Halloween is our favourite time of year. So yesterday I put aside all thoughts of work and anything related to work and spent the day getting started on preparation for the big day by weaving a web. Plenty more decorating to do before the 31st but we have a theme to work around. Lol.
Spending all that time yesterday put my work schedule under the gun this weekend, but that's just too bad isn't it?
This morning at 06:45 I rolled on to the shippers scale in Breckenridge Minnesota. When I walked in to the shipping / receiving office I was greeted with a joyful, "Hey, I was hoping it was going to be you this morning ".
I've been so wound up over my tight schedule this past couple of days I completely forgot to take into account the great individual relationships I've developed over the years and how valuable they can be when you get in a bind.
It's easy to feel like a very small cog in a big machine these days. You may feel like you have little or no influence over the events that unfold over the course of your day. I've been feeling that lack of control a lot lately. But the truth is that when a small part breaks down it usually effects the operation of the whole machine. We often take our influence for granted.
That wonderful greeting I received from Tara this morning resulted from being generous with my time and practicing a little generosity of spirit. Put another way, I've never rushed individuals I deal with when I'm picking up or delivering freight and I've always acted as if I was a guest in their house deferring to the rules of conduct they have to follow in their workplace. So these time vampires ( shippers & receivers ) that truckers love to hate become an asset rather than a liability. But you need to take the first step and be patient.
Does this approach work with everyone? No. But most people will respond in a positive way and over time your life will get easier. Of course if one of the few fools that drive for your company show up for the next load with a me first attitude they'll undermine your efforts somewhat but not totally.
Other names for this extension of generosity and kindness? Exceptional customer service, respect, friendliness, kindness, empathy, camaraderie, goodwill, just to name a few.
This approach extends beyond the dock. You know, attitude, that word you hear at safety meetings when our interactions with other drivers, compliance officials, our dispatchers & support staff comes under discussion. :)
It's so easy to feel like you have a target on your back when you're a trucker. That's how I felt when I wrote yesterday's post, and it showed.
It's Thanksgiving day. It's Monday. It's a rainy day. It's been a stressful day. It's been a day that started and ended in Fargo.
The stress grew out of Saturday. The plan was to leave the yard early. But upon arrival at the yard my load was not there. It arrived just before the lunch hour. The plan called for me to switch trailers in Grand Rapids Michigan then head to our Winnipeg yard, switch trailers again, then head down to Breckenridge Minnesota and load at 1 pm today.
I was pretty certain logging 2800 km (1700 mi ) 3 border crossings and a couple of switches in 51 hours on an EOBR was pretty much impossible. I was right. But that didn't stop me from trying.
I attended a drivers meeting this past Friday that addressed issues of communication, attitude, and stress. Seems a few drivers have come unglued of late. I have to admit that I've been on that knife edge a few times myself this past year. More regulations, driver shortages, customer demands, juggling Canadian and American HoS rules, speed limiters, and all the time shooting for your incentive bonus. I'm surprised more drivers & dispatchers don't come unglued on a regular basis.
So you're starting to see the irony in this little story? You're dispatched on a load with little if any window allowing for fuck ups or delays and the first trailer you're supposed to hook to is late. That leaves you to explain to a shipper why you can't make it to your dock appointment, in fact you can't even make it to their dock before they close for the day, and at the same time you're begging for an appointment first thing the following morning.
I started coming unglued last night. Today I'm giving thanks that I have a wife that is understanding and loving even after dealing with almost 35 years of my bullshit. The trucking industry should be giving thanks for our families. That's the only glue that keeps my head together out here of late.
