Before Direct Deposit Existed

How in the world did driver's get their money before direct deposit existed?

Dejuan, there was a time when most drivers had their pay transferred to a card like Comdata where they could get access to it at the truck stops. Before that, as strange as it may seem, the trucking companies would try to route their drivers by the office once every two weeks so they could pick up their check, or in some cases their family members might live close by the terminal and be allowed to come get the check, or it could also be mailed to your home address.

Imagine having to mail your BOLs and your paperwork in for payment, or having to use a pay phone at the truck stop so you could call home, or find out what your next load will be from your dispatcher. Back in the day there were pay phones at the tables in the truck stop cafes, or a separate room set aside with 10 or 15 pay phones lined up against the wall with a bench full of anxious drivers trying to find out what they needed to do next. Yes, times are good today. I still remember when if a truck driver had a flat tire he would pull over to the side of the road, remove the wheel and start breaking the bead with a sledge hammer so he could get his spare tire on to the wheel, then put it all back together so he could get rolling again.

We've a new generation of drivers today who have little or no sense of what their forerunners went through to survive at this career. We've got it so good, but if you look at our prevalent attitudes on the internet you would think we were a bunch pansies who are afraid of hard work and long hours. I'm proud to be in this profession, and I'm so glad to see young guys like you, and the many others we share with in this forum getting into this career. There is a lot of history and tradition in this business that is being forgotten, but the will and the determination to succeed and the sacrifices that one makes to be a reliable and professional trustworthy driver are still in demand.

Dejuan, there was a time when most drivers had their pay transferred to a card like Comdata where they could get access to it at the truck stops. Before that, as strange as it may seem, the trucking companies would try to route their drivers by the office once every two weeks so they could pick up their check, or in some cases their family members might live close by the terminal and be allowed to come get the check, or it could also be mailed to your home address.

Imagine having to mail your BOLs and your paperwork in for payment, or having to use a pay phone at the truck stop so you could call home, or find out what your next load will be from your dispatcher. Back in the day there were pay phones at the tables in the truck stop cafes, or a separate room set aside with 10 or 15 pay phones lined up against the wall with a bench full of anxious drivers trying to find out what they needed to do next. Yes, times are good today. I still remember when if a truck driver had a flat tire he would pull over to the side of the road, remove the wheel and start breaking the bead with a sledge hammer so he could get his spare tire on to the wheel, then put it all back together so he could get rolling again.

We've a new generation of drivers today who have little or no sense of what their forerunners went through to survive at this career. We've got it so good, but if you look at our prevalent attitudes on the internet you would think we were a bunch pansies who are afraid of hard work and long hours. I'm proud to be in this profession, and I'm so glad to see young guys like you, and the many others we share with in this forum getting into this career. There is a lot of history and tradition in this business that is being forgotten, but the will and the determination to succeed and the sacrifices that one makes to be a reliable and professional trustworthy driver are still in demand.

I was at a truck stop somewhere I believe up north where I saw all those phone jacks slots removed inside an Iron Skillet I thought to myself why did they have phones at every table and now you've amswered it. I bet you had to have a very strong wife to last in the trucking industry back then! Changing your own tire???whew

Old School nailed it. A lot of the current generation think they are entitled. Also, remember those large trucker wallets with chains for your belt? Cash was king back then.