Scarcity of specialty technicians growing in trucking

[BillyT]

41, the guy that told me the tanker story ( he switched from tank to reefer) said the cops in Hunts point used to tell the drivers to NEVER stop for a red light in the point ,just slow down,lay on the horn and go thru! When I owned the "big shot" flatbed I told my best friend ,also my agent "don't you ever load me for NYC.!" So I pull into the terminal whatta you got?" You're loaded for the Bronx!😁 You ( unprintable) I'll get you for this! So I go thru Washington Hgts  5am see all the gang members in the shadows, ( please God don't let me break down) and get to my address Park st or park ave I forget! Storefront insulation contractor. The boss looks like Kojak bald head dressed all in black leather gets out the PRFL " Puerto Rican fork lift" Dawns just breaking ,hooker in the next storefront, garbage five ft high in the street junk cars everywhere, like a scene from " sleepers"! Also the best paying freight on the board! Went back there a dozen times, never had a problem.my friend told me later he just wanted to show me how to make some real money! 

[BillyT]

My friend the agent in Warren Oh,owned a single axle Road Commode ,ex bakery truck 2500bucks! Ran good,looked decent! And a three axle hotshot loboy with electric brakes! Used to run the loads his drivers didn't want.So he's dropping a load of sheet foam off exit 9 on the Jersey pike,by that glass factory and UPS, local cop gets him for a brake light out He has no drivers license ( I never asked) the tractor has a plate from when he used to do driveaways(temp) also the trailer no registrations for anything! Plus he has the airlines bungee corded to the trailer to look like they're hooked up! While the cop is writing him up he gets a serious call (201 in progress type of call) so he has to leave so my friend leaves too!! For some unknown reason he makes it back to Ohio!! I swear on my kids I'm not making this up!  So he gives me another Bronx load and he takes a Bronx load and two pallets to the place off exit 9 where he got stopped before! So we go to the Bronx and unload and we slide his pallets onto my trailer! He has a tube type steering tire going flat so he pays some oriental guy 10 bucks to air him up with a little homeowners compressor.The tire is still leaking but I have to take off for Jersey ,we plan to meet at the TA at exit four in Jersey.I unload and we meet at the TA. So what did you do about the tire man? He finds this little wooden framed parts store in the S.Bronx and buys a CASE of those tire inflaters for less than ten bucks lol makes it to the TA and they put a new tube in his tire!  Never a dull moment on the east coast!

[BillyT]

My friend the agent in Warren Oh,owned a single axle Road Commode ,ex bakery truck 2500bucks! Ran good,looked decent! And a three axle hotshot loboy with electric brakes! Used to run the loads his drivers didn't want.So he's dropping a load of sheet foam off exit 9 on the Jersey pike,by that glass factory and UPS, local cop gets him for a brake light out He has no drivers license ( I never asked) the tractor has a plate from when he used to do driveaways(temp) also the trailer no registrations for anything! Plus he has the airlines bungee corded to the trailer to look like they're hooked up! While the cop is writing him up he gets a serious call (201 in progress type of call) so he has to leave so my friend leaves too!! For some unknown reason he makes it back to Ohio!! I swear on my kids I'm not making this up!  So he gives me another Bronx load and he takes a Bronx load and two pallets to the place off exit 9 where he got stopped before! So we go to the Bronx and unload and we slide his pallets onto my trailer! He has a tube type steering tire going flat so he pays some oriental guy 10 bucks to air him up with a little homeowners compressor.The tire is still leaking but I have to take off for Jersey ,we plan to meet at the TA at exit four in Jersey.I unload and we meet at the TA. So what did you do about the tire man? He finds this little wooden framed parts store in the S.Bronx and buys a CASE of those tire inflaters for less than ten bucks lol makes it to the TA and they put a new tube in his tire!  Never a dull moment on the east coast!

[BillyT]

41,While I was unloading in the Bronx and waiting for my friend (so we could switch pallets) he showed up a few minutes late, he was a couple blocks away  sitting at a light and a lady with two shopping bags full of beer was crossing the street,an Eldorado pimpmobile blows the light and hits the lady, she goes straight up in the air and over the top of the Caddy and falls dead in the middle of the street! Beer cans go flying everywhere and people are chasing them down! So a couple minutes later two disgusted looking cops show up and one of them sees a construction sawhorse with the blinking light and puts it over the lady! The cops get a radio call in the middle of all this chaos, they grab shotguns and run into an alley! My friend hears two shotgun reports, and the cops calmly walk out of the alley, go back on the radio and direct him and other motorists around the lady! Just another morning in the S. Bronx! When you mentioned the guys unloading your trailers as you're driving I was reminded of the only load of produce I ever hauled. Was a load of melons,July 6 1976, Lyons ga to the Acme whse in Philadelphia! As I'm waiting to back in a driver is backing in a load of tomatoes in crates, one guy jumps into the trailer and throws a crate to a guy on the ground they go running off with the security guard running after them! My lumper and I are unloading in the whse and I see a guy thru my nose vents unbolting my antennas ! The security guard ran him off and I had to unbolt my antennas and lock them in the cab! I was pulling an old dry van the melons were a backhaul,no more produce for me!

