truck driver strike/shortage and other bull

[greenpondmike]

Heard bits and pieces about it and heard it was mainly in Austraila. I don't listen to the news because I don't like to espose myself to bullsquese, but the shelves are getting bare at walmart and most of the truck drivers that come where I work speak broken English and communication is difficult whereas before we had sure enough Americans driving these trucks and communication was great.

 

[Empath]

@greenpondmike

Heard bits and pieces about it and heard it was mainly in Austraila. I don't listen to the news because I don't like to espose myself to bullsquese, but the shelves are getting bare at walmart and most of the truck drivers that come where I work speak broken English and communication is difficult whereas before we had sure enough Americans driving these trucks and communication was great.

........ before we had sure enough Americans driving these trucks and communication was great.

There are many "sure enough Americans" that speak broken English and have difficulty with communications. If you're wanting to discuss trucking strikes, can't you approach it in a manner that shows the respect and honor everyone is due?

 

[bykfixer]

I honestly do not believe the unfiltered commentary from mr pond was meant to disparage anybody. It was a comment from a small town lad who has noticed big changes in his small town world.
I see what he means first hand as often times truckers following gps end up pulling over where I am and showing me a piece of paper as if they are lost, then somehow I'm supposed to tell them how to go one block farther in their native tongue because they do not know how to speak mine?

On my current project at work I had one guy quit because I placed a guy who struggles with English as his record keeper. "Dam ferener" he said as he left. To me that was disparaging.

Now bbt, I had not heard of any big strike in America.

 

[greenpondmike]

Thank you bykfixer.

Empath, looks like I can get in trouble while trying not to. The situation is definitely different than it was just two months ago. The drivers can find the place, but they don't understand why the place is closed and it is a frustrating chore just to get them to park across the road, up against a curve where that brick building is and we will be open at 7am.....no I can't let you in park over here till morning. Not you do this for almost 10 minutes and it makes you wish that somebody that was born here (no matter what race, male or female) was driving that truck. Born here? Yeah, most adults that come here never get to speaking better than those customer service reps at your phone company, but the ones that are born here speak like we do and there is proper two way communication. Also, the drivers I encounter now vs then is a clue that something might be going on, but it is a clue, not disrespect.

I DO believe though that everyone that comes into this country needs to speak the best english they can with a relaxed dialect instead of a tense one that makes me want to cringe. I've gotten where I will hang up on reps that I know will be difficult to talk to after telling them "I'm sorry, we can't have proper communication" and keep calling back till I get one that can understand me and I can understand them. It's the companies that are disrespecting these people by putting them in places where communication is important, but they speak broken english, but the companies get away with paying them less rather than trying to hire an American that would tell that company off for their measily wages. It's like companies are exploiting and taking advantage of these immigrants. Tell me how they can even read the road signs if they can't fully understand english--isn't that a bit dangerous??

Now I'm tired of crossing these invisible lines that I don't even know are here and getting in trouble for it while toning myself way down and biting my tongue. Before long I won't be able to even judge what's right or wrong here without " injecting my opinion" and that will be a bad thing. Nowadays all that matters is what google, youtube and fb says is right and wrong while the rest of the web is following suit.

I have enough trouble as it is without worrying about people getting offended about stuff I say on a forum. If I'm not careful enough now I will NEVER be, so do what you have to do--powers that be. It's like the word police is tailgating me trying to find something on me as soon as I pull out of my yard.

 

[scout24]

Not getting into the fray, just answering one of greenpondmike's questions. You don't need to read or understand the language since the advent of GPS. Follow the blue line. At all costs. I'm sure Poppy will corroborate this: There are "Parkways" all over the NYC tri state area (Palisades, Bronx River, etc.) with low bridges. Signs everywhere, NO TRUCKS OR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES. A couple times a year we read the story of an 18 wheeler who went on anyhow and needed to be backed off the parkway by the Police. Heavy fines, etc. But it happens again and again.

 

[jtr1962]

A couple times a year we read the story of an 18 wheeler who went on anyhow and needed to be backed off the parkway by the Police. Heavy fines, etc. But it happens again and again.

That's the ones lucky enough to be able to stop before they hit a low overpass. Not everyone is that lucky.

 

[bykfixer]

Ha, the last dude to hit a bridge near me with an over height was a dummy I went to high school with. Understanding the language had nothing to do with it. Basic math skills on the other hand played more of a role.

Again, I have not heard of a trucker strike in my area. Thankfully UPS aint on strike because a young chap delivered a new battery for my ML150 today.

 

[greenpondmike]

What, I'm still here? My friend just recently almost got hit head on by a 18 wheeler. He was the one that dodged it.

There is a shortage of drivers now even if there ain't a strike and the ones I have personally dealt with act like they were thrown into a big truck as soon as they entered the country.

 

[greenpondmike]

I guess this has has become the truck driver thread which is alright with me. I would say the foreighner thread, but that is a sensitive subject we have to tiptoe around while the unicorns and butterflies dance around us and the snowflakes eat their hot pockets in their parent's basement.

