Trucking Paper

The Invisible Hands

Hey all! Been hammering away on this paper for a few weeks now but got the final breakthroughs on it today -- I'd love to know what you think if you have time to read. It may not be the first time I visit the topic so I'd love to be able to come back and add additional depth and nuance to things.

I tried to keep it pretty balanced, but I did overly emphasize some of the "negatives" about the job since I was writing this from the perspective of my audience being folks who are unfamiliar with the industry (and trying to sell my point).

There's also at least a dozen points where I had to gloss over points of nuance that if expanded may end up crippling some of my lines of argument, but expanding on them fully takes the scope of the paper far past what was intended.

What degree are you working on? What's your eventual career goal? Very well written.

What degree are you working on? What's your eventual career goal? Very well written.

Civil engineering is the planned degree path right now, still trying to get a bead on what exactly I'm likely to end up doing. Pie-in-the-sky ideal situation though is I get an engineering firm actually started that targets rural areas and tries to bring their infrastructure not just up to speed but preps them for the next couple of decades as well.

Either that, or I want to work on space elevators and other megastructures.

What degree are you working on? What's your eventual career goal? Very well written.

Civil engineering is the planned degree path right now, still trying to get a bead on what exactly I'm likely to end up doing. Pie-in-the-sky ideal situation though is I get an engineering firm actually started that targets rural areas and tries to bring their infrastructure not just up to speed but preps them for the next couple of decades as well.

Either that, or I want to work on space elevators and other megastructures.

Keith;

I know I'm not your 'favorite person' on TT (probably because I'm not yet a driver, just lived w/one for 22 years, aka: your age!) but I actually think your paper is EXCELLENT. Concept, spot on. Point, taken. Reality, indeed.

If you'd like someone to proof it for you (there are a few things, but I'm not sure how that will affect (yes, an 'a' not an 'e') your grade) please let either myself, Brett, and for sure, DaveW. or Kearsey know. She's hard to find, however!

The day you posted it, I'd asked Brett to read it as well; not sure if he's gotten to it.

All in all, you hit the nail . . . 'on the head & tail' as my dad used to say.

~ Anne ~

Enjoyed it Keith. Really good!

Best of luck to you.

What degree are you working on? What's your eventual career goal? Very well written.

Civil engineering is the planned degree path right now, still trying to get a bead on what exactly I'm likely to end up doing. Pie-in-the-sky ideal situation though is I get an engineering firm actually started that targets rural areas and tries to bring their infrastructure not just up to speed but preps them for the next couple of decades as well.

Either that, or I want to work on space elevators and other megastructures.

Keith;

I know I'm not your 'favorite person' on TT (probably because I'm not yet a driver, just lived w/one for 22 years, aka: your age!) but I actually think your paper is EXCELLENT. Concept, spot on. Point, taken. Reality, indeed.

If you'd like someone to proof it for you (there are a few things, but I'm not sure how that will affect (yes, an 'a' not an 'e') your grade) please let either myself, Brett, and for sure, DaveW. or Kearsey know. She's hard to find, however!

The day you posted it, I'd asked Brett to read it as well; not sure if he's gotten to it.

All in all, you hit the nail . . . 'on the head & tail' as my dad used to say.

~ Anne ~

I got a grade back on it day before yesterday, all I got docked for was about two dozen spelling/grammar errors. So for this being fundamentally a first draft, I'll take it. XD The proofing is a part I enjoy, but making sure that any ideas I present are really solid and grounded is important to me.

Enjoyed it Keith. Really good!

Best of luck to you.

I appreciate that G-Town. Means a lot from you, I consider you and Old School as two of the strongest voices of reason here.

Hey Keith, I just now got a chance to read this. I may not agree with all of your premise, but you did an excellent job of writing and supporting your thoughts. I write a great deal, and I will give you one tip. Don't count on yourself to be your own editor. I just recently helped Brett with a new section of the High Road training program. I had several folks look it over and critique it. That was both frustrating and beneficial. They pointed out things that I could not see. I did a lot of research and was proud of my initial product. It turned out very different in the end. I ended up making changes that were needed. Prior to my allowing others to edit what I had written, I was quite satisfied with it. Afterward, it was made better by the confluence of advice from several outside observers.

Don't let any of my remarks discourage you. I found it a fascinating read. You did a great job, and it shows you are a solid and logical thinker. I am glad you are getting to pursue your dreams of higher education. It seems to sit well with you. Best of luck to you in your future pursuits.

Hey Keith, I just now got a chance to read this. I may not agree with all of your premise, but you did an excellent job of writing and supporting your thoughts. I write a great deal, and I will give you one tip. Don't count on yourself to be your own editor. I just recently helped Brett with a new section of the High Road training program. I had several folks look it over and critique it. That was both frustrating and beneficial. They pointed out things that I could not see. I did a lot of research and was proud of my initial product. It turned out very different in the end. I ended up making changes that were needed. Prior to my allowing others to edit what I had written, I was quite satisfied with it. Afterward, it was made better by the confluence of advice from several outside observers.

Don't let any of my remarks discourage you. I found it a fascinating read. You did a great job, and it shows you are a solid and logical thinker. I am glad you are getting to pursue your dreams of higher education. It seems to sit well with you. Best of luck to you in your future pursuits.

If you've got the time, Old School, I'd love to know where you disagreed -- I think this might be fertile ground for another paper as I move along in my classes and I'd love to have a wider and more thorough understanding of all the viewpoints. I don't just want to stand on a soapbox and share my perspective, I want to try being a.... respectable and balanced voice, to share this information with new drivers and people outside the field.

The invisibility of truck drivers as humans leads to an array of efficiences that without thoroughly considered remedies will continue to have negative ramifications for the effective delivery of goods and the running of businesses.

Keith, that one sentence above probably sums up the premise that I disagree with. (I assume you meant to use the word inefficiencies) I understand what you are trying to portray. I just never felt like an unappreciated person in all my truck driving. I never felt like I was "invisible." Part of that may be my personality. I can't say for sure. Part of it may be that I am a flatbed driver - my customers are always glad to see me and unload me quickly. Part of it may be that I had a great relationship with my driver manager. Or perhaps it was just that I don't mind being alone. As a matter of fact I am quite content being alone and accomplishing things on my own.

Now, let's consider this: Most truck drivers I have encountered expressed thoughts much like yours in the article. I have always been one to make up my own thoughts or ways of evaluating my life. This is something I taught my children. Do your own thing and be content with what you have. That allows you to move forward or stay at a level of living you are comfortable with. You can be ambitious if you like or you can settle in on something else that satisfies your desires. We don't all have to be recognized as heroes, even if we are. We don't have to let society, or our friends, influence who we are. We make our own way.

Truck drivers love to talk. That is understandable since most of us are alone most of the time. Some of us are so bottled up that we can't help ourselves at a cafe or driver's lounge. Whatever is going on in our heads comes boiling out like lava from a volcano. What is it that we find bottled up in most truck driver's heads? I have found that it is this thought that we are mistreated, and unduly maligned simply because we are truck drivers. Most of us are convinced that there is a social stigma against us and it is unfairly placed. We like to think highly of ourselves, and we tend to think so highly that we determine that no one else is thinking high enough of us. We think we don't get paid enough. We think we don't get home enough. We think we are disrespected with crazy work loads. We just think we are mistreated because we have convinced ourselves of that.

Continued...