Losing respect from the public

Naw, I expect the world to kiss my ### because I'm just that awesome.

 

It is funny, I remember someone, somewhere wondering back in the day, who was tougher, a truck driver or a marine? Can anyone... fathom pondering that today?

Deregulation and schools did a lot of damage. When there where so many big union trucking jobs and seemingly every company had their own fleet of trucks, they represented the corporation away from home and most where considered making very good money. It was very difficult to get into the business. I remember when I got out of the Air Force in 1973, wanting to get into trucking, and had a guy with a stack of applications laugh at me.

I remember the big uproar when it was found out, (I think they used Roadway drivers as an example) that where making more than the average college professor at the time. Some just could not accept that.

Look at some of the old trucking footage on you tube, uniforms, ties and all looked super fit. The industry, as has the nation, has fallen a long way. "Respect is earned, not given."

 

That was an episode of Movin On.

 

That is entirely false. The perception of truckers have gotten better over the decades. Before ELDs truckers had a horrible reputation of being meth heads running days on end and causing a ton of casualties on the road. It's even documented in news headlines telling the public to avoid truckers at all costs and drivers education back then teaching how to stay away from truck drivers. That's drastically declined thanks to ELDs, HOS rules, and other safety measures put in place. Sadly, those trashy drug addicts still exist in the industry and make it bad for everyone else.

The only thing that the "schools" contribute to is the reputation of truck drivers being slow, not being the disgusting hideous crack head that truckers have been viewed as in previous generations.

 

Well said. Unfortunately that went out with bell bottom jeans....

 

HA! Claude Akins, man, and "the other guy". Wonder how many caught that, Movin' On. Truth be known, it was that show, and SATB, that convinced me to be a truck driver. Did you know, the producers of that show insisted on a double sleeper, which KW didn't offer at the time. It was because of the popularity of the show, KW decided to make double bunks.