National Trucking News
No, seriously. That's a real question. Does just driving a truck make you a trucker? Or is there something more to it? Sorry, I realize I didn't put a quiz on your syllabus, but hey, that's the nature of the dreaded pop quiz. Deal with it. And don't you dare stick that gum to the underside of your desk.
Here's the reason I ask. I don't really consider myself a trucker. Neither does The Evil Overlord. It's not a conscious decision that we made. It's just been that way ever since we started driving in the summer of '97.
Every time someone asked us what we did for a living, we'd say something like, We drive a truck for a living. We've even told people We're truck drivers. But I can't ever recall us saying, We're truckers. I'm guessing I've probably said it before without thinking, but if so it's rarer than road kill tartare. So why is that?
Well I don't know about you, but I guess I have a stereotype trucker in my mind. I think of a trucker as someone who looks, acts, and talks the part. They buy miniature truck collectibles. They know all the NASCAR drivers. They never drive without their CB turned on. But for the most part, I'm talking about drivers who talk about trucking all the time.
I've got some family friends who have truckers in the family. Every time we get together, they talk about trucking. A lot. I always find myself heading to the ladies table before too long. Go ahead, make your jokes about my manliness, or lack thereof. I can handle it. And I've got my mascara handy for when I start to cry.
Hey, I drive a truck 11 hours a day for 3-4 weeks at a time. The last thing I want to do is talk about trucking. When The Evil Overlord was my co-driver, we never talked about trucking unless it had something to do with our current load. Now that she's off the road, we still don't have long talks about trucking. It rarely comes up. That's just the way we are.
I know I'm not the only one. Take my friend Alan, a.k.a. @alanqbristol, who I met on Twitter. Twice now we've shared a meal when I was in the Denver area. Sure, we talked about trucking matters a little bit. We have that in common. But you'd think two guys who met on Twitter because they both drove a truck would talk about trucking but no. We've talked about our pets, our friends, relationships, politics, religion, and the cesspool this world is becoming. Now I've never asked Alan if he considers himself a trucker, but I'll bet he doesn't. Maybe I'm wrong. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that's happened.
I guess I've always considered myself to be a truck driver, not a trucker. Maybe that's just a matter oftomayto-tomahto. Is it? Once again, I really don't know. Am I a trucker because I've driven a truck for 14 years? What's the time limit? I know many hard-core truckers don't consider rookie drivers as truckers. Heck, many times they don't even consider them truck drivers. They call them steering wheel holders. Other super-truckers don't consider you a truck driver if you drive a truck with an automatic transmission.
Maybe I'm just being retarded. Once again, that wouldn't be the first time I've ever been accused of that. The Evil Overlord is full of loving comments like that. Does it even matter what I call myself? I think it does.
I'm not a trucker. I drive a truck for a living. I do my job each day and then I pursue other interests. I'm doing fun stuff on my Mac or playing a game on my iPhone. Even when I'm sitting in the cab of my truck or sitting in a Wendy's writing a blog post, I'm not really thinking about trucking. Heck, you folks have read my blog posts. It's not like a spend a lot of time researching and pondering these topics. An idea just pops in my head when I'm driving, I take note of it, and then I sit down one day and write a rambling string of 1600 opinionated words. Sorry about that.
I think perhaps the biggest difference between truckers and truck drivers may be how they look at the job. Listen, I know this is going to sound bad, but that's never stopped me from saying stupid crap before. So here goes. Send your hate mail to ah screw it. Send it to Alan. I don't want it. LOL
I drive a truck. I know how important the job is. I know the skill that's involved. I know how hard it is to be away from your family for weeks at a time. I know that I should have more pride in my job than I do. But I don't. I'm ashamed to say that when someone asks me what I do for a living, I don't say, I drive a truck with my chest stuck out. I say it expecting them to think less of me. Heck, I usually say, I drive a truck for a living and then with a whisper and a smile I say, But don't tell anyone. Even when they act interested, I can't help but imagine they're thinking, This guy must be an uneducated loser.
I guess that's just the way I feel about it. Is it wrong that I don't feel pride in doing a job that I know deserves it? What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know what you think about this topic. And let me know, are you a trucker or a truck driver. Or is there a difference?
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Stock index futures pointed to a rise in U.S. equities on Tuesday after the market opens following the Presidents Day holiday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.4-0.5 percent.
Birmingham, Alabama Boyd Intermodal, a Boyd Bros. Transportation company, in conjunction with Raildecks Intermodal and BNSF Railway announce the Boyd Intermodal Raildeck product as the latest intermodal innovation for industrial shippers across the United States.
Driving is a privilege that comes with responsibilities. Teaching children that driving a tractor-trailer, fire truck or motor coach as a career is difficult to do when that opportunity may be a decade away.
Jim Van Den Elzen, Crossroads Safety Management Group, owns a mobile classroom simulator he uses for training commercial drivers throughout the Midwest. His desire to teach children led to the formation of the non-profit organization, Drivings Cool (drivingscoolinc.org). His goal is to allow middle and high school students to drive the simulator and start thinking about how their actions now might affect their ability to acquire a job in transportation later.
