Say What?

Question: Are you optimistic about the future of the trucking industry?

Billy Arnold, 30, Sedalia, MO

Professional driving experience: 12 years

“I am. One of the biggest problems we have right now is the rising cost of fuel, but I’m optimistic that we’ll come up with a new source of fuel. They’re already working on hydrogen fuel, soy-based diesel, corn-based diesel and the like. I expect something will work, and we’ll take a big jump forward in terms of lowering our costs.”

Mark Worline, 40, Holland, MI

Professional driving experience: 13 years

“No, because I don’t see any good way to regulate what’s going on in this business. You can’t get all the truckers together. There’s no way to do that. They just keep cutting each other’s throats over freight and what not. If you ask me, it doesn’t look good.”

Carl Shoemaker, 58, Rock Island, TN

Professional driving experience: 22 years

“Unfortunately, the trucking industry is making the same mistakes now that they have in the past. The reason I say that is because a lot of these companies are too slow to change, they’re too slow to pick up on where we should be going and what we should be doing as an industry.”

Alma Shoemaker, 55, Rock Island, TN

Professional driving experience: 1 year

“I’m optimistic. There’s no way that truck-driving jobs are going overseas. They’ll stay right here. I see some problems with all this border stuff, but I blame that on our politicians. They’ll eventually figure something out.”

David Beckman, 43, Phoenix, AZ

Professional driving experience: 17 years

“I am, because I see how stupid some other people are. You can make a lot of money out here. I’m an owner-operator, and I haul loads every day for $1.16 or $1.17 a mile. With surcharges, tarp pay and other things, it’s even more. That’s every day, and yet I know some people out here hauling for half of that. What do I know that they don’t know? Nothing. They could be doing the same thing. It’s simple. Find the right company. It isn’t that hard.”