Interact with customers, shippers, recievers, DOT, your dispatchers professionally

by Hervy
(OKC)

I am not talking about the formalities of a suited up, swollen head, stiff. LOL

This simply means your not on the block with your homies. Show some home training. Don't be cursing, talking about sex, drugs, negatively about your company, running illegal, etc. If your wondering why I am stating this, it's because I have talked to customers (with an S....customersssss) who complain about drivers with just that attitude! I know,Wow.

While driving you are also expected to drive in a professional manner. You will have formal training, insight and experience.

Just as parents just as parents should operate from wisdom of their age based on what's best to prepare that child for life and not simply giving in to the child's wishes to make the child happy because it feels good.

You shouldn't drive like an aggressive, irresponsible, immature four wheeler because it feels good or to get back at those clowns driving recklessly, more is expected and required of us in order to be safe! feel me? Lol, sure it will be tough sometimes but that's trucking life.

I have said this already but I will include it because it is a part of green thinking......

Never blow off appointment times or schedules. People need to be able to depend on their schedules. Sometime operations in the company are planned based on appointment times of freight delivery or pick-up.

If they used what called JIT (stands for just-in-time) warehousing your delivery could shut down an entire shift or possibly a plant depending on how long you goof off. Don't goof off.

Now, will you be lied to about the time that you need to be there? Yes. Will they make YOU wait sometimes? Yes. These are the problems that government should make trucking companies and shippers/receivers solve.

Trucking companies AND drivers should be compensated for delays, by shippers and receivers. Since they don't do it often on their own instead of continuing to play with the hours of services. (which is a symptom of one of the problem, not the problem)legislation should force them to compensate after a certain period of time. (and they could fine us after a period of being late too without breakdowns, that's fair)

HOWEVER..... That should not make you try to retaliate by blowing off you appointments. You don't know when they really do need you there at the time expected. The truckers that don't care about their appointment times are expendable. Don't be that guy/gal.

If you sign up for trucking, might as well try to drive in a sustainable way. Go GREEN!
Get the Green attitude.