OMG. WHEN Are The Mistakes Going To End?

WHEN are the mistakes going to end, Guys? I've worked so hard at this. I know you're going to say that on some level, the learning never ends, and the mistakes are going to continue here and there. However, these incidents big or small, are eroding my confidence. And yes, I'm going to re-study the CDL Training here.

You are not alone, Mountain Girl! I posted My First Week Adventure in February. On that page, I listed eleven newbie issues. As an OTR driver, they are different than your P&D , but still, it's newbie experience. Don't doubt yourself, just learn from it all. It's good.

Hang in there MG. You've got one of the toughest trucking jobs on the planet. City is no joke. I've been helping out here and there as a city driver, and I realize how pampered I am as a linehaul driver. The company knows you're a new driver. They'll give you room to grow, especially when you can show that you're learning from your mistakes. They are about nurturing their drivers. You have a great attitude - they know you're valuable to them. Don't beat yourself up.

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Just take it slower and double check everything.

So you don't feel too bad here is a trailer tip over by someone else.

Trailer tip over.

Sounds Like you need to stop and asess the situation and then do it right. First time. I ran 6 loads a day from riverside to fontana.

Thanks guys. I appreciate all your encouragement. I'll make it through.

Thanks 6 String. You guys really are fairly well pampered in OD Linehaul but I'm glad to see you're getting a small taste of the P & D side.

As it turns out, I'm in much more hot water than it seemed in the beginning. Yesterday I clocked in at 7:00am, expecting to drive in the city, only to find out I've been grounded and am not permitted to drive any tractor, either in or outside the yard. Without warning, they assigned me to the dock for 3 weeks until I can be re-tested by the company safety guy. Once that happens, and I pass my pre-trip and road test, I'll be back in the city but under very strict circumstances.

I had to speak with the terminal manager yesterday and I asked him right up front, "How far into the dog-house AM I?" He's a good man, by the way and he said I'm in some pretty deep kimchee. If I hit anything else in the next 12 months, I'm terminated. He's a former driver, so it's cool in a way, because he knows what he's talking about. He asked me if I had made any mistakes or hit anything in traffic. "No, I haven't." I answered. So truly, the only time I'm making mistakes is in parking lots or customer yards. He said, this is where I need to slow down my thinking, stop the truck, get out and look, watch my mirrors, and of course, don't hit anything. Anyway, he looked really sad when we talked.

I told him I was a little upset because I'll have 3 weeks of no driving and then a road test out of the blue with no practice in between.

I called my former school and one of my former instructors laughed at me. He told me I need to pay my dues on the dock and learn when to shut the f*** up. "So you did the right thing by reporting the 'accident' and now you're paying your dues." "That's about the sum of it," I answered. He said, "So pay your dues on the dock, go pass your re-test, and learn when to shut up. And stop hitting things. You've had your license for a year and you're a professional now. You know how to do this."

It's all good. I'll prevail.

-mountain girl

Remember, M.G., to the company people you are still an unknown quantity. They still want to know if you're any good at this. These people laugh because they've seen all this before. They all know you're in the doo-doo. That's why you get the "pay your dues" stuff. And they're not going to get out their hankies when you talk with them. (I know you didn't expect them to, my point is they're not going to feel sorry.)

This is where Mountain Girl puts on her MG cape and says "I can do this." People don't climb Mt. Everest because it's easy. When they see you are learning from your mistakes, and don't get discouraged, they'll get you back into a truck.

Thank you, Errol. Such sage advice.

I've been keeping my sense of humor. I've probably been asked 40-50 times already, by all my terminal friends, why I'm on the dock. I tell them with a huge smile that I'm in jail because I've had 2 preventable accidents, I made stupid mistakes, and I'll happily be back on parole in 3 weeks.

It's only been 2 days, and I miss driving so much already. I'm not even on a forklift on the dock. All I'm doing is stacking and shrink-wrapping cardboard sheets of donnage. I'm trying not to die of sheer boredom. When my driver-buddies back up to the dock and pull their brake knobs, I hear that sweet hissing sound and I swear, it stings.

Thanks,

-mountain girl

Mountain Girl, if I was in charge of anything around here you would be our poster child!

I'm so proud of you for posting all your struggles, humbling yourself and admitting your mistakes, and looking for help and advice in here like you have done. The things you have posted in here are really helpful for others in the future - new drivers who are struggling. It is a tough business to break into - the vast numbers of folks who never make it to their first anniversary in this business are staggering. You have showed the struggle in a refreshing way for so many newbies to look at, to contemplate, and to learn from. I tip my hat to you!

Well, you know all too well why we continually tell folks "don't hit anything." You are now taking your spanking.

Hold your head high and do your time. Don't even worry about being out of that truck for three weeks and then having to get back in and do a road test. You are going to be fine - you've done this enough that you will be fine - kind of like riding a bicycle.

That Pick Up & Delivery (P&D) job that you are doing is really tough. I'm not ashamed to admit that I don't think I could do it. You are a very strong woman, and I think you will ultimately make a great truck driver. You just hang in there, keep pressing ahead for the prize and don't let all these minor distractions deter you from accomplishing your goals. The thought of what you are doing for that "Board of Directors" at home should be motivation enough to keep you focused and successful.

Mountain Girl,

Working on the dock for a few weeks does suck. However, it may be Just what you need. Your company must want to keep you.....it they didn't you'd have already been gone. Take the advice your terminal manager and trainer gave you. I wouldn't be concerned with being out of the truck for 3 weeks, you will not lose your skills in this amount of time. Stay positive! Good luck!

Hello MG, I'm sorry to hear about your recent troubles. Most of my experience in driving comes from city P&D. I love it, it's my niche.

When you have an incident, you are twice as likely to have another within days of the first. Why? Because your focus is in the past reliving the mistake of the first. When you're living in the past you're sacrificing focus in the present where you need it. You had a couple mistakes so let's look at what you learned from them:

#1 when making turns you always watch your trailer thru the turn. You know the mistake you made that day and how to correct it. There is your focus. Watch the trailer. Now stop thinking about that damn mistake. You WILL NEVER CHANGE IT. You're wasting energy and focus on an event YOU CAN'T CHANGE. It's over. You my dear are a perfectionist. You're your own worst enemy at this point. Stop talking about the mistake to others and for the love of all things holy get back in the present.

#2 the second mistake happened because your focus was still on the first. Instead of thinking in the present where you should be thinking about weight distribution and securement of the present load, you're thinking ahead to what may come. Trying to prevent mistake #1 from happening again (living in the past) and thinking about what may come next (living in the future) not much of your focus was not in the present.

I admire your thinking MG. I'm a perfectionist myself. I've worked very hard to learn from past mistakes. Until one day I didn't have to work so hard at it anymore. Do you know why I didn't have to work hard at it anymore? Because I learned to FORGIVE MYSELF. I took that bag of bricks I was carrying (metaphorically speaking) and dropped them.

You've been given some time to work thru your thoughts on the mistakes with working on the dock for a spell. Please forgive yourself. (Que "Let it go" from frozen) It's ok to prepare for the future every now and then but don't live in it. You're an over analyzer and need just a bit more time to work thru yourself. That is not a flaw. It's actually a gift.

You've got this!!