how do you find a good driver?
#11
Senior Board Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 975
Hired drivers for many years. All those bad things you hear/read about DAC? They don't seem so bad when you're hiring someone. When you check past employment,listen to what they say,not what you want to hear. Remember that saying that all company's lie to you? It goes both ways. If you can't verify/document it,it didn't happen.
If you think that you're going to hire someone that will do everything you do,you'll be dreaming.(though sometimes it happens) You're hiring someone to drive your truck,not a mechanic,not a dispatcher,not a lumper.
#12
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Somewhere between Rochester NY and Gaults' Gulch
Posts: 2,698
Look in the mirror?
sorry , couldn't help myself!
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Μολὼν λαβέ; "A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government.” George Washington
#15
Board Regular
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: East Texas
Posts: 303
I used to work for Knight, and frequently they would snag me to road test new drivers. I think it was because I'm in my 50's and they knew I'd tell them the truth, even though I had only been driving a couple of years at the time. Sometimes I felt really stupid doing it. We had 10 speeds and I was amazed at how many long time drivers would grind every gear. They couldn't drive with the tach and they couldn't drive listening to the engine. I'd try to get them to relax, but reality was, they just couldn't drive a stick. Sometimes I'd have to take them on a training drive before I could honestly sign off on them. One day this black guy showed up with a western shirt with snaps and I took him out. Oh my gosh, I've never seen anybody double clutch like this guy. He'd double clutch when you didn't even need too. Every gear and even on the down shifts. He wore me out watching him. I was impressed, and intimidated, but I told him not to do that around the terminal because it was company policy to skip shift and not to downshift like that because it's unnecessary and burns fuel. He looked at me like I was stupid. He obviously had never paid a fuel bill, but he was a super trucker. As to where to find a good driver? I guess you gotta go through hundreds to find a match to your operation and equipment.
#16
Rookie
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 3
Hi there. Thanks for sharing. Your story is all too familiar! Well, advertising in the paper is a good option. Unemployment office is another good option. From my own experience I found that holding on to a good driver is more important than replacing one..so when you find one...keepum!
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