I Really Really Really Hate Team Driving

Self induced drama. Pretty sure any co-driver you get won’t be good enough.

There’s always something to complain about in trucking. The successful drivers learn to focus on the big picture and let the little stuff roll.

If I were you I’d focus more on yourself, than judging others.

Good luck

Self induced drama. Pretty sure any co-driver you get won’t be good enough.

There’s always something to complain about in trucking. The successful drivers learn to focus on the big picture and let the little stuff roll.

If I were you I’d focus more on yourself, than judging others.

Good luck

He didn't WANT A CO'DRIVER.. how does this happen ?!?!? I'd be miffed and biffed as well.

"...to empathize, encourage, and inspire"

~ Anne ~

Zach (and Anne) it may be true that you didn’t want a co-driver, but let’s give you the benefit of the doubt (as Old School has) and assume for argument’s sake that you’ve done absolutely everything in your power and to get out of team driving, including going over your DM’s head (which many here aren’t convinced you’ve done).

Assuming all that, the message we are hearing isn’t “well I’m in a place of acceptance that team driving is where I’m stuck for right now and there’s nothing I can do about it. What proactive steps can I take to make the best out of a bad situation?”

What I’m hearing is a search for validation. You just want everyone to chime in and sympathize with how bad your plight is. That isn’t going to do you any favors or change the reality of the fact that you’ve been dealt a bad hand. I’m far from offering any sage wisdom here, as I’m even more of a rookie than you and I’m having struggles of my own. I don’t know you but I’m assuming we have a pretty significant age difference (I’m 38), and I have a lot of professional experience in the corporate world dealing with setbacks and putting out fires. I had to learn the hard way how to clean up my own messes, and often, the messes of others. With this came perspective and the realization self pity accomplishes absolutely nothing to get myself out a mess.

No one here is any better than you. All of us have been in the same boat. You’ve had a rough start of it, and we get that. No one is envious of your position right now. Where it becomes frustrating is that you simply haven’t adopted a proactive attitude on how to work your way out of a mess. You need to accept that certain situations in trucking will be out of your control and you need to learn to make lemonade out of lemons. I haven’t seen that yet here, but I’m happy to help if you have any questions. I may not have any answers on the practical day-to-day aspect of your problems in trucking, but I want to see you succeed and can certainly offer some guidance on attitude and mindset if you’re interested.

Another commenter mentioned you seem to have a fair dose of humility, but I would slightly disagree. Just because you recognize your own shortcomings doesn’t mean you have humility. To me, humility means being “right sized.” It means having the perspective to grasp that, not only are you not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but also that you are not so important that your problems are insurmountable. Having a woe-is-me attitude is not humility. Humility starts with acceptance and means having the perspective to be solution-oriented about your plight.

My question for you now Zach, is what are you going to do to fix this situation?

Bro go to the terminal and tell them face to face in front and f your dm boss I don’t want to be ram drive unless you signed a contract saying your willing to team drive they can’t make you nobody can make me!! Do anything !! I’ve was in trouble most my life and nobody got me out of trouble but me!! O/s said it best now what are you gonna do zack? Go into the terminal and tell them you want to go solo or you quit!!! That whole thing you don’t have nothing to fall back on? If that’s truly how you see it then get over being but hurt and learn how to team drive ! Help out your co pilot to learn how to drive how did he go back to the shipper with the qaulcom telling him where to go ?? It don’t go backwards unless you need to clear current stop ! And that’s almost always a fuel stop!! Changing dms is not hard I’ve seen with my 2 eyes guys an gals right there in that same terminal switch dms like they change clothes end up with a dm from Nashville call h.r ask for head of operations show them your back and fourth with the dm on your qaulcom ..unles you only called your dm for that 2 I want you to succeed I’ve we’ve all offered advice on it I’m not coming down on you!!! But you’ve got to put out man get after it make changes to your situation!! Or leave it!!! I don’t know what else to try and tell you !! Get driving solo!! Or learn to team!!! Shoot a pic of your dispatch I can help you understand abbreviation but you still haven’t posted it yet shoot me your number !! I don’t mind helping you out somebody did it for me

Why are you still teaming??? You asked advise about how to handle it, and it sounds like your still teaming but with someone else. You seem to have fault with everyone. Time for you to make some serious decisons for yourself there young sir.

