5 Reasons Why People Hate Truckers - From A Driver's Perspective

I first acquired my CDL in 2001 after many weeks of frustration, guilt from my then wife, and hard work in a factory that I knew was taking me nowhere.... fast.  My dear father was a driver and a man whose skills I admired from the time I could climb into the cab by myself.  Those lessons I took to heart and used it as motivation out here on the road to be a better trucker to those around me.

Most truckers can tell you though it's a hard-fought battle keeping the shiny side up on your rig and your attitude bright especially when you spend most of your time behind the windshield, being cut off by rude four-wheelers and accosted by local and state law enforcement for the collection of revenue. The job is by no means an easy ticket to a paycheck and we don't have time to screw off.  We have to be on our game or shut the truck down.

I've only had a few incidences where my integrity and patience was tested.  I lost it a couple of times out here.  But I believe, from personal experience, that cooler heads prevail and maybe in time the general public will realize that WITHOUT TRUCKS AMERICA STOPS!

My observations over the years have taught me a few things about the trade (and, yes, it is a trade and a skill most people don't want to have or learn) and that's what helps me to be a better driver in the end. These aren't the only reasons but I know they rank up there.

1.) We are large, slow and take up a lot of space.

Most of the trucks out here weigh 80,000 pounds.  There is a lot of energy that is used to get moving.  There is a lot of force to stop us.  We can't climb hills like we want to but we have the horsepower to actually get it over the mountain top.  Imagine your car pulling 5 times it's own weight and there you have an idea of what it takes to get us moving.

The commuters of DFW who are hidden in their own little world behind the wheel often view us as a hindrance.  Maybe they should take the extra 15 minutes to get moving for the day.  Often times we get moving before most of you go to bed at night. We get up early so what's your excuse?

2.) Media coverage sensationalizes the negativity of the trucking industry.

I can assure you that most truckers are playing by the rules but some drivers and companies don't.  I want to see these people off the road as much as everyone else does but that doesn't mean we have to be grouped with the bad apples.  However, if you asked the media people how it is, we are all a bunch of pill-popping, lot-lizard-chasing, beer-swilling rednecks who do nothing more to get off on our negligence and running innocent bystanders and the general motoring public off the road.

Oh, and there is no such thing as a minor incident out here either.  If a truck wrecks the whole world knows it.  Most of the time it's not our fault but in everyone else's eyes there is always the trucker to blame. We will be reminded of it when the lawyers start calling.  (See Jim Adler, the Texas Hammer. I share this link not because I like this ambulance chaser but because he does nothing to help the plight of the truck driver and he promotes the point of view most truckers are negligent.)

3.) There is no real education out to the motoring public about how to share the road with trucks and other large vehicles.

If you have a teenager in driver's ed then you would hope this subject would be covered in his class but sadly, no, it usually doesn't.  Most driver's ed courses do not include even a basic overview of how to handle yourself around large vehicles. Many of us drivers wish they could include a day or two behind the wheel of a truck, even in a controlled environment, to get new drivers a feel for ALL types of vehicles and not just the sweet sixteen souped-up car or truck Daddy paid for as a gift for the ne'er-do-well's attendance in your worthless public school so you could be cool for your child's cliquish acquaintances that are so-called friends.

4.) It's viewed as slave labor and we are treated as such and we hate it.

And according to Federal Law it is.  Most people think that because we work 70 hours a week we get paid like we we put in 14 hours a day.  That's absolutely wrong.  Drivers paid an hourly rate are EXEMPTED from overtime provisions in Federal Labor Laws.  That means if I was paid an hourly rate of fifteen dollars an hour for 70 hours worth of work then I would make $1050 as opposed to the factory worker who makes 15 dollars an hour at the same 70 hours a week who would make $1275.  Guess who makes out better and gets to go home every night? We are certainly not paid what we are worth and our attitudes reflect that.

5.) Companies often don't care if you live or die and therefore we do what we have to do to survive.

We are being pushed constantly and treated as if we lie to the company every chance we get.  For every driver that quits five more suckers will take your place.  Some companies don't care if you run or not as long as you have satisfied their 14-day-out requirement. (Can you imagine how it feels being 14-days away from home at a time and only have 34 hours to spend at home with your family?) We run hard and have to make the most of the time out here. Sometimes we will not talk to you, acknowledge you, cut you off (unintentionally, of course) and yell at you for seemingly no apparent reason whatsoever.  We are under pressure to survive and our paychecks depend on the amount of miles we can get in factoring in for delays, traffic, load availability and hours of service among other things.

What can we all do to make it better?  Give a truck driver his space and let him do his thing.  Who knows? That may be the groceries that you need on that trailer.

What Happens In Bama Makes You Want To Move To Texas

Boss: I'm so glad I have a driver like you.

Me: Thanks, Boss. What made you say that?

Boss: You don't screw things up.

Me: Isn't that what we're SUPPOSED to do.

Boss: You know how drivers are...

Me: I don't know but tell me, please.

Boss: [SILENT]

Me: Boss, have you considered what it would be like if I wasn't around?

