Commercial Driver

After working inside, he found working outside was more enjoyable, though not without its initial challenges. 

FAMILY BACKGROUND

RM was the youngest of seven children in an African American family. His father was a factory worker; his mother was a house cleaner. Neither parent attended college, but both were hard workers, which was noticed by all their children, who were encouraged to “pay attention in school and stay out of trouble!”

CHILDHOOD THOUGHTS OF AN ADULT CAREER

Looking back to his childhood, RM recalls riding buses and the subway with his brothers and sisters. He couldn’t see who was driving the subway, but he thought it would be fun to someday drive a bus or a subway train. At least in the subway, it never rained or snowed. 

EDUCATION

RM was an “average” student, not especially interested in math or science but he enjoyed reading about history and was willing to participate in class discussions with his teachers about current events. 

Without any specific career path in mind, RM enrolled in community college and took a general variety of courses but needed to work part-time while attending classes, to earn money for his own support. 

FIRST ADULT JOB

Although RM had earned an Associate Degree from community college, he decided to postpone looking for a career in business management until he could save enough money to buy a car and pay off his student loans. So, he changed his employment status at the paint store, where he had been working part-time, to full-time, with the goal of someday becoming a store manager and eventually supervising a large region of the company’s paint stores. 

CHALLENGE – GOOD BOSS REPLACED BY BAD BOSS

RM’s first manager at the paint store was patient while explaining the products available for sale, how to work with customers and use the company’s electronic payment and stock systems. When RM told his manager about his difficulty ‘getting along’ with a co-employee, the manager brought RM into his office, shut the door, and spoke quietly about the need to accept differences in other people with whom you must learn to work with as part of a team. RM appreciated his manager’s advice and the way it was presented in a respectful way. 

After several months on the job as a full-time employee, RM was shocked to be informed by his manager that he, the manager, had just been fired due to the store’s underperformance in sales. RM thought the upper management’s decision was wrong, but it was final, and nothing could be done about it. RM applied for the manager’s position, which apparently had already been filled by a new manager who had been successful in other stores of the same paint company. However, success in RM’s store was unlikely for any manager since the store was selling high-end paint and related products (solvents, brushes, and edging tape) which the neighborhood could find at less cost in other stores not too far away. 

CHALLENGE – RACISM

Adding to the problem of the store’s location was the lazy and racist attitude of the new manager, whose preoccupation was to remain at his desk within his office, away from customers and the counter where sales transactions were completed. 

Editor – A manager’s laziness or inattention is a relatively minor problem which need not concern an employee, who is not expected to manage the manager! Just do your job and “stay in your lane” – in other words, let someone else, preferably the manager’s manager discover the lazy inattention problem and resolve it. However, racism is not easily ignored. 

On one memorable occasion, RM, who is African American – the only such ethnic person among the store employees – asked the new manager to help at the counter due to the line-up of half a dozen customers, most of whom were African American. The manager refused, saying “That’s your job to deal with your people.” 

Editor’s comment: The manager’s statement including “your people” revealed him to be a racist. So, what to do? In well run businesses, the employee could complain to the personnel / human relations department. In situations where the employee is not (seriously) affected by the racism (here, it was the customers who were inconvenienced, to the detriment of the store’s good will but the employee was not seriously affected), the employee has several options: A. ignore the comment; or B. confront the manager – at least politely the first time: “Sir, your comment could be interpreted to be racist since it seems you don’t want to deal with Black customers…. Is that what you meant?” or C. make a formal or informal complaint to higher management, which could risk the employee being terminated, possibly leading to filing legal claims; or D. find another manager or friend or mentor or attorney to discuss the situation and the options before proceeding. Life is not easy but proceeding after time to think for yourself and consult others is usually the best strategy. 

CAREER PATH SELF-ASSESSMENT LEADS TO CAREER CHANGE

After a while, RM learned more about how other stores owned by the same paint company were managed. All were run by Caucasians. Among all the company’s city-based paint stores, there were very few African American employees; none were managers. So, RM was not surprised to have his promotion request to store manager be denied. He then asked to be transferred to the company’s warehouse operation, which paid $10. more hourly than the store jobs. This request for transfer was never approved. 

RM therefore concluded that he had no future with the paint company but where to go next? 

COMMUNITY COLLEGE CAREER CENTER OFFERS NEWS OF OPPORTUNITIES

When RM reviewed the list of local career opportunities provided by the career center of his community college, he spotted an opening as a bus driver for the local public transportation system. Perhaps one of his childhood dreams could come true! JM applied for the job, looking forward to being outside, interacting with and helping passengers while earning a good salary plus health insurance, paid vacations, and a retirement pension. His application was accepted, conditioned upon obtaining a commercial driver’s license (CDL). 

BUS DRIVER’S CAREER SATISFACTION

A significant upside of working for a public transit agency are the financial aspects including steady employment, a “good” salary, and financial benefits such as paid health insurance, vacations and (after employment for a certain time) a ‘vested’ pension (can never be taken away even if the worker changes jobs). 

RM enjoyed the challenge of learning how to drive a vehicle many times larger than his car. He also enjoyed working outside rather than in a store or warehouse, interacting with (most) members of the public, helping disabled passengers, and delivering everyone safely to their destination. 

BUS DRIVER CHALLENGES – ROWDY PASSENGERS, SCHEDULING, EQUIPMENT

The notable downsides of working as a bus driver: 

• Passengers – Some were more than rude; they were eager to start fights among themselves, with other passengers and occasionally with the bus driver! As the old saying goes: “A few rotten eggs can spoil the whole basket.” RM was strong enough physically and mentally to be willing and able to try to control any verbal or physical situation but sometimes a driver can be outnumbered or be subject to armed threats. RM concludes that bus drivers – especially on urban routes – need to have the experience and maturity to deal with occasional, extremely threatening situations. 

• Scheduling – A driver, especially those without much seniority, may be called into action at any time as permitted by the union contract.

• Inferior equipment problems – Such as buses whose engines occasionally break down and more commonly, whose rear vision mirrors become bent or fall off, leaving the driver unable to effectively see traffic and pedestrians needed to be avoided. 

POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS WITHIN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES

When RM finally decided to quit being a city bus driver, he didn’t consider trying to find a job driving buses in a calmer, suburban environment because he lived in the city and (perhaps, somewhat ironically) he didn’t want to be a commuter. Instead, RM briefly considered other employment options within the public transit agency: a bus cleaner (who must have a CDL to move the bus), a mechanic, a painter, track repair and administration (recalling a few of the alternatives potentially available). But RM liked driving and working outdoors so he investigated other opportunities which incorporated those features. 

CAREER CHANGE – BUS DRIVER TO DELIVERY DRIVER

RM wisely found different employment – as a commercial delivery truck driver – before quitting his public transit bus driver’s job, because he needed a steady paycheck. His new job didn’t offer a pension, but he decided it would be more enjoyable working more years than required to collect a public agency pension, with less hassle, until he qualified for Social Security income. 

RM appreciates the quiet cab of his delivery truck while enjoying the ever-changing view of the outside as he drives through the city. When he waves to bus drivers, his smile is both internal and external.