These forums are proffessional always have been and always will be. They are to educate new drivers and potential new drivers. Proffessionals don’t go on social media talking the way you choose to. I highly encourage this type of post be on a different platform.

As I've said before, I've tried to go solo but the only person with the power to get me my own truck is my DM. I like how in most people's eyes I'm always wrong and everyone else is right. You guys go ahead and side with a company that let's schizophrenic people behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound death machine that could take out a whole family. I've begged not to make me team anymore and it doesn't matter to them, like I've said before my complaints fall on def ears it is what it is.

That’s says it all right there Zack. Jammer is offering you his contact info. I’d think you’d be all over that offer if you truly wanted this. Nobody is gonna feel sorry for you man. You say you were in the military. I hate using cheesy military terms. But a gunny once told me “you’re supposed to make it happen, not let it happen”. It’s all up to you Zack. Make your own destiny. Good luck.

Bro go to the terminal and tell them face to face in front and f your dm boss I don’t want to be ram drive unless you signed a contract saying your willing to team drive they can’t make you nobody can make me!! Do anything !! I’ve was in trouble most my life and nobody got me out of trouble but me!! O/s said it best now what are you gonna do zack? Go into the terminal and tell them you want to go solo or you quit!!! That whole thing you don’t have nothing to fall back on? If that’s truly how you see it then get over being but hurt and learn how to team drive ! Help out your co pilot to learn how to drive how did he go back to the shipper with the qaulcom telling him where to go ?? It don’t go backwards unless you need to clear current stop ! And that’s almost always a fuel stop!! Changing dms is not hard I’ve seen with my 2 eyes guys an gals right there in that same terminal switch dms like they change clothes end up with a dm from Nashville call h.r ask for head of operations show them your back and fourth with the dm on your qaulcom ..unles you only called your dm for that 2 I want you to succeed I’ve we’ve all offered advice on it I’m not coming down on you!!! But you’ve got to put out man get after it make changes to your situation!! Or leave it!!! I don’t know what else to try and tell you !! Get driving solo!! Or learn to team!!! Shoot a pic of your dispatch I can help you understand abbreviation but you still haven’t posted it yet shoot me your number !! I don’t mind helping you out somebody did it for me

Why are you still teaming??? You asked advise about how to handle it, and it sounds like your still teaming but with someone else. You seem to have fault with everyone. Time for you to make some serious decisons for yourself there young sir.

These forums are proffessional always have been and always will be. They are to educate new drivers and potential new drivers. Proffessionals don’t go on social media talking the way you choose to. I highly encourage this type of post be on a different platform.

As I've said before, I've tried to go solo but the only person with the power to get me my own truck is my DM. I like how in most people's eyes I'm always wrong and everyone else is right. You guys go ahead and side with a company that let's schizophrenic people behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound death machine that could take out a whole family. I've begged not to make me team anymore and it doesn't matter to them, like I've said before my complaints fall on def ears it is what it is.

What I’m hearing is a search for validation. You just want everyone to chime in and sympathize with how bad your plight is....

I don't see anything wrong with that. Some people just like some empathy and encouragement to help get through a bad situation. There's nothing forcing people to read his post or respond.

What I’m hearing is a search for validation. You just want everyone to chime in and sympathize with how bad your plight is....

I don't see anything wrong with that. Some people just like some empathy and encouragement to help get through a bad situation. There's nothing forcing people to read his post or respond.