Boss: Oh, come on!!! You'll never leave here.

Me: We'll see about that. [WINK]

   This was a conversation I had with my boss in 2013.  By this point I had spent almost 3 years with a local outfit in Huntsville, AL.  I wasn't just driving.  I was spending one day a week in the office helping with regulatory and office-related functions such as truck maintenance records, driver daily logs, recovering load paperwork and training.  The Big Fuzzy Roadman was the go-to guy for all your latest trucking and fuel hauling knowledge.  This was as lovely as watching a funeral procession slowly pass through town.

Friend: Hey! What's up?

Me: Not much. You?

Friend: I was wondering if you could help me out?

Me: [ROLLS EYES] How much is this going to cost me?

   This conversation usually happened when a broke friend needed money. One in particular made it look like I was his personal ATM until I cut him off.  Nobody ever seemed to have the means to pay their bills much less pay me back. Often times I would 'gift' them the money. I knew many of them couldn't pay me back.  The most disappointing thing was their lack of effort.

Female: My boyfriend treats me like crap.

Me: We've had this conversation before.  If it's that bad why don't you leave him?

Female: I don't know.  I love him and all but every time I think he has to go I think that I am going to be lonely and my kids will miss him and my bed will be empty and I can't pay my own bills without him.

Me: I guess you love him enough for him to pull his crap on you.

     This was a normal conversation with female friends.  What makes it worse is that most of these women wouldn't know a good guy if they met one.  Nice guys weren't a wanted commodity.  They were talked about like they were but the buttholes always made their way to first place.  I was used to this.  Maybe it was time to look for another pool of available, intelligent women wanting to actually be in a real relationship with a real man willing to treat them like a lady.  It wore on me to see codependent women keep on being codependent.  They must have liked it, I guess.

Engineer: Hey there, Mr. Gas Hauler!  How does it feel to drive around a bomb?

Me: I noticed you work for NASA.  How does it feel to work for a government department that is having funding cut?  Too bad the current administration doesn't support you dream of being an astronaut.

   Engineers always seemed to have the upper hand in North Alabama.  Huntsville has the most PhD's per capita that any other major city in Alabama. They made more money and changed the face of the city. For as much as they broadened the city's demographic, they often looked down on others as if they were royalty.  It makes me glad I dropped out of school and didn't become one myself.

Family Member: Hey!!! Long time no see!

Me: I cant remember when I last saw you.

Family:  Well, if you'd stick around longer people might actually get to know you.  Heck, if you'd come to church and watch a football game with us we'd like you more.  Too bad you prefer to ride the highways like a gypsy.

Me: Well, I'm too busy living my own life to let anyone else own it.

     The problem with many of my extended family members is that they were way too self-absorbed for my liking.  If you didn't like the same things as they did or go to the same church then you didn't fit in. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't follow conversations on family gossip.  They let their imaginations run wild when I left out details of my life such as the real reason I became a truck driver, making money and taking care of a home.

Alabama Football Fan: Hey! ROLL TIDE!!!

Me: [SIGHS IN DISGUST]

     I know how many Bama Football fans there are.  They are everywhere.  They were their colors, crimson and white.  They shout their war call, ROLL TIDE!  They are arrogant. They are disgusting.  And they worship a dead football coach.  As many of them are awaiting the second coming of Jesus, they also await the day, during the Iron Bowl, that the great Paul W. 'Bear' Bryant will descend from heaven and take over coaching duties as only he could.  Bama fans everywhere will kneel as the Bear will charge one more time to defeat Auburn and put them down never to be seen again.

     I know that some you still live in Sweet Home Alabama and I do miss some things but I no longer experience the same nonsense that brings me down anymore.  To my Bama friends, best of luck.

The Hardest Part of Living With Someone

Dad died in 2009.  If you knew him you'd never forget him.  He had no problem meeting a stranger and no one would stay a stranger for long.  He flirted with the ladies, much to Mom's disdain.  Dad left a positive impression on everyone he met.  He worked hard and played even harder.  Dad once said he wanted to retire to a place where beautiful women were waiting on him hand and foot all the time.  You got to hand it to him, there were some beautiful nurses in the nursing home where he spent the last three years of his life.

Mom died in 2013. She spent much of her time isolated and never went out much as my little brother and I were growing up.  She couldn't drive and hated public transportation.  Her biggest ambition in life was to get a disability check. She hardly had any friends and of those friends, she had she milked those friendships to death and ultimately ran all of her friends off.  Her last three years on this planet were in what she called a hellhole, a nursing home in Lexington, TN, where the staff went out of their way to treat her like a human being instead of another patient waiting to die in those halls.

Comparatively speaking Dad and Mom were like oil and water.  As I grew older I failed to see what he saw in her.  Mom was very, very demanding.  Even though Dad drove for a living he also drove as Mom's personal chauffeur. Mom couldn't do anything on her own and always cited Dad as the reason she couldn't.  Dad, on the other hand, never questioned anything and always faithfully executed his duties without fail, that is until he could not drive anymore.

Dad never complained though.  Mom complained all the time.

