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FlyByWire
Joined: 19 Feb 2005
Posts: 235
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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| Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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I can say I like where Im at... Am I proud to say I am a truck driver? No, not at all.... but running linehaul and making damn good money, and being able to see my pregnant wife at the end of EVERY day, and ALWAYS on weekends is something I dont take for granted... Its also a rather easy job.
If im not able to get back into law enforcement, Id like to work for FedEx freight doing the same thing I do for OD.... just making even more money.. haha. |
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Snowman7
Joined: 19 Feb 2005
Posts: 1042
Location: the Buckeye
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| Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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FlyByWire wrote: .. Am I proud to say I am a truck driver? No, not at all.....
hmmm...Why not? What's wrong with being a truck driver? Doesn't bother me. |
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FlyByWire
Joined: 19 Feb 2005
Posts: 235
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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| Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 3:47 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Snowman7"][quote="FlyByWire"].. Am I proud to say I am a truck driver? No, not at all.....[/quote]
hmmm...Why not? What's wrong with being a truck driver? Doesn't bother me.[/quote]
Im happy for you.
I like getting paid very well for the work I do, and thats about it. Im tired of seeing my friends killed by drunk drivers... I also hate the stigma of truck drivers.... Ever looked closely when you tell someone you are a truck driver? "Oh..." is usualy the reaction...
Im the kind of person that needs to be in a position to help people... trucking doesnt give me that. I do take pride in the fact that I am able to feed my wife, and pay for the house we are having built...
At the end of the day, I'm "just" a truck driver...
Dont get me wrong, ive met some great drivers who are now my friends, but I have also met the scum of the earth while driving truck....
Thats not to say I dont value my role with my company, because I do.. I take my job very seriously.. and I look at it as a responsibility as all drivers should. |
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Snowman7
Joined: 19 Feb 2005
Posts: 1042
Location: the Buckeye
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| Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 5:31 pm Post subject: |
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FlyByWire wrote: Snowman7 wrote: FlyByWire wrote: .. Am I proud to say I am a truck driver? No, not at all.....
hmmm...Why not? What's wrong with being a truck driver? Doesn't bother me.
Im happy for you.
I like getting paid very well for the work I do, and thats about it. Im tired of seeing my friends killed by drunk drivers... I also hate the stigma of truck drivers.... Ever looked closely when you tell someone you are a truck driver? "Oh..." is usualy the reaction...
Im the kind of person that needs to be in a position to help people... trucking doesnt give me that. I do take pride in the fact that I am able to feed my wife, and pay for the house we are having built...
At the end of the day, I'm "just" a truck driver...
Dont get me wrong, ive met some great drivers who are now my friends, but I have also met the scum of the earth while driving truck....
Thats not to say I dont value my role with my company, because I do.. I take my job very seriously.. and I look at it as a responsibility as all drivers should.
Listen man don't worry about what other people think. WHO CARES. You've got a good job that pays well, so do I (I'm at Conway). I had a bigshot job that I absolutely hated for 17 years, made alot of money. You know what? I quit to drive a truck! And I like being "just a truck driver". Thats my excuse when things go wrong! LOL. Its alot less stressful than being the boss, wearing ties, dress clothes, shaving daily, and I can still pay my bills. Anyone who wants to judge me for that is someone I dont need around anyway! My wife of 23 years supports me and thats all I really care about. If it bothers YOU change it, if it bothers THEM thats their problem, not yours. And scum of the earth are everywhere, I ignore them. |
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Brown67
Joined: 05 May 2006
Posts: 211
Location: Colorado
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| Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:14 pm Post subject: |
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"Just a truck driver" This is a little off topic, but my dad spent 40 years working as an accountant and hated it. One thing he would talk about is getting out from behind the desk and drive a truck.
My older brother is an airline pilot and I would say I was a little jealous of his job and the money he made until 9-11. He got laid off for 6 months then got his job back and then was told a few months ago he would be laid off again this summer. All the Northwest pilots pay and benefits were cut way back too. My dad told me a couple of months ago that I was making more than my brother. He did get blessed and found another job with Frontier Airlines which he started a couple of weeks ago. However, he had to take another pay cut and start over at the bottom again.
