One of the things that seem to throw my students off when teaching my Owner Operator course is my positive attitude towards business and the industry in general. Much of this has to do with a good career with decent companies. The classes hold a real mix of people, some are brand new to the industry, others know a little, due to relatives within the industry, and some think they know it all. Since I never know who will be in the class I have designed the course to start at the beginning of transportation with an overview of the industry and slowly build towards the business end of becoming an Owner Operator. With this system they learn the different aspects of the industry and hopefully will make good choices once they get involved and working for a carrier. Often the students that \u2018know it all\u2019 have their attitude changed by the end of the course. This is usually because they heard part of the story but not the facts. It often starts with: \u201cMy friend used to run two log books….\u00a0\u00bb They already have it in their mind that is how the industry works.<\/p>\n
My beliefs when teaching the course is that I can offer a positive reflection on the industry that I have been a part of for over 30 years. I try to emphasize how many hard working great people you can find in the industry as well as the benefits of independence and pride that is abound in this line of work. \u00a0A few funny stories, some realistic tales of what to expect and the students come out with a good frame of mind. Usually they are so surprised that they begin to get their hopes up for success. I often get comments from the ones that read my book for the class that it is very positive and they like that. I believe they hear so much negative from watching the news about truck accidents, talking to drivers that are unhappy with their career, and often that is their first look at the industry. If you add on the fact that they may take uncertified training or join a bad company and you can see why some drivers don’t last very long.<\/p>\n
So let\u2019s start a positive trail through the industry. How do we do this? If you are a recruiter then being positive is the first start. If you hold company orientation for new employees ensure it is positive, because I have seen the opposite. If you are a driver and speaking to someone about the industry; try to be positive. A positive spin may just bring in the type of people we need to make this industry better.<\/p>\n
About the Author<\/p>\n
Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years and is author of the books; Driven to Drive and Running by the Mile. Challenger Motor Freight Inc. is one of Canada\u2019s Best Managed Companies (platinum member) and is looking for quality team members. To learn more about opportunities with Challenger visit their website at www.challenger.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of the things that seem to throw my students off when teaching my Owner Operator course is my positive attitude towards business and the industry in general. Much of this has to do with a good career with decent companies. The classes hold a real mix of people, some are brand new to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,15],"tags":[12,25,17,18],"class_list":["post-943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-challenger-blog","category-education","tag-challenger-motor-freight-inc","tag-owner-operators","tag-transportation","tag-truck-drivers"],"yoast_head":"\n