Say What?

Question: If you could change one thing about the trucking industry, what would it be?

Kevin Fletcher, 50, Mount Vernon, KY 
Professional driving experience: three years
 
“I would change a lot of things, but the one thing I would like to change can’t be changed because of the way the industry operates. I’m talking about the nature of the way freight has to be moved from one end to the other, and the way it takes drivers away from their homes for so long. Some companies have addressed that by allowing drivers to meet each other halfway. That way they can stay regional instead of over the road.”

Robert Hinman, 35, Afton, NY  
Professional driving experience: 14 years 
“I don’t know. There are so many things about this industry that bother me. I’ve been an owner-operator for two years, and the rates are the same as when I started. To me, it just seems like the big companies are trying to get rid of owner-operators and just deal with the 68-mph trucks and the company drivers they can control.”

Katherine Kincheloe, 54, Corydon, IN
Professional driving experience: 12 years
“The requirements it takes to become a driver. They let anything that can warm a seat drive a truck because of the driver shortage. I would make the requirements tougher in order to get into the profession. I’d have a longer driver training period, maybe with an older driver.”

Rodney Baker, 36, Phil Cambell, AL  
Professional driving experience: 14 years 
“If I could change one thing, I’d get rid of the brokers. There are too many brokers, too many middlemen getting cuts out of the freight without doing any actual work. As a result, drivers are being cut short on their pay.”

Steve Dean, 55, White Cloud, MI  
Professional driving experience: 25 years  
“I’d change the attitude of people. Drivers. Shippers. Four-wheelers. Truck stop employees. Everyone seems to be more erratic than they used to be. People at truck stops used to be friendly all the time, and now they’re not. It’s the same with drivers. Drivers used to help each other all the time, and now they don’t. I wish everyone would just get along.”