Standing Out Or Spotlighting Yourself..........

This is a very deceptive statement.....Standing out or Spotlighting yourself among other drivers. Truly it is. Its more of a mental game in trucking. Positive think if only to make your job seem easier and for yourself will get you through a lot of stressful times in trucking. Its all about simply doing your job. I know any experienced driver will completely agree. I seriously plss off my brother when things don't go as planned and I tell him "Its apart of trucking.

First you have to realize there are roughly 4.5 million drivers in the US alone and every driver wants to stand out as the shining star as the best. Its the competitive nature of humans. In trucking you are a little fish in a big pond so you have to find a way to get noticed. You will not do that on a industry wide scale. Impossible unless you are rescuing babies from burning builds everyday while driving. Not happening. What you have to do is think small. I know that goes against all the self motivating types of business speakers but in this case its true.

You have to start out thinking your company is all there is and since that is who you work for that is who you need to keep happy. Damn what another company does. In my case there are roughly 8,000 drivers at Werner. Give or take a few. You have to think that those other 8,000 drivers are trying to be the best at what they do. Now break it down further. What I am talking about is within your small fleet within your company. Remember the smaller the number the easier it is to be noticed.

Lets talk a minute about driver interaction with your company. Its simple really. Just remember that if your nice and speak like your human and talk to your company like you would want to be talked to then your golden. You may not be completely remembered. BUT the first time you call in with a bad attitude you will be remembered for a very long time. Truthfully if I was a dispatcher and you cussed me on the phone I would hangup on you and you would do a lot of sitting.

Everyone knows this next part but I will say it anyway. You take every load every time no matter where its going. This is the key to making more money. Sure you may have to take loads into NY City. Who cares. Just do it. its only one or two loads and its good practice for other big city driving. While some people refuse to run these areas and sit and wait for another load to come open you get the miles to and from NY City and then get another load to run. BINGO! Extra miles! Miles that those that refused to run NYC. Now you are starting to be noticed as the drive that will move loads and get it done. A go to driver for your DM/FM.

Now you have to be concerned with On time Every Time delivery. Late deliveries can be just as bad as refusing to run into certain areas. If its beyond your control then its not an issue but sleeping to late or spending to much time in a truck stop is not an excuse. I take delays of any kind personal. I DO NOT DELIVERY LATE! But things happen and for the loads I can make it on time I make it early. If your On Time then your 5 minutes late.

Drivers now a days expect the company to do everything for them including fixing the truck. To a certain extent its the way it should be but for other stuff there are things you can do as a driver. Companies love drivers that will keep the load moving. It takes no time to replace a light. Just do it even if you have to buy the light and then turn in the receipt for reimbursement. Just saved 2 to 3 hours of shop waiting time. Mudflap? Takes 20 minutes to change verses 2 to 3 hours or more waiting to get into a shop to have it done. Some say I don't have the tools for that and I say Why Not? If you have basic tools and wrenches, all of which you can make a complete tool kit to handle ever thing for under $100 at Wal Mart, then you will stay moving more and you never know that the few hours waiting at the shop for repairs is the time you needed for On Time delivery.

I could keep going into more detail but I think you get my drift......Now if you do all of the above and throw in a great positive attitude and work ethic then congratulations! You have now in the 10% of your fleet cause there are other drivers working just as hard as you and doing these exact somethings. These are the drivers that can go any where and work for any company and come out on top no matter the company.

Remember at the beginning of this post its a mental game in trucking if only one that you play with yourself? That holds true.

The key to standing out and spotlighting yourself as a top tier driver is by NOT standing out and spotlighting yourself. People in trucking standout because they screw up in any number of areas including bad attitudes.

Earlier I said You may not be completely remembered. BUT the first time you call in with a bad attitude you will be remembered for a very long time. It holds true in other areas. If you are a Top Tier Driver you blend into the 10% of your company but if you are a screw up and not dependable you will be remembered as such for as long as you are with your company. The Top Tier drivers are the ones that are making a very good living out here on the road. The other 90% have a lot of time to complain about everyone else but THEMSELVES not doing their jobs.

So the secret to doing awesome as a driver is no secret all all. Simply do your job and have a great mental game even if its one you play with yourself.

I was complimented a couple months ago by one of my supervisors. He said we need more drivers like you, you come to work do your job and go home. I replied getting tired of babysitting huh? He laughed and just shook his head. I don't make a big deal out of most problems. For instance I've had a flat tire on my trailer twice now in the last year before I started my trip, if the previous driver did his post trip this wouldn't happen. Instead of making a big deal about it I go to the shop and get it fixed, for this they have tires mounted and ready to go so I was only delayed 15 minuets and I never called to talk to anyone just filled out the breakdown report and went on my way. I think how you handle even minor things matter.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and advice Guy.

