Worry about your image??
 

Why do so many drivers worry about their image, like it means anything to anybody else? First it was the soccer mom's who had to show up the other mom's getting a bigger and better SUV. Then it was the construction contractor who couldn't get shown up by another contractor when they bought a bigger truck, with a bigger tool rack in the bed. Then it was the sports car guys who thought it was cool to drive with as many lights on as they could. Then everyone else driving a 4-wheeler starts driving with 4 headlights (cant say fog lights cause fog lights are actually amber). Then I guess having 'talkback', that f@**ot-roger-beep and an super charged radio that allows you to talk from New York to Denver wasnt enough, now half of the trucks drive with 4 headlights. Now there are too many professional drivers who are following 4-wheelers who think it is cool to drive well after sundown with just their parking lights on.

when is it going to end? seriously? I'm all for doing whatever makes you happy, but when you do it 'just because you see someone else doing it so it must be 'cool"....is a bit lame. Not to mention driving with 4 headlights, or none at all is just plain unsafe. but when it comes to safety, a line has to be drawn.
O(s)bama passed a law making it a $2700 fine for a professional driver caught using a hand-held device while in operation of a CMV. That is fine. I'm all for it. But what about drivers when they use the CB mic? Or what about eating a snack that only requires use of one hand? After all, the snack is a hand-held device. That device is providing nutrition (or lack of) to your body.

What is the fine for being caught while in operation of a 4-wheeler? Oh, thats right....its only a fine if you're in a state that has that law. It is becoming more of a habbit for our goverment to create laws to handcuff the one branch of transportation that keeps this country rolling. Again, i'm all for safety, but when it is becoming harder and harder for drivers to do their jobs without the worry of getting a ticket, it is time us truck drivers grow some b@lls. When are we going to band together regardless who we work for, or whether or not we are O/O, L/Os or company drivers......we just need to shut down for a full week, maybe even 10 days. Then lets see the general motoring public how 'needed' us truck drivers are.

Breath deep now. Count to 10 real slow......1.....2......3...;)

:clap:

Back when I was driving, I was all for it. And, I know of support in some areas that one might not expect. But, in all the years I was driving, that's all I ever heard. TALK. Sure, there were slow-downs, planned strikes, but nothing actually came to pass. A few drivers tried to do something, and wound up in jail. (well, yeah, they tried the wrong way. You can not impede the flow of traffic.) There have been so few ocassions that drivers parked there trucks and hung out banners, that I don't even need one hand to count them. But, when you do go out on strike, one of the first things you need to do is teach the public what it's all about. Otherwise, they will not understand any part of it. It will simply be an inconvenience to them, and bring them to resent it, and you.

container drivers ban together all the time.. and look they still get paid like crap and drive crappy trucks.. hey just saying..

[QUOTE=Kevin0915;473866]Why do so many drivers worry about their image, like it means anything to anybody else?

kevin all stressed out need a vacation. kind of like an andy rooney rant.
i noticed lot of drivers want to be leaders and have a loud cb and tell others theyre not PROFESSIONAL and enforce the lane restrictions
on this forum ive noticed some drivers are irritated that other drivers play arcade type games in truck stops and claim they spend huge cash doing that.
maybe some of these people are young and single and have not mismanaged their affairs like you and are trying to have fun.
i know when i was doing the 48 + i had a lot less bills and tried to stay in motels and rent cars and go everywhere . if you are so miserable you gonna sit in your truck and cook noodles at the rest area ill be driving by heckling you on my crappy cb and turn off those white fog lights!!!

Just need the fuel haulers to shut down, the rest won't be going anywhere then either.

How needed us truck drivers are, lol. I hear that all the time and just shake my head. I'll never get why so many truckers seem to think they are more important than everyone else who keeps things going. What if all the day care workers shut down? What if all the fuel suppliers shut down? What if all the grocery stores shut down? Sorry but a truck driver is no more or less important than anyone else.

tinytim, you been on vacation? Or something? Haven't seen you post here in a while. You gonna stay around a while?

I check in once in a while. Just not too much to say I guess :)

This place used to be busier. Would like to see that again. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of questions that haven't been answered and I'm not one to post just for the sake of posting usually.

As for worrying about image I know I do. Not in the sense of keeping up with the Jones' or following the herd. To me it's about being reliable and consistent in the eyes of the company and the co-drivers. It's about keeping the truck clean, not giving the four wheelers another reason to rag on truck drivers and not making myself or the company look bad in the eyes of the customers or other truck drivers. Basically what my sig says.