Steering wheel holders...truck drivers

[Southern Fried]

I still crack up at the notion that you have to love trucking in order to do a professional job as a driver. I didn't get into trucking because of a lifetime of fascination with trucks or any of that crap. I didn't get into it because I didn't have any options. I simply saw the income potential (watching my brother double my income), found I could use the Illinois Veteran's Grant to pay for school and made the leap from my state of Illinois job to driving a truck for a living. Do I love it? No. Do I like it? Most of the time. Does it make me less professional because my life doesn't revolve around chrome, big radios and making my job my life? Nope.

I agree with this 100%, and I'm somebody that got into it for the love if the job. Saying somebody can't be professional because they didn't get into it for the right reasons is ridiculous, but I guess blackw900 can't see that from all the way up there on his high horse.

Guys, it don't really matter. The one commonality is that both you and the "Love it" guys is that you both take this job seriously. The steering wheel holder could care less. Yup, we've been cursed by the slackers forever just like other trades. The big difference is that back then they didn't last too long; the companies (and the insurance guys) realized the risk they posed and dumped them ASAP. Today they dumb everything down for them.

 

[Duck]

The big difference is that back then they didn't last too long; the companies (and the insurance guys) realized the risk they posed and dumped them ASAP. Today they dumb everything down for them.

Automatic transmissions.

'nuff said.

 

[GroceryHauler]

I agree with this 100%, and I'm somebody that got into it for the love if the job. Saying somebody can't be professional because they didn't get into it for the right reasons is ridiculous, but I guess blackw900 can't see that from all the way up there on his high horse.

Guys, it don't really matter. The one commonality is that both you and the "Love it" guys is that you both take this job seriously. The steering wheel holder could care less. Yup, we've been cursed by the slackers forever just like other trades. The big difference is that back then they didn't last too long; the companies (and the insurance guys) realized the risk they posed and dumped them ASAP. Today they dumb everything down for them.

No argument there.

 

[screaming green meanie]

I eas always taught that until you got 20 years under your belt your just a paid tourist lol

 

[Ike]

The Difference? Work Ethic.

 

[THBatMan8]

True enough. The reasons for getting into it matters not. You Must have a passion for the job. I don't care what field you are in. If you do not have a passion for your job then the results will reflect.

I don't have a passion for driving, and I never did. My passion is money. If this job didn't pay as good as it did, I would find something else to do.

I don't live, breathe, eat, and sleep trucking. I work 8 hrs a day 5 days a week and no more. When I punch out for the day and go home, I don't want to see another truck, let alone drive one.

Does this make me a wheel holder? No, it doesn't. I'm good at what I do, otherwise I wouldn't be where I'm currently at. Having millions of safe highway miles doesn't impress me, because anyone can drive a truck down a highway. If you can do a local P/DC job for 30+ years accident and ticket free, I MIGHT be impressed.

 

[Rigjockey]

I don't have a passion for driving, and I never did. My passion is money. If this job didn't pay as good as it did, I would find something else to do.

I don't live, breathe, eat, and sleep trucking. I work 8 hrs a day 5 days a week and no more. When I punch out for the day and go home, I don't want to see another truck, let alone drive one.

Does this make me a wheel holder? No, it doesn't. I'm good at what I do, otherwise I wouldn't be where I'm currently at. Having millions of safe highway miles doesn't impress me, because anyone can drive a truck down a highway. If you can do a local P/DC job for 30+ years accident and ticket free, I MIGHT be impressed.

Hey when I get out of the truck I do not want to see another truck either. I don't even want to drive my own personal vehicle. Is it the customers, Is it the satisfaction you get from a job well done at the end of the day. Is it pride in knowing you family is taken care of.

Did I say a passion for driving, No I said a passion for the job. I am doing local P&D flatbed mostly D but a little p. And I am not here to impress you!

 

[midwestbound]

just a little p?

 

[Rigjockey]

just a little p?

Mostly D aint nobody got time for P. So only a small P. If there a few then yes, only small P,P's

 

[THBatMan8]

Hey when I get out of the truck I do not want to see another truck either. I don't even want to drive my own personal vehicle. Is it the customers, Is it the satisfaction you get from a job well done at the end of the day. Is it pride in knowing you family is taken care of.

Did I say a passion for driving, No I said a passion for the job. I am doing local P&D flatbed mostly D but a little p. And I am not here to impress you!

Haha

I see what you mean, and now I agree. Pride can hurt you though if you exert too much of it. When I started job hunting for a P/DC job, I noticed the mentality of a lot of the places were that you must outwork a fellow driver. That's not my cup of tea.

 

[Rigjockey]

Haha

I see what you mean, and now I agree. Pride can hurt you though if you exert too much of it. When I started job hunting for a P/DC job, I noticed the mentality of a lot of the places were that you must outwork a fellow driver. That's not my cup of tea.

I hear ya! I take nothing for granted until, I am out of the truck and sitting at home. Before that anything can happen.

