Why do truckers have a negative reputation

by Jimmy
(Kingman,Az)

You mean you don't know? Figure it out. They are way too big, way too slow, way too noisy, many are way too ugly, there's way too many of 'em, they bear down on the 4 wheelers and the drivers are really scarey. Thats the perception of non-truckers. It goes back to image.

Imagine what a born and bred New Yorker thinks when 'ol tex rolls in to Manhatten to unload and climbs down with his boots and cowboy hat! What most people don't understand is this country is made up of a diversity of people. We all have our opinions of course. Television and film depict all kinds of people. You may look like a scumbag, but could be just a hardworking guy. A trucker may head for the buffet line without washing up first. Thats a bad image.

With trucking, a lot is beyond our control. Does a livestock hauler(bullrack) want to park next to that chromed up Pete in the front row? Well, he needs to eat too. If I tarp a flatbed load and get pretty dirty and that load has to go, I won't have time to clean up before I go into the restaurant, BUT I can at least put on a clean t-shirt and wash my hands.

So, I say lets work on our image. Wash your truck, keep yourself clean, be courteous to everyone, on and off the road. And keep it clean on the c/b radio. No need whatsoever to cuss. We got kids out there.

One more thing directed to non-truckers that may be reading this. We want to get out of your way. Believe me, we are not sightseeing, we have somewhere to go and would like to be on our way. We fight the traffic all day long, maybe 600 miles worth, 6 or 7 days a week. In strange cities, with a long trailer to manuever. So bear with us.

And lastly, re: knights of the road, if we stopped for every vehicle siting on the shoulder, we would never get to our destination. Don't think we don't care, but understand the dangers involved. Creating a hazard is one, or putting our equipment in danger. We have to be careful, we may be hauling expensive freight also and we are responsible for the security of the load.