Serious question that needs an answer. Why do so many truck drivers just bend over and take it?

The trucks themselves used to weed out the chaff. If you couldn’t drive it you didn’t even get to be a truck driver. Pretty simple. Getting rid of most of the idiots would be as easy as putting all the pedals and shift bars back in the trucks.

 

You make a good point, but I disagree with your last sentence; I think every part is fundamentally important, take any part out and the whole machine stops. Doesn't matter what part, each is as essential as any other.

 

I said exactly that. It was the point of my reply. The last sentence was intended to say no one part is more important than any other.

 

Amen

 

It is funny, those that try to convince themselves drivers back in the day all being on drugs. I don’t personally know one driver that was.

Many were running for manufacturing companies that had their own trucks, or for big Union carriers. The driving limit then was only 10 hours.

With all the rumors of guys running double log books…and yes it happened, but not as much with these jobs that I mentioned. If a Corporation with their name all over the side of the truck and trailer got in an accident, especially out of log, it could be a death sentence.

Probably one reason why many were more than happy to dump their fleets when deregulation came along in 1981 and let the common carriers haul their goods. It was sad to see all those great company logos disappear so rapidly. Most trucks were a rolling billboard.

Yes, there were over weight drivers back then, but they would weigh half what some of these weigh today.

 

There always were those running overweight. Had an ex-steel hauler tell how they would pick up one 40K coil, return to the yard and drop it, go back for another and return to pick up the first and run both....

 

You are exactly right. Everyone has to do their job to make the supply chain work. Truck drivers aren't special.

 

long legged truck, I can get 57 mph at 2100 out of my uncles 76 Kw once that big 290 gets wound up, does a little bit better then the 237 in Mack, that’s only like 54 mph, at least they both have power steering….

 

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I remember one night shift where a foreign [not ours] driver waiting on the tank wash came looking for his lost road aspirin...little Excedrin tin with a few black beauties inside.. Early 80's