We have a major high tech company in my town and for the last few years they have been laying off people and moving jobs overseas. All I can say is that UPS sure looks a lot better to me now than it did a few years ago, because of the security of the company and no threat of getting laid off. I've always liked what I do, but now I have people coming up to me telling how lucky I am. How they wish they had the security I do. No chance my job will go overseas. "Just a truck driver" seems to have jumped in status around here.
I don't have my CDL yet, but for you guys that do have it feel lucky. You can go out and get a job anytime you want. I think the biggest complaint around here is finding the right job, not finding a job. So keep up the posts with the good companies to work for. |
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lifespalette
Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Posts: 305
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:45 pm Post subject: |
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"Just a truck driver..." "the best company to drive for..." ambiguous terms.
I guess I was lucky after a short (9 days) stint with CRST, my trainer had 6 months experience and I had to help him straighten out his log, I was extremely lucky to get a professional trainer at Swift. He expected professionalism in everything.........driving skills, communications, appearance, grooming, client interactions, company interactions, paperwork, trip planning and last but not least.....attitude....
His favorite saying was, "before you accept the load it's the company's business, once you accept the load it becomes your business, your responsibility.... how you handle it is your business.....be professional it's your reputation on the line, you're the face of the company every customer deals with.......everybody else is just someone on the end of some phone line."
Yep.... there are a lot of "just truck drivers"........professional truck drivers are far and few in between.......it's an attitude thing.
I almost forgot, when I asked him if he thought Swift was the best company to drive for.......he just looked at me and said...."ain't no best company, just the company you work for.....every company has their goods and bads.......it's what you make it boy. You be a professional driver in all aspects and you can work for any company you want and they'll treat you right." |
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Thankyou
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
Posts: 60
Location: Oklahoma City, Ok
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:14 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="JEFFREYALLEN1974"]hey man I wish i had good stuff to say so don't be going and throwing me under the bus dood i went into this with an open mind and my dad's 25+ of wisdom guiding me - his words not mine - "what is wrong with these people". anyhow i didn't mean to post negative here since it didn't really say ONLY GOOD so don't be smack talking me i aint done nuthin to you mr. smartbutt walking eagle[/quote]
Is it possible for you to post one line of comment and be positive? Just one sentence, please. |
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starman5196
Joined: 29 May 2006
Posts: 115
Location: Round Rock, Texas
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| Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:55 pm Post subject: |
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lifespallette
great post, sir. that is definitely one for us noobs to remember. I really appreciate you sharing that. How when I get a trainer he has that attitude
. |
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FlyByWire
Joined: 19 Feb 2005
Posts: 235
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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| Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:23 am Post subject: |
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| I am very professional at what I do... You do NOT have to LIKE what you do in order to be safe and professional at it..... :roll: :roll: :roll: |
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FlyByWire
Joined: 19 Feb 2005
Posts: 235
Location: Phoenix, AZ
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| Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:27 am Post subject: |
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| double post |
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Soladad
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 379
Location: Vancouver, Washington
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| Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 5:47 am Post subject: |
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When I am asked what I do for a job I say I'm a "commodities relocation specialist or commodities relocation engineer". That always gets the person. Usually then I explain that I drive a truck. I have not gotten a negative response yet.
Soladad |
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AmEagleDrvr
Joined: 09 Feb 2005
Posts: 176
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 12:03 pm Post subject: |
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I am a system linehaul driver for SAIA Motorfreight.
I will earn about 65k this year, working 5 nights per week.
I am off on the weekends, and get home quite a bit during the week.
There are 13 Linehaul drivers that work out of my home terminal, many of them with 10++ years of service. I cover all of their vacation time, so much of my time is spent doing a different run each week. When I'm not covering a vacation, I work the system. I usually pull doubles, but do pull an occasional 53' van.
I am next in line for a set run, and at the rate we are growing, I suspect it won't be long.
