K bud,

Now you're starting to show a side of you that is quite different from person We envisioned from your previous posts. Now you're sounding a little whiny. This stuff on CAD is the small tip of the Iceberg with what your going to have to deal with on the road. If someone responds with stuff you don't like, you don't have to respond to it. most are trying to give you great advice,but we see these type of posts almost every week of every month of every year. Some have nothing better to do try fire off a snotty comment and then sit back and watch then fun. You will find no other forum like this one on the Net. CAD is the best and I believe it is because of the the people here and the stories and experiences that are shared.

We've seen peeps start their own businesses and succed and others fail. We've had spouses log on and tell us a poster has died in an accident. I think one of the best ones was the saga of Novacane. Started out as a woman and we all found out she was actually a man. Talk about issues. Now I'm saying this as politely and respectfully as I can. Lose the attitude. We've seen it before many times and you might miss out on a great piece of advice. I took a piece from one of the most obnoxious peeps on it here and have been quite happy for almost 3 years now.

You should stop every few hours just to get out and stretch your legs,even if you feel fine. As professional drivers, We are very susceptible to a condition(can't remember what the hell it is.) the results in blood clots forming in our legs because we sit for hours and hours and our legs don't get proper blood circulation. And then said blood clots travel through the body and can wreck havok to other bodyparts. Heart,Lungs,Brain,ect.
Also it is good practice to check your tires every few hundred miles. In 2.5 years OTR I never blew a tire. I always checked my tire pressure and looked for foreign objects and caught many of them, especially after swapping trailers with other drivers. Nothing like having a 2-3 hour repair because the previous Ass didn't take care of it.

As for your company having a 72% turnover,,,that's,,,,,,amazing?! The terminal near me is still at at over 130%. So I guess they go by terminal and not company wide?

Good luck on your new trainer and I wish you the best.

 

Okay, 97% of your post was actually full of good information, thank you, much appreciated.

as far as your first couple sentences, if that is the label you get for voicing your opinion when others dont like it, then that is fine, that is YOUR opinion. meet me in person, and you will find i am VERY easy to get along with. Start looking down on me because you think you're better than me (not YOU, just 'you' in general) and you will hear me change my tune. I put up with alot for 14 days, after that, i needed a new situation. I have a high tolerance level.

When I ask a question, it is appreicated to get a professional and educated responce back. Give me an ignorant one, or one that sounds like you're looking down on me just because i'm a new driver, and i'll give you my opinion right back.

 

LOL......My father was a Merchant Seaman. He either had a cup of coffee in his hand when he was home or a beer. I did the whole "I'm not gonna drink that crap" thing when I was a kid. When I worked in the oilfields I didn't drink coffee, I drank Pepsi or Coke. Guess which had the higher caffine content? NOT the coffee.

As far as you and the idiot trainer you had...wasn't me...can't help you.


On the subject of delays. I handle every delay the same. I get there when I get there. If a terminal manager wants to go off on me...he or she can try. If a load delivers 600 miles from the shipper, that is an automatic lay over for me. I don't drive all day and work all night. Never have. You are going to find that many DM's and Termnal Managers are going to demand that you "Get Er Done".

I haven't paid attention....what company do you work for??

 

Please dont tell me this is going to turn into a "my dad can beat up your dad" argument. Just making the comment earlier that nobody would ever find coffee in my truck. and i wouldnt ever drink that, or anything to 'keep me awake'. I agree with you in regards to 'i'll get there when i get there'. I won't drive illegal or tired just to make the shipper happy. it is better that the load gets there an hour late, then not getting there at all. And if that means that the shipper delayed me 3-4 hours, and i feel 'tired' 40 miles from the cosignee, and have 30 minutes to get it there....ill still pull over and take a 30 minute nap, THEN i'll deliver the load.

what company do i work for? Swift. (ok ok, lets hear all the swift bashing start now)

 

thought of another point someone was trying to make, about being tired after working 14 hours, and not wanting to take the time to clean your truck or have time to excercise.