Once I was talking with Dad while he was in the nursing home.  He started to look better.  Mom noticed and asked me if I would have a word with him about going home because, of course, she sure did miss having him around.

As I approached Dad with this a stern look of disgust landed on his face as he told me emphatically, 'No! I don't want to go home!'  

'Ok, Pop. I can respect that but can you tell me why?'

'Your momma will drive me crazy!'

So the truth comes out.  Dad not only get his beautiful women but he also managed his escape from his crazy life with Mom.  

Way to go, Dad!

By the way, I still miss you.

Howard Berryman, Sr. 1936-2009

No Rest For The Self Inflicted

     It is commonly understood that if you are tired then you should sleep. Yet even from a young we constantly fight the urge to stop, lay down, rest, then fall into actual sleep. Mother's across America will tell you, "He/she didn't have their nap today and they woke up at 4 o'clock in the morning, they're just tired. That's why they look miserable and are crying on and off uncontrollably," as you look at the mother who wants to act the same way her child is from her own sleep loss.
     Then you have the hard working adult who 'just wants one more minute' they tell themselves, for those few extra miles, for that last finishing touch on a craft project, for that last part of a TV program, for whatever those last few moments are for to stop us from letting go and getting the much needed rest.
     Many truck drivers have been know to drive illegally for 20 hours straight, this means that they are willing to ignore the laws that protect their sleep and safety. The same can be said for crafters and mothers a like who are finishing Christmas pageant costumes, cupcakes for a class bake sale, and any general illness that claims to only last for '24 hours' per family member. These are some of the simple things that we do or can't avoid to post pone sleep for the self inflicted.
     We live in a culture that is so sleep deprived with Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Seven 11's that real rest is no longer valued. It's really hard to give a damn when you are too tired to smell the roses, and coffee really can burn out your taste buds so a steak will never taste the same again. What else are you willing to miss out on because so many pieces of yourself are too tired to enjoy them from your self inflicted lack of rest?
     We have become a culture of sleep apnea and obsession with instant gratification and ignoring our personal needs. Ever make a list of all the things you are too tired to do? This does not include joining a gym, going for daily walks, or eating healthier. This means doing things with other people, going places to be with other humans, and screwing your better half every night. They say that the evidence is in the details, and screwing is such an interesting detail to have in your life. Now get back on your treadmill, you need just one more minute on that computer, just one more minute with your hot glue gun, just one more minute......Zzzzzzzz

Go Big or Go Home

 

     There are days when I need to be reminded of who I really am, almost like a self pep talk into feeling a foundation under my feet and washing my spirit with that memorable hope that has been erased by the distractions of life. My job is very demanding, like anyone else I love it because they treat me well, but there are days when I put my head down and launch into a memorized cycle of no return. It is when my heart is stuck in a place of not finding it's happiness, while my head and body are out making money to please my boss. In this instance my heart is not my boss, instead it is a guy I will call Phil, my soul is a comma patient, and brain is on a mission for Fair Trade Propane.

   This is not a rant or rave against Fair Trade Propane or Phil, like I said I appreciate my job because they treat me so well and I show them my gratitude regularly. However, like any other hard working American who works at least ten hours or more a day every day, there is a tendency to forget that once upon a time you had goals and dreams that were not work related. You forget about wanting to have hobbies, you forget about being interested in other subjects that will let you learn about non-job related things, you forget about what you were and who you really are.

   After meeting my red head and starting to have something similar to a social life, her response to so many things was 'go big or go home'. At first it was funny, at the Chinese Buffet I was challenged to get that 5th plate of food, her response to this dilemma was 'go big or go home' so I got the extra plate. Then as we started to talk about business plans, the stock market, marketing strategies, and ideas that would take a lot of long term planning and extra hours at home that my job does not allow for; her response was 'go big or go home'. This was a challenge that I was really starting to take to heart. 

   What was something I felt big about and wasn't all talk and no action. My job would not always be this busy, I would be able to slow down in three more months if I was hopeful and patient. But what things was I willing to call my own again that I was willing to fight for and keep in my life? What things did I feel that I should go big with or leave at home for a future review. I know that I am your friendly neighborhood propane delivery man, but what else am I? I needed to know that my beer gut was not the only big thing in my life that would stick around for a while that was serious part of me, there had to be more to me than a smile and a beer gut. 

   Then the red head explained to me why she always used the slogan that she did, "Well a long time ago it made sense that 'going big' meant showing love to world in ways it did not understand. Or being the bigger person was not a size thing but a 'not make the world a worse place' thing. So when she used her usual expression, she simply meant that by 'going big' you improve the world and don't let hurt you or itself. What she meant by 'or go home', this is when you recharge your batteries to fight another day and the devil can't win. 

   "Those with the biggest hearts always go big because they don't limit their capacity to love....then you get a different version of the energizer bunny," then the red head told me that size of my heart was one of the reasons she knows that she can emotionally connect with me, I am a fixer-upper, but I am her fixer-upper and that we really need to go home because she can't eat any more at the Chinese Buffet. Her pants don't fit any more so it is time to leave. I quickly find myself again and ask for the check....since I know what dessert is.