Dan Rather Reports – Queen of the Road
Before you watch this remember that there are a lot of truckers out there that are good drivers .Many of the good drivers are older drivers. Many of those are getting off the road because of the hassle that is inherent with some of the stupid regulations that are mandated by people that have never driven a truck in their life. I am not saying that some of the newbies are not good drivers, but the idea that anyone can drive a truck is just down right STUPID!
The driver shortage is no more and I wonder if there ever really was one. My belief is that some of these larger companies just bought to many trucks and then felt the financial pain of them sitting in the yard. With the fuel and economy being as has been the last couple of years, many trucking companies and Owner/Operators have gone under. Drivers are getting their wages cut or not getting the raise they were promised. This forces the driver to stay out on the road longer, 4 to 6 weeks, to make ends meet.
If the government wants to throw regulations out, why don’t they regulate these schools? Why don’t they regulate the brokers that steal away a good portion of the money paid on a load that should be going to a company so they can pay for better drivers?
Trucking is a way of life, not just a job. Truck driving for me is a love/hate relationship. I love driving a truck, seeing this wonderful country, and making great friends. But I hate the stupid regulations that make driving a truck more dangerous to the driver. Like the new log book rules that were started a few years ago that force a driver to drive tired if they want to “run legal”!
The doctor says that my fall last November that caused the shattering of both of my wrists is going to take me out of a job and a way of life that I have loved doing for 20 years. But in some ways I am ready to get out. I am tired of these “new school” drivers that have no courtesy, no sense of camaraderie and are half-ass trained.
If the doc is right, I am going to miss the road. I am going to miss the feel of the truck under me as I roll down the road. I am going to miss seeing the sunrise over the Rockies and set on the Painted Desert, the snow fall in Wyoming, the rain in Arkansas, the leaves turn in the fall in Pennsylvania and the new buds in the spring in Tennessee. I am going to miss talking on the CB with other drivers as I roll down the road or in a Truck Stop when I take a break to eat. I am going to miss that feeling I have when I know I am headed home after being on the road for a couple of weeks and the same feeling I have when it is time to head back out!
Posted in NEWS and Trucking 10 months, 2 weeks ago at 22:52. Add a comment
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