"Giddyup Quick Freight and the Courier Team" and "On Family"
Chapters 10 and 11 of The Trucker's World by J. Peter Rothe
by Shaunna Mazza
| Instructions |
| Giddyup Quick freight and the Courier Team |
| On Family |
| Questions from My Classmates |
| For Future Generations |
Giddyup, whose real name is Richard, is a Quick freight driver. His job is to wait until the last minute so that he can take any last loads, which is usually around 6:30 AM. He is a proud employee of P Courier, a company which prides itself on uniformity and punctuality. Giddyup is also a line driver, he only drives from point A to Point B, this enables him to be home at nights and on the weekends. This is unusual for truck drivers since most are away from home for long periods of time. For Giddyup, it's just like having a nine to five job, he is also able to spend more time with his family.
J. Peter Rothe, the sociologist studying truck drivers, noticed right away the tight security saying it was the, "tightest security he's seen." Rothe was required to wear a P Courier uniform while driving with Giddyup so as to not disrupt the image of the company.
Right away I noticed that this form of truck driving is very different from the other forms (an example is in my Oral Report One). In my opinion, I believe that this style would be much less stressful on the driver mentally an physically, as well as his family life, since line driving is so similar to a regular nine to five job.
P Courier prides itself on it's image. Their look is enhanced through mass media advertising. Not only do civilians see P Courier in a positive light, state troopers see the orderliness and consider the company to be upstanding and runners of good equipment. This is why they are seldom stopped for inspection. Some of the state' inspectors are P Courier drivers, which is helpful to inside information. At weigh stations the trucks are usually given the green light without question.
It is not surprising that others see P Courier drivers this way. Drivers must go through extensive forty hours of training ,with a written exam and an apprenticeship before they are ever let to drive alone. Spending the extra money to put employees through training shows that P Courier cares about the performance of each driver. This in turn lets the employees know that they are taken seriously and will help them to have a better overall attitude in the company. If I owned a business, it would be nice to see these credentials and feel safe employing drivers from that company.
Along the ride, Giddyup discusses his safety procedures and precautions. He constantly checks the mirrors to know the driving environment, he holds the wheel at nine and three for maximum control, and he scans the road for possible problems. The trucks cab is very sparse, there is only the CB and a tachograph. The tachograph monitors driving behavior, this provides safety and liability. Giddyup believes that the company has every right to monitor behavior. If there is a problem, supervisors will ride along and see what's going on, and try to help or fix a problem if there is any. P Courier only employs top rate drivers. There is never a question of drugs, inability, or bad attitude. Problems in marriage, however, can happen occasionally, but the company does it's best to help all it's employees.
Giddyup brags about his privilege of having the district manager drive with him twice in the fifteen years of his career at P Courier, which is extremely rare. Usually managers will drive along four times a year. Managers, in most cases, are former drivers that have moved up. Giddyup says that a happy safe driver is a good company driver who is great with customers and works hard to be promoted. Giddyup says that he has considered management but didn't want to "wreck" a good thing.
P Couriers motto is "Safety brings in customers, safety sells". Every night the drivers paperwork is audited. each trucker has a governor, which does not allow the speed limit to exceed 62 miles and hour. Giddyup says there is no need to exceed this limit because he is on a set schedule. He works sixty hours a week, twelve hours a day.
Introduction
One of the hardest things to deal with on the road is loneliness. Many truckers are fortunate enough to have families at home waiting for them, and are there on some few occasions when they are able to spend time there. The lifestyle and job of a trucker can be very taxing on family relationships, especially if they are they type of drivers who are away for long periods of time.
This chapter is about the life of Tim, a twenty-five year old trucker with extensive trucking experience. At the time of the observation, Tim was driving for X Freightliners. He had not always been in the truck driving business. When Tim's daughter was born, he gave up the career and became a police officer. He did this so he would be able to be home and watch his girl grow up. Tim believed that family was the most important thing, and he wanted to be there as much as he could. Due to a tragic accident, however, Tim lost his wife and daughter. A while after he lost his family, he went back to trucking because, he said, "It's what I like and what I do best."
