would study the various philosophies and religions so they can understand each other better and find a better way to approach life and view the world around them.

There's a million things that most people could do to really enjoy their lives so much more than they today. And although I'm more than happy to share my views and my experiences, I don't try to force people or expect people to live the way I do.