Great advice as always Guy!

Everything you say is very true!

My trainer use to say that trucking is 95% common sense and 5% skill but too bad common sense isn't so common.

My trainer use to say that trucking is 95% common sense and 5% skill but too bad common sense isn't so common.

Since common sense seems to be at a all time low I dont think I can give those percentages any credit. I think with today's attitudes and the like I think the numbers are more like 50% common sense 50% pure dumb luck and 5% percent skill.

Hah. I think you're right guyjax.

I read a bumper sticker a while back that said "Common sense is so rare that it should be considered a super power"

I read a bumper sticker a while back that said "Common sense is so rare that it should be considered a super power"

I like that!

Guyjax is dead on as always and makes some critical points that really separate trucking from any other career I've ever had. In fact, Old School made an awesome point recently when he said that being a truck driver is more like owning your own business than being a regular employee because you have to be self-motivated, creative, and competitive. You have to find ways to get the job done out there and nobody is there holding your hand. You're pretty much on your own.

I like to use the analogy of pushing a boulder up a hill when talking about what it takes to be successful at anything that's really challenging, including trucking. You have to dig and push and fight and claw your way up that hill day after day after day. To reach the top takes an unbelievable amount of drive, determination, focus, and commitment. But the path can be treacherous and unforgiving. You have to perform at a high level consistently for a long period of time. One small misstep - one moment of inattention - one really bad decision and in the blink of an eye you can wind up at the bottom, steamrolled under the weight of the challenge you took on with little or nothing to show for it.

Life can be ruthless at times.

Trucking is competitive. It's performance-based. If you want the best loads, the most miles, fair treatment, and some special favors you'll have to earn every bit of it. Nobody gets the benefit of the doubt. You have to remove all doubt by performing at a high level consistently over time. And there are few things in life more challenging than making your appointment times safely and on schedule, day in and day out, through the myriad of obstacles and variables that life will throw at you.

But like Tom Hanks said in the movie "A League Of Their Own".....

Of course it's hard! It's supposed to be hard! If it wasn't hard anyone could do it. The hard is what makes it great!

....how true that is. There's no feeling in the world like pulling into a customer with that 80,000 pound building on wheels knowing you ran hard through rain and snow and heavy winds on a tight schedule with an important load for one of your company's biggest customers. And through it all you pull in safely 30 minutes ahead of schedule, sit at the dock, and watch as sleepy employees slowly roll into the warehouse, turn on the lights, and begin their day by unloading the freight you stayed up all night to deliver. Nobody is going to thank you. Nobody cares to tell you the truth. But for most drivers, nobody needs to. Because you know what it took to get the job done and you know you have it in you. Nothing anyone can say will matter more than what you already know about yourself. That pride is priceless. That feeling of pride and a hot cup of coffee is about all the fuel most drivers need to get up each morning, take on that challenge, and find a way to get the job done once again.

A top-tier driver is truly a special breed. Back in the day you'd hear people say, "If you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch." Well back then there were plenty of "triple digit trucks" that would run 100 mph and on the surface that's normally what they were referring to. Keep up or get out of the way. Nowadays the trucks don't turn triple digits like they used to, but what it takes to be a top dog out there hasn't changed. It was never really about how fast the truck ran. It was really about the heart and determination it took to be that big dog behind the wheel.

Here's an article I wrote called Truck Driving Will Test Your Character.

I like to use the analogy of pushing a boulder up a hill when talking about what it takes to be successful at anything that's really challenging, including trucking. You have to dig and push and fight and claw your way up that hill day after day after day. To reach the top takes an unbelievable amount of drive, determination, focus, and commitment. But the path can be treacherous and unforgiving. You have to perform at a high level consistently for a long period of time. One small misstep - one moment of inattention - one really bad decision and in the blink of an eye you can wind up at the bottom, steamrolled under the weight of the challenge you took on with little or nothing to show for it.

HA! Your analogy reminded me of the tale of Sisyphus. The ancient king that was damned to an eternal, meaningless chore. He had to roll a boulder up a hill, and just near the top, it would always roll back down again. Thus starting again the meaningless effort of Sisyphus. He never reached his goal, never made it to the top, was always struggling without meaning and without an end in sight.

At least we noble few that made a choice to become professional truck drivers have the opportunity to succeed and do well. Those that fail, probably didn't count the cost, or didn't put in the effort. Mind that I said those that FAIL. Some walk away for other reasons, and that doesn't make them a failure.