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May 11, 2015

HEY !! AFTER THIS ONE, IT COULD BE YET DRIVERS' SHORTAGE or NOT (SEE the comment below) ??

* New Zealand - Five reasons why you should be a truck driver


-- Here's five reasons why you would – or, more importantly considering the current state of the industry – should be a truck driver: 

* REASON 1 - RESPONSIBILITY:   What truck drivers tend to forget is that they operate the largest machine allowed free rein in the public arena under the sole influence of one person... He or she is responsible for the load planning, loading, navigation, operation and onboard engineering, moment to moment, while manoeuvring freely amongst everyone else's day... We're talking a 44 or 50 tonne, 20 to 23m long, free-rolling, high-speed behemoth in one person's hands. Regardless of the perceived injustices regarding remuneration, it's a responsibility and a privilege to drive such a machine, pure and simple. 

 * REASON 2 - DECISION-MAKING:   People on far higher rates of remuneration and perceived position have almost no decision making capacity or ability (in every sense of the words) compared to us... We, on the other hand, make 60 decisions a minute, not pathetic accountability-dodging decisions, but decisions protecting a $600,000 asset, probably a million dollars worth of cargo, and the lives for all those around us... Those who own massive corporations leave us to make decisions worth millions of dollars every minute, which is pretty cool. It's also why ex-drivers with a bit of nous make excellent gut feel managers. 

 * REASON 3 - SOLITUDE:  That's solitude in a leather and vinyl clad office, with windows. You know you've succeeded in big business when you get an office with a corner window on the top floor... That's us! Not only that, but name one other job where you can decide how much interaction you have with others. You can spend most of your time alone, listening to the songs, radio or audio books you want to listen to in the comfort of a pristine, climate-controlled, quiet, personal space... Sometimes that can be a small apartment with all the trappings of home, including a fridge and TV etc. When you want to talk to the rest of the world, you can switch on communication and start letting it in... If there are people you have to interact with, but would rather not, it will likely last for no more than an hour, and you may not have to see them again for a week or two. 

 * REASON 4 - PEOPLE AND PLACES: Interested in knowing what the sunset and sunrise looks like in every corner of the country? ... Your education will more than likely show you the same computer monitor week in week out. Truck driving can show you the Kawarau Gorge, Queen Charlotte Sound, Young Nicks Head, Lake Taupo, the Kaipara and the Bay of Islands in a week's work? ... Would you like to know Jim, who runs the yard at the Queenstown Mitre 10 Mega as well as you know Bob at the Warehouse in Gisborne, or Sally on the weighbridge at the Port of Tauranga?... There's only one job that'll do that for you. And if you've ever wondered why other people you see going to and from work look as excited as a hamster in a wheel, It's because they don't drive trucks. 

 * REASON 5 - THE MACHINES:  As with eating dinner, I left the best until last. If you were bitten by the bug as a child, your life will be a one-way obsession. They're more than machines, they're like a favourite pet or a best mate who's always volunteering to pitch in and give you their all... They can make you happier than anything else and frustrate the crap out of you all in the same day. They can be a tool of work or an artistic expression that is a reflection of you as an individual... And when it all comes together on the road and you get it humming, there's no better feeling in the world. They are trucks. They give you the best job in the world. 
 (Photo from NZ Trucking - No better life than life on the road, says NZ Trucking columnist, Kiwi Trucker) Auckland, NZ - Stuff, by Kiwi Trucker - 8 May 2015


* Greg9043 says: ... That all sounds very romantic... !!!

 -- COMMENT-- That all sounds very romantic, here's the truth from someone who's done it for over 25 years... Be prepared to work up to 70 hours per week, well over that before logbooks came in,when your friends and family may work 8 to 5, you will do something like 3am to 5. 8 pm on Friday night when your mates are down the pub you're coming through Taihape and will hopefully be home by midnight... Be prepared to have minimal time with your family, miss birthdays, sports events etc, then, when you do get home you're normally that tired you aren't much use to anyone anyway... Be prepared to have your every action on the road monitored, every little speed transgression, what route you take, when you should take your breaks, fuel burn, tyre wear,etc, etc, yes, back in the day you were you're own boss once you left the yard, not these days... If you decide to become an owner driver you will still be subject to all these conditions but with a 5 or 6 hundred k debt around your neck for the next 7 years or so, just minus the holidays, sick days, bereavement leave and other entitlements your company driver colleagues are entitled to... The rates are low, they have been studied and scrutinised by very clever people who work out how to extract the highest margin for the main contractor without having to outlay capital for the equipment and be responsible for the r&m, staff obligations etc, etc. They will pay you just enough to keep the show on the road and make a wage and no more. If you make it through the hp term you come out with an asset that is basically worn out and needs replacing so you trade it in on a new one and start the cycle all over again... If it goes pear shaped you will probably lose your house, marriage, family and face bankruptcy, and you were just working your A.... off trying to get ahead... I could go on and on, like how are you going to find 30k to rebuild the motor that's out of warranty when your struggling as it is, the 4k fine you got because you didn't realise the load weight was way heavier than the paperwork said, now you've breached your permit and have to get a crane out to take some of the load off, another 3k... Then, if you're lucky, you will retire at 60, you look 75 and you'll probably be toes up in 5 years, I've seen this a lot with retired truck drivers and all I can put it down to is that all those 2am starts, 70 hour weeks are just not good for you... So next time you see one of these massive machines, all chrome and noise, wheels polished and tyres blacked, spare a thought for the bloke that's driving it, doing his best, a mountain of debt if he owns it, working huge hours to keep the wolves from the door, and keeping us all supplied with the goods we need to live our own 8 to 5 lives...

