Clean That Truck!

          “A clean truck is a sign of bad miles.”

          Laugh, it’s a joke  😃

          Right before New Year’s, I walked into the shop to find Heather Dayton, our Manager of Corporate Communications, being horrified by a couple of mechanics sharing tales of disgusting trucks. I couldn’t help but laugh; she looked like she was going to forfeit her lunch at any moment.  She looked at me and said “I’ve got an idea for a blog post for you!”  I said “Oh yeah?”  She said, “How To Clean A Truck.”  Being the undiscovered comedian I am, I looked at another driver and said “how do you clean a truck?”

          I’m not going to tell you how to clean a truck.  Honestly, if you don’t know how to pick up after yourself by now… I’m not sure you can be taught.  We’re grown adults here, at least in theory.  If David Freymiller can trust you with a truck, trailer, and thousands upon thousands of dollars in freight, I’m going to assume you know how to pick up after yourself.  Instead, I want to talk about the importance of keeping a truck clean.  I don’t think it’s a lack of skill, but a lack of interest.

          Some drivers take the same level of responsibility for company trucks as renters do for rental houses.  We see the same problem in the company cars at the yard.  According to a search on truckpaper.com a new Kenworth T660 retails for about $159,500 and new Peterbilt 579’s run on average $152,000.  That would be the price if you or I went to go buy a new truck.  Freymiller, on the other hand is what could be called a “bulk shopper.”  I’m sure there are some pretty sweet deals when you’re buying 20 or more trucks at a time.  Even at a 30% discount, that’s a lot of money.  I haven’t asked, nor will I ask, how much Freymiller pays per truck because it’s not my money so it’s none of my business.  It doesn’t matter.  I’m going to treat David’s truck like I would want him to treat mine.

People just don’t care.  I can’t make you care.  I wish I could.  It’s disappointing to come to the yard and find out a driver has been terminated because of the condition of their truck.  As of this writing, we are not subjected to truck inspections.  There are companies where the drivers are subjected to truck inspections.  I hope we don’t get to the point where truck inspections become policy, but I wouldn’t blame David if it did.

Knowing My Limits

                Last week, I got stuck on I-70 in Western Colorado by winter storm whatever-its-name-was.  This doesn’t make me unique; there were a lot of us stuck there.  My personal policy is to avoid Vail like the plague during winter months, but computer routing and a discussion with my Driver Manager (dispatcher) helped convince me to violate that policy.  That’ll teach me, huh?

                I was running with another driver and on the second day of our weather induced hiatus, we started looking at alternative routes.  He suggested a route that caused my stomach to do a dog trick… roll over and play dead.  I told him to give me ten minutes.  I spent that time thinking about it and praying about it.  I told God, “if you want me to take this route, I need You to give me peace about it.”  I couldn’t get peace and just had this overwhelming feeling that this route was a bad idea.  I shared my feelings with the other driver and we stayed put another day to try to wait out the problems over Vail Pass or figure out another route.

                We got out the next day, got delivered and are both on our way somewhere else.  A few days later we were talking about how good drivers know their limits.  I don’t drive when I believe I can’t do so safely.  It doesn’t matter if it’s caused by weather or my physical condition.  When I don’t believe I’m safe, I’m not safe. I know my limits. 

                I have had several trainees who got into my truck without ever having seen snow.  One asked me “how fast should I go when there is snow?”  There is no textbook answer to that question and I told her that.  I also told her, “if you feel like you’re driving too fast… you are.”  My first winter in the truck I drove a lot slower than I do now, but I have also learned how to drive in snow.  I don’t have to drop 20 or 30 mph every time I see a snowflake now because I have learned to read the road conditions.

                A good driver knows their limits.  My limits aren’t going to be the same as your limits.  It doesn’t matter if I’m driving the big truck, my pickup or my car.  I still have limits.  I know when road conditions are outside my abilities (it doesn’t matter how good of a driver I am, I’m still going to slide on icy roads), I know when I’m getting lethargic and need to get out of the truck for a few minutes and walk around.  I know when it’s time to go to bed.  That’s what good drivers do.  They pay attention to what’s going on around them and inside of them and they do what’s necessary to stay safe.

What Makes A Good Driver?

          Several months ago, I made a remark in a post that trucking isn’t what it used to be.  While there have been some good changes, like improvements in technology, there have also been some bad changes.  If you talk to older drivers, they will tell you that it’s just not like it used to be. 

          I have seen an overwhelming trend that is not exclusive to trucking, but in society as a whole.  What I’m talking about is a general lack of integrity and the loss of taking pride in a job well done.

          I’m a good driver.  I know I’m a good driver.  I don’t say that with conceit but with confidence.  I can say that because I pay attention to detail and I always do my best to act with integrity.  I also live by the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Society seems to have twisted the Golden Rule into: do unto others before they do unto you.

          I was overpaid this week.  It wasn’t by a lot, but none the less I was paid for work I hadn’t done.  When I first noticed it, I thought “they’ll catch it.”  It bothered me to leave it up to them to catch it.  I’m one of about 500; they may or may not catch it.  That doesn’t matter.  What matters is I caught the mistake.  Had the mistake gone the other way, where I’d done work that I hadn’t been paid for I would have brought it to their attention immediately.  It was only right that I bring this mistake to their attention.  So, I did.

          I’m not sharing this so you can give me an “atta girl” or think highly of me.  I share this because this is part of what makes me, me.  If we want the world to be a better place, then each of us – individually - must be the change.  People are what makes Freymiller a great place to work.  I’m one of those people, we all are.  We have to be what we want Freymiller to be.