My Daughter Is Going To Trucking School

I'm very proud of her!!  Truth be told, she's a bit too much like me, in that she likes to do a job and doesn't like to be micromanaged.  We are of the "give me the damn job, then get out of the way" ilk.  Always we've been this way. 

So, while I've been driving a truck, for quite a while, she's been casting about, trying to find a good way to make a living but not having to sit behind a desk.  I kept telling her about trucking.  Well, finally, late last year, she got around to asking me for more info.  I happily told her. 

Now, she's on her way to school and within a couple of months, she'll be on her own, in her 'own' (read: company) truck and making a living. 

I have given her all off the downsides I could think of.  She has had my phone calls when I called her, on the verge of tears, about something that wasn't going right, so she knows there will be that in her future.  We've talked of DOT regs and the pain in the ass (PITA's for short) people who work at weigh stations.  About dispatchers who will push her to drive illegally and then try to blame her when something goes wrong.  About looking after herself FIRST.  She needs the CDL for her future and without it, a lot of money goes down the drain, so, it behooves her to take care of herself first and foremost. 

She has traveled extensively on her own and isn't afraid of the unknown.  Sometimes to her detriment.  I think she gets that from me....  Anyway...we both have a wanderlust about what is over the horizon.  Trucking has done great things for me.  Trucking has done horrible things to me.  Quite a bit of it was my bad judgement.  She's been warned of sex traffickers, drugs (she's light years ahead of me on that stuff), shrinking logs, etc., etc..

I've told her if she has a bad gut feeling about something, don't do it.  Work around it if needs be.  The load must get to whereever but no need to put herself in mortal danger.  Park in safe parking, on/off ramps won't do!   She knows self defense and can kick ass.  She knows to run her passenger seat seatbelt through the door handle and secure it.  No one can open the door from the outside. 

Too much to post all we've talked of, but, I'm proud of her for taking the step.  The one thing I can think of the new regs and scrutinazation (sp??) of trucking, maybe trucking will get safer, and, as a mother, I won't worry so much about her. 

So, to any newbie out there reading this, if you need a decent job, you will start at the bottom but there is plenty of room to go up.  Trucking, for me, has been for the most part, very good for me.  I'm glad I could pass this on to my daughter. 

Drive safely!! 

Well, Am Doing Well, I Must Say

Since we lost our driving jobs, I've been worried about money, of course.  But, in the overall scope of things, things couldn't be better.  My health has improved, I feel better and have a better outlook on life. 

After some personal things get settled, I'll be out beating the bushes for another driving job.  But, this time, I'm looking out for me.  It's just a job, nothing more.  I fully understand the concept of capitalism and the trucking industry, but, I'm an anachronism.  I live too much in the past and that's not good.

There are some local companies and I'll hit them up, later this week.  Actually, I think maybe this all happened for a better reason than I could have thought of in the first place. 

Thanks to all my readers.  I appreciate you and will keep posting!!  The focus may change a little, but, it'll still  be me and my imprint on here. 

Thank you very much.  Drive safe!! 

When The Bloom Has Fallen From The Rose

I don't know quite where to start.  In this particular blog, you will probably sense a bit of hurt.  Why?  Well, sit back, grab a cuppa and I'll tell the story.

Hubby and I have worked for our trucking company off and on for five years.  Overall, it has been the best company in the world as long as you worked and produced.

Fast forward to last week....

This will be in the past tense from now, reasons to be explained forthwith. 

A new manager had taken over.  From what we have heard, he got the job because he had the good sense to marry the owner's granddaughter...and, on his own, couldn't find a job.  So, nepotism set in and a job showed up.  Granted, he started last year, out of the blue, but, as of now, he's the new manager.

Suffice it to say, he had never driven a truck nor managed a company.  But, he married lucky.  So, now we had to deal with newbie manager.  It went to his head.  Thought he was a god.  We heard he got a nice big fat raise. 

