Trucking is different from other businesses because it needs a significant degree of personal autonomy and independence. Certain occupations enable you to delegate your work to someone else, or at the very least; you have access to those around who you may consult if you need advice or guidance.
With trucking, it is all up to you
A previous post of mine covered the need for sound judgment and decision-making even before one joins the trucking industry. Those who do not take charge of their actions and own up to them fare poorly in the trucking business. Nobody is there to grasp your hand and lead the way for you. You may contact dispatch, but they often will not know what to do if your brakes lock up or your tandems would not glide. If it does not work, the road assistance departments will give you a standard message outlining what to do. Your errors are entirely your responsibility to acknowledge and grow from.
Typical rookie defenses include:
- The vehicle next to me was too far away as I was turning out of my parking space at the rest area, and I struck him.
- “I was six hours late because my fleet manager assigned me a load I could not make.”
- “I took out the mirror of the vehicle on my blindside while backing up with a spotter,” the person providing me with spotter assistance said.
- “I was late for my delivery since my alarm never went off.”
- I got lost since my trainer never showed me how to read an atlas.
All drivers above avoided taking accountability for their acts by blaming someone or something else. Nonetheless, dispatch was aware that they were all at blame. These drivers will undoubtedly lose some respect from dispatch and credibility.
We will all make mistakes since we are just human. Rookies are supposed to sometimes hit something and be late, but they are also expected to learn from those mistakes and become better people. A driver would be better off asking for a day off to rest or recover from a headache than inventing false justifications. Dispatchers can predict which drivers will improve and which ones will consistently seem to be the victims of circumstance.
The excellent ones are honest; the bad ones just do not give a damn.
Not All of the Training Depend on the Trainer
In every organization, there are great trainers and horrible trainers. Even throughout training, a driver has the freedom to choose his attitude and whether he accepts responsibility for his choices. Even if a trainer uses three different languages to teach anything, the trainee must pay attention and put the lessons into practice. The trainer may not know that further practice or knowledge is required if a pupil does not request it.
One freshly upgraded driver, for instance, incorrectly traveled 300 miles before dispatch contacted to enquire about her whereabouts. She began by blaming dispatch for not getting in touch with her sooner. She blamed her trainer, saying, “My trainer never taught me travel planning or how to use the GPS. Thus it is his problem,” after being directed to the terminal. If this were the case, she just needed to enquire before upgrading. In response, management paired the driver with an instructor to go through trip preparation, time management, and NavGo GPS use.
A month later, the same motorist used the GPS to navigate down a two-mile driveway that turned out to be a lengthy, dark Pennsylvanian road. She attempted to do a U-turn with the 53-foot trailer as she neared a large space, but instead, she swiped two automobiles in front of the home, destroyed a fence, and became trapped in a rose garden’s muck. She said, “That was the GPS’s fault” when the firm brought this up.
Not only was this considered an accident, but she was also held accountable for a part of the tow and the damage to the fence and landscaping. For an additional 20,000 kilometers, the driver was put back with a trainer, but she never acknowledged responsibility for her actions.
As she started driving alone again, she decided to flee the scene of an accident, which cost her her CDL. Nonetheless, she said, “It had nothing to do with me; the automobiles collided.” Nevertheless, the drivers of the automobiles said that the caravan lost control of its lane and forced one vehicle into another.
She is familiar with social media, so I wanted to slap her when I heard this tale. She searched YouTube for videos on apparel, music, and other reviews, but she never considered looking for videos regarding travel preparation or utilizing Google Earth to locate clients. She never once considered asking someone for help using the atlas or watching one of the many videos on trucking that cover the topic. She did not bother since it did not interest her.
She joined Facebook groups for corporate drivers but got caught up in the drama and failed to build relationships with other drivers she could rely on for information. Since she never tried, she can no longer operate a truck. Nonetheless, she maintained that it was never her fault.
Self-improvement in trucking never ends
Training never stops and begins with the permission study. A driver who becomes a single driver does not automatically stop learning new things. Many circumstances that did not exist during training will now occur.
One example is having your brakes lock up and freeze. That did not occur during training, but it occurred when I went out on my own. I phoned the tractor shop to seek advice, and after a few hammers blows, Clang! The brakes opened up. It is part of the work to know who to contact when issues emerge, and obtaining the right answers can help you get going more quickly and earn more money. Do your research and finish the task.
Find Persons That Can Help You
Socializing with other drivers from my work was one thing that benefited me, although I was selective. I avoided the Terminal Rats & exchanged phone numbers with knowledgeable drivers. I often saw teams and added daytime and nighttime drivers to my phone. I upgraded just after I had twelve numbers on my phone before I left the terminal. Drivers who could help me at three in the morning and three in the afternoon were available. Road Help and Dispatch departments are excellent. However, seasoned drivers know the situation and have a wealth of advice.
When you go alone, you probably will not feel ready. You will feel uneasy and wonder, “Are these guys insane to allow me to drive out of here? I am still unable to reverse it. We all experience this. When you have time, practicing in deserted truck stops is your job. That is entirely up to you if you decide not to. You have the option to ask other drivers or even the technicians at the shop for advice to learn more. Save your money, time, and disappointments by not even considering a career in trucking if you lack the motivation and perseverance to do so.
Apply Yourself, And You Will Do Well
Years of on-time deliveries and accident-free driving are feasible. Drivers often engage in it. You will succeed if you put in the effort. If you place the blame on everything and everyone, you will not survive a year and may not even make it through training. Improve your time-management and trip-planning abilities, research, and connect with people to gain the necessary information. Acknowledge and grow from your mistakes, and you will soon be one of the Top Tier Drivers that dispatchers like.
