Got Into Fight With Another Truck Driver

I work for Budget Rental. This truck driver came into my store wanted a budget truck to transfer his cargo from his semi truck(Wheaton Van Lines) to a budget truck to drive into an urban area where it was tight. He thought the rate I was charging him was too high. He flipped out. He started yelling that he has been in trucking his whole life and my rates were insane, yadda yadda. I don't make the rates. The market does based on (supply and demand) which makes the rates go up and down. Anyway, he kept challenging me. He told me I was a cheat and I didn't know the trucking industry, etc I didn't want him in my store because he was getting too aggressive so asked him to leave. He told me "f off" and just had a bad attitude because I quoted him a standard rate of $200 for the day? I told him I had a CDL license and drove a semi a while ago and knew the rates for moving vans and drove OTR and knew the trucking industry. He told me " no man you work in this store!" you not a truck driver!" You don't know **** about trucking! I can get better rates elsewhere!" He kept getting mouthy with me. He eventually left ---- but why do truckers act like that??? Man I am glad I quit trucking because truck drivers are a mouthy, aggressive bunch. So many seem so angry at life. Disturbing.

Anyone deal with angry truck drivers like that in trucking? Seems more negativity and angry truck drivers than any field I have been in.

I work for Budget Rental. This truck driver came into my store wanted a budget truck to transfer his cargo from his semi truck(Wheaton Van Lines) to a budget truck to drive into an urban area where it was tight. He thought the rate I was charging him was too high. He flipped out. He started yelling that he has been in trucking his whole life and my rates were insane, yadda yadda. I don't make the rates. The market does based on (supply and demand) which makes the rates go up and down. Anyway, he kept challenging me. He told me I was a cheat and I didn't know the trucking industry, etc I didn't want him in my store because he was getting too aggressive so asked him to leave. He told me "f off" and just had a bad attitude because I quoted him a standard rate of $200 for the day? I told him I had a CDL license and drove a semi a while ago and knew the rates for moving vans and drove OTR and knew the trucking industry. He told me " no man you work in this store!" you not a truck driver!" You don't know **** about trucking! I can get better rates elsewhere!" He kept getting mouthy with me. He eventually left ---- but why do truckers act like that??? Man I am glad I quit trucking because truck drivers are a mouthy, aggressive bunch. So many seem so angry at life. Disturbing.

Anyone deal with angry truck drivers like that in trucking? Seems more negativity and angry truck drivers than any field I have been in.

Some truckers have bad attitudes and some store/office workers bring a gun to work and "Go Postal". I rather deal with truckers as I know where I stand. I rather not die.

why do truckers act like that??? Man I am glad I quit trucking because truck drivers are a mouthy, aggressive bunch. So many seem so angry at life. Disturbing.

Anyone deal with angry truck drivers like that in trucking? Seems more negativity and angry truck drivers than any field I have been in.

I agree and I've always felt that way. That's one of the things we try to teach the new drivers that come through here - if you'll just have a great attitude and act like a professional you'll really stand out in this industry because so many drivers behave so poorly.

The trucking industry historically has always attracted type A personalities, which makes sense when you consider the demands of the job and lifestyle. But the utter lack of professionalism I can't understand. I know that nobody in our society expects any more than that of truck drivers, you know what I mean? Ask 1000 people on the street to describe a typical truck driver and they'll all say about the same thing - fat, smelly, dirty clothes, greasy hat, and a big mouth - the typical stereotype. And in many cases, they're right. That's exactly what you'll find.

I think the trucking companies themselves feel like if they're going to keep wages low they're going to have to accept the fact that they're not going to get to choose from top notch professionals. They're going to have to accept a lower class of person with low class behaviors. And without a doubt there's a certain percentage of people out there who will live and work to the lowest acceptable standards.

It's a shame, it really is. There are some companies out there like Averitt that have always expected their drivers to look and act professional. JB Hunt and a few others used to make drivers wear company shirts at least. But those companies are few and far between.

I really don't know what the answer is to fixing it. If you allow people to look and act that way you're going to get exactly that sometimes. And if you allow some of that it's going to breed more and more of it, kind of like a virus.

I would add that you are dealing with people (drivers) who work alone and are accustomed to having stuff go their way all the time. When it don't alot of drivers act like children.

I was a member at a local golf course for 10 years and saw the exact same scenario on the other end of the spectrum. A bunch of rich guys who always got their way. Get them together for a tournament and 8out of 10 would do nothing but complain.

In my personal opinion the single worst aspect of our society today is the me me me attitude that is so prevalent.

.02

TW you are not in the same business as that truck driver. Budget Rental rents cars and trucks at retail. Your business has nothing to do with semis. Anyone with a driver license, generally speaking, can come into your store and rent a box truck up to 26' long. In a way he was right - you were working in the store. Outside of that job, you could have been a punch press operator, a used car salesman, or an airline pilot. But at the moment, you represented Budget Truck Rental for customers of that store.

Mr Trucker can't walk into an auto parts place and demand a better price for, say, Rotella motor oil. Same for your business. You can surely offer him whatever discount you can, but there's no special deal just because his truck is bigger than yours.

Must have been an owner operator.

I pride myself in being respectful and polite. Even when getting bad news (load won't be ready for an hour...etc etc) Must be why people always act shocked when I don't flip out.

All good replies to make sense of the situation.

Brett you are right. There is a negative stigma associated with truck drivers---"fat, smelly, dirty clothes, greasy hat, and a big mouth." He fit the description and among countless truckers I have met in my life. It is sad because trucking can be a great career. I noticed it does attract a Type A personality. I am more type B.

I'm not a trucker (yet?) and I don't know anything about truck rental, but I do know that some people believe in "the squeaky wheel gets the grease". They think the way to get a discount is to become angry and yell. And it probably works sometimes.

I was in Dallas at a pilot...place was slammed no where to park couldn't slide my tandems was over weight in front and drives found a 24 hr service guy in the pk lot I backed into an area at the end of a row making sure passers by could clear the front and rear corners of my rig 8+ trucks got by no issue no words no complaint

Then one fella in a white dirty@$$ rig apparently didn't know how to drive a 53' in close quarters. Started blowin his horn jamin his brakes even got off his truck and walked up to my open window screaming and cussin.

Now at this same truck stop I had a fella answer some questions of mine and even tried to help with my Tandem issue. He was real nice even offered me his extra ice from the cooler he just filled.

So yes there are crazy truckers but u know there are really nice guys out here "truckers are bad people" is just not a statement that can be made.