Industry and Experience

I consider myself lucky to have gotten in the door to the trucking industry when I did. I believe that folks that are inclined to get behind the wheel now might have a harder time due to the current economic situation, particularly here in the USA. There just don't seem to be as many doors open right now for new, inexperienced drivers. So I count my blessings daily that I made the decision I did, when I did.

I have been in correspondence with a few people who are currently or soon to be going through training to get their CDL and a foot in the industry's' door. I really do hope that those with the ambition to get "truckin'" are able to do so.

I remember when I made the final decision to make the leap from office and retail jobs to the transportation world. I was nervous, actually more like scared as hell, but anxious to get it all started. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I welcomed the challenge. I studied hard for the written exams and listened intently when various instructions were being given on how to operate a 10 speed diesel engine hauling 80K lbs. I was eager to learn and more eager to get behind the wheel for the first time.

After my initial training course, I took and passed my exams and held an official Commerical Drivers License with a Class A endorsement. I was proud of myself... but knew that it was only the beginning of a lifetime of learning. For me, it wasn't gonna just be a job and a paycheck. It was the beginning of a career and a new lifestyle.

Initial training complete, I was still a complete idiot. I had no clue what I was really getting into. Sure I could jam gears with the rest of them, but I had no idea what life was really like for an over the road driver. I didn't know about shippers, consignees, lumpers, scales and DOT inspections. I had no idea what it was like to shower every third day in a dingy truck stop shower having to wear flip-flops to prevent foot fungus. I didn't know about lot lizards and buffalo's. And I surely didn't know what in tarnation a "pickle park" was.

But over time, I've learned. And every day I learn something new. I find that when I have some mishap or "incident", its during a time I've been lax in my duties as a professional. The beer incident came at a time when I was feeling over confident and arrogant, which are certainly not my best professional qualities. Not my best time, definitly wasn't shining, but I certainly got knocked down a couple notches and was humbled by the experience. Above all, no one was hurt, fined or fired and I learned one HELL of a lesson.

I have been on double duty since that whole fiasco and have been checking and double checking everything, making sure that all my tee's are crossed and all my I's are dotted. I've been doing more thorough inspections of my equipment, my bills and my logs. I've been over doing it, perhaps, but better safe than sorry.

I look forward to every day that I can learn something new. And every day I do learn something new. I believe that the day I stop learning is the day I should turn in my keys. And I believe that any trucker that believes different shouldn't be out there driving a truck.

I was at a receiver yesterday delivering a load. I was alone at the dock for most of the time, then a driver from another fairly large company backed in and got docked to be unloaded beside me. I could tell from his body language that he was not in a very good mood. Once he'd docked and checked in with the unloaders he came over and knocked on my door.

When I rolled down my window and said hello, I realized he was not just in a bad mood... he was pissed. After my quick greeting he started by asking me "is this place always like this?" I asked him what he meant... "The wait, the attitudes..." he said angrily. I told him I wasn't sure what he meant, I'd been to this particular place quite a few times and had never had any trouble as far as attitudes, wait times could sometimes be lengthy but that was par for the course with any place that does live unloads.

He then went on a tirade about how he'd gotten there over an hour before I had arrived and had been given the run around about getting unloaded. I told him I had a scheduled appointment and that even with that I had to wait an hour longer to be unloaded. He said he had arrived early hoping to get in and out, but that they wouldn't even work on getting him in early. I tried to be as polite as possible when I said, "well with the appointments and such, they don't generally take people early around here."

He then started ranting about how he'd never come back there again and how he was gonna give them 'what for' when he was unloaded and ready to leave. I pretended to need to respond to a Qualcomm message and rolled up my window as he threw hands into the air and cursed his way back to his truck.

I thought about his actions, body language, tone of voice and attitude as I was finishing up with being unloaded and while I was sweeping debris out of my trailer once it was empty. I am sure that if he was acting the way he did with me, with the folks at the guard shack, the reason for his excessive wait and treatment was clear. You just can't be a douche and expect magic to happen.

I've seen this time and time again and always find myself wondering how the offenders think that they can get anything accomplished in their favor by serving up such sour salts. I bet if he'd not copped an attitude he would have been taken back before I was or at least at the same time as I was. But instead, his rudeness bought him a little more wait time.

The lesson here is simply ...kill'em with kindness folks, you'll attract more bees with honey... being a jerkwad with a bad attitude will just get you bumped back to the end of the lunch line where you will be left with scraps covered with spit.

As far as attitude goes, you have to be patient and understanding in this industry. Things don't always go along as planned and you have to be able to be flexible enough not to snap when circumstances cause you to bend in ways you're not used to. I couldn't count the amount of times I've had issues at shippers and receivers in regards to appointments and the like. But throwing a tantrum doesn't help the situation at all.

I've learned that patience is one of the most valued assets a driver can have out here. Without it you're not gonna get very far without incident or accident. Impatience can cause you to back into someone else's truck in a truck stop parking lot. It can cause you to run over a curb and jack up a rim and tire. It can cause you to pull away from a dock when there is still a guy on a fork lift in the back (thankfully only one of the above has happened to me and that curb will forever carry the black mark of Trucky's trailer a la Gi-Gi).

Two additional valued assets that I feel every professional driver should carry in his/her arsenal are humility and generosity. With humility, we can accept help and guidance from someone a little wiser and more experienced than ourselves. We can listen to that "old timer" who has come up to advise us as we back into that particularly tough spot in the drop yard or truck stop parking lot. We can listen to that same "old timer" or (gasp) even a rookie, as we sit in the feeding pit at the greasy spoon restaurant absorbing the stories that might well help us out in a similar circumstance some day.

With generosity, we can be that person relating a story of how we overcame some obstacle or struggle on the road. We can be that helping hand when someone is having a tough time getting into a tight spot. We can be that spotter that keeps another exhausted driver from knocking down a light pole at 3 am. when no one else will help. I know it's tough to put yourself out there sometimes to be that person, but trust me, it's worth it.

It takes a village. And while we're all out here for different reasons, we're all out here together.