Hot dogs, Apple pie and the American trucker.
The public often has the impression of a truck driver as an all around good guy. Most are great guys, but...
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Perhaps television shows and movies have created this stereotype.
Some examples that come to mind are the strong and tough, arm-wrestling, Sylvester Stallone, who played Hawk, in Over the Top or the fun loving Burt Reynolds in the three Smokey and the Bandit movies.
Other perceived characteristics of truckers are highly skilled and courageous and in many shows and movies they are heroes. This is especially true in some of the popular 1970’s trucking, “cb-radio” movies such as Convoy, Movin On, 18 Wheels of Justice, , White Line Fever, Breaker Breaker, Steel Cowboy, The Great Smokey Roadblock, BJ and the Bear, and many others.
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Yes, America loves the hard working, strong, blue collar, family man,
representing the work ethic of our country. The American hero is just struggling to put food on the table. He is a highly skilled, physically fit, professional, who can navigator the roads with endurance, and confidence.
This almost mythical worker, is often times seen as a great husband and father touring the country in his state-of-the-art equipped truck with beautiful polished aluminum wheels.
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THE TRUTH ABOUT THE INDUSTRY
True, there are a few major trucking and shipping companies that are examples of professionalism. But most are not like Wal-Mart, Coca Cola and the industry leader, JJ Keller & Associates. The majority of trucking companies are small volume operators.
There are probably no more or no less percentages of incompetent truckers than folks who work in other industries. The difference is truckers, like pilots, are trusted as “professionals” and their decisions and actions can mean life and death.
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Many hundreds of trucking companies across America
consist only of small time operations that happen to own a tractor-trailer. These are often short-sighted, hand-to-mouth operators providing the barest safety policies or ethics; other than to get a delivery done for the least cost and highest profit.
An even closer look at the truckers, the trucking industry and virtually any truck wreck, will reveal rampant drug use, “deferred” truck maintenance, mechanical problems, excessive driving hours, lack of sleep, sketchy qualifications and doubtful ethics. Safety, training and vehicle maintenance often take a back seat to company profits.
Sadly, many companies encourage speeding and driving long hours by the manner in which it pays its drivers. Drivers are motivated by “dollars per mile”, and there are slogans encouraging such behavior like “on time every time”. Much like the pizza deliveries of 1980s when speeding drivers seriously injured and killed people trying tor the “30 minutes or free”.
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GEORGIA ENFORCEMENT DIVISION
The Department of Motor Vehicle Safety was dissolved in 2005 by Georgia Governor Sonny Purdue and all enforcement for compliance, to Motor Carrier Regulations and laws, was moved to the Motor Carrier Compliance Division of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. This enforcement division inspects approximately 90,000 trucks per year. Out of those inspected, approximately 38% of the trucks are “out of service compliance” (unsafe) and 17% of the drivers are “out of compliance”. The most common reason for the trucks being cited is for problems with the brakes and tires. For drivers, the prominent problems are too many hours driving, no proof in log books and alcohol/drugs in their system.
The truth is clear that many of these giant trucks are poorly maintained and often are loaded far beyond their 80,000 pound capacity. Our law firm’s experience has been that many drivers have poor driving histories with multiple violations and wrecks. It is not uncommon to find drivers who are refug
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