How To Land The Best Truck Driving Jobs

Patrick,

There are people in this thread that have actually tried to annoy me, and yet your sincere perspective on things manages it far better than any other. I really can't say anything else without insulting you, and since you didn't have a go at me, I can't justify a go at you. *Rubs his temples*

Ryan, I know you have rubbed many in this forum the wrong way. But, for what it is worth, the advice given here is accurate to a new driver. You do not have to be a yes man, at the same time, don't buck the system. Just like in the military, the more of a go getter who gets things done without having to be handheld the better you will do. Just like in the military, those that do the right thing without being told, do not get micro managed. I spent 17 yrs active. I have another 1 1/2 yrs before that in the guard. The Army values are MY values.

LDRSHIP

• Loyalty
• Duty
• Respect
• Selfless-Service
• Honor
• Integrity
• Personal Courage

These are the values I live every day. How these values translate into my current job.

Loyalty - I am loyal to my company. I will not bad mouth my company to others.

Duty - I will perform every task to the utmost of my ability. I will strive to complete every task as efficiently and safely as I can.

Respect - I respect my coworkers and clients. I will give respect first. In return, I gain respect.

Selfless Service - I place the needs of the company before my own when I am on the road. By doing all I can to make my company successful, I become successful.

Honor - I am a man of my word. If I tell my company I will deliver freight at a certain time in a safe and efficient manner, I do so. Things happen beyond our control. But, that freight will not be late due to my fault.

Integrity - this goes along with honor. The caveat is, if you do mess up, own up to it. We are all human. When you make a mistake, own your mistake.

Personal Courage - have the courage to own up to your actions and inaction.

I am far from being a yes man. I am given a task, I accomplish that task. TBH, because I have proven myself reliable, the company doesn't meddle in my affairs. They give me freight, I move it. Yes, I am given fuel stops. However, if those stops do not match the route, I want to take, I have them changed. It is that simple. As long as I look out for the well being of my company, I do as I please!!!

Sorry everyone for another long rant.

p.s. Ryan, stop worrying about being a slave to the system. Instead worry about how to make the system work for you. Find a company that offers the freight, hometime, and benefits you desire. Then prove to them that you are the cream of the crop. I am not taking shots at you. I am telling you how to get it done and be successful. o7

Drive Safe and God Speed

Sorry everyone for another long rant.

Are you kidding? Man, you really need to speak up more often! That was seriously fantastic. I enjoyed it, and there isn't a thing that I can add to it. It hasn't taken you long at all to figure out how this industry works. Never hesitate to jump in and share with people what's working for you.

There are people in this thread that have actually tried to annoy me, and yet your sincere perspective on things manages it far better than any other.

Well at this point you've heard people from all different backgrounds, with all different experience levels, working for all different companies, share what has worked for them in trucking and the message is the same every time; your happiness and your success lies in your own hands in this business, not in the hands of the company you work for. Time and again the members of our community have demonstrated that this is a performance-based industry that rewards excellence, and sets aside those who can't perform.

I mean, that's a tough path to follow when you know that's the basic premise before you even begin. You're standing at the entrance to this industry being told by a whole host of highly successful drivers that you and you alone are responsible for your successes or failures and no one is going to take your side if you fail and then blame the company or the industry for it.

We watch people try to do that every single day. I've watched it for 25 years. We don't offer our sympathy or compassion because we know what it takes and we know most people can't hack it. And when things don't work out we expect most to react with indignation and try to save face by pointing fingers. It's not news to us and it isn't even interesting. It's just a normal day in the trucking industry.

So you're really putting yourself out there when you enter this industry, knowing that it's all on you, and knowing how your peers are going to feel if you fail to perform. Well at least this particular community of peers. We've all figured this industry out. We've all paid our dues and we've all been successful. As Old School mentioned, we can see you have a decent head on your shoulders, but how are you going to use it?

You mentioned that you like wrestling because your successes or failures were your own. How would people react if someone went out there on the mat, lost a match, and then went to every wrestling forum on the Web to insult long-time successful wrestlers for being sycophants and tried to convince everyone that wrestling is just a scam where the coaches exploit you and the refs are being paid by the government to make you lose?

If Cael Sanderson asked you to wrestle for the top team in the nation, Penn State, would you scream insults in his face about how his wrestlers are just weak sycophants bending to his sociopathic will to exploit them for his own gain?

And even better than that, what if you really did say that to Cael Sanderson and his team of national champions? What would their reaction be?

It would be priceless is what it would be. It would be legendary.

Real wrestlers, those who have paid their dues and now thrive in that arena, would simply laugh and say, "That dude doesn't belong here. Goodbye, dude. Don't let the door hit you in the ass. Next man up!" And the next man would get his chance to show what he's got.

These major trucking companies are the largest, most successful players in the game, just like Penn State, Iowa, and Ohio State are in the wrestling arena. They've already figured out what it takes to thrive at the highest level in this industry and now they're looking for people who can do their job at the highest level to keep the mission moving forward. The military does the same thing. You either accept that mission and take on that challenge with them, or they leave you behind and continue on with their mission, supported by those who are up to the task.

If a person decides they don't like trucking, or they decide it isn't worth the money, then that's a personal preference and no one here will question it one bit. Trucking isn't for most people. We know that better than anyone. So when someone throws up their hands and says, "Forget it. I gave it a shot but this isn't for me" we simply pat em on the back and wish them all the best in their next endeavor. No harm, no foul.

