Those of us who drive remember what it was like to be the new guy don’t we? Everyone giving us a hard time about everything including our lack of knowledge because we were not given the information we needed.
Remember what YOU were told when you made that first inquiry?
We had to do the “learn as we go” thing. Getting teased about the company we worked for and being told we didn’t fit in or didn’t belong. Well it’s not gotten better out here, it’s gotten worse. Most of these “newbies” or “rookies” are fed such crap by some recruiters, they 
have no idea what they are doing when they step into the ring.
And yes, some of the new drivers out there do seem like they might be graduates of Bobby Boofay’s 24 Hour Truck Driving 
School. That is NOT their fault! The lack of training on policies and procedures seems to almost be deliberate at times just so they can laugh and point.
HAVE patience with these people. Help them learn the ropes. Guide them in the right direction. We ARE sharing the road after all! We can only benefit from helping and guiding others. Besides, we will all feel so much safer knowing we did the right thing. Smile and say ” if you need any advise or help, give me a call” and give them your number. I remember several that did that for us and having a comforting voice on the other end of the phone guiding me through what I thought was a crisis & turned out to be something quite simple sure was nice! It was great to know that there were peop
le out there that I could count on for support.
Constant ridicule never helped anyone.
A hand shake and a smile can go a long way!
Remember YOU were there once too!!
Jan McCarter
Several years ago I heard some drivers giving a driver hell for going to slow off the mountain on I-15(southbound) in So.Cal.
then the driver that was getting yelled at keyed the mic and replied I can go too slow every time, I can go to fast just 1 time, surprisingly that actually stopped the harassment. found out a little later the driver was no rookie when he pulled into the TA
I’m a new driver myself and the most daunting task for me is backing. I swear my 53ft trailer is stretching to 106ft when I get to my destination. It freaks me out. I get out and look any time I feel like I’m out of shape. Other drivers just seem to be annoyed with me and give me looks that just bring me down. Eventually it will get easier but man oh man I sweat a thunderstorm as soon as I shift to reverse.
Dirk, Hey man…it won’t be too long until you can back that baby in with more confidence. However, it is always a great thing to get out and look like you are doing. The book and most companies call for G.O.A.L. no matter how many times you have to do it. When you don’t hit anything backing in, no matter how long it takes you, is a successful backing operation. Kudos to you my friend.
Thank you for your encouragement. It seems today watching a rookie struggle is just another form of truckstop entertainment. Talking garbage on the CB is more important then maybe offering an assist. It’s cool though, I can deal with my screwups on my own if that’s what it takes. If others can’t deal with me, well than that’s their problem. Anyway, thanks again for your support. You guys are are are truly good people. Hope to see you out there someday. Happy Journey’s!