 

[slumber]

Speaking English is a requirement for CMV Drivers in the US.

"FMCSR Section 391.11(b)(2) says that all drivers must "read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records."
That said, there is a lot of leniency with this requirement.

There is no strike that I am aware of, but reportedly there is a shortage of drivers....80,000 short. It seems like everyone is hiring; even companies that were previously difficult to get into are hiring off the street.

I agree the low bridge incidents with truckers are mostly due too inexperience and inattention. Search 11 foot 8 bridge on YouTube for some good examples.

 

[greenpondmike]

Thanks Slumber Pass. You and one or two more have answered my "innocient" question that I have paid so dearly to ask.

Still doing a slow burn. That there got my goat.

 

[nbp]

Thanks Slumber Pass. You and one or two more have answered my "innocient" question that I have paid so dearly to ask.

Still doing a slow burn. That there got my goat.

The issue is that you derailed your own thread, not that everyone else is a snowflake or a butterfly. Is your thread about a shortage of truck drivers, leading to supply chain issues, or is it a place to complain about customer services reps and others that don't speak English well enough for you? If the first, it is a valid topic for discussion. If the second, then it is a contentious topic that will probably end up closed as others pile on.

 

[nbp]

I guess this has has become the truck driver thread which is alright with me.

Waat? This is literally the title of your thread: "What's up with the truck driver strike??!"

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

Waat? This is literally the title of your thread: "What's up with the truck driver strike??!"

I always wanted to post that. Thanks Mike and nbp.

 

[greenpondmike]

I guess the derailment happened when I got accused of what I guess was being insensitive to truck driving foreighners who don't speak good enough english to communicate well with-- which was highlighted within my question. Maybe a little thing, but it pushed me over the edge because I was already on edge. No disrespect to you man, my question has already been answered.

I slightly changed the title, so maybe the derailment is fixed.

 

[bykfixer]

This train de-railed at the station.

In before close.

 

[wacbzz]

... I would say the foreighner thread, but that is a sensitive subject we have to tiptoe around while the unicorns and butterflies dance around us and the snowflakes eat their hot pockets in their parent's basement.

You probably should be tiptoeing around - your xenophobia is starting to show quite a bit, and honestly, it's entirely uncalled for.

 

[jtr1962]

I guess the derailment happened when I got accused of what I guess was being insensitive to truck driving foreighners who don't speak good enough english to communicate well with-- which was highlighted within my question.

I tend to think we (human beings) have enough in common that we can usually figure out what the other person is trying to say. It's easier face-to-face than over the phone since you can read gestures and facial expressions. Just be glad there are still people able and willing to drive trucks, even if their ability to speak English isn't that great. Yeah, I'm not thrilled with phone reps who can't be understood but we're never going to be able to get that many Americans to do those jobs again. Just something we'll have to live with. I prefer to get help on company websites rather than the phone.

BTW, my sister's ex drives semis for a living. He never drove under a low overpass but once his trailer tipped over on a curve. Not his fault. Whoever loaded the trailer made it too top heavy.

 

[bykfixer]

My company has an IT department and I can hardly understand any of them. Many have names I cannot pronounce either. They have an e-chat feature. Ironically that is usually answered by a person named Bill or George. Turns out when you call them on the phone you reach a foreign country (Dubais) but e-chats are in Arizona or West Virginia. Hmmm.

I thought of this thread while driving on the interstate yesterday afternoon and did notice there was not many over the road trucks but figured most run through my area earlier in the day. I did however see a van pulling a pickup truck on a dolley with another pickup truck chained to the first one. My thought there was "that'll be on the 6 o'clock news somewhere when it crashes."…

I'll look again this morning for trucks. The price of fuel lately may play a role.

I remember early in the pandemic that was about all of the traffic on the interstate due to a large slice of the population being told to stay home.

 

[greenpondmike]

You probably should be tiptoeing around - your xenophobia is starting to show quite a bit, and honestly, it's entirely uncalled for.

I aint got anything against foreigners that are fool enough to become a citizen like us so they get the same stepchild treatment the average citizen gets. The wise ones don't become citizens and get the first rate treatment and I can't blame them for taking avantage of a messed up system. Heck, if I could go out of the country and come back in as a foreigner I would and get them food stamps, no interest business loans and not have to pay taxes for so many years. I think I would buy me a convenience store and when it gets time to pay taxes, just pass it down to my sister who would also become a foreigner by going out and coming back in. That can't happen though--just a fantacy.

I'm not worried about offending foreigners because they know what side their bread is buttered on since my tax dollars supports them whether I like it or not. Xenophobia, huh? Push me some more. I WAS previously throwing nerf foam footballs and I'd rather not even talk about this, but I was provoked at the wrong time.

Kicked ol gas stealer out of my parent's house where he's been squatting. Now he's stealing my mail, still stealing my gas and slowly letting the air out of my tires.
Put a stop on the mail, fixing to buy locking mailbox and need to put up the game camera I bought. Other stuff is also irritating me too. Put yourselves in my shoes and see cocky it will make you--yet I am still being nice, trust me.