But when someone blames their company or blames this industry for their failures, and then declares that elite drivers are nothing more than ignorant sycophants bending to the exploits of big business, we simply hear that sad, pathetic wrestler blaming the coaches and the refs and touting his conspiracy theories for his failures on the mat.

Trucking is a tough path, man. There's no faking it and there's no sympathy for those who can't hack it. No one in this industry will accept any excuses. You either step up and demonstrate you're one the big dogs or step aside before you get run over. Just like in wrestling. Just like in the military.

If you want to be part of one of the top companies in the nation and go on to earn top money driving the nicest trucks on the planet then go make it happen. If you think big business is going to exploit you then buy a truck and compete with them directly. Show em how it's done.

And that of course is the next obvious question. If you're so concerned about big business, why don't you buy a truck and start your own business?

If Cael Sanderson asked you to wrestle for the top team in the nation, Penn State, would you scream insults in his face about how his wrestlers are just weak sycophants bending to his sociopathic will to exploit them for his own gain?

No, of course not. In that case, that isn't a shred of truth to it. There also isn't any paying dues or sycophancy involved. For whatever the reason, you're better than your opponent or you're losing a match. I didn't just start calling people sycophants on a whim. I started doing it when they started articulating their sycophancy towards me, and doing so with misplaced pride.

But when someone blames their company or blames this industry for their failures, and then declares that elite drivers are nothing more than ignorant sycophants bending to the exploits of big business, we simply hear that sad, pathetic wrestler blaming the coaches and the refs and touting his conspiracy theories for his failures on the mat.

How about when a trucking school has you doing a pre-trip in a particular way every single time, and then you go to do that at the DMV and fail for it? That's your fault? Or how about when the same school puts you in a truck you've never driven for the DMV exam, with the mirrors bolted tight so you can't even adjust them? (No, there was no in cab adjustment.) Lets not forget scheduled training times, where you show up, sign in at the office, and then discover there isn't anyone or any truck to train you, but the fact you signed in a used as proof you got training?

Because all of those things happened to me, and many here tried to blame ME for them. The only way I'm to blame for those things is for going to that school. Since I got blamed when I was the victim the first time I ever posted in here, it's clear what your supposed elite truck drivers are prone to doing. As I've said before, what that behavior shows more than anything is self-serving bias.

And that of course is the next obvious question. If you're so concerned about big business, why don't you buy a truck and start your own business?

That was the plan after I got my footing in the industry from the start. It would be foolish of me to attempt it without some experience first.

That was the plan after I got my footing in the industry from the start. It would be foolish of me to attempt it without some experience first.

Well that's a winner then. You start your own company and you won't have to worry about being a sycophant.

The end.

Glad we could help.

*laughs*

Brett,

Having me affirm my plan on the forum doesn't actually help. Your website is plenty helpful in a lot of ways. I'll probably go over your high road stuff before I get my permit again. I'll probably also listen to all of your podcasts at some point. You're a helpful, pleasant, guy that clearly has experience and intelligence going for him.

I'm still pretty much at the first stage of things still, however. I've spun my wheels a lot. You would probably prefer I didn't pay attention to this forum due to my reoccurring issue with it. It will be interesting to see what happens once I get out of the introductory stages of dealing with idiotic bureaucracy, and finding a company that will hire me that I also deem acceptable. So far, the only companies that will hire me are ones I have a particular distaste for.

This entire thread even though a bit more words than I'm going to use is my fear. I mean afraid that I'm making 45+ thousand a year now and struggling how would I manage making less. I would want to be a top performer I always like to do the best I can at anything I do. But will I be depended on to much? Home time is important to me and I dont want to make enemies by getting the most out of home time. I understand the original post and agree. But I can also see why looking from the outside in it looks like a lose lose situation. Not saying it is and I sure am.not trying to start anything just the way I'm looking at it

Seems one man's definition of a star team player is another man's sycophant. I'm a simple man, so I will try to keep it simple.

It is a sad indictment of our society when someone who is professional, patient, courteous, and shows gratitude to those he works with or for is deemed, as Ryan puts it...a sycophant. I admit, I had to look it up. I guess you can always be sure that no one would ever consider you a suck-up, toady, bootlicker, flunkey, lackey, doormat, or stooge (just part of the definition of sycophant) by being as impatient, rude, and ungrateful as you can be to those above you in your place of work.

My guess is it won't turn out well. I would also just fathom a guess that this is the general approach of the "terminal rats" I just recently read about.

Funny, we humans. When we succeed, it's all our own doing. When we fail, it's always someone else's fault.

So I leave to pick up my rental car in fifteen minutes before heading to Springfield, MO, where I start company-sponsored training with Wilson Logistics on Monday. I just spent the last 30 minutes reading this entire thread because I found it on “all-star comments.”

My God, what a dumpster fire. This thread perfectly encapsulates the opposing attitudes between those who have what it takes to make it in this industry—and the track record to back it up—versus those who love to point fingers, complain, and play the victim.

Old School and Brett, thank you for all that you do here. I’m confident I have what it takes to succeed, and I have all of the moderators and the community here at TT to thank for it.

Good luck Eugene!

Stay in touch. We're pulling for you!

You dug up a great conversation here. Thanks for bumping it up to the top!