The Best Job I Ever Had

Hi everybody. Do you remember me? I am the original Job Hopper. It's really true that I have worked for over one hundred different companies. As you might imagine, I have had some very good jobs and some very bad ones. As soon as I mention that I've worked for so many companies, the most common question I usually get asked is "what was the best job you ever had?" I also get asked quite often "what was the worst job you ever had?" And "what's the matter, can't you hold a job?" Oh and then there's "why should I believe you?"

Well, to answer the first question, I can't actually choose a favorite job. That's because it always depended on what I was looking for, at a particular time in my life. When I thought money was the most important thing, I appreciated the jobs that payed the most, like Heartland Express. When I liked the people I worked for, I liked those jobs even more. When I needed to be home everyday, I appreciated a job that was close to home with short work hours. When I missed the road, I loved the jobs that traveled the farthest. When I was fat and lazy (which I still am), I always enjoyed the easiest jobs. And when I needed a good workout, I enjoyed the physically demanding jobs. When I needed to use my brain instead of my back, I enjoyed the jobs that were mentally challenging. But, each of my favorites also had their bad points too. It always works out that way. There is no company that can give you everything. One company might pay more money, but they may have junky trucks or long layovers. And the next company might give you a beautiful new truck and pay very little. Or you might find one that gives you a nice truck and pays good. But, they probably drive you around in a circle all day, every day. There are actually some companies out their that never let there drivers go home. They send you everywhere but your home town. And when you meet the other drivers, they say that they were in your home town, but never in their own. They all have to save money somehow. You have to compare pay, benefits, home time, equipment, service/delivery area, rider policies, average weekly miles, etc. And decide what is important to you.

For instance, when I went to work for CFI, I did so, because I found out that they do a lot of Canada to Mexico loads. And I always wanted to go to Mexico. They have terminals at many border towns (Laredo, Tx., El Paso, Tx., Nogales, Az., and Calexico, Ca.) and it was always fun to walk accross the border and check out Mexico. The only reason I quit working for them, was because they used to make me drive all night. Driving all night is fine, when you've slept during the day, which they give you ample time to do. But I never could sleep during the day. I guess I'm a morning person. I always loved to wake up at the crack of dawn. So, if you like night driving and Mexico, you'll love CFI. They have some nice, new trucks too. The pay isn't that great but it's a nice, easy job with some cool runs. Too bad my dispatcher was a complete idiot. I can't remember her name, but she was there for eight years at the time (and this was in 1997). She lied all the time to management, tried to make me drive illegally and got me in trouble several times when it was really her fault.

A better job was Nation Freight Inc. (NFI). It payed less per mile, but I had a fast truck and a regular run which got me home a lot. One day they decided to cut all the trucks down to 63 MPH! Well, mine never left the parking lot when they did that. I made it clear to my terminal manager that 63 was too slow to be safe in States that have a 70 MPH posted speed limit. But, I guess they were more concerned with the cost of fuel than safety, or keeping a twenty-year veteran driver who was never late and never had an accident.

I was an owner operator for a while too. And that was much better than any company driver job. I had a great truck and could pick and chose my loads. Plus, my wife used to go with me all the time. Yeah, that was the best.

My worst job, was a construction company who will remain nameless (pick any union asphalt company). A local driving job where I drove a dump truck and made over twenty dollars per hour. I made good money there, but I couldn't get along with the owner. He always told his drivers to hurry and that irked me. They would too. Some of the drivers would speed and tailgate. And some would be very nervous all the time because they were constantly told to hurry. I used to argue with him about it. I once told him "whenever you tell a driver to hurry, you are also saying that you are illiterate, when it comes to math. Because drivers DO the math. And they understand that when you are only going a few miles away, five or ten miles per hour doesn't make a difference." I said "it was therefore pointless to hurry for such a short distance." I always said that "if you really want to save time, learn to load the trucks faster." (Because they always wasted time making trucks wait, sometimes for hours.) I quit one day when he told me to hurry while I was backing up. It was only fifty feet. He was standing where he wanted me to back up to, waving his arm frantically for me to slam it into the hole. He through his hands up in the air as if to say "what the heck is taking you so long" and continued to wave frantically for me to "come on back". Of course I went slowly and carefully as I backed up, because it was dark outside, foggy, and there were about ten laborers walking around behind my truck. He came to my driver side door and started mumbling something about how to hurry, when I handed him a peice of paper and a pen. I said "I have a word problem for you. If one driver went twenty miles per hour in reverse for fifty feet, and another driver went three miles per hour in reverse for fifty feet, how much time does the idiot save by taking chances?" Then, I added "call me when you figure that out". And I parked his truck and left.

I always believe that there is a better job out there. And there usually is (but not always). Truck drivers are in great demand all over this country. An experienced driver can literally choose where he wants to work. I have enjoyed great job security, even when unemployed. Because I know that on any given day, I can make some phone calls and have my choice of several jobs by the end of the day.

But, the absolute best job I ever had is, running my own business of any kind (and I've ran quite a few). Right now (I added this paragraph in May/ 2008), I just put out a video on the Ten Keys to Safe City Driving. It is selling well, I am making decent money, I'm making a difference in the world and I was never happier.

It's not that I can't hold a job, it's just that I am easily bored and I always like to seek new adventures. Hey, I'm a writer at heart, and I want to experience everything in the world, just because it will make me a better writer. If you'd like to see my ever growing list of companies that I have worked for, email me at; info@bigcitydriver.com and dont forget to check out BigCityDriver.com for more driver jargon. And thanks for listening.

Ken Skaggs
7/01

1. Understand Traffic Waves
2. Prevent Traffic Jams
3. Stay Calm
4. Do The Math
5. Be Predictable
6. Time Traffic Lights
7. Expect the Expected
8. Compensate for the Ignorant
9. Teach Others
10. Make Sure an Accident is Never Your Fault
Read more

Here are some satisfied customers-
*Old Dominion Freight Line
*Plastic Express
*Dart Container Corp.
*Van-Pak Trucking
*GD Eastlick Trucking Inc.
*Alex Express
*Kenny Smith Trucking
*and many more.