OTR Drivers

I interviewed for my current job about two years ago. I asked if hiring drivers would be part of my job and was told no. Well, things change. As an HR professional with 20 years of experience in the field I know thing can change quickly and you have to manage it. I was tossed into driver hiring when they were already short of drivers. It's a small fleet, so even a couple open trucks can cause difficult logistics.

Over the road (OTR) driving is an industry onto itself. The interesting thing about recruiting is that you really have to immerse (we'll keep with the water metaphor) yourself into the world of the company and the position to understand it. Quite truthfully, I've worked in financial services and the call center, so my experience in those industries were quite similar. Notice I didn't say easy. I don't like turnover in the first 90 days as I see if as a personal failure. But driving took me down a new road (moving onto driving metaphors).

The position I took turned into something larger than I expected so I didn't have the time to stop, think, and focus on the drivers. One day, I went to the local Petro. Now, I have to say that wasn't new to me. My mom was quite fond of their burgers when she was alive and went there with my dad on a semi-regular basis. I went with them too sometimes. My mom also liked the interesting items for sale in their shop. I still have a travel mug that we bought there together. Anyway, when I recently went to the Petro. I approached it like one of "my guys". For the record, "my guys" include some gals, but I've become accustomed to being called one of the guys in a male dominated industry. I pulled up to the truck stop and imagined that it was new to me and had to take my break because I was out of hours.

The first thing that struck me is how lonely it felt. There was a man sitting on a bench alone. He didn't make eye contact. There was a woman watching TV in a massage shop. I walked by and went through the store and made small talk with a few shoppers. Then I bought a couple items for an upcoming new hire orientation. I wandered out the store, back toward the way I entered. I noticed the men's bathroom was closed. That explained why there weren't many people there. The restaurant was pretty busy. There were two free papers near the door. I picked up one of each.

I then went to the next nearest truck stop, the Pilot with a Wendy's. It was busy. There were trucks waiting to get in the place. I went directly into the shop there. I wandered around. It was smaller and busier than the other place. As I stood looking at an item, several men walked by to use the men's room, which I assume was in working order as they all filed into it. I bought something there as well and headed to the exit. As I walked out, I noticed 3 free papers available and picked up one that I didn't already have.

Before I started my venture, I mentally went through all the comments and feedback drivers had provided to me. And I thought about the comments dispatch and transportation shared. When I walked into the first truck stop, I was thinking about what to buy my new drivers as a welcome gift. I thought that they needed everything, but it didn't really culminate fully until I walked through the first truck stop. They really need everything, like... I tried to think of a time that I needed everything, tissues, toothbrush (I always carry that, but that's a blog in itself), food, a cooler, a spoon, a bowl, sheets, a pillow, a blanket, a towel, soap... The list was seemingly endless. I realized the only other time that I needed all that stuff was when I went tent camping! An OTR driver needs everything. Suddenly I fully understood why they hated slip seating. I understood that when we had numerous new drivers last year, they told me they slowed down in coming back to the hub so they didn't have to give up "their" truck. It was their home away from home. Yes, they told me that and I heard it. But I didn't grasp it in the same way as I did that day I mentally walked in their shoes.

It was an interesting venture as I'm sure that I don't fully understand what it's like to be an OTR driver, but I came much closer that day. When drivers talk to me I'll more than hear them, I'll be listening.