One of our inside salesmen is quitting.  He is moving to the East Cost with his girlfriend (they have been together for a long time now) who has been offered a lucrative nursing job where her family lives.  He has decided to move there with her and hope to find employment there.

Well, there's an opportunity, well there is if they are open to just anyone asking about it, which I now have.  The GM sent out a note to everyone: if you are interested in doing inside sales, contact us and let's talk.  The sales manager came into our branch this morning and I was asking him questions about it, but never really got into a serious discussion about possibly being looked at for the position.

I was just toying with the idea. But after thinking about it all day, I just up and replied to the GM, yes, I'm interested. It isn't the easiest job in the world to learn, but I know something around half of it anyway.  Navigating around Trilogie is one key "issue".  I have been learning that system for some time now.

Here's the problem I have faced in other places I have worked in the past in attempting to switch to something else within a company or get promoted: Too valuable where you are at.  You have done the same job for years and you are good at it.  You don't have to have people watching over your shoulder or calling you every 5 minutes.  You develop good relationships with the contractors and you deal with problems immediately in calling salesmen and letting them know what's going on.  You have MORE interaction with the customer than ANYONE in the organization and you put on your best face everytime you see them regardless of how you might feel that day.

Now, why I would want to move to another position within the company.  Numerous reasons.  First off, I am getting to the point where I absolutely HATE summers here. It's TOO hot and it SUCKS. It's hot in the morning, it's hell in the afternoons.

Second, we worked our asses off, all 2 of us at the branch we work at and did 4 and a half million worth of sales.  We were told how no other branch in the entire country could pull of such a feat, etc etc etc.  Yet, when bonus time came? It most certainly did NOT reflect such efforts.

3rd: trucking.  It's getting pretty sucky to be a truck driver.  The regulations keep pouring in and drivers are simply not unified enough in the industry to make a stand and say no more to unbelievable regulations that cannot be found in any other industry to the degree we are subjected to them. This new point system they came out with at the end of 2010 is outrageous.  The Federal government doesn't CARE how many drivers will end up being put out of their career, eventually, however, the public WILL care.  That's because there is already a shortage of drivers and it's going to get FAR worse in coming years.  When that happens, look out, cause' American wants what it wants and gets it when it wants it.  If she can't, she throws a fit.  IT will take the news media to make an issue out of it, undoubtedly, but eventually it's going to occur.

Until then, however, I see a Highway Patrol vehicle? I'm getting all kinds of nervous.  If they pull me over and even if I just receive a minor warning about something, it goes against my company. That's right, it's points racked up against my employer and if an employer gets enough points from all of it's combined drivers, then "intervention" begins. So, companies put the onus back on the driver.

It's just getting to be too much.  And from the news reports? A lot of other "older" drivers are feeling the same way. The vast majority of truck drivers are older, not younger.

Anyway, trucking is not what it used to be and I am growing out of love with it.

4th, dealing with heavy city traffic all day long.

5th, I am just ready for something different.

6. I am not into driving older trucks.  They pose too much of a risk, IMO, in getting warnings, getting pulled over and inspected.  The truck I am driving is almost 8 years old  and I was informed this week that they are not going to upgrade, they want to keep expenses down and since that truck is now paid off, they aren't paying $3,500 per month payments on it.  Great, and it's a piece of s***.  I'm getting tired of driving it.  Just my personal preference.

But, who knows if they will want me for that position.  I may be making too much money per hour in my current position for them to want to have me in another position that is, from what I have heard anyway, lower paying.  Not going to take a pay cut, thanks. I have no clue, but I at least have to look into it.

Well, the weekend is here. I have slept pretty well all week - until last night.  I was having some pretty bad dreams and kept waking up. Weird.  48 years old and having nightmares. Is that normal?  I dunno, but I'm flat out tired.  REALLY tired.  Like, try to stay awake until at least 8 o'clock tired.

Whatever. I'm done.

ben