The students get the opportunity to drive their choice of vehicle, such as a dump truck, ambulance, fire truck or tractor-trailer. Then, they are asked to sign a pledge to keep their driving record clean and to be drug and alcohol free when they graduate. If they fulfill these goals, they will receive a scholarship upon graduation of high school to pursue training in a transportation related field.
The goal of this organization is to introduce students to potential transportation related careers and to help them understand the importance of their driving actions now, said Van Den Elzen. He has received IRS nonprofit status and organized the board of directors and is now seeking funding for the project. If the concept is successful in Wisconsin, other states will be added in the future.
Ellen Voie President/CEO of Women in Trucking Association (womenintrucking.org) based in Wisconsin, serves on the Board of Directors. I am excited to be a part of this initiative, said Voie, as it aligns with our mission to encourage the next generation to consider careers in the trucking industry and Drivings Cool will allow us to expose these careers to young women and men.
In addition to Van Den Elzen and Voie, other directors include Craig Dickman; Breakthrough Fuel Technologies, Karen Matze; Business Consultatnt, Ed Janke; Howard (WI) Director of Public Safety, Mike Ruby; CPA at Kerber, Rose & Associates, Jim Lewis, Attorney, Lewis & Van Sickle, LLC, Jerry Mader, Owner, Business News Newspaper and James Clemens, M.D., Prevea Clinic.
Drivings Cool is seeking funds from corporate sponsors. For more information contact Van Den Elzen at vandenelzen@new.rr.com
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The company operates as a subsidiary of Yell Group plc. Yell Publicidad is formerly known as Telefonica Publicidad e Informacion .
Top executives from Boyd Gaming and MGM Resorts International are scheduled to speak at the Southern Gaming Summit May 8-10 in Biloxi.
Boyd Gaming Corp. reported Tuesday that is losses shrank in the fourth quarter of 2011 as results improved at its Las Vegas locals casinos.
Well, it's that time of year again. Christmas is here and you and your brother have finally settled out of court over that ugly turkey drumstick incident. The house is filled with holiday cheer. Everyone is happy to be together while they snort chocolate shavings, smoke cookie dough, and mainline eggnog.
But what about those truckers who didn't make it home on Christmas Day? Well, I've written a poem in their honor. I hope it puts you in a Christmasy kinda mood. Here goes nothing. Pick your poison. You can listen to me or read it yourself. Enjoy!
Twas the night before Christmas: Trucker style
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the truck,
the only thing stirring was a case of bad luck.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
but thanks to my job, I wasn't there.
The nephews were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of Modern Warfare 3 danced in their heads.
With The Evil Overlord at home in her teddy (hey, it's my poem) and I on the road,
We had both settled down to take off a load.
When outside my truck there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bunk to see what was the matter.
I reached for my clothes, knowing I was certain,
Prepared for the worst, I opened the curtain.
The moon in the sky gave off such a great glow
It made the parking lot look like it was covered with snow.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a flatbed loaded with big green John Deeres.
With the driver outside looking at my truck,
I knew right away I had more bad luck.
As I jumped outside to check out my bumper,
Something flew over my head and then took big dumper.
My luck continued as I took it in the eye,
It was such a huge load it almost made me cry.
As I looked to the sky I swore I heard a jingle,
I took cover and prayed it didn't need to tinkle.
Alas, I did not see what dumped on my head,
But I thought I glimpsed something that might have been red.
I thought, Could that have been good old St. Nick?
Nah, couldn't be. My eyes had just played a trick.
So back to my problem, the wreck, not the poop.
I called my Nazi safety department to give them the scoop.
We exchanged information and he went on his way,
I guess he was too embarrassed to back in and stay.
Next thing you know I was getting a call,
The Evil Overlord sounded like she was about to bawl.
It seems that some fat guy had squeezed down through our roof
He didn't seem too happy that he burned his caboose.
He was all dressed in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all covered with ashes and soot.
She said, Why would a man be wearing so much fur?
I bet he's one of those drag queens, Do I call him sir?
His eyes-how they twinkle! His dimples how merry!
This dude must be wasted, I'm guessing it's cooking Sherry.
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the Sherry had stained his beard, like a dead deer in the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And she said, Holy cow, I think that's weed!
He had a broad face and a big ol' gut,
Every bit of him was fat, yes, even his butt.
He was chunky and plump, a right jolly old guy,
She said, I'd be jolly too if I was that high!
A wink of his eye and a shake of his head,
Are you kidding me, perv, not even if I were dead!
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings with Doritos and beef jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!
He sprang to his sleigh and they lurched into flight,
As she leveled the shotgun, she had him in sight.
As he started to exclaim, she squeezed off a shot,
That'll teach you to let your reindeer poop in my husband's eye!
The End.
Merry Christmas
*If you enjoyed this little ditty, please give this post a good rating and tell all your friends to check it out. If you didn't enjoy it, keep your rating to yourself and your trap shut.*
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