For Safety's Sake
It's Monday night and I am on my way home already. I got lucky this week with a 2 stop New England route. By tomorrow evening, I will have already accumulated 2300 miles. But with long days behind the wheel, comes the potential for too much time to think.
Today found me in an unusually quiet and pensive mood. After watching the industry changes that have taken place over the past 13 years, I feel as though my livelihood is crumbling into chaotic ruins.
There are still many wonderful men and women out on these highways that represent the Concrete Cowboys and Highway Heroes of yesteryear, but more common these days are the folks looking for an easy buck. They bitch and complain about everything. From traffic delays to waiting on loads. And the most common thread that binds these newcomers is the singlemindedness of their actions. They are so intent on themselves, that they forget to take time to look around, to be courteous, to be cautious!!
One common complaint you will hear out on the road, concerns the slower company drivers clustered into the center lane, impeding the flow of traffic. This is one of my big pet peeves. Slower traffic keep right!! By hovering in the middle, they have now caused a rolling road block. The faster trucks are forced to either violate lane restrictions, or pass on the right where merging traffic becomes an issue. Once you are able to get around them, you will most often notice them staring straight ahead. I suppose if they don't acknowledge you, they feel less remorse for such actions.
I seem to be way off on a tangent here, but just bear with me.
They blow through truck stop parking lots and/or fuel islands at ridiculous speeds. They won't accommodate any other motorist, with their "me first" attitude. No concern for safety! Or maybe, just maybe, it is a lack of training?
Now back to the original intent of my post. I think I have solved the safety issues concerning the trucking industry, or at least one of them... How about, instead of the restrictions and regulations that are being heaped upon drivers, in the name of safety, we should make demands that Training Companies actually train the new drivers. Instead of weeks, let's put the potential drivers through months or years of training. Instead of the promise of "free"
training (if you work for the company for a stated amount of time, you owe nothing), let's put a hefty price tag on a long term education. Other certifications take many class credits or years to complete. Why not trucking? Let's actually require the skills to be demonstrated and challenged when taking a skills test. Let's stop making the truck so user friendly that any bozo can drive it. Automatic transmissions?? Please...if you take away all the challenges there once were, you are left with bumbling idiots steering their trailers over other trucks, cars, equipment, poles...blah blah blah!!
I can't tell you how many women I have heard recently admit that they can not back up their trailer. What the hell are you doing in a truck, sister? I do not believe women should be given any advantages based on gender!! It was a man's worlds at one time, but many women have succeeded by jumping in with both feet and learning the skills to be successful. No bitching, no crying...just doing!!
So, it is just my opinion, but if you make it harder to become a truck driver, you will be left with only those who truly have the desire to become a competent operator. And if one works harder to succeed, I believe there is more potential for that person to be cautious, courteous and willing to help a fellow driver. If the highways were full of those types of drivers, these ridiculous restrictions and regulations would not be so necessary!!
Think about it!
You have 2 such incompetent baffoons to thank for this post.
Okay, bitch session over
9 comments:
Oh, I agree - and driver's licenses in general shouldn't be so easy to obtain.
But as long as the industry keeps turning over drivers - chewing 'em up and burning them out - the need for new drivers will insure that they'll be under trained and over utilized.
It's quite sad, isn't it. With a more costly and longer training term, the turn over rate would decrease as well, but that's no good for Big Company Trucking's bottomline.
Some of the issues you forgot to mentioned in the trucking industry: Remember when our fathers, grandfathers, uncles and older brothers were driving trucks before unions and crackdowns on safety began? Truck companies were having drivers haul ass from point "A" to point "B" to deliver loads by any means neccessary (breaking speed limits, overloaded rigs, little or no sleep, cranked up on caffiene or "no-do's"). Now, just like how jobs are outsourced overseas for cheaper labor, the same happens in trucking. They'll find "anybody" to work harder and longer hours for less pay (no teamsters getting involved). Just drive 2500 miles in a day and a half, and pick up $500 cash on delivery. Another issue is the ass-kissing and brown-nosing that goes on in every company. The boss's favorite does a job, half-ass sometimes, and gets paid in full. The honest hard worker does the same job better and gets zero.
Terry, I see your point, but try not to get so annoyed about it... all professions have their fair share of losers and low-lifes... from crooked CEO's and politicians to sleazy attorneys willing to sue for anything in order to make a buck...
With that said, let's just say I'm just glad I'm an American with the freedom to get a job in a profession of my choice, and the freedom to do that job as well or poorly as you want... well, at least until you get fired or perhaps break the law and go to jail haha.
But, you're one of the good ones :)
Anonymous,
Sorry for the rant :-)
I was just having a bad day and normally just go with the flow but I was almost run over in the fuel island by a speeder in the parking lot, same fella then races me to the exit and almost hits me, coming out of my blind side. Same fella then rides the middle lane for miles drag racing with the other slow trucks.... He kind of irked me, considering he was riding with 5 tires in my lane..... LOL
DOT has raised the standards for schools. New laws implemented soon should take out the CDL mills. Good schools are out there. CFI uses one in Neosho where you get to be on a skid pad. There is a school up NE somewhere where they actually have loaded tankers and flatbeds to learn in. CDL schools are only meant to get your CDL. It's up to the company that hires to do the training. This is where the DOT have not set any rules or standards. A school must present proof of how much wheel time you get and a driver is supposed to have so many hours. Now when the driver is hired by a company and they don't train him properly to be a TRUCK DRIVER that's where the problem starts. A lot of people get training and CDL school mixed up. I completely agree about the automatic transmissions. I believe it creates complacency that one has driving a car.
Oh yeah on a second note there are people that use the cdl schools to get the cdl but don't become OTR drivers. They are running local, or doing yard dog work, or they needed it for the construction business. I blame companies in a hurry to fill their trucks up for not training properly.
You have several great points Steve!!
But I still believe the license for Drivers should be harder to acquire and cost a significant amount more. I just believe it would eliminate those from pursuing the industry who have no desire to be good at it. We will always have to watch out for the little guy, mom, grandpa.... but it is frustrating that we have to watch out for stupid decisions made by other drivers who are only in it for the paycheck.
Tell me about it. Another employee and I were supposed to teach a guy that just started with our company for two years (He was furloughed for six months before coming back). It took him about five times before getting his CDL. Problem was the DMV instructors; they didn't want to go with him 'cause he over-explained too much about the truck during the pre-trip, obstacle course and street driving. He transferred elsewhere so I don't know how's he doing.
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