[Windwalker]

Originally Posted by wildkat

I'm sorry Allen, I've been a woman trucker for 30 years & I have not yet figured out what this Ellen person actually BRINGS to the industry for women. I have checked her website & listened to her on various talk shows & all I get is that she has no PRACTICAL trucking experience & wants special status for women truckers...and THAT is a detriment to all women actually working in the industry.

You see that is the major problem with all the "so called experts" that seem to keep popping up in this industry...they are all "talk", but I can guarantee you, after listening to them for about 10 seconds, I for one, can tell they haven't spent 10 seconds behind the wheel actually WORKING.

And, if you want some REAL WORLD insight to what it is truly like in the trucking industry then you should go to experienced truckers. But, unfortunately no one will ever do that cause they don't want to find out what it's REALLY like.

Talk to folks like GMAN, or some of the other truly EXPERIENCED people on this board & you might actually learn something about the industry.

Unfortunately, this comment goes MORE THAN DOUBLE for the entire industry, not just women in trucking. Someone works in the office for six months and becomes "an expert". And, in fact, many times, their opinions do us more harm than good. They're no better than P.A.T.T. or C.R.A.S.H. trying to make hiways safer by increasing and tightening regulations on commercial drivers, and they would be far more effective by simply SWEEPING OFF THEIR OWN BACK PORCHES. Study after study shows that it's the 4-wheelers that cause most of the problems.

Just one, very minor bit of information would go a long way toward making the hiways safer if it was well known is: "ONE EIGHTH OF A MILE IN FRONT OF A TRUCK IS A SUICIDE ZONE. THE ONLY PLACE THAT IS WORSE IS BETWEEN TWO TRUCKS." But, please point out just one of the "so-called experts" that is doing that. Just one.

In my opinion, they are NOTHING if they do not have a minimum of two years experience behind the wheel, and that goes for DOT as well. And, not just at the state level either, but USDOT as well. Must be nice and convenient to be able to pick and choose what studies they are going to go by, like "SLEEP APNEA" for example. I know drivers and former drivers that worked for twenty years, were always on time with their loads, never had an accident, until the rules changed. Then, and only then, did they start to have accidents. I know why, but let's see if you and any one of the so-called experts can come up with the reason why.

So, the "experts" made the new rules safer? NOT!!! Didn't do anything for safety.

[wildkat]

EXACTLY WW...that's what really TICKS me off about the whole thing...these so-called "experts" giving absolutely :dung: :dung: :dung: :dung: information to new drivers...no damned wonder so many of them have accidents their first week on the job. I can't tell you how many threads I have read about this subject alone!

I find it so frustrating when I see newbies right out of driving school go with a "trainer" that has virtually no more experience than they do. IMHO, trainers should be certified instructors with a MINIMUM of 10 years experience.

Up here companies are not allowed to be schools, in Alberta anways, not sure about the rest of the country, I'm not sure if that's better or worse sometimes, but at least it doesn't allow unskilled drivers to have their Class One (your CDL). Granted, there are some pretty shady schools around, but that, thankfully is changing, with the rules for schools tightening up.

[RebelDarlin]

Originally Posted by Ridge Runner

Did I do good???? :lol:

You were referring to the Brad Paisly song right? That was funny!

[Ridge Runner]

Originally Posted by RebelDarlin

You were referring to the Brad Paisly song right? That was funny!

Yep!!! I was!!!! Maybe they will get it up there in a few years! :lol: jk

[RebelDarlin]

Originally Posted by Ridge Runner

Yep!!! I was!!!! Maybe they will get it up there in a few years! :lol: jk

That song cracks me up every time I hear it. The video is funny too! :wink: Makes ya wonder about some of the people on here don't it?????? :twisted:

[wildkat]

OK Ridge & Reb...I'm LOST!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Please explain to this dumb blonde....

[Ridge Runner]

Originally Posted by RebelDarlin

That song cracks me up every time I hear it. The video is funny too! :wink: Makes ya wonder about some of the people on here don't it?????? :twisted:

Talk about hitting the nail on the head!!!! :wink:

[Ridge Runner]

Originally Posted by wildkat

OK Ridge & Reb...I'm LOST!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Please explain to this dumb blonde....

It is a song by Brad Paisly about a teen that has a REAL life and an inter-net life. He is Soooo much cooler "on-line".

[wildkat]

Originally Posted by Ridge Runner

It is a song by Brad Paisly about a teen that has a REAL life and an inter-net life. He is Soooo much cooler "on-line".

OHHHHH

I GET it now!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Windwalker]

Originally Posted by wildkat

EXACTLY WW...that's what really TICKS me off about the whole thing...these so-called "experts" giving absolutely :dung: :dung: :dung: :dung: information to new drivers...no damned wonder so many of them have accidents their first week on the job. I can't tell you how many threads I have read about this subject alone!

I find it so frustrating when I see newbies right out of driving school go with a "trainer" that has virtually no more experience than they do. IMHO, trainers should be certified instructors with a MINIMUM of 10 years experience.

Up here companies are not allowed to be schools, in Alberta anways, not sure about the rest of the country, I'm not sure if that's better or worse sometimes, but at least it doesn't allow unskilled drivers to have their Class One (your CDL). Granted, there are some pretty shady schools around, but that, thankfully is changing, with the rules for schools tightening up.

And, one of the biggest problems we have, is that all this is not being published in the WALL STREET JOURNAL, or the NEW YORK TIMES where the general public can learn about it. These sites are all little more than "internal support groups". There is a lot of information that the public SHOULD BE TOLD, but it's not getting there. And, from what I've seen on ALLEN SMITH's site says he's not doing any better.