I always had trouble being called a Professional Truck Driver that is under Federal Rugulations. Other professional occupations such as Doctors, Layers, Nurse's ans Pilots and under Federal ruglations and have as much to do with saftey and lives of others.
The difference is that these other profesions have some rights under the Federal Wage and Hour over pay, were the Truck Drivers have none. The Department of Transportation and the FMSCA burdens the driver and not the Carrier's. Even to the extent of knowing reported problems with trucks or equipment and even permits this falls back on the driver. Even if the driver reports these problems and the carrier does nothing the driver gets and pays for the violations. Some of these responsibilities are the Carrier's and not the Driver.
I know that I am a good driver and my record shows it but being called a profesional by being uder Federal agengies I don't get the same treatment as other professional workers.

Scotty, I couldn't agree with you more, it seems that this may be a testing ground to see just how much #### you can dump on a guy before he loses it all together. If you gonna test people, test every body or nobody, the drivers have been carrying this stupid load for years now, and who really are the stupid ones? It must be the drivers 'cause you are all still out there trying to bust your ### to make a dime. The government could care less, and I am jioning them, hire Mexicans or Canadians and then Americans won't have to put up with this #### anymore.