You have a 70 hour work week (basicly), you have 168 hours in a week, that leaves you with 98 hours left to rest and relax. (if you max out your 70 for the week and take your 8th day off) You mean to tell me that out of that 98 hours, you cannot find 3-4 hours to get in some exercise? You arrive at a truck stop for the night, you've just driven 10 hours, you have minimum of 10 before you get a fresh 11/14 clock. Are you really going to spend 10 hours sleeping?? I plan to atleast get my log book current, get all other paperwork in order, then change socks get into a t-shirt/sweatshirt and walk one way for 30 minutes...then walk back. Or when I get my truck, strap a bike to the back of the truck behind the load-locks and take that for a ride for 30 minutes one way and back. There, you just got in an hour of exercise. 9 more hours to kill.....take a shower within the next hour...and now u got 8 hours to sleep. you should be well worn out by now to sleep sound and get plenty of rest. Too tired to exercise after driving? Okay, then run/bike in the morning when you wake up.

you can do it if you are motivated enough.

 

Oh Pulease! My father has been resting in his grave since April of 1972. I am 51 years old...probably pretty close to your fathers age.

I was simply pointing out, that "When" I was a kid...I was not going to drink coffee...or beer..for that matter. When I was 19...beer was a staple...when I was 19 it was legal for me to sit in a bar and order a beer. I started drinking coffee on a regular basis when I was 30. I started drinking it while working nightshift...too long ago.

I'm not going to bash Swift. I have known several drivers at swift, male and female, whom were quite happy driving there. Nothing wrong with being happy where you work.


LOL....I was going to post just that above...when I read this down below!

Qoute:[Kevin0915thought of another point someone was trying to make, about being tired after working 14 hours, and not wanting to take the time to clean your truck or have time to exercise.

You have a 70 hour work week (basicly), you have 168 hours in a week, that leaves you with 98 hours left to rest and relax. (if you max out your 70 for the week and take your 8th day off) You mean to tell me that out of that 98 hours, you cannot find 3-4 hours to get in some exercise? You arrive at a truck stop for the night, you've just driven 10 hours, you have minimum of 10 before you get a fresh 11/14 clock. Are you really going to spend 10 hours sleeping?? I plan to atleast get my log book current, get all other paperwork in order, then change socks get into a t-shirt/sweatshirt and walk one way for 30 minutes...then walk back. Or when I get my truck, strap a bike to the back of the truck behind the load-locks and take that for a ride for 30 minutes one way and back. There, you just got in an hour of exercise. 9 more hours to kill.....take a shower within the next hour...and now u got 8 hours to sleep. you should be well worn out by now to sleep sound and get plenty of rest. Too tired to exercise after driving? Okay, then run/bike in the morning when you wake up.
you can do it if you are motivated enough. ]

Your still just a kid. Give yourself some time. I was fit as a fiddle once. I grew up on a ranch in Montana. I was humping hay bales when I was 12 years old. By the time I was 20 I could boost a three string bale above my head and up to the top tier of bales on a truck(farm) without problem. NOW, I would do good to toss enough hay into the bed of a pick up to fill the first two tiers.
Time takes it toll. Illness takes its toll. Combine the two and some people are lucky to get out of their truck at the end of a driving stint. I see plenty of people out here driving truck, whom I feel should not be. Most of those make me look small by comparison.

Right now I'm too heavy. I know this and try hard to lose the weight. It's not always easy to do. Like I said earlier...after three 14 hour days...it is hard to want to do anything but sleep. Do a solid week of long days...and do I care to even look at the truck? Nope.

In your first post, YOU managed to come across as a "Snot-nosed Kid", when you commented about your "Mentor" putting up 35 cents to help you cover a dinner check, and that your "Mentor" was offended because you didn't say "Thank You". You also implied that a "trainee" was owed meals by the "Mentor".

Nobody owes or owed you anything.You did owe your Trainer a "Thank You" for the 35 cents.

"Thank You" is a simple everyday courtousey that to few people extend. If enough drivers said "Thank You" to the clerks and wait-staff behind the counters of the Truck Stops and in the Restuarants, "WE" as a whole would get treated better by those people.

I frequent places like the Pilot at Satsuma AL, the Flying J at Hope Hull AL, the TA at Earle AR, the BP at Steele MO and the Flying J in Collierville IL often enough, that most of the clerks and wait-staff at those facilities remember me...because I say "thank you" every time...even if I did get annoyed waiting for service.

