A TRUCK DRIVER'S IMAGE

MILE MARKER #35

In trucking, a driver's image includes a broad range of variables. Some might think that doing their job and looking respectable are the only things that image is about. Good hygiene and great communication skills with customers are a good start, but image goes deeper beyond it's common definition. The public's attitude towards truck drivers isn't the greatest, but I think it definitely is getting better.

TRUE STORY: About 19 years ago, my Wife and I moved to Florida and I applied for an O-T-R driving job at KTL Trucklines in Clearwater Fl. It was me and this older wiser guy taking our road tests at the same time. We both drove well, but you would of thought he would have been chosen over me due to his driving experience. I was young and only had a 3 to 3 1/2 years behind the wheel of a big truck. In the end, I got hired over him because he was wearing bib-over-alls at his interview and road test. Yup, the owner of KTL did not like the bib-over-alls look. Image gave me the advantage and I ended up working there for 5 1/2 years. We moved back to Wisconsin, and I think shortly after that, KTL got bought out by somebody, I heard.

Image is a big factor in a lot of areas in trucking such as: Helping stranded motorists, Our driving habits, Truck and trailer appearance (inside and out of both), CB language and conversation topics, How we act during the week, and driver attitude with customers. It only takes one bad driver out of a company's one-hundred to lose an account. That one driver might be the difference of solidifying business. One bad apple can make a whole company receive a bad image by a customer.

Next time you are parked at a truck stop or just driving around, look around at all of the litter. There is trash all over because of laziness. There are garbage cans provided for our use and there is at least one on our walk into the truck stop. My biggest pet-peeve is those Mountain Dew bottles filled with some one's bodily fluids! Nobody wants to look at that, or step over a pop bottle full of piss! Find a recepticle for the love of God! You know who you are........ The time a driver saves urinating in a bottle while driving is what....about 10-15 minutes???? Next time you stop, take just 1 minute to throw it out, and you will still be ahead 9-14 minutes. If you can control your bladder, that would give you 9-14 minutes of extra time to put towards the truck stop arcade.

Let's all work a little harder at our industry's image, and maybe we will get the respect we deserve from the public. Whether it be helping out a rookie driver backing up, giving some directions, or just working on our ever day manners and the way we act. Whatever it takes. We were all there at one time. Help each other.

ALL OF THE ABOVE = IMAGE