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posted by Unknown @ 7:23 AM  0 comments

Apr 24, 2007

Who Represents Truck Drivers * USA

I’ve heard there are 1.3 million big rigs running around the US. I can’t verify that number but let’s go with it. Of that number how many have any voice about HOS rules, DOT concerns, rogue cops, unreasonable company demands and on and on? You know the answer...

Winter Haven,Fl,USA -Flat Tire, by W. J. Andy Andrews (originally published: March 6, 2007) -23 April 2007: -- We’re the ones keeping the goods and materials moving and we have no say in the matter at all. The HOS rules are a joke. You’re paid by the mile... If you start your day at 7am, drive 4 hours for a pick up and have to wait 8 hours to get loaded or unloaded, how many more hours can you drive that day? 2 more hours and you’ve got to take 10 off. That’s 6 hours driving for the day at say 37 cents per mile. If you’re lucky you might do 375 real miles. $138 for the day, do that for 6 days before you have to recycle and take out all of the taxes and other deductions, and then figure your meals and what do you have left? About $325.00 take home pay... Is it any wonder that more drivers are going to loose leaf log books? (In case we make a mistake and need to correct it of course). In reality, drivers are showing 10-11 hours per day driving on the log book, but spending more hours per day, to get the miles they need in order to make a decent pay check... And there are those “do-gooders” out there who want trucks off the road altogether, who don’t know the first thing about the industry who are getting the ear of the Feds. Like liberal advocacy groups around the country, they have all the answers but never ask any of the questions... So who represents the truckers? Trucking Companies have their lobbyists and certainly make contributions to their favorite elected officials. OOIDA tries very hard to be heard. Unions do their part, but what about the rest of us? The truth is, we’ll never have a voice...

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posted by Unknown @ 11:44 AM  0 comments

So you want to be a truck driver * USA

Who are Truck Drivers?... Why does one want to become a truck driver?... Where do truck drivers come from?Is it an easy job?... What training do I need?...

Winter Haven,Fl,USA -Flat Tire, by W. J. Andy Andrews (originally published: March 1, 2007) -23 April 2007: -- There are endless questions and equally endless answers, but deep down inside I think we really enjoy what we do. OK. Stop right there... If you were to listen to many drivers you would think that most hated their jobs, the people they deal with, the DOT, Police, 4 wheelers the company they work for and on and on. Now after that’s over, ask one what he or she would rather do and not too many would pick any other profession. No one I’ve talked to would want to work in an office, or punch a time clock or have a boss or manager hanging around... To an outsider, driving a truck seems simple work, but there are challenges apart from traffic. There’s weights, appointment times, schedules, equipment problems, log books that need to be accurate, weather, road construction and accident holdups to contend with. But when you get right down to it, I think there’s a certain freedom in the work... You get to go and see places you otherwise wouldn’t see. You’re on your own most of the time and some people like that. Truthfully, I think it gets in your blood. I’ve retired twice from trucking and where am I now? Right back in it. My youngest daughter says I’ll retire when they pry my cold stiff fingers off the steering wheel. Maybe she’s right, I don’t know... To easiest way for a person to get started in trucking is to find a company that will train their own drivers. The downside is that you usually are committed to that company for about a year. There are numerous driving schools around the country. If there is a trucking company near you, call their recruiter and ask for advice on a good school... When you are first hired you will spend some time with a trainer until he feels you are ready to go solo. Don’t be intimidated by the size of a truck and trailer. Frankly I find it easier to drive a truck than I do a car. That may sound odd, but after a while you will understand what I mean... (Photo: W. J. Andy Andrews and the truck he drive)

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posted by Unknown @ 11:19 AM  0 comments

Apr 10, 2007

Tuition credit program * USA - For aspiring truckers in Arkansas

Law in Arkansas that will reimburse students for training in the trucking industry

ARK,USA -Land Line Magazine (Grain Valley,MO) -April 9, 2007: -- Senate President Pro Tempore Jack Critcher, D-Batesville, said he offered the bill because something needed to be done to help fill the projected 1,000 trucking jobs available today in Arkansas... He cited a U.S. Department of Labor study that said professional truck drivers will be the state’s top job growth occupation through 2014, accounting for nearly 12,000 new jobs... To help fill jobs, Critcher offered a two-year, $9 million appropriation bill to institute a tuition forgiveness program for Arkansas residents who want to work in the trucking, transportation and logistics fields...

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posted by Unknown @ 10:05 AM  0 comments