I worked OTR prior to this, and I like this much better. It pays better, and it keeps me much closer to the family. Every time I get the "OTR itch"
one look at my paycheck makes it go away! :D
You know, the driver turnover here is practically non-existant, compared to the high turnover rate of the rest of the industry. Quite obviously, good, fair pay is the reason, as well as paying us hourly for excessive wait times, and the rare unloading. ( not expecting FREE services from the drivers).
When will the rest of the Industry "get it". High turnover creates alot of problems, AND the constant cost of retraining is very expensive. Why not just pay the driver a fair wage and stop messing with 'em???
The LTL companies "get it". When will the rest of the industry??? :shock: |
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thisisamazing
Joined: 01 Feb 2005
Posts: 33
Location: Give me a map and a couple of minutes to figure it out...
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| Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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| I saw y'all write a few posts back about how truckers are looked at in a bad light. It's funny you guys mention that: a couple of weeks ago I rolled through Waco and figured I've give my friend a call. He told me about a nice (and single! yes!) girl he knew, and asked if I wanted to meet her. Of course I said yes, so he picked me up at the Flying J and we went to see her. Man, she was pretty--a smart girl, too--just my type! She wasn't a bit interested in me, though: even though I'm a reasonably bright guy who speaks halfway-proper English, she said straight-out that she wasn't interested in someone who drove a truck. Now, here's my question: is this a failing of hers or mine? I really like being out on the road, especially since I've spent the past couple of months with a company that treats me right. I like having the opportunity to make a decent living while improving my mind and, hopefully, my spirit as well. There are a great many truckers that act like bums, though--some moron slingin' torpedoes out the window is a really good way to make someone think all of us are inconsiderate morons. Maybe the best thing, as lifespalette wrote earlier (great post!), is to do our job the best we can and ignore the clods who couldn't care less... |
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Skywalker
Joined: 10 Oct 2005
Posts: 2649
Location: Pulling a Tanker for Superior Carriers!!
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| Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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thisisamazing wrote: I saw y'all write a few posts back about how truckers are looked at in a bad light. It's funny you guys mention that: a couple of weeks ago I rolled through Waco and figured I've give my friend a call. He told me about a nice (and single! yes!) girl he knew, and asked if I wanted to meet her. Of course I said yes, so he picked me up at the Flying J and we went to see her. Man, she was pretty--a smart girl, too--just my type! She wasn't a bit interested in me, though: even though I'm a reasonably bright guy who speaks halfway-proper English, she said straight-out that she wasn't interested in someone who drove a truck. Now, here's my question: is this a failing of hers or mine? .
Its her failure! What she is probably looking for is some guy with what she thinks is a good paying job, with so-called status, and all that. Sounds as though she's willing pass up a good man....for some material things and some "fluff" that could evaporate in a moment.
I happened to run into the mother of an old girlfriend.....one from many many years ago...I was really surprised she even recognized me! At any rate we talked for a few minutes and she asked me what I was doing now.
I told her, and she coyly asked me if it was "financially rewarding".... I told her pointblank what I made last year....and her comment was: We shouldn't have told our daughter you weren't good enough for her....That piece of crap we thought was great turned out to be a no-good lazy piece of :dung: ! Only she used the real word. Kind of interesting to hear that, not to mention hearing an 83 year old retired Dentist's wife talking about her lazy no-count jobless abusive bloodsucking son-in-law.....
Its funny how things work out in life... Besides, if I had married that girl, I never would have met my true "soul-mate" and love of my life whom I have been married to for many, many happy years!! And she (my wife) has no problems with me being a "truckdriver". |
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thisisamazing
Joined: 01 Feb 2005
Posts: 33
Location: Give me a map and a couple of minutes to figure it out...
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| Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Skywalker, I think you can always be relied on to have a positive outlook--very cool! Yeah, I agree: if someone wants to look down on you because you're actually working for a living, the problem is theirs. I'll tell you this, fella: I only know a couple of people who actually thought I'd go through with truckin', and those are the ones who know the value of a buck, who have a good outlook on life and are making something of themselves. Those friends of mine who laughed at the idea are the ones living with Mom and Dad, the spoiled kids who haven't yet realized that 24 is too frickin' old to act like an infant. There's no shame in making an honest buck, and I've no shame to say I earn my living as a truck driver. |
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