Routing

Actual, physical routing is one of the easiest things to teach.  The part that I had trouble wrapping my brain around was why there is a need to teach it. 

I remember being in 3^rd or 4^th grade Social Studies learning how to read a map.  I also remember being given a board puzzle of the United States around the same time.  By the time I got rid of it, most of the pieces were loose because I’d taken it apart and put it back together so many times.

It never fails to amaze me when a new driver gets in this truck with very few map skills and even less knowledge of US Geography.  When I ask them to open the atlas to the US map, they can identify their home state and maybe a couple of states around it, California and Florida.  They have no understanding of what a map key is.

It’s not uncommon for me to have to spend about an hour in the first few days with a new trainee to teach these basic skills.  Teaching these skills is easy; convincing a new driver that they need these skills is the hard part.  They would much rather just look it up on Google Maps.  Technology is great, but Google maps doesn’t know that I’m driving a truck that is 13’6” tall and pulling a 53’ trailer.

I have commented to other drivers that I think basic map and math skills should be part of the pre-employment screening at Freymiller.  The problem with that is it would probably disqualify about 50% of applicants immediately.