 

[patriciajnsn]

A trk driver are ones that actually work acts shows professionalism.A steering wheel holder is one that does not care about his or her job.Does'nt practice safety.They just wanna hurry up and get the day over with..Some ppl call the new drivers steering wheel holders when in reality they're just learning to drive trk..I work with quite a few steering wheel holders.

 

[Inkeper]

Professionalism is definitely key as is common courtesy.

 

[Duck]

They will also help a driver back into a tight spot while steering wheel holders will only blow their horn if they get too close to their truck.

If I can tell a guy doesn't know what he's doing, I'll get out & help but if it's simply a tight back & he seems to know what he's doing, I'll just sit in the cab with the marker lights on, and if he's about to hit something I'll just flash the headlights on & off a few times. If he can't speak English, ... and he's trying to back in between two ragged-old Freightliner slag heaps hooked to intermodal containers, I'll just sit there & watch, wishing I had some popcorn.

I hate it when I'm trying to back into a spot & some rookie thinks that just because it took him 45 minutes to get backed in, that everyone else must also need help, and jumps out & starts making incoherent hand gestures or telling me which direction to turn the steering wheel. I appreciate the offer, but I don't need help. Tight situations may take more time & a few G.O.A.L.'s, but the way I see it, regardless of the situation, if a guy can't do it entirely by himself, he never should've been cut loose from his trainer's truck.

There have been more than a few times when rookies have stood there scratching their heads while I get set up for a back-in, then jump out & run my tandems almost (but not completely) to the rear, then get back in the truck and one-shot it into a spot several other rookies had tried & given up on. Rookies always think having your tandems all the way forward makes it easier to back into tight spots.

I don't mind if the owner of a big fancy W900 or a 379 gets out & watches while I've intentionally put my trailer within an inch or two of his truck on my sight-side, because it's to be expected. He has no idea how long I've been doing this. But I prefer that rookies just stay in their trucks, ..... unless they want to just stand there with their mouths shut & maybe learn something. If they're going to be standing there doing jumping jacks because they think I'm not aware of how close I am to something I can plainly see, it's distracting & annoying.

 

[Injun]

As for stopping to help a disabled motorist or fellow trucker...does the name Ted Bundy bring back any recollections? I'll hail them on the CB if it looks like they might be in trouble. I will stop and put a fire out or help at traffic crashes, but for mechanical problems or just sitting on the side with flashers going, if they don't answer the radio, I hope they have a cell phone.

Backing: I usually ignore the hand-wavers. I can't tell how much experience they have by looking at them. I find it amusing to mess with the large-car owners who spout off on the radio about another Swifty student, look out, she's getting too close, blah-blah-blah. For some unknown reason, many of those guys assume I'm a student. Maybe it's because women can't possibly lease, own and drive their own trucks.

Anyway, when that crap is going on and I find out who it is...and there's an open spot next to them, that's the spot I aim for. I make sure to take my time and get really close to their phallus stand-in. I imagine it's a bit disconcerting to have a Swift trailer that close to their mirror. They will sputter on the while real truckers look on in amusement. Sometimes, they'll get out and "guide" me, but usually, they just sit and heckle.

It's a satisfying feeling to mess with these guys, then park perfectly centered in the spot, while the real truckers make fun of the heckler, who, in most cases, is cack-eyed in his spot.

Steering wheel holders do stupid things like pee on the steps and ground on the driver side of the truck because it's a woman or minority driving it.

 

[THBatMan8]

My employer doesn't allow me to stop on the side of the road to 'help'. I can risk loosing my job, or even my freedom.

As far as helping someone back into a spot, I won't do it for 3 reasons. First, I don't have time. I have a 10-20 minute window to get in and out of customers, and that's it. If you take more than 3 pull-ups to hit a spot, I'm going to ask you to move. Second, if you can't hit a spot within 3 pull-ups, I'm going to think you're an incompetent driver who needs more training. Third, a while ago a friend of mine got sued by a driver he was helping back, and that driver hit another truck.

 

[Mike]

If you take more than 3 pull-ups to hit a spot, I'm going to ask you to move. Second, if you can't hit a spot within 3 pull-ups, I'm going to think you're an incompetent driver who needs more training.

I hope we never meet when I am having a bad backing day. As soon as you ask me to move, I can guarantee you will exceed your 15-20 minute window at that stop.

 

[THBatMan8]

I hope we never meet when I am having a bad backing day. As soon as you ask me to move, I can guarantee you will exceed your 15-20 minute window at that stop.

If you do that, all it will take is one phone call and you'd have postal inspectors all over you like white on rice. I'm typically a nice person, but if you give me an attitude, I will return the favor.

 

[Mike]

If you do that, all it will take is one phone call and you'd have postal inspectors all over you like white on rice. I'm typically a nice person, but if you give me an attitude, I will return the favor.

Oh yeah, I will call the federal marshals and @blackw900

We'll see who wins.

 

[truckerman75103]

I got into this over 40 years ago because i heard the truckstops had the best food