People will remember you by your attitude.

 

If you say so. The fact still remains that it was exactly what everyone else suggested, and is pretty much what you did to solve the problem, now isn't it? I guess the solution that worked was "ignorant" then.:rolleyes:

 

But yeah - whatever. Nobody on this website needs to "tailor" their posts to suit your needs. If you don't like them, tough. Live with it, or GTFO.

If you are IRL anything like you are here, I'm beginning to sympathize with that trainer you claimed was so horrible.

 

OrangeTxGuy, i cannot tell you how many times I say 'thank you' to people out of courtsey. Even more so when trying to be 'professional'.

My comments regarding my old mentor, was that seeing how I had yet to receive my pay on my fuel card, I was living off an advance from the previous week, and was running low. From the history of being on the old mentor's truck, and how my welfare was ignored, not saying 'thank you' when he covered a whole 35 cents was deserved, but in all honesty, i just didnt care. just like he didnt care about my well being. Besides, he made this big deal about it, and how "if i didnt cover it, you wouldn't have ate." I even told him, "um...i was in the process of cancelling the order, and would have got something cheaper." Cannot 'save' someone when they don't need ''saved'.

I do not EXPECT mentors to pay for all my meals while i am on their truck. I do expect mentors to understand having a student on their truck means they are responsible for them as well. I dont expect him to do my laundry or make me a PB&J when i ask. But when company procedures say "overnight at home for one night, student can stay in truck. Overnight at home for more than a night, student gets hotel room", and mentor ignores that and i get left in the truck for 4 nights, i have a problem with that. When mentor blames the student for getting off the truck and a load is removed and it costs mentor $1500, i dont expect to get blamed for losing the load. And the time i was in his truck for 4 nights, he offered to drive me 2.5 hours back home. And he used this as an excuse to not put me in a hotel. But what i told my DM when she asked "did he not offer to drive you home", i said he did, but he also expected me to drive my car back to his house and leave it parked there. I said it is not my responsibility to drive myself back to my mentor's house and park my car there. I didnt have the $$$ for the gas anyways, not to mention what would have been done to my car when i got a new mentor anyways? My DM told me "well it isnt your mentor's responsibility to have gas in your car...". No it isnt, but it IS HIS RESPONSIBILITY to make sure if he takes me somewhere, to pick me up.

most mentors out there, for any company, will 'treat' the student to a meal here and there. My current mentor has bought me 2 meals in the week i've been on the truck. that is one more than my last one. I can tell my new mentor actually looks after my welfare, so therefore, each time he extends an offer for something, he will always get a 'thank you'.

My old mentor almost made me go back to his house and sleep in the truck for 2 nights the last time he went home because there was a question whether or not the shuttle ran from the hotel to the terminal on sunday. i said i NEED a shower and NEED to do laundry. and his reponce to that was "well sometimes students dont get what they want". and he said this in front of the dispatcher on duty, and even SHE said "you've gotta remember you do have a student." a mentor should not think taking a shower is a LUXURY, it is more of a necessity.

The only things i require from a mentor is proper and plenty of training, showers no less than once every 2 days, and laundry once every 10 days. if he throws in a meal here and there, great. i dont expect it.

 

Kev my man.. is everything ok?? it sounds to me trucking isn't for you brother...

Your having disagrements over the net with truckers and taking it mad seriously!!

What's going to happen when your going down I-81 in Virginia or I-80 In PA or Jersey Turnpike and your in your 64 mph governer truck whipping out to pass a car or another truck thats doing 63 and truckers behind you are screaming at you over the cb to hurry up... let me guess?? your going to get into a full blown screaming match of 19?? dude truckers are truckers.. truckers talk a certain way.. Most come off as if they are dicks and other come off as complete gentelmen.. if you get rub the wrong way then you have a problem in this industry

I'm going to tell you now.. if your a person who takes offense to everything!! being out on these roads with other truckers, saying the wrong things might get your @$$ killed!!!

Another thing... The reason why Rev and others.. is on the New Drivers Forum.. Because he know's his $&!#.. Why would you want only want get advice for someone who been on the road for a couple of months?? Guys know their $%!&.. i advise you to sit back and listen