He denied us our yearly bonus because we didn't produce, that was his reasoning.  Even though we always asked for more miles, we couldn't get them and this dipshit deduced we weren't performing.  Let it be said, newbie manager actually used the word "fuck" and "ass" and "asshole" in our company meeting.  Oh, yes, he sure did.  I had to ask him to not say those things.  I may be a trucker but I'm still a lady when I need to be.  I was very offended.  He did appologize and got very mad.  He'd been called out.  Also, he fired us for about 10 minutes and then said he needed us, we still had a job.

Then, we found out the girl who does the miles, sit down, this is gooood, she is a stripper on the weekends...  As in pole dancer....  I had wondered over that past year why she was getting boob and butt jobs.  The guys had always talked about her and I ignored it.  But, looking back, I now realize how much it was.  Usually, when I walked up to a clump of guys, they would tone down what they were saying.  I mean, I'm old enough to be most of their mothers' and they did respect me that much, at least.  She got a nice, big, fat raise also.  The new manager has turned her loose in the office and now, this broad is on steroids, driving everyone nuts. 

Last week, we took vacay so I could recover from a medical problem.  During the week, we had time to think.  I called up some of the people who'd been fired from the office and found out more of what was going on with the company.  I heard some disturbing things.  Actually, more disturbing than I like to admit.  There is too much to go into, but, my pointed questions to these fired people yielded some unsettling answers....and non-answers....

Now, it takes me a little time to sort things through.  I have to sleep on things when I know something is wrong and can't quite put a finger on it.

Basically, we were too loyal for our own good.  I have learned during my life, look out for yourself, take care of yourself, first.  This company has been so good to us in the past, it was a little like putting a frog in water, turning up the heat little by little, and, eventually boiling the poor frog to death, the frog never realizing what was happening till too late.

So, last Friday, we went in, had to return a GPS unit anyway, and quit.  On the spot.  Never have I ever done that, nor my hubby.  In some cases, it is better to get out of a situation and move on.  The newbie manager was surprised and the miles girl couldn't have cared less.  Now, they have to interview, pull records and so forth.  I'm pretty sure, not sure, the newbie manager kept or split our yearly bonus for himself and possibly to the miles girl (aka:  the stripper). 

We don't think we'll be paid for vacay either.  I know it's the law but it would cost more to get the ball rolling than it is worth.  They don't know I have a well-read blog.  When someone asks me about them, I won't give them the normal glowing report.  But, I'm moving on, too.  Rumor is the company is on shaky footing, news to us.  Life is short, I won't forget this either.

So, hopefully, the rose-colored glasses are gone.  Loyalty is gone.  Trust in my employer is gone.  Thankfully, we had prepared ourselves and will be fine.  It does sort of hurt.  The hurt has gone away a bit.  I feel so dumb for falling for this twaddle.  Never would I have believed this scenario would have happend to us with this company.  But, it did.

This is a lesson to you newbie drivers out there.  Look out for yourself first.  Keep your record clean so you can leave and get another job quickly.  Prepare your life financially so you aren't stuck in a job only to survive.  In trucking, you are number one.  Always remember that. 

Drive safely! 

Most Managers Are Ineffective...No! Really??

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505125_162-57355776/study-most-managers-are-ineffective/?tag=nl.e713

I hope the link works, this is the first I've used it this way.

Anywho, the upshot is, most managers are just so much hot air and a physical body walking around.  I can truly say, I agree.  Especially from my last few days as a truck driver AND seeing some of my customers!! 

Personally, I'm wishing my manager would just kind of fade into this good night...

Stay tuned for more....

Seems to be a PITA...

Help Chip In For This Little Girl

http://pambrown.chipin.com/azia-brown

This is a little girl and it's a scary time for her family.  Even $5.00 will help.  Find it in your heart to send something.


I'm not a karma sort of person but I can't help but think that something will come back to you, in a good way!!

Truck Drivers Face Termination Due to PSP | Before It's News

Truck Drivers Face Termination Due to PSP Before It's News

This is another case of the carriers pushing drivers to run illegally, then, acting against the driver...who did what the carrier wanted in the first place!

The way to fix this is for the driver to know the law AND their rights and refuse to run illegally. The carrier wants to push you to run illegally?? Well, document EVERYthing and if you are fired, take it to the Labor Board.

