I never thought I could be friends with a piece of technology that is exceptionally nosey. I’m a pretty private person, and the thought of sharing my physical data makes me pretty uncomfortable.
Sharing my sleeping patterns, my eating habits, and how often my heart rate was elevated isn’t my idea of privacy. However, we recently partnered with Rolling Strong to do a wellness competition, and I donned a Fitbit Versa for the challenge.
Continue readingDo you remember when you were a child and someone would ask you what you wanted to be when you grew up? The typical elementary school response was firefighter, police officer, teacher, doctor, pilot, or even astronaut cited by children.
For many of you reading this blog, perhaps you already knew you wanted to drive a truck or work in supply chain when you were older. I’m guessing you were in the minority. Most of the occupations children mentioned had high profiles and were considered more glamorous than working in the trucking industry.
Professional drivers have often been the “invisible” ones on the road. When you do your job well and are operating in a safe and efficient manner, no one seems to notice you. It’s only when a motorist thinks you are going too fast, too slow, or driving erratically when they seem to pay attention to the eighteen wheelers alongside them.
The trucking industry has long been a male-dominated environment, and although things are changing, it’s still predominantly men behind the wheel, in the corner office, and the shop. As women are drawn to the industry, they are often unprepared to deal with some of the issues they may face, specifically when it comes to coping with diversity challenges.
Many of the women who are seeking tuition funding from the Women In Trucking Scholarship Foundation cite negative reasons for getting a CDL. Often, they are survivors of domestic abuse, spousal harassment, or worse. Yet, when we offer them a scholarship, education doesn’t include topics to include needed coping skills.
Continue readingFor those of us in the trucking industry, we are well aware that the four-wheeler causes most crashes involving a commercial truck. It’s frustrating for all of us that student drivers to senior drivers are unaware of the blind spots, stopping distances and the massive weight of a tractor-trailer.
Every time the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) creates (or changes) regulations that affect professional drivers, I hear complaints that they are the safe drivers and someone needs to educate the motoring public. These drivers feel as if the rules should apply to all drivers and not just those in 18-wheelers.
What they don’t understand is that the FMCSA CANNOT regulate cars. They were designed to regulate trucks and busses, and that’s why they have “Motor Carrier” in their name. The states have more authority to regulate automobiles, but the only federal agency that creates rules to govern cars is the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
Before satellite radio became a reality in 1990, professional drivers and anyone who traversed the country had to either listen to their cassettes (or eight tracks!) or they would be forced to change channels as the moved across the nation. Satellite radio allowed the listener to maintain one channel for hours without losing a signal.
Sirius Satellite radio originated in Washington DC and was launched in 2001, just following the debut of XM radio in 2001. In the early years, subscribers had to choose between Sirius and XM. Most drivers seemed to prefer the trucking-related content of XM which featured hosts from America’s Trucking radio network such as bill Mack, Dave Nemo and the Truckin’ Bozo (Dale Sommers). Continue reading
Ten years ago, when I would stand in front of trucking company executives to talk about Women In Trucking (WIT), their comments were typically dispassionate. “We don’t care if the driver is male or female,” was the usual response. “We just want good drivers.”
I would try to make them understand that women wanted different things in a carrier as well as the industry as a whole. Women often had the same challenges but would prioritize their significance differently.
Safety was always an issue. Women looked for a carrier that was concerned about their personal safety on the road as well as how well they maintained the tractor and trailer. We knew that women are more risk averse than men. Even the World Health Organization called “masculinity” hazardous to health due to risky driving.
Dear Facebook friends who post, like or lurk on the Women In Trucking (WIT) Association Facebook page. Our admins are professional drivers who are just like you. They all have full time jobs driving a truck for a living, however, they have volunteered (no, they do not get paid) to spend their time, energy and passion to keep this page as a resource, a place to network and a safe place to learn….for YOU. Yes, you.
They spend countless hours removing profanity, attacks on other people, recruiting ads and negative comments that are not meant to be helpful.
How about giving them a day off? What if everyone on our Facebook page actually abided by the rules that YOU agreed to when you were accepted into the group? Let’s allow them ONE day to sit back and have some relief from the negativity and spitefulness. Continue reading
Imagine you are a 24-year-old female who decides to become a professional driver. You attend a truck driving school during the day for three to six weeks. You proudly display your newly earned commercial driver’s license to the recruiter, who promises you a great job with new equipment and a friendly dispatcher.
You then learn that you need to go out on the road with a trainer, a 58-year-old man with whom you will be sharing the cab of a truck, including the bunk area, for the coming weeks. Regardless of his clean record, his paternal demeanor or his soft smile, the thought of sharing a small space with a stranger of the opposite sex could be terrifying. Continue reading
I recently attended a conference for warehouse professionals. I was intrigued by one of the sessions titled, “Managing Carrier Friendly Warehouses” and decided to attend. The facilitator asked the audience how many were from the warehouse industry and how many were from the carrier side.
Apparently, I was the only person in the room interested in how these executives were working on becoming more “carrier friendly.” I was asked to give them some ideas on how they could better accommodate drivers.
My list included a nice lounge with fresh fruit and snacks, comfortable chairs to sit in and showers and rest rooms for both men and women. I suggested they include free wi-fi and make available a “courtesy car” if the driver wants to leave the facility while he or she is waiting for a load. Continue reading
“Those who have the ability to be grateful are the ones who have the ability to achieve greatness,” Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free.
When was the last time you received a hand written thank you note, or a card just to let you know someone was thinking of you? If you’re like most people, it’s probably been too long. When was the last time you wrote a thank you note?
If you know me personally, you’ll know that I am a firm believer in writing thank you notes. Apparently, I instilled that same conviction in my children, as the thank you notes from both my son and daughter are sure to follow a gift, party or act of kindness. I keep them to remind myself of the good times we shared.
Most people use the excuse that they either don’t have the materials handy or they don’t have the time to write out and mail a thank you note. Both excuses are just a reflection of your priorities. Keep notes, pens and stamps in plain sight so you can take a moment to send your thoughts without much effort. Continue reading