You see them every day,they are on the little skinny 2 lane roads they are on the wide open interstates,yet most Americans never think about the men and woman who drive those big 18 wheelers,except those who have a connection to the industry. They are treated by most states as an income in the name of "safety" but get fines and points for what most 4 wheelers would get a warning as well as getting called a maniac or homicidal crazy driver.
However they are not,sure we have a few crazy's in the industry but we have bad cops,firemen and even representatives who have no heart or good to them and are on a power trip. Still if you are not a trucker or someone who don't know much about trucking then you don't have a clue to what life is like on the road,so please let me tell you.
A truck drivers days starts on a 14 hour clock better known as hours of service which is the time a driver can work and drive,I understand the concept for being tired behind the wheel however a doctor who cuts people and is responsible for their health is not limited to the amount of hours they work,a police officer nor a firefighter is either,yet if a driver gets caught going over his 11 hours of driving for even 15 minutes could see fines in the thousands of dollars,yet the other people are not.
Parking,we are banded by many cities from parking in malls,shopping centers and other places whit huge parking lots,as well as some cities not wanting trucks even in town till after a certain hour and if you get caught well,just say it's not good. You may say go to a truck stop,well in many areas the truck stop fills up early and not very big,making us have to drive further then we are allowed or need to. Some rest areas are small but also fill up. Customers don't always allow trucks to come in early or park on their lot some say it's for safety but realty it's more like the locals don't want those nasty stanky truckers around.
Truth is truck drivers are NOT,I REPEAT,ARE NOT,like the Convoy,Smokey and The Bandit,or the 60/70's movies of these tough rebellious truckers bent on revenge. The fact is many are hard working men and woman who have families at home wanting them to get back safe and sound. Most of the companies and owner operators out here are safe,they maintain their trucks to DOT specks,it cost a lot to run these big rigs. A few bad apples make the news where as the good every day ones don't they just flow on and think nothing of it.
We are not skilled labor,According to the US Department Of Labor this may sound crazy because we are required to get a CDL in order to driver a truck over 26,000 lbs,and have to take tests and get training,yet most drivers don't get hourly the get a mileage or percentage pay. It can get complicated about what and how some are paid. So when I'm sitting in traffic I'm not getting paid,or sitting at the dock for hours,I'm doing that for free as well,and to touch on that shippers and receivers take advantage of many drivers times when they will charge to unload a truck,make a driver sit at the dock for hours or even make them sit inside in a boxed like room with no ac or even heat. Their are many other stories that I'm sure could be just as horrifying.
Driving around the big rigs,ok take this in to account when you see a big semi,that truck could be loaded with up to but not limited to 80,000 pounds,the more the axles the heaver it is likely to be. With all that weight our trucks can take up to a foot ball field to stop at 60 mile per hour (about 360 feet) and we have lots of blind spots too. Tail gating,hanging out on the side left or right is not a wise thing,between the passenger door and the right hood fender(if you are under the passengers side mirror)that's the worst blind spot. This goes for both big trucks and cars,don't linger around the truck back off or quickly pass without being a danger. Use common sense please.
Wrap up. As you have read the life of a trucker is very challenging and almost differential at times but yet most of us out here do enjoy what we do for a living,it's a life style not a career,many days away from home,all kinda of weather,rain,snow,ice,sun,wind,and wildlife and more. Times our families worry about us on the roads never knowing what can happen. Or if they will ever know what happens. I have posted some links below for you all to see some stories good and bad of trucking. Thanks and God Bless.
http://www.askthetrucker.com/jason%E2%80%99s-law-a-tribute-to-jason-and-hope-rivenburg/
http://notrucks.org/ntparking.htm
http://www.specialolympicsminnesota.org/Truck_Convoy.php
http://www.truckerbuddy.org/
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