Archive for October, 2009

I’m still trying to grasp why National Truck Driver Appreciation Week has moved from August to November. No matter, it’s nice to have a special designated time for companies, customers and the public to show their appreciation and honor professional truck drivers. Sadly, I’ve come to realize that today’s truckers are often lacking in their appreciation of each other, much less demonstrating it. When did it become the norm for truckers to be so disrespectful of themselves…

I’m about to celebrate 10 years  as a truck driver. It’s pretty simple how I got into the business. I needed a job, and I thought this was something that I could do. So I called a truck driving school, they said come on in and that’s what I did. I have been driving since — I have no complaints. When I came into the industry, I did what I’m sure a lot of people do. I got every CD of trucking songs I co…

It’s a gray Saturday morning at Joliet Junior College, about an hour north of Chicago. Randy Thomas of the Illinois Trucking Association stands on the flatbed serving as a makeshift stage and welcomes the contestants in the state’s Professional Truck Driving Championships. “You are the best of the best,” he says. But for the more than 100 drivers about to compete, today isn’t just about being the best in the state. The top winner in each of nine categories goes on …