How does the general public perceive truckers?

I'm 22 and I've been driving for 24 years!!!!!

 

The general public is pretty dumb and doesn't realize anything that they don't need to. So who really cares. Just drive safe and do whatcha gotta do.

 

Next month would be my 4th year OTR. the previous 7 was in the Houston Metro area. I consider my OTR as being a "trucker", not my local.

And I was stating my driving time only to state a fact, not in a smart aleck response to your post.

 

I agree with you. The company I drive for we have about thirty four trucks and over half don't say anything to ya on the radio. One time I had a blow out and was limping along the highway and six drivers pass that haul the same product as me and only a driver we called "Grandpa" asked if I needed help and out of the six he was 67 years old and been driving for ages. No respect on the roads between drivers beside a few. When I was in Iraq I did convoy security and we would escort 90+ trucks and if one broke down five would stop to help and them people are worse off then any American trucker.

 

wow... just amazing...go back to the local in houston...well at least stay in texas...there is a whole lot of wide open nothing there for you to do what you do...you give #4 and #5 voice....

 

Husband before trucking managed a feed mill which relied on grain products to be brought in on a timely basis in order for production to continue. There were a lot of occasions that the loads were no where where they should have been on the date there were supposed to be delivered and were several days away from maybe being delivered. They had to make other arrangements for shipments to be brought in by trucks at a lot higher price and sometimes substituting ingredients if one were not available. They also ended up having to pay merge on empty train containers which was exorbitant.

Yes there are a lot of products carried on trains, but I think maybe there is a problem with mountain passes in winter in the west that would hinder railroads more also.

Customers also like to know if they are going to get a load in 2-3 days time vs a week or more by train.

I don't believe refrigerated loads would be safe on trains, who is going to monitor the reefer while it is out of sight.

 

Try shipping that "just in time fresh produce" by train. Those armchair know-it-all ignorant people don't realize if it was cheaper/more practical to ship by train, the shippers/receivers would demand it and so would the consumers.

 

That's true. The general public also can't figure out why companies outsource overseas or why major aircraft manufacturers have moved their Research & Development to Poland & much of their maintenance to South America or why Hostess went bankrupt. The Politically Correct public education system just isn't working.

 

Rail will never be a perfect substitute for motor carriers. Too slow in many cases regardless of cost effectiveness, and it doesn't go everywhere...not even close. I was an account manger for an intermodal rail forwarder for a few years so I know what I speak of.

 

The person who wrote this article should boycott everything that was ever on a truck.