I see a lot wrong with it. True sympathy helps a person get out of their situation, otherwise it isn't sympathetic at all. If all we do is provide validation to complaints, we've done nothing at all. I call it misguided sympathy if all we do is pat a person on the back and give them false hope that it will get better. Trucking can be difficult. We prepare people for that reality all the time. Though difficult, it isn't impossible. Nor is it unbearable. We have all been through the types of difficulties Zach has. I worked at Western Express. I know how it is. I rose above all the whining and complaining. It changed my career and put me on a fast track to success.

Some of us have offered both empathy and advice. We have even tried to inspire him to dig deeper and take action that will produce results. We've done those things because we know the path out of despair. If we allow him to keep being angry about his DM treating him like a moron while he himself claims his co-drivers are morons then we have done him a great disservice.

You are right when you say

There's nothing forcing people to read his post or respond.

But the reality is that he posts this information because he wants help. You can let him cry on your shoulder if you want. All it will do is give you a wet shoulder, and make you feel better about yourself. We actually would like to pull him up out of the pit of despair he is in. We hope to provide him with some actual help. We would like to help him feel better about his abilities, and gain some confidence as a new trucker. Some times that takes a little "tough love."

What I’m hearing is a search for validation. You just want everyone to chime in and sympathize with how bad your plight is....

I don't see anything wrong with that. Some people just like some empathy and encouragement to help get through a bad situation. There's nothing forcing people to read his post or respond.

I see a lot wrong with it. True sympathy helps a person get out of their situation, otherwise it isn't sympathetic at all. If all we do is provide validation to complaints, we've done nothing at all. I call it misguided sympathy if all we do is pat a person on the back and give them false hope that it will get better. Trucking can be difficult. We prepare people for that reality all the time. Though difficult, it isn't impossible. Nor is it unbearable. We have all been through the types of difficulties Zach has. I worked at Western Express. I know how it is. I rose above all the whining and complaining. It changed my career and put me on a fast track to success.

Some of us have offered both empathy and advice. We have even tried to inspire him to dig deeper and take action that will produce results. We've done those things because we know the path out of despair. If we allow him to keep being angry about his DM treating him like a moron while he himself claims his co-drivers are morons then we have done him a great disservice.

You are right when you say

There's nothing forcing people to read his post or respond.

But the reality is that he posts this information because he wants help. You can let him cry on your shoulder if you want. All it will do is give you a wet shoulder, and make you feel better about yourself. We actually would like to pull him up out of the pit of despair he is in. We hope to provide him with some actual help. We would like to help him feel better about his abilities, and gain some confidence as a new trucker. Some times that takes a little "tough love."

Well, like you said, you've already offered advice and help. But sometimes there just isn't anything that can be done for the moment. You are assuming that if he comes back and posts again, then he didn't understand what you said or chose not to do anything. That isn't necessarily the case. It could be that he just would like someone to say "Yeah that sucks. Hang in there".

Sorry, I wanted to add to my response to save anyone the trouble of replying: when I went to reply to Zach I was going to suggest that he makes some mistakes so he shouldn't be so hard on someone else who does. But I decided not to bother. In any case, PJ posted that maybe this isn't the platform for the kind of thing Zach posted, and maybe that's the answer.

As I see things, that "Yeah that sucks. Hang in there." is a thing for parents, significant others, and close friends. It's for people who know how you want to receive assistance based on your mood.

While there is a community here, it is rather single minded as far as a desired goal goes: we all voluntarily contribute our time here to offer all of our stories and experience to help other budding drivers succeed. Zach has had basically every steady player on this forum and others besides offer a variety of input. Yet, every few days, he comes back in here with the same problem, the same phrasing, and the same attitude. There has been no "Well a, b, and c still suck but I did solve problems y and z!."

Change won't happen immediately, but it's also been long enough just since /I've/ started seeing his posts that something should have changed by now. At the very least a shift of attitude and phrasing. I'm not seeing any new spark of "can do!" about what Zach posted in this thread -- and frankly put, if he can't adopt a "can do!" attitude he's gonna hurt someone eventually, at the very least himself. This is not a field for the faint of heart, and it is not a field for people who are not willing to pick up whatever weight is required to Get. The. Job. Done. Safely.