Preconceptions About Trucking And Truckers

I have been reading posts, watching videos and learning all I can about trucking. I have come to some 'revelations' about truckers as a result. As an I.T. professional, I considered myself an above-average intelligent individual, familiar with technology and my profession. Truckers, IMO (and many others) were sort of a "lower class', not too bright (or WHY would they be driving a TRUCK for crying out loud?) I knew a few 'truck drivers' who never really had training, just sort of jumped in a truck for a company, many without high school educations, just not too bright overall. Trucks were ANNOYING, slow, ALWAYS in the way and caused traffic issues EVERYDAY here in Atlanta...so WHY in the WORLD would I want to be a 'TRUCKER?' yet there was somewhat of an appeal-trucks were COOL, lots of travel, freedom, NO SUFFOCATING CUBICLE..etc....

After I lost my position in I.T. I looked for a job FOREVER- Saw a big tractor trailer student driver at my local technical college and had a funny thought (I remember laughing) about maybe becoming a trucker. "BUT I'm WAY more intelligent and skilled than THAT!" I thought to myself...but still, encountering constant frustration every day in trying to find a position in my career field, the notion stuck with me..Suddenly becoming a trucker wasn't such a BAD option after all..heck, I'm so SMART I'll be king of the road and top driver, after all, these ol' Georgia rednecks without any education can do it, so can I, and BETTER too!!! (sorry fellas, I did think that way for quite a while).so I figured it was worth a look..what the heck ELSE was I gonna do? My I.T.skills are out of date, I'm too OLD for I.T anymore (at 56)..not much choice...

After several months, and reading, watching, listening to all I can find, my eyes were OPENED! Thanks to Brett and the drivers here on Trucking Truth, I have discovered that the PROFESSIONAL American Trucker is one of the most HIGHLY intelligent, disciplined and hard working professionals in the WORLD! It's too bad John Q. Public has the same misconceptions I had..These jobs aren't about getting into a truck and driving all day. It's about dedication, hard work, organization, management and safety consciousness. SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE is required to do the job RIGHT, organization, scheduling and management are ALL vitally important. Add the skill required to operate a huge vehicle capable of killing people in the blink of an eye, with one slight error in judgement, and suddenly, trucking takes on an entire new meaning and respect. Brett and the Trucking Truth folks (and y'all) have turned my ENTIRE attitude around, and helped me to realize that becoming a highly trained professional trucker will become one of the BEST, most REWARDING and PROUDEST achievements in my life.

SO as I make this commitment of time, effort and energy, I realize NOW that once my training is complete (and I don't expect it to EVER be complete-always new rules, situations to learn from, etc) I will become FAR more professional and skilled than I was in my previous career. I will work HARD, but feel the reward that comes with that hard work. My priority will ALWAYS and FOREMOST be safety of my vehicle, my cargo, and safety of traffic or others around me..Most of all, I will feel a PRIDE of being an American Trucker..Look forward to joining the ranks!!!

(P.S.- was close to starting school earlier this year, and some of y'all may remember my questions and posts, and decided NOT to become a trucker after seeing ONE bad video, and being offered a position at my local hospital provider. That job was only temporary, and despite my efforts, they decided to let me go. SO LET"S GET GOING ALREADY!!!!!)

The trucking industry needs smart drivers . I've watched many hours of trucker mistakes on YouTube but I still took the challenge . Don't drive white knuckle scared ...but always be aware of what you are driving .

You are not the first IT crossover into trucking...and you won't be the last .

Gary, it's an interesting post that you put together, and I'm glad for your change in perception of truck drivers. I always try to be a different type of driver, it is nice when I see other drivers trying to improve the overall image of our industry. If you happen to catch me on the right day you may even see me driving down the road wearing a tie! As a flat-bedder my job entails some physical work and this time of year some sweating at some point almost everyday. In my journeys I have come across all types of people in this field, it is one of the most diverse areas of employment you will ever come across. There are a lot of people in it who have retired from other careers, such as myself, and there are others who can no longer find a job in their field, like you. There is just such a mixed bag of people that unfortunately I have to say that we truck drivers have pretty much earned our poor reputation for the most part. There will always be slobs and malcontents in the industry, but anything you can do to improve the overall public perception is a step in the right direction. As I'm typing this I'm watching a gentleman going into the truck stop who definitely looks like he could use the added support of a Playtex cross your heart bra, and he is certainly not the only one here who hasn't been taking the best care of himself. It's a difficult thing at times to live on the road, but our industry could certainly use a strong dose of disciplined well meaning individuals who share a common passion for returning some degree of honor and glory to this much maligned industry.

That was an awesome post Gary!

One of my new favorite insights into trucking came from Old School recently when he said that being a trucker is more like owning a business than most any job you'll come across. As a small business owner, I agree 100%.

In trucking you have to manage so many different things at once. You have to make life or death decisions 1000 times a day. You have to have people skills, driving skills, creative thinking skills, and a boatload of nerve and patience. It's one of the most challenging jobs you could ever hope to find.

Unfortunately the reputation of the industry is in the gutter and has been for decades. This should be a young person's game, especially in 2014 where blue collar jobs that pay a living wage are rare and even a $100k college education doesn't guarantee you anything. The travelling, the adventure, the risk, the time away from home - the average age of truckers should be 28, not 48. But like you said - who the heck would ever choose trucking as a first career? You would surely be wasting your brains and your mother would be mortified!

By the way....I chose trucking as a first career.....and my mother was mortified!

I've had a lot of different jobs and many different career paths. Trucking made for one of the richest and most rewarding jobs and lifestyles I've ever come across. It's also one of the most challenging and difficult. But hey.....that's the kind of thing that makes it great!