[41chevy]

3 hours ago, BillyT said:

41,While I was unloading in the Bronx and waiting for my friend (so we could switch pallets) he showed up a few minutes late, he was a couple blocks away  sitting at a light and a lady with two shopping bags full of beer was crossing the street,an Eldorado pimpmobile blows the light and hits the lady, she goes straight up in the air and over the top of the Caddy and falls dead in the middle of the street! Beer cans go flying everywhere and people are chasing them down! So a couple minutes later two disgusted looking cops show up and one of them sees a construction sawhorse with the blinking light and puts it over the lady! The cops get a radio call in the middle of all this chaos, they grab shotguns and run into an alley! My friend hears two shotgun reports, and the cops calmly walk out of the alley, go back on the radio and direct him and other motorists around the lady! Just another morning in the S. Bronx! When you mentioned the guys unloading your trailers as you're driving I was reminded of the only load of produce I ever hauled. Was a load of melons,July 6 1976, Lyons ga to the Acme whse in Philadelphia! As I'm waiting to back in a driver is backing in a load of tomatoes in crates, one guy jumps into the trailer and throws a crate to a guy on the ground they go running off with the security guard running after them! My lumper and I are unloading in the whse and I see a guy thru my nose vents unbolting my antennas ! The security guard ran him off and I had to unbolt my antennas and lock them in the cab! I was pulling an old dry van the melons were a backhaul,no more produce for me!

Never went armed but always carried a few big cans of Black Flag Hornet and Wasp Spray. and Easy-Off Oven Cleaner. Bug juice was good for 20+ feet, can't easily wipe it off and will blind you,  burn you lungs and give you a hell of a sore throat. 1 can will stop a half dozen "boyz". Oven cleaner was a "close in" tool, mostly lye based back than. Ain't no law against  having it in the cab

[BillyT]

41, Anyone who has delivered in "the city" could go on for hours with true stories that are stranger than fiction!(and I might)! I used to deliver conversion vans to Patamkin Chevrolet in Manhattan.You have to go thru Harlem to get there and cross the GW early to miss the traffic (sorta) So there was a red light where you stopped and all these yuppies in their BMWs stuck there! So this dude runs up with a filthy rag and offers to clean their windshield😁 The more experienced drivers pay him to NOT clean the windshield ! I already know the drill so I'm waiting... Sure nuff some "first timer" let's him "clean" The windshield!! So he SPITS on the window and smears it around with the filthy rag 😁 Won't do THAT again pal! I figured I'd seen it all but I'm at that same light and there is a neat clean dude with an Izod polo shirt, clean shorts and he has a five gallon bucket of solvent! He has a new sqeegee and paper towels! He is actually cleaning the windshields and getting  5bucks a pop minimum! Works really fast, up to two windshields per light! So we've got two approaches to the same gig! They don't approach truckers because the windshields are too high,and possibly our reputation for violence😁 I love entrepreneurs! Both of these are using psychology, in a different way! I saw the clean dude several mornings and the raggedy dude as well! Maybe they have "regulars" and work different lights at different times in the morning! Think about it...this is all cash money minus some potential "kickbacks" follow me? They are carrying obvious cash money in a dangerous area! The yuppies are educated people,maybe they admire entrepreneurs as well! NYC! I love it and I hate it!

 

 

[BillyT]

There have been several " investigative reports" on panhandling ,One dude panhandled in a wealthy area,raggedy clothes,pretended to be homeless,his wife picked him up every afternoon in their Mercedes! The one reporter interviewed several people(anonymously of course) said he took home 60000 tax free!

[Vladislav]

Eye catching stories you guys already posted. Many thnks for.

But let me toss a nikel to the original matter.

The shortage of good tech speciailists is a well-known matter now and the reasons of its appearance are detailetely described above.

On the other hand the world we live in is a market area (to some degree). Starting from that I too hope a shortage of offer with demand existing will force the job cost go high. If it happens sufficiently much more younger boys and girls will choose those "real" professions.

[Truck Shop]

                                       A major culprit in the job market is inflation. Young people a can see that in order to own a house these days you need a high paying job

                                       especially in large cities. The inflated property and housing market is partially to blame, and where will it stop. There are many factors

                                       to blame for the lack of qualified  workers, besides the thought young people just don't want to work.  The house I live in was built for

                                       around $7,000 in 1949. It's assessed value by the county is $180,000 now and if I listed it a realtor told me it would be listed at $215,000.

                                       I have no plans to sell nor would want to. Sorry folks but I find that increase asinine. I'm sure I will be torched.

 

                                       Truck Shop 

[fxfymn]

Boy we really strayed off on this thread! My favorite pan handler story; I was in Miami doing a promotional exam for the Miami FD. A bunch of us go out to breakfast and watch a street person go to the newspaper box, put in a quarter and take all the papers out of the box which he hawks on the street corner to commuters. Did it every morning for the week we were there.

I used to ride out of Bn. 18 in the S, Bronx, 925 E. Tremont St., during the 70's and 80's every year when we went to NJ to the OMC mechanic's school. The member's cars were kept in a locked lot at the rear of the station where we would put our 197? Ford Torino station wagon my part time boss gave us to use that had seen better days. Got up one morning to see a note on the chalk board that the cars had been hit overnight (again according to the note). Went to check on our car and it was the only unmolested one on the lot. I guess it was too raggedy even for the S. Bronx thieves.