It reads like a scripture passage from
some alternative Bible for Trucking: “whenever two or more drivers are
gathered together in the name of trucking, a gripe session eventually
ensues.” What is up with that? I have begun to avoid groups of drivers
standing around talking because all I ever hear is a bunch of griping.
No solutions to problems ever get discussed. No positive topics are ever
mentioned. It’s just one driver after another offering up their latest
complaint, followed by the next driver whose problems are exponentially
larger than the preceding rant.
I have to admit that I am as guilty as anyone of expressing my feelings about perceived wrongs and abuses. Knowing that, I have consciously tried to keep myself out of situations that feed my anger. I really have no excuse for participating in that manner. I know how to handle problems with the job. It is a step-by-step procedure.
STEP ONE:
Identify the problem. You have to remove the emotion from the issue and boil it down to a one sentence statement of the situation.
STEP TWO:
Find out who has the power to initiate a solution to the problem. If you have a problem with your fleet manager’s treatment or attitude, you start with that person. If you feel that DOT has wrongly charged you, you start with that DOT officer. Complaining to another driver about your fleet manager or the DOT officer while drinking coffee at the counter at the T/A won’t solve the problem and will probably make your coffee give you heartburn.
STEP THREE:
Organize a written chronological statement of the facts. Bullet points and time lines are your friends, especially if you have QuaalCom messages or official documentation to back you up. Phone conversations are not solid proof. They are deniable and result in a he said/she said argument. Write down your complaint using no emotion and only facts that you can back up.
STEP FOUR:
Know the chain of command. Whether you’re dealing with your company or someone like the DOT, everyone has a boss. Start with the initial person you have the problem with. If you can’t reach a solution with that person, elevate the discussion to the next level: their boss. Follow this procedure until you have either resolved the problem or realize that there is no resolution within the company or group you are dealing with. At that point, you have to make a decision. You will either have to deal with the issue as it stands or you will have to leave the situation.
The main thing to remember is this: REMOVE ALL EMOTION FROM ANY DISCUSSION. State the facts as you believe them to be true in a clear, concise and chronological order. Present the back up to those facts. At no time, ever, has injecting cursing into a discussion proven to have had a positive effect. You must present yourself as the professional, highly skilled and valuable individual that you really are. If you give in to emotions like anger, you will lose your battle.
As our economy falters, our freight is less stable and our regulations continue to change, we as drivers need to stick together and help each other maintain a positive outlook and attitude. Our life experiences shape us. We are all under such pressure these days to pay the bills that many of us are walking on a razor’s edge. When coal is put under extreme pressure, because of its characteristics, it eventually becomes a diamond. Let’s try, as a group, to develop characteristics that will let the pressures on us form us into a “driver diamond” and not crush us into useless dust? Until next time, stay safe out there!
I have to admit that I am as guilty as anyone of expressing my feelings about perceived wrongs and abuses. Knowing that, I have consciously tried to keep myself out of situations that feed my anger. I really have no excuse for participating in that manner. I know how to handle problems with the job. It is a step-by-step procedure.
STEP ONE:
Identify the problem. You have to remove the emotion from the issue and boil it down to a one sentence statement of the situation.
STEP TWO:
Find out who has the power to initiate a solution to the problem. If you have a problem with your fleet manager’s treatment or attitude, you start with that person. If you feel that DOT has wrongly charged you, you start with that DOT officer. Complaining to another driver about your fleet manager or the DOT officer while drinking coffee at the counter at the T/A won’t solve the problem and will probably make your coffee give you heartburn.
STEP THREE:
Organize a written chronological statement of the facts. Bullet points and time lines are your friends, especially if you have QuaalCom messages or official documentation to back you up. Phone conversations are not solid proof. They are deniable and result in a he said/she said argument. Write down your complaint using no emotion and only facts that you can back up.
STEP FOUR:
Know the chain of command. Whether you’re dealing with your company or someone like the DOT, everyone has a boss. Start with the initial person you have the problem with. If you can’t reach a solution with that person, elevate the discussion to the next level: their boss. Follow this procedure until you have either resolved the problem or realize that there is no resolution within the company or group you are dealing with. At that point, you have to make a decision. You will either have to deal with the issue as it stands or you will have to leave the situation.
The main thing to remember is this: REMOVE ALL EMOTION FROM ANY DISCUSSION. State the facts as you believe them to be true in a clear, concise and chronological order. Present the back up to those facts. At no time, ever, has injecting cursing into a discussion proven to have had a positive effect. You must present yourself as the professional, highly skilled and valuable individual that you really are. If you give in to emotions like anger, you will lose your battle.
As our economy falters, our freight is less stable and our regulations continue to change, we as drivers need to stick together and help each other maintain a positive outlook and attitude. Our life experiences shape us. We are all under such pressure these days to pay the bills that many of us are walking on a razor’s edge. When coal is put under extreme pressure, because of its characteristics, it eventually becomes a diamond. Let’s try, as a group, to develop characteristics that will let the pressures on us form us into a “driver diamond” and not crush us into useless dust? Until next time, stay safe out there!
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