Always, always, cover your buns. Watch out for yourself FIRST. Most carriers don't care one whit (see my last posting) about the drivers. All they care about is a warm body in the seat, getting the load there.

Another thing, once you get financially sort of secure (put some money aside from each check), don't ever allow yourself to get in a position to be dictated to by a company, under a threat of losing your job. You must take responsibility for yourself, don't pawn it off on the carrier or law enforcement. You must have the backbone or spine to stick up for yourself. Then, if you do get fired, you still need another job while you do battle with the old company, you can walk into the door of another carrier and get a job pronto.

The upshot is, take care of yourself and yourself first. It's just a job and you must be strong and do the right thing.

Drive safe!!

Loyalty Has Gone By The Wayside

For any newbie drivers who may be reading this blog, the best thing I can tell you is to always look out for yourself first when employed as a truck driver. 

Used to be, you could depend on your employer not to do you wrong and you knew where you stood with your company.  All you had to do was drive the truck, get it there in one piece, deliver the load and start all over again. 

Things have sure changed in the past years I've been driving.  In the past six months or so, we started hearing stories within the company of general unhappiness.  True to form, we ignored it all, the company had been so good to us and as long as it didn't pertain to me in particular, we were good with it.  All company's have some grouchy people but this company had a really low turn-over rate.  I mean, really l-o-w turn-over rate. 

My company was taken over by someone who has less than a year of management experience and zero time behind the wheel.  Since this person, who married into the owner's family, of all things, has totally taken over, we have found we can't trust much of anything. 

There is a trucking saying that says, "Believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear."  Truer words have never been spoken. 

Things that we have gone over and aboveboard for our company, we now have been told it didn't matter.  What??  We have always defended our company and took the best care of our rig we could.  We felt proud.  We felt we owed it to the company who has provided nicely for us. 

Now...the new manager says it doesn't matter.  Our glitches were brought front and center and used to nullify all the good we have done.  Being gobsmacked doesn't come close to describing what we felt.

We still have our job, as it were, but, now, we don't feel any sense of 'being' with the company.  It's each man/woman for themselves now. 

We got a stupid preaching-at about teamwork and how we all pull together.  We pulled together before but with the rookie manager, and what has happened today, we just aren't feeling the love. 

So, if any of you are looking for a loyal company where you feel you can settle in, I hope you find it but it may have gone the way of the Dodo bird.  Ours was the last company I would have ever thought would have dumped on us. 

Just so sad...

Strange Thing About My Blog Stats....

Was looking at them a bit ago and I find I have viewers in RUSSIA??  Russia??  Really?? 

Why would I have viewers in Russia??  This is odd.  I hope my laptop hasn't been hijacked or someone is trying to steal my identity.

Anyway, I'm thinking this is very strange and maybe I better up my AVG or Norton. 

I'm Going To Be Out Of Action For A Little While, So....

I thought I'd post stories as I find them that pertain to trucking.

Information or heads-up type stories.  Repost them.

Also, since I'm gonna be out of action, I was thinking I will have plenty of time to rethink this blog and how to make it better.  It's in a growing pain sort of thing now and I'd really like to expand it.

Sorry, this is taking so long but things have happened and have to be taken care of.  Please keep reading and coming back.  I appreciate all my readers!! 

The Icky's Have Hit Me Big Time

With everything else going on in this world, I have come down with either a cold or flu.  I'm thinking it's a cold because I have a sore throat and sneezing like mad.  No point in going to the doctor because it's probably a virus and just have to let it run it's course.

*sigh*

Life is so lucky lately, isn't it?? 

The Case For Chaining Up

This was yesterday.

The signs were up, you gotta chain up. We thought it was stoopid, as evidenced by the first picture. We did it, though, it was the law. I just imagined how our chains were taking a beating on the bare pavement.

However....when we got to the top of the pass, the second picture shows it was well worth it.

Sometimes, stuff like this just pays off.

posted from Bloggeroid

Happy New Year!!

Here's to having a good year and good health. Live life to the hilt!!

posted from Bloggeroid