It is not surprising to say that Tim had an unfortunate life. It is hard for anyone to lose a family member, but to lose a whole family must be heart-breaking. It is evident, even after the first section, to see that Tim still mourns the loss. He chose to go back to what he knows, but to me, it seems he chose to put himself in a place where he would be able to think more about his loss, since he drive a lonely route day after day with only his thoughts as company.
When one of the truck's tires blows, Tim was painstakingly reminded of his wife and daughter. Ironically, that is how they died, another trucks tire blew when he was passing, and his wife and daughter were killed instantly. Tim is very serious about this matter, which hits so close to home, he feels that not enough people pay attention to warnings about staying clear of trucks, he says it could happen to anybody and at any time.
Rothe noticed a pattern in Tim's behavior, whenever his family would be brought up, Tim would discuss it become silent, and then change the topic by showing him something. This is how he would remain calm.
Tim did not seem to have any resentment toward the truck that caused his wife and daughter's life. He feels that things like that happen, and it's just better to forget it. He feels that he is pretty level-headed and should continue being that way.
It seems as much as Tim says he should forget the incident and continue on, he is in no way doing that. He may not blame the other trucker, but in a way I see him as blaming himself. He chose to go back to trucking after a tragic accident related to it, he is forced to drive be the site all the time. If he wanted to forget it, he would have moved onto a fresh new career. However, it is never a good idea to try and block out a death. Morning a loss is very natural. I feel that Tim still has a long road left in his mourning process so that he might finally put his wife and daughter to rest in his mind.
Tim again discussed how family is the central part of life. A trucker's family relations is built on separation and distance. They are away from each for long periods of time. They may only be home for as little as a few days a month. The home is just the same as an overnight pit stop. Even when truckers can stay home, they are so tired they do not get to spend quality time with family members. Most of the time they would rather like to lay on the couch and watch TV. Sometimes their time home is needed to do repairs on the house and take care of bills and other household chores the husband usually takes care of.
When the man is not a home, usually the wife needs to "wear the pants" of the house. Tim tells about times when his wife needed to go out and fix a water heater because he was not around. She needed to do any handy work if he was not around. It takes a lot for a couple to stick together, they must be truly dedicated to the relationship to make it work. Most of the times wives try to be understanding a accept it at first, but after a while they become fed up if all the husband does when he comes home is lays around (as would I).
It's no surprise that the divorce rate is high in the trucking world. I feel that Time did the right thing when his daughter was born. Putting his family above his career, especially one he knew his whole life, was the best thing he could have done.
Questions from my Classmates
1. Does Giddyup strike you as a safe driver?
To me, Giddyup seems very safe and careful. He is a responsible driver and takes pride in his work. He is the type of person that would not do anything to jeopardize his career. While Rothe was driving with Giddyup, he seemed to act accordingly to the company's rule and regulations as well as those laws that all truckers in the United States need to follow.
2. What more do you think Giddyup could do to be a better trucker?
I think that Giddyup does a pretty well job when he is driving. From what other drivers in the company say, everything he claims is true. I cannot see anything that Giddyup would need to do to be a better driver. All he really needs to do is continue to keep his positive attitude about the company and his career so that he will continue to be a safe driver.
3. Do you think the extensive training is excessive, or a good idea? Should all trucking companies adhere to these standards?
I think that the company is smart in spending a little extra money in ensuring they have the best drivers. This shows good business and enables them to bring in more business. Any company would rather hire from a safe and responsible trucking company. It would be a great idea if more companies would adhere to these standards. Some of the other lower standard companies that Rothe observed showed that bad truckers makes for bad business. If the companies do not have good drivers, they will have to pay for more violations and maintenance on trucks, which, in the end, will be more detrimental to the company's image as well as their pockets.
