I have written a lot of things in these pages about some of the things truckers have to deal with that can make the job difficult and even unbearable at times. Something I have not spent a lot of time on is the very small percentage of truck drivers who for one reason or another should not only be banned from ever driving a truck but quite possibly should not be allowed to operate any type of moving vehicle.
Kings of the Road I like to call them and perhaps so do they. As with most percentages this one is completely made up but I dare say that the drivers I am referring to comprise less than 2% of the estimated 7,000,000 commercial drivers now operating on the roads in North America. The problem is that even in these low numbers the unprofessional manner these drivers operate under is visible to literally millions of people a day and those millions of people a day drive angrily away from the scene believing that the horrible display of incompetence they just witnessed is representative of the entire profession. It is not.
On a scale of 1 to 10. Where 5 is about average and 10 is nothing short of angelic. Kings of the Road have a patience level of about 1. These are the drivers who like to give 4 wheelers an intimate view of the trucks’ front bumper in their rearview mirrors as they bully and threaten their way down these nations highways. To them a lane change is just another chance to prove who is the boss. They seem to hold little regard for life or limb as they push their way around the road, like they are the only ones with a right to be there. And quite often they are the loudest complainers when the world and especially the transportation system proves once again that mankind has not yet achieved any level of perfection.
No one seems to know exactly where these little kings come from. Perhaps they were abused as children and lacking proper counseling have never overcame the anger thrust upon them all those years ago. Possibly they have a severe inferiority complex which the immense size of that truck helps them overcome with a vengeance. One simple truth is that each and every one of us has bad days. An honest mistake can be taken as aggression or maybe we’re mad at the boss or the D.O.T. and feel that acting like an idiot is a way to get back at those mean people who have dealt with us so unjustly. IT HAS GOT TO STOP!!!!
We know from experience that if one of us causes problems then the media seems to find some way to make that one action reflect poorly on every other driver as well. We are not the only ones who have this problem. Just ask your local police officer or postal worker. There are some very honest, hard working people out here who have suffered some indignity or inconvenience solely because of the actions of someone they have never met who happens to wear the same type of uniform or performs the same kind of work.
So what can we do about it? It would seem not much for the most part except to do our very best to be a good example to the newer drivers and to the rest of the motoring public. Most of us have tried and failed at talking sense into the bad driver via the C.B.. That usually just ends up being a verbal brawl which only serves to make us all look bad. Maybe the answer is just to ignore them and hope that when they do finally hurt someone, which they will, it is only themselves and their own equipment. But I guess that is like saying that it would be okay to kill people for no worse offense than being an idiot. My animal side says hey no problem but somewhere deeper I can picture God looking at me somewhat disappointed with my attitude for that so the only other answer I can think of is to start reporting them. Those 800 numbers on the back of the trailer may do some good if a company is constantly receiving calls about the same truck. For more serious offenses I’m not sure it wouldn’t be a good idea to report a driver to the local constabulary. In my situation as a local driver now I see these guys operating this way on roads in my own hometown. They may just be passing through but the danger they are causing is a danger to my own wife, kids, brothers, sisters, mother, etc. etc. I have never turned in a driver before but maybe that is a good answer to a serious problem. If that driver at least gets pulled over and questioned it should at least give him cause to think about what he is doing and quite possibly scare him into doing it right. Another purpose that would serve is to show the law enforcement and the media that we have a large share of good guys who are interested in safety just as much as they are. At the very least I believe it would give us a little more credence when we discuss some of the other issues we face.
What do you think? I’d really like to know. Maybe you have a better solution that I have not thought of. I think that the need is great and that it is imperative that we find our own solution. If we don’t then someone else is going to try to do it for us and theirs will probably make our lives that much harder and more expensive but won’t really solve anything. Witness the C.D.L. and what a joke that is. The only drivers it took off the road were the older, more experienced ones who were scared off by all the hype about how difficult the C.D.L. would be to get. It does cost a lot more money though so I guess depending on your point of view it did serve some useful purpose..... Anyway, I’ll see ya out there. Stay safe and keep in touch..... Keith