We can try to blame the image of truckers on dirty cabs filled with yellow pop bottles, trash, and funk, but what do you expect when you live ina 20 foot square place and only have the time or money to shower every 2 days(if you're lucky). Or dirty nails and grungy tshirts covered in diesel oil. Come on, noone claimed this was a glamorous job. In fact, the media and Hollywood has made the truck driver look worse than it has since there ever was a truck driver. Hollywood glamorizes truckers and their trucks in their blood and gore horror movies that make drivers look like masochistic murderers...Maximum Overdrive, Jeepers Creepers, and many others. I even have a movie in which a couple of kids are talking trash to a trucker over the cb and the trucker ends up hunting the kids down in his rig till he kills them all except the last two. The various media perpetuate the negative image of the trucker and the lack of positive publicity leaves the public ignorant of the heroics of so many truckers and the respect they deserve for their sacrifice for this country and it's almighty dollar. A few cowboys aren't enough to change the publics view, I don't know very many people who even know a trucker.

More public discussions starting at the beginning is what's important. What good is keeping your nails clean when the next suspense/horror movie that comes out may be about a sadistic kidnapper who's a trucker?

Just a thought...

All you really have to do is turn on the CB to see, or hear rather, a big reason we've got the bad reputation we do. Cussing, threats, gay bashing, womanizing, ignorance. If we could just start a movement to clean up our voice on the airwaves, it think it will cary over. Social pressure goes a long way.

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Give me a tall ship and a star to sail her by.
If that\'s not available, eightteen wheels and a map will do. :

Before I took a local job I would defend a truck driver on just about anything. Now that I commute 50 miles each way to work in my car I cant stand most truckers. I have been bullied and almost ran over on a regular basis by some truckers. It almost makes me ashamed sometimes to call myself a trucker.

Hollywood is all fake and hype and anyone over the age of 12 knows this,it is the real life examples of 'poor housekeeping/hygeine" that are giving truckers a bad name. Dont blame the made up versions of any job for the real life short falls.

It is totaly possible to put on a clean shirt before you go into a truck stop for a meal, it is possible to keep a trash bag at your side so all your on the road snack wrappers can be taken care of....its all up to the person driving the truck.

There are reasons and results and reasons really dont count. Be responsible for yourself, make your rig and yourself a good example thats what matters. If you keep your "home" cleaned up you feel better, sleep better and therefor are a better "trucker" and thats what counts.

As for the CB chatter I agree most of it is pretty mindless but look at it this way, its a bunch of guys trying to keep from going insane from the constant hum of the road...LOL. some of them to have pretty strong ideas and they are entitled to them, if ya dont like the discussion just turn em off.

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LuvMyHubby

I've tied a knot in my rope and I am hangin on!

I don't know but maybe you tend to forget that you are in a car, and THAT you are still a truck driver.
Maybe you pulled a stunt in your car, that if you were in your truck you would have said to yourself "Well there goes another idiot".

My husband is funny when it comes to him driving a car. He is so used to being high up in his TRUCK and having to take wide turns.

A right turn in a CAR being driven by him is just like he would do it in a BIG TRUCK!

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The Truckers Report Merchandise

I do agree that truckers today have a bad stereotype that needs to be changed. I prolly shouldnt even voice my opinion at this point because I've never driven a truck. Im starting training with Schneider in July so please be kind with any replies to this post. I think that most people will agree that when trucker comes to mind you think of a bigger, kinda burly lookin guy with a beard and dirty nails. No offense to any of you guys out ther, but I cant understand why people go days without showering or shaving, and keeping the same clothes on for days at a time. Nothing wrong with a beard, but dont let it get out of control. If the company that your working for is driving you that hard that you cant even take care of yourself, I would probably consider a new career. Something else that gets under my skin are all these busted ********* (nasty, greasy) trucks I see riding down the road. I wouldnt allow my car to get that dirty, or my house if you will. I guess some people just dont care.

Oh Boy, Are you ever in for a lesson my young friend

Ya know I’ve been over the road and been able to shower, shave, eat regular, not leave piss bottles in parking lots, speak like a respectable human on the radio, drive safe and even courteously oh and get my tractor washed from time to time. Guess that’s just too hard for some people to do even if they only run a sort of legal log book.

I have to but I have also had to go for a couple days with out getting to shower also. Not very often but it has happened. All on a very legal log book, it all depends on when you are picking up or delivering the loads, traffic back-ups, accidents etc.
Sometimes it is just impossible to get a shower, if you are the type of driver who worries more about getting the load there on-time and safely.
Nothing mentioned anywhere about not taking a shower as being a safety issue.