4. Do the supervisors create problems with the drivers? Do you think drivers drive better when they are accompanied by an authority figure?
Since most of the supervisors were former truckers themselves, I can't see how they would cause a problem with the drivers, since they would be able to relate the best with them. I also believe that when managers accompany the drivers, they are able to keep each other "up to speed" on what's going on with both sides. They will be able to discuss if there is a problem and if so, see what can be done to solve it.
5. Should all truckers be forced to have governors put on their trucks?
I would have to say that it couldn't hurt for all truckers to have governors. They are driving with a lot of cargo, which can be very expensive at times. It would be best if they did the most not to jeopardize what they were carrying. It would also be good because they wouldn't have to worry about speeding tickets. even if they feel they will arrive faster, speeding will get them pulled over, which slows them down, and then they have to deal with a ticket, which cuts a chunk out of their pay.
6. Do you feel P Courier's "extensive" training has resulted in Giddyup becoming a cautious driver? If so, do you feel this form of training should be required of all truck drivers?
I feel that Giddyup benefited greatly from his training. The company takes their drivers seriously which in turn makes any employee take their job seriously. The rest of this question can be seen in the answer to number 3.
7. I you were really in love with a man and learned he was a truck driver (especially after this class/book) would you accept his proposal of marriage? Why or why not?
I think that if I were in love with a man and found out he was a truck driver, it would be a very difficult decision to make. If he was a line driver, like Giddyup, it would be easier because I would know he would be able to spend more time with me. I don't think I could be with someone that would not be there all the time, like many drivers who spend most time on the road. I also think it would depend on how I really felt about the guy, his money wouldn't matter to me, since I plan on being a successful, however, I need a man that is also successful career wise.
8. How do theses two chapters differ from the previous ones?
The other chapters discussed truck drivers that were on the road for long periods of time, and went all different places. This chapter deals with the trucking career as more of a regular nine to five job. The drivers seem to be more content and less stressed due to this very reason. These chapters are also about a company that is very structured, unlike many of the other companies. To me, P Courier seems to be the best company I have read about.
9. What weaknesses do these chapters have?
This question is difficult to answer since the first deals with all positive aspects of a courier service. I would have to look at the second chapter to show weakness. It's main focus is on family life, yet it discusses a very unique story of a truck driver, which cannot be attributed to every life of drivers. Tim, the man discusses in chapter 11, lost his family in a fatal accident, coincidently involving a truck. Although many aspects of his family life before the deaths portray the lives of truck drivers and their family, it seems strange that Rothe chose this man, who obviously was still dwelling in his loss, to show how life on the road can affect a family.
10. How is being a truck driver similar or different to other jobs?
In most cases, truck drivers must drive through many states for long periods of time. They might not be home for weeks at a time, while they are finishing a run. They are forced to sleep in motels, or even in their trucks. Truckers usually drive alone, which can be different from other jobs since there is little interaction besides that between dispatchers and other drivers on the CB. Family life can be different since they are not home as often. When truck drivers are on the road, they seem to be in a separate "trucker world", associating mostly with other truckers. This can be similar and different to other careers since some careers force it's workers to be in a tight nit circle with similar workers, however on opposite ends, some careers make it so that it's workers are associated with a wide range of people.
I cannot stress this enough, save on two disks. This will be very helpful in case of computer problem, or loss of a disk. A better way to ensure you do not lose your materials is to upload whenever possible, even if you only have completed a little, it is better than nothing. I did not so this this time around and am paying for it now (as you will se in my For Future Generations for Report #3).
Start writing the report shortly after you give the oral presentation. That's when it is the freshest in your mind. It makes sense to do it that way. If you wait the two weeks, it is more difficult to recall information from the report. If you cannot do it right away, write down as much notes as you can, especially notes on the questions you answer in class. Use information discussed after the report when you are writing it up. Other students always bring in new ideas and concepts that you might not have thought of before.