by Linda Sunkle-Pierucki

Created on: May 19, 2008

Truck drivers are a special breed. They must be trustworthy, innovative, resourceful, self-directed and resilient. But, most of all, they must be self-rewarding, as they certainly wont get much respect from anyone else. One of the oddest things about our society today is that, in the name of diversity and celebrating everyone's uniqueness, we are only allowed publicly to denigrate two groups of people-red-necks' and truck drivers. The fact that they are often one and the same makes for some mighty big disrespect on the part of much of society.

After nearly 20 years on the road, I am still amazed by the lack of respect shown by shippers and receivers for the driver who drove all night through a major snowstorm to deliver his product, only to be told he's twenty minutes late and they wont assign a dock. If the astute driver noses around he will usually find that the snowstorm created a few employee call-ins and they are running behind. Instead of honest common courtesy and explaining the situation, many shippers will try to turn it around into a driver error.

I'm amazed at grocery warehouses that order their product on one size pallet and expect the driver to transfer it by hand to other pallets-broken down as per order for THEIR customers. Try as I might, I have a bit of trouble trying to figure out why, if they ordered the product, and sold the product, should they get my low-paid or unpaid labor to fill their orders. Thankless? You bet.

I'm flabbergasted when traffic is suddenly detoured off a truck route to . . .who knows? How many times have I been told to "go up there and turn around" and there is absolutely no place to turn a 70 ft vehicle around. And when I do as directed, I'm greeted by honking horns and some four-wheeler rolling the window down to give me the one finger salute'. That is designed to make me feel special? This is probably the same guy that follows me around on the interstate and when I'm forced to change lanes to pass, gets behind me flashing his lights furiously the entire time I'm passing. I know it's him-the finger looks the same.

I'm more than annoyed when legislators and lawyers, looking to gain votes and customers try to enact laws to take my basic human rights away-such as mandatory drug screens, maintaining a record of ALL of my activities, what lane I can drive in, uneven speed limits, lack of Fair Wage and Hour coverage and the like. What four-wheeler is regularly pulled off the highway just so some official can look him over and

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