Saturday, June 28, 2014

Greenhorn trucking observations

So I have been at new trucking job for just over a month. The following are my observations and discoveries over that period.

1. People are STILL shocked at women driving trucks....and by people, I mean EVERYONE. I have LITERALLY been stopped by both men and women in parking lots or shouting from their cars...."wow...a woman driver, never seen that before", or "do you have a license to drive that?'

2. All female truck drivers are NOT angry lesbians.

3. There ARE some angry lesbians who do drive trucks (those ones don't like me and won't wave at me when I pass them.

4. Most men don't believe that as a female driver, we can back up or make it through most tight driving situations.....but when we do....and we do it right in front of them, they all of a sudden become very flirty and think "yeah, she's not that bad"....to which they are then given the cold shoulder.

5. This world is INSANE....yesterday I discovered that we here in Canada, have people in the USA, drive all they way to AB, to pick up semi trucks full of our recycled cardboard, drive it back to the USA, and then send it on a boat to China, were they then turn it back into usable boxes. SERIOUSLY....I was talking to the trucker from Seattle WA who does this....what boggles my mind is that Canada can't recycle it's own cardboard...we gotta send it to the States and then over to China....yeah....that's seems economical...mind blowing to me.

6. All back entries to restaurants are DISGUSTING....and because of this discovery, I no longer will eat at certain restaurants because of the "what they don't see won't hurt em" idea they have.

7. There seems to be a certain protocol with truckers and waving or head nodding to each other.....and if you don't comply with this unwritten protocol, you are then considered a "snobby driver"....I now make a point of vigorously waving my hand so they are undoubtedly aware that I have acknowledged them for five seconds.

8. Once you are behind the wheel of a larger truck, your personality instantly becomes somewhat more arrogant...whether you want it to or not, you actually believe you are more superior to any other small vehicle on the road.

9. Every time I have to back in to a sticky situation, as a greenhorn truck driver, I have to tell myself...everyone has to start somewhere, and today is another notch on the learning curve...this is how I calm myself down instead of freaking out.

10. All receivers need Valium or a different job....they all seem to be SUPER cranky and overwhelmed.....which I don't understand...you know your job is to receive stuff, why are you shocked that a truck is there to bring you shit....sheesh.

11. Most men are more then willing to help out a "girl" driver....and by "help out" I mean...."well I think this is how your should drive advice, or back up advice".....this coming from the man who doesn't or has never driven a truck....these same men also don't stop looking at your boobs either rather then your eyes....but hey....if you wanna stare at my old saggy boobs and it means your gonna get the shit off my truck faster....stare away.

12. I have not yet decided if I like this job yet or not....I mean....it's fun, it's different, everyday is variable and you have to be able to handle last minute changes and be very very adaptable...and most of all.....you have to like bouncing around in a seat all day long and getting in and out of a truck (which in my mind I have decided that's it's the equivalent to doing 100 squats a day lol)

So....for now....I keep on trucking!

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