Question:
I have been out for the last 7 days in training. The trainer says I am an above average trainee and I do not need to finish the last 2 weeks of training.
But, I have to gripe. Why is it that drivers leave everything all over the place. I couldn't move around that cab without stepping on something and sometimes we would have to wait somewhere for an hour looking for something! A map, his phone, trip envelopes, whatever. Does anyone have any time to kind of "tidy" up the place a little. The other male drivers all had messy cabs while the females kept their's nice and clean. You can only drive for 11 hours a day. What is everyone doing for the other 13 hours of the day?
However, the guy always knew right where his bill of lading was.

Answer:
I've seen some absolutely filthy "female" cabs, stuff everywhere, blocking pedals and controls, totally unorganized and unprofessional....
This isn't a male/female thing. I'd strongly advise against making such sweeping sex (or race, religion, national origin...) based generalizations. You'll establish your superiority over others by the quality of work you perform (including your clean cab), not by being a female.

Answer:
The whole "boys vs. girls" thing is, quite frankly, a sign of gross imaturity.
Shame on you blackat!
A) In approximately Dec. 2000 I had met someone who had appeared on "The young and the restless." I was jazzed for the rest of the evening and when I went to my local Home Depot I accidentally went into the women's restroom. Like I said, I was jazzed. While in there I noticed that someone had 1)Taken a dump and not flushed and 2) not only did they not flush there was no paper which means they did not wipe.
Strike one against you.
B) Before getting into driving, I did janitorial jobs at department stores; The men's dressing rooms were always virtually spotless and were easy to clean. The women's dressing rooms were like life-scale models of refugee camps. We found on a few occasions bloody tampons on the floor and in one case, someone took a dump on the floor.
Strike two against you.
C) I've mentioned this story and I will mention it again: in 83' a friend of my mother's was dining at the famous Mr. Chow's in L.A. This is a very famous restaurant in Hollywood and is/was frequented by Hollywood's elite. Steve McQueen was a regular there.
She had to go to the bathroom and after finishing, she was looking in the mirror. A toilet flushes and out of the stall walks out none other than Joan Collins. Well guess what? Mrs. Collins simply glanced over at my mom's friend and walked out! She did not wash her hands!
Yes, that's right. Joan Collins did not wash her hands after going to the bathroom!
I $hit you not. (no pun intended)
Strike three against you.
I can go on and on (and probably will).
Blackat please do not try to paint every man in a bad light. It's ignorant, immature and irritating.

Answer:
Well done with your training.!!!
Now, as you graduate out of the "training shell" into the real world of trucking you'll get to partake many new experiences.
You'll get to see many types of driving and lifestyles. You'll meet all types of drivers...
good, bad, smart, dumb, loud, guiet, educated, street smart, dirty, clean, greedy, sharing, .....
Just people who have positive and negative habits or traits... people probably very much like yourself.
Please learn that it's not appropriate to lump drivers into one category based on your own biased viewpoints and limited longevity in your new profession.
Yet, you may already know this as you probably don't like it when it has happened to you. You know.. someone making a sweeping judgement which includes you based upon your gender, race, hair color, body type, accomplishment, faults, ....
A little trucking/life lesson for ya...
Always engage your brain before you put your mouth in gear. It'll make your travels down the road of life much smoother.
Be Safe and Happy Trails
FireGears-keeping it clean

Answer:
Trucking is a mans job. Why these women want to come into it and try to do things their not physically capable of is beyond me. Cleaning out a truck is a good job for them. No need for me to do it. I have a real job to do.
Go home
'Carpe Diem' does not mean 'fish of the day'.
"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."

Answer:
I was with you man, until that last one... Are you friggin' kidding?
You must be. Stuffs, you'll never find ANYTHING in trucking that's harder work than what your momma did popping you out.
Women make great drivers sometimes. If anything, they're known for higher overall endurance than men. Add and subtract it all up -- they make about the same drivers men are. Unfortunately, that comparison doesn't really speak all that impressively for women.... Women....compared to what again? Typical male truck dwellers? I see a LOT of women up in these parts whipping-aroujd logging trucks and running all sorts of rugged-duty uniuon line and delivery work, heavy construction equipment. You bet. I'll take my chances with them anyday. They didn't break through by being anything less than just as good.
Some of the butcher male protectors of traditional male masculinity might come here and whine about how the new HOS doesn't let them take a one-hour nap, two hours into his shift starts, after ten or more hours off-duty. You yourself jammed a muscle or something hooking a trailer.... Come onnnnnn....
Your average female truck driver compared to WHAT? You are kidding, right?
[This message was edited by Shuffler on January 18, 2004 at 22:02.]

Answer:
Now Shuffler you need to get with the program. I've probably heard a hundred times how men don't think women can do the job, male drivers think it's a mans job, women belong at home. This post stating women are cleaner, yada-yada-yada Only problem it's always women drivers saying it.
Heck I've even seen where some of the male drivers think women make better drivers yada-yada-yada (Actually I think they just want some.)
You need to get with it. If we're supposed to be saying it we might as well.
Besides, don't you have to be butch to be a female driver.
BTW, whats with all those HOS has ruined my nap time post? Hahahaha
'Carpe Diem' does not mean 'fish of the day'.
"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."

Answer:
regardless of gender, and that is the long and short of it. Have seen plenty of filthy trucks (on the inside) or both male and female drivers and have seen plenty of neat and well organized trucks belonging to each.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
Originally posted by blackat:
You can only drive for 11 hours a day. What is everyone doing for the other 13 hours of the day?
Playing Cherrymasters, buying and/or polishing chrome, peaking and tuning their CB radios (again) and adding more stupid sound effects to them, helping themselves to 3rds and 4ths at the greasy buffet, sitting out in the truck stop parking lot vomiting profanity and sexual innuendo on the CB, bi***ing about everything under the sun, calling the lot lizards,etc ad nauseum.
@#*!%$^@!
Answer:
Dang Highwayman your one busy person. I can't get half that done at one time.
I don't really see a bunch of nasty trucks on the road. Then I don't look in many trucks either.
'Carpe Diem' does not mean 'fish of the day'.
"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."

Answer:
Speaking as one that has seen just about any kind of vehicle inside and out,most aren't in the best condition by the time I arrive on the scene to start with.
It isn't just males,females or even truckers that carry tons of junk and trash!
One trucker,who by the way was female,was trapped under her dash when her truck flipped over.Her child was dead in the sleeper,but in order to get to the body,we had to first take out not only the usual paraphernalia a trucker has,but there was 6 large trash bags of dirty clothing,what seemed like every MickyD's container and wrapper in the world and 2 litter boxes had also spilled all over. I won't even go into the bodily waste products that were also spread around.
Now this is just a small example of a so called messy trucker.
And you can not even imagine what we have found in and around 4 wheelers that have been in accidents!
Bad habits are not one gender or the other,both can be piglets at times!
******************************
Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for.
~ Will Rogers



Answer:
Originally posted by Stuffs:
Trucking is a mans job. Why these women want to come into it and try to do things their not physically capable of is beyond me. Cleaning out a truck is a good job for them. No need for me to do it. I have a real job to do.
Go home
stuffs why why why would you say something so ignorant and immature? i have always liked you. you've defended me when someone ignorant loser was bashing me on here and i have always thought you had class and decorum. why would you say something so stupid? if its a mans job and women aren't capable of it then why are carriers hiring women? why are women statistically safer drivers, and WHY ARE THEY DOING THE JOB???? i'm surprised and dissappointed in you after this one. i do NOT "BELONG" in the home if i don't CHOOSE to be there. get off your ignorant male chauvanist high horse.
when you pray you talk to God
when you stand in front of the ocean he talks to you


Answer:
I knew this post would get your attentions! And that I can categorize. Now, others have this post nailed. It doesn't have anything to do with gender as far as cleanliness goes. I have only been on the road for one week and this is the first inference I have noticed. I apologize to the men who are organized, professional and clean. I know you are out there, but, for the slobs out there, why? Why not take the time to empty your trash or wash your clothes. If you were team driving, I suppose, you might find it harder to find time to do some laundry, since the wheels are always turning, but, is there ever any time just to pick a map up and put it in a spot that you can always find it, or your phone in a holder that is always easy to reach. Wouldn't being organize only make a slob's life easier?
And, Stuffs, sweety, no you do not have to be butch to be a female driver. I wish I were butch though so that the men at the truck stops would stop oggling me with their eyes, but, I would bet men would check out any female, pretty, plain, thin or plump. Wouldn't' matter. There's a kind for everyone.
I think I am a damn good driver. I would love to stay at home "where I belong", when the men (categorizing per Stuffs comment) start paying my bills and buying me anything and everything I want. In the meantime, male dominated jobs pay more than female oriented jobs. Period, end of story. So, I am going into a male dominated job, I am going to excel at it, like everything else I set out to do, and I will be paying my own bills and buy everything and anything I can want and afford ON MY OWN. Not leaning on someone else. Not depending on someone else. Not leaching on someone else. I make my own way. Maybe someone out there can understand that.

Answer:
So, I am assuming by your reply that your cabs are organized and clean. In that case, do you find it easy to tidy up when you stop? Do you find time to get your laundry done and take a shower? Do you get to put things back once you get them out, like a map or a phone or something?
I want to know why cabs are unkempt. Are people just lazy or is it really difficult to find the time to clean up?

Answer:
Originally posted by Stuffs:
Dang Highwayman your one busy person. I can't get half that done at one time.
Very funny.
But if you were a real truck driver you'd be able to do all that and then some.
@#*!%$^@!