An Observation About TT Members.

I was lucky in that when I started my research of this industry, this is the first place I landed. I stayed current reading all the new and old articles and training for many years before actually posting, waiting until I was ready to get the ball rolling, and this site is what made a very hard career to begin much easier to deal with.

We're all here to learn (and teach, for the experienced ones) and take the cold hard truth to benefit ourselves and our careers. Those that just want validation of the perceived wrongdoings done to them don't find that here and quickly move on.

I found this site Aug 2015 and passed the written exam entirely due to this site.

You guys let me vent when I couldn't back, and gloat when I did well. I bragged about my success and it was welcomed, not bashed or envied.

Brett has gotten nicer and i have gotten meaner. My patience for lazy, incompetent, or uncommitted people has eroded over the years. Blame my NJ attitude.

I once told Brett I felt like the "mother lion" of the group and when I see someone being attacked, especially by a new poster, i feel the need to protect my "cubs". I often feel like i have to be the resident witch cause the group is often too nice to women. Perhaps fearing looking sexist.

To anyone new reading this... I am always willing to help anyone and will always tell you the truth... even if i needs to be tough love. Whenever someone gives me the "it is harder cause I am a woman" i say BS. Laura, Susan and I have been out here and we are respected as drivers first, our gender isnt even considered.

One thing that is not a part of our community is the victimization attutude. We expect mistakes but also admission and learning from our mistakes. We live what we promote.

Be safe all.

Brett has gotten nicer and i have gotten meaner. My patience for lazy, incompetent, or uncommitted people has eroded over the years. Blame my NJ attitude.

I almost spit out my coffee when I read that!

Actually, it was Kearsey who sent me an email a long time ago telling me we're being too harsh with people, and it's driving people away. She was right, and I needed to hear that. I immediately implemented the saying at the top of the forum, "To empathize, encourage, and inspire..." as a reminder to all of us about our mission, and ever since I've focused on being more kind and considerate.

Thank you for that, Kearsey! Things changed a lot around here after that!

(Bear with me. I'll eventually get around to supporting Davy's assertion about what makes TruckingTruth such an amazing community of drivers)

Honesty and accountability are two personality traits that I admire in people. They often reveal what some knuckleheads might negatively consider weakness.

I think it shows the opposite. It takes more courage in my opinion to reveal that we are not always perfect or 100% secure in our decisions. It's good for new drivers to see this as a way to make them feel more comfortable with their own indecision and doubt.

Sometimes personal honesty and accountability go hand-in-hand with telling other people harsh truths and dishing out tough love. Sort of like a yin to the yang.

Since Davy started this thread I'll use him as an example to highlight what I mean, although many other contributors here exhibit similar qualities.

I thought some of his early comments could come off as a bit too harsh...too honest, when directed at newcomers here on the forum. Quickly thereafter I noticed that a good many of his posts were filled with his own doubts and indecision over what choices to make, both as a driver dealing with day to day concerns and as a person trying to make decisions that impacted his career and personal life. As well as sharing mistakes he made. The yin and the yang (far lack of a better description) were well-balanced. Other drivers are also not shy about their own mistakes. Whether its hitting RR crossing arms or knocking the tandems off their trailers.

It is up to new drivers coming here to recognize that wisdom is not always gifted in a shiny box with a pretty bow. It often comes in a battered cardboard box with a lousy tape job. Either way the contents of the box are what matter. And the contributors here usually always pack their boxes with valuable wisdom.

This site is the absolute best! Unfortunately people look for instant answers upon demand. They may come here seeking a quick solution to a problem instead of taking the time to delve deeper into the content contained herein. This is not a quick fix sort of site. It's a community that requires participation to reap the major benefits. I wish new folks coming here could see that. They might stick around if they were more aware of this.

Hopefully with the new AI they can get answers more quickly to solve their immediate problems which in turn will make them more likely to stay involved and see what we are all about.

Since Davy started this thread I'll use him as an example to highlight what I mean, although many other contributors here exhibit similar qualities.

I thought some of his early comments could come off as a bit too harsh...too honest, when directed at newcomers here on the forum. Quickly thereafter I noticed that a good many of his posts were filled with his own doubts and indecision over what choices to make, both as a driver dealing with day to day concerns and as a person trying to make decisions that impacted his career and personal life. As well as sharing mistakes he made. The yin and the yang (far lack of a better description) were well-balanced. Other drivers are also not shy about their own mistakes. Whether its hitting RR crossing arms or knocking the tandems off their trailers.

This is exactly what I meant by very little filters. We get to see our success or failures unfold here, in real time. If we listen to the advice freely given, we avert the failures. But its the questioning ones self, and putting it down "on paper" where we get guidance on it from our peers that makes us grow. Ive had many things along the way that OS, or Turtle or Brett and a great many others have brought me up on, and Im glad they did. If we dont see whats broken, we dont know what needs to be fixed.

The uncomfortable conversations are where golden truths are found. I know I somestimes say some pretty controversial things, but they do open a discussion, and those discussions are important to have. I dont think this would be such a thriving comunity if we were all just automatons, parroting the same canned information.

Ive replied to some posts before and though after I hit the post button, "Man, I was probably a bit harsh on that". I think its part of the process, Im also human, some things just get under my skin and I dont get the internal censor up in time. I tremendously enjoy the discussions we have though. One of the most important qualities we have is to be able to reasonably articulate our different points of view without insulting eachother, I know that You and I both have had some threads on here that were very